CUTE CAST, is that enough?
Let me say that i misjudged it too early after the 13th episode, by that time rumor of a second season is floating and it made me worried they will leave the first season with all the relationship in cliffhanger mode just to make us come back for season 2.Lets talk about the series objectively. Story is nothing special and a bagful of cliches, in fact i would say that if you seen a few Thai BL, chances are, you know how and where this one is going. Pacing is also a little too slow for me, it feels like they stretched each scenes a little too long to fit it in 14 episodes. They could have squeezed the entire series in to 10 episodes and it will still feel the same.
If i watch another Thai BL with the 'i saw my bf kissing someone so i hate him and i want to breakup' scene I will just totally give up THai dramas. Comeon, dont tell me this is the only way writers in Thailand know how to create drama? They should create an eff*n real conflict and develop it properly.
Next, who the f goes swimming wearing shirts and pants? Are Thais really this prude? There was almost zero to very little kissing (and intimacy) in the entire series that it feels like a conscious effort not to show them, it made the entire series feel like a big bromance rather than a true BL story. Remember SOTUS? Yes i remember it too clearly, and its the same director, and is he aiming to bring in wider audience or what he has done is alienate hardcore BL fans?
The series, was saved by the beautiful cast. Bohn(Cooper) and Duen(Poy) are a really cute couple and yes id probably watch anything with Cooper. However, and this is a good however, the main couple is surrounded by an equally or maybe cuter couples - KingRam (Lay and Perth) and a more engaging BossMek (Intouch and Ryan). I hate to see the secpnd season without Ryan. Forget the fourth couple FrongThara as they were only annoying.
I am thankful that the season finale saved the series from being a total disaster by at least tying up the lose ends and never left us hanging with unnecessary cliffhangers. At least the entire series feels complete even if you dont watch the second season. Will i rewatch this season - probably not. Will i reccommend this series - yes!
Will I be back for the next round? Most probably yes, and I beg them to bring back Ryan or maybe atleast replace the actor with a different face but keep the same character Mek and not give Boss an entirely new love story.
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1This review may contain spoilers
i am conflicted about how i feel when it comes to this drama.....first and foremost, bohnduen who? why are they the main characters? they were cute at the beginning but then sadly as they progressed.... they became boring and annoying i just had to sonicc my way through the episodes and skip their scenes
why didn't i like bohnduen?
-bohn's actions were kinda creepy? i just found how he was pressuring the heck out of duen not cool....
-bohn has no right to treat duen like he's some sort of object he possess and also he should chiLL like ffs this dude gets jealous about everything and i don't understand how tf duen is the one apologising !!!
whether you're in a relationship or not, you can't limit your partner to not have interactions with anyone else lol
-sO repetitive !!! legit the only conflicts they have is bohn getting jealous bc someone came an inch closer to duen liKe bRuHH
-cheesy and not the good kind of cheese
-i feel like they would've done well as side characters
mekboss? more like mehbore hA sorry yeah idk what to say about them except that mek's actor deserves better they did him dirty with that dubbing
fiNALLY RAMKING THARAFRONG THANK YOU JESUS
-if these 2 couples didn't exist in this drama, i have no clue how i would've survived watching this !!! i absolutely love these two they truly stole the show
-ramking are the softest boyfriends (i know they're noT official bUT THEY ARE OKAY SHUT UP FIGHT ME)
i love how they cared for each other at their lows and i melted like a goSh darn puddle
i couldn't find any reason to not sacrifice my heart to these two (i am in a cult yes)
-tharafrong? yes they have the half of my heart
thara being the purest out of the purest, having a pet lizard called cupcake and him cleaning places when he's not in a good mood???? hence, thara best boy
i feel like their scenes were a teaser bc we didn't really get much out of them buT I'M ABSOLUTELY PUMPED TO SEE MORE OF THEM IN SEASON 2
therefore, ramking and tharafrong are the superior couples and you can't change my mind
(hi i don't welcome war thanks)
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Cannot wait for Season 2! | Update:I was generous on this
Ok let me start off by just saying, this was CLEARLY my first review because I am being very generous with my comments here (as I was kind of forcing myself to finish the series at all), so bear with me. I re-edited the ratings to give an accurate representation on how I feel about this series. Moving on,,I'll first start with how I feel about each couple in M.E, then I'll go onto some other things. This is also my first review ever so...
P.S: [ + ] < critique most likely includes spoilers that are from like halfway+ of the series
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•Bohn x Duen : This pair is a complicated one. At the beginning of the story, their plot has a pretty good development. You know the standard ‘top chases after bottom despite having seen him only for like a day’. They have cute moments and this and that, but after a while it goes a bit downhill. Do not get me wrong, most of their plot is beautiful in its own way, but some jealousy and miss-communication is visible in both characters at times, But AYE you didn’t hear it from me. Duen is a beautiful but complicated character. He is a kind and very thoughtful person of everyone around him. He understands ram, he understands Bohn to an extent, he protects his sister, and he plays along with games. But at the same time his emotions and ways of dealing with things can be very hard to understand or even agree with. He is a pretty important person in this series in my opinion, he left a very very good impression on me, and I won’t lie, so did his smile.
+ a critique I have for them tho is the lack of character and P L O T development and COMMUNICATION. Like a lot of their relationship is Bohn misinterpreting Duen's actions and who he talks to. Like come on my guy, he's your boyfriend you should be able to trust him. Also, literally NOTHING interesting has happened to them since like episode 9-10. Like it's the same Bohn being jealous type stuff. Then it's them not talking to each other and having misunderstandings. At certain points I felt as if they should have been the side couple instead. But I still love them.
• Mek x Boss : you guys frustrate me . Mek and Boss are super adorable don’t get me wrong, they have their 'hubby' and 'wife' moments and their chemistry is great. But Boss's cluelessness gets me frustrated, but in a good way. It keeps making me go like 'Boss the love of your life is literally right I. Front of you.' They progress that was made is steady and pretty good if you ask me. Mek’s love for boss is honestly a little bit depressing at times, because you can tell how much it hurts him to ‘know’ that he will never be able to have boss. He does anything and everything boss asks him to do. While Boss is struggling with himself and trying to differentiate right from wrong, this can make things get a little messy later on. I just hope that they get a happy end going because boy do they deserve it, especially mek.
+ ;-; Ryan (Mek) will most likely (actually 90%+ chance,) not be in S2 so let’s all cry together
+ MAJOR spoiler: I am soooo !happy !that they both confirmed each other's feelings, I am also pretty shocked ab the fact that mekboss was the first kiss in the whole series like OOP- Also the fact that Boss told him how he actually had ALWAYS liked Mek from the start leaves me going O.O like I wonder how hard it must have been for him to convince himself that his feelings were weird and that dating some females and saying that he loves them was going to help him get over his crush, poor baby. But in the end they're happy and I'm happy so we're all happy.
+ the tiny critique that I would have for this couple is the dubbing, but I'm just nitpicking. But no srsly the dubbing can make me uncomfortable at times with how unnatural it looks AND sounds. Like why did you have to hire a voice actor with a voice that, unfitting to mek?
• Ram x King : Adorable. This word is what I would use to describe them. Ram, while very “introverted” in a sense and very reluctant to let new people in, is slowly starting to let King be in his life. While King is finding ways to help Ram without screaming 'I'm interested in you pay attention to me'. the chemistry? It's there 10/10, definitely there and I am all here for it. as the story progresses the chemistry is developing even more, the progress in character development is visible and is touching to see on screen. The way they both have their own strengths, weaknesses, and fears is fun to watch. The way one has a thing for plants and another for dogs is intriguing too. When King helps Ram in small ways it is very touching, comforting him, but not overdoing it. Even though I personally SOMEHOW did not find them my favorite couple, I would feel like they deserve a series to themselves to be honest.
+ I have nothing 'bad' to say about this couple. I love how they understand each other with no words, and just no how to help each other in different situations. I would love to have even a tiny critique but nah. It's only a music thing that's bothering me but that's in the music section of this review
+ nvM King be true to yourself in S2. Don’t hide your feelings and don’t try to just erase events that happened. Second part also goes to you Ram.
THE RLY LATE COUPLE (they came in way later than the other couples is what I mean)
•TharaFrong: Uhm- yeah. Yep that’s a word to describe them, “uhm”. Look, I have no problem with new couples being introduced like halfway through a series, but at least make it interesting. I know there are a lot of fans who liked how this couple introduced themselves and stuff, but for me after they “met” each-other they just became boring. Now this is to my own personal opinion as I did not want to invest in them nor did I have the slightest interest in mister doctor. But if you do watch the series, I can say that they were pretty “iconic” if you will. I don’t know, they just seemed so ‘unnecessary’ to me.
+ THAT ENDING, OH MY GOOOOOOD. See this couple will just frustrate me more then mekboss bcos bro HOW are you gonna say “brothers” in front of him like that like-damn :(
I'm going to talk about other things now, this is where it can get all over the place
• Storyline : the storyline isn't anything SUPER interesting (interesting as in never seen/heard of before), but I like how the story is progressing. There is nothing Happening as if it would be a story that couldn't be seen In everyday life, or as if it was out of place in the series. It's a cute little story about some cute couples with cute interactions and cute development, it's just a really nice series to watch and tone down to.
+ As the Series continues, the storyline can start to get a little messy for some couples. Like I genuinely do not know what the point of Bohn getting jealous at duen every 2 seconds is for, and how all of a sudden at once mek and boss became a thing(, IT IS CUTE THO I WONT LIE). So yeah at some point it's just repeating actions from a couple, speeding up at the speed of lightening and becoming a couple immediately. And then two normal progressing couples. A couple that started forming WAY later into the series kinda disappointed me if you get what I mean (the end,) so, it is what it is.
• Actors: All the actors are adorable and amazing and portray their characters to to the best of their abilities. Poy is a new face, but something about him just makes you wanna squish his cheeks and protect him forever like HIS SMILE? don't even get me started. Cooper isn't necessarily new so I was expecting, and he met those expectations pretty well. I didn't know any of the other cast before this series but they've proved themselves to me, like they made their series my FAVORITE one that's airing right now, they're topping whyRU and 2gether (I have absolutely nothing against these two series, I also love them very very much, to support them too). >>> Ok I love the acting. Perth (Ram) is impressing me more with each and every episode that comes out each week. Some characters frustrate me but that's good because that's what their role is tying to do, and if they do it successfully then it's good. In all, almost every single character is impressing me.
•Music: ok idc what ANYONE else says, the music in this series is amazing to me personally. From the sound effects to the OST, stream The person I waited by MOD3G x Joelong by the way (It's the My Engineer opening ost) . The music is perfect and no one can convince me otheriwise.
+ ok that one scene where Ram was asking ab his dad to his mom and they played that meme music- it's not their fault they probably didn't know that the music they chose was 'meme music', but it was kind of annoying cause it's like 'we're having a MOMENT HERE
•conclusion: This series is worth watching, because why not? Why not enjoy yourself? Exactly.
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My personal favs: for some reason, I literally don't know how I feel about all the couples anymore, maybe later on, but for now....
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My Engineer is the new SOTUS ripoff we never needed. Senior engineering student Bohn (a much less green Cooper in his first lead since My Bromance) bullies freshman medical student, Duen (Poy) by making him bring him a rose every day. The couple fall for each other and embark on a relationship that is half weirdly sexless, half abusive.
As well as Duen being exceedingly weird about any kind of skinship to the point where it's uncomfortable, Bohn freaks out almost every episode at Duen even talking to another man and then gaslights him into apologising when he's in the wrong. Think Until We Meet Again meets 2 Moons. Yes it's that weird. If Duen isn't freaking out because his boyfriend wants to spend time with him alone, Bohn is freaking out because Duen interacts with other people. Duen responds to all of this with a weird vacant smile that makes you wonder if he's mentally deficient in some way.
Of course all their close group of friends are also secretly gay and we end up with a number of other romances between them. The best of these is RamKing (Perth and Lay), whose relationship is almost worth tuning in for. The worst of these is BossMek, where Ryan's character Mek eventually gets his straight friend, Boss (Inntouch) by aggressively Nice Guying him in a way that feels coercive.
The show is predictable, generic and derivative. It has almost no plot and is written to a standard BL formula. For me at least that formula is tired. If you wanted to fast forward entirely to the RamKing scenes, you wouldn't be missing anything. Or just skip it completely.
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This review may contain spoilers
I fully intended to start this series when it finished airing because I invest an unhealthy amount of my time binging shows, and it's a better experience for me, personally, when I can watch the whole series in one go and rewatch to my heart's content if I like it (like I've done with several other BLs). There are certain shows that I start with the idea of just wasting time and coming back when they're done if I'm interested in them enough, but, honestly, based on the premise, this wasn't one of those shows. I was just gonna watch it later.And then we got quarantined here in the US, and it popped up in a 2gether episode where someone mentioned it might get dropped. Now, I may not have been wholeheartedly sold on the idea, but I didn't want the series to be dropped, so I hopped on and watched the 4 episodes that were out.
And that's all she wrote, honestly, because this show is SO MUCH BETTER than I expected.
Let's just start with my favorite couple, okay? There are three main-ish couples (four if you count Mr. Smiley and his doctor friend, which I'm not just yet because their screen time together isn't as much so far) with a good balance of screen time, and my favorite has to be RamKing, the quiet first year who loves dogs and the plant-lover second-year who happens to be great in school. Their relationship is what keeps me coming back every Saturday if I'm being honest. I just love the way King reads Ram, the way they both look at each other, and did I mention how cute King is when he's talking to his plants? He's such a dork, but he still manages to be cool at the same time. He's so understanding, and he really does read those around him like a book. And the venus flytrap metaphor? Even if it's not intended as a metaphor, I'm gonna say it is anyway because venus flytraps are hard to take care of and they take, like, 6-12 weeks to germinate, but King went out of his way to find the seeds and raise it just to give it to Ram because Ram liked it. If that doesn't explain the way King is willing to be patient and take care of Ram to get him to talk, then I don't know what does.
MekBoss is second despite how much I didn't necessarily care about them in the beginning. They stole my heart pretty quickly because, even though Mek likes Boss, he never gets in the way of what he thinks Boss wants, and I think that's so important, you know? They dub over Mek's voice, as I'm sure everyone has realized by now, which can be a bit of an annoyance since the voice honestly doesn't match Mek's great acting--sometimes, when Mek is doing great expressing his exasperation or heartache or even happiness, the voice-over is very monotone and takes away from how wonderful Mek does as an actor--but I've managed to ignore it pretty well. It does suck that they just didn't do a "Beause of You" scenario where the actor speaks his native language and everyone just understands him, but I digress. I still love this couple way more than I expected thanks to how Mek treats Boss. It's honestly the sweetest, most selfless form of liking someone. Add it to the fact that the only reason Mek confessed to Boss was because Boss was being hard on himself and Mek wanted him to know that not everyone thought he was worthless? It's precious. I love them~
Last but definitely not least, we have BohnDuen (DuenBohn? XD). Don't get me wrong--I really do love this couple--but their story has yet to really make me SQUEAL. Like, RamKing had me giggling as soon as they met (with King looking at his plant saying, "You don't answer me just like a certain someone."), but BohnDuen is more of an "aww" kind of thing. I also wish that Duen would stop being so darn Tsundere now that they're together (it's been 12 episodes, Duen; start admitting to yourself that you're a cheeseball just like your boyfriend). They're a hoot, though. Especially when they start fighting over who's the 'wife.' I don't mind that whole "I don't like guys, I like *insert person's name*" trope because I'm a firm believer in gender not mattering and love breaking people's barriers, but I also understand the want for a strong, proud LGBT character.
The acting. The ACTING. All of their acting is superb, especially when you compare it to the events they've held. All of these actors really capture who the characters are, and they make it feel authentic. I was almost surprised when I found out Tay (King) isn't actually afraid of dogs (he even has a cute little puppy of his own) because of how well he portrays King. And Perth (Ram) is anything but shy, but you would never know that from his character Ram. I'm really impressed with these actors, and I'm definitely stanning Tay and Perth, not to mention Cooper, Poy, Inntouch, and even Ryan (if he can redeem himself from his poor attitude).
The OST. I mean, I'm in love with... I think it's "Are You Okay" in English (จะเป็นไรไหม) by Merry Dancers and Goh M (don't quote me on that one--I'm still working on my Thai), but, so far, that's the only song I care for as far as the soundtrack goes.
Overall, I'm invested in this series now, and I didn't think I would be, but here we are. The characters are cute and quirky and a little weird (looking at you Dr. Thara), the acting is wonderful, and the story is definitely pulling me along despite how simple it seems at times~ Definitely recommend~
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Long Live “The Royals”
To be honest with you I wasn't a whole lot impressed with the trailer when first released and with a title like "My Engineer" I went into this with minimum expectation. I was fairly impressed.There are four main couples and the series gave justice to each by giving them ample screen time. The pacing was good, and although there might be some awkwardness in the acting sometimes it wasn't to the point it'd put you off. The series also had moments where is has brought up common and worn out cliched plots in the bl genre and dissolved the misconception.
The couples:
BOHN-DUEN : okay, this relationship is on the immature/inncocent side. I feel this couple get a lot of flak because their personality combo is one that frustrates people the most. I too am among those that have felt like smacking sense into either one of them in a scene or two but at the same time I understand their dynamic as well. Bohn is the popular boy who is used to having everything his way who fell in love for real, for the first time, with the innocent boy. Duen is innocent, with zero experience on how to be in a relationship. Bohn comes off as an arrogant bully but he always gives in to Duen at the end. And Duen is not your typical cowering submissive boyfriend either. This pairing is one that asks for a LOT of understanding and patience on the viewers part or else they'll just be misunderstood. But I really believe that if done well, this pair has room and a good opportunity for to allow the production to explore real character growth and development.
MEK-BOSS : This couple's relationship is one for the angst. It's a story of Mek who's in love with his oblivious best friend Boss. The heartache for the viewers gets worse as Boss is always chasing after girls and dragging Mek with him. I have to be honest, with the whole drama with Rayan (Mek), I tried very hard not to get invested in this couple so I don't get disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. They are so cute together I ended up invested.
RAM-KING : The VERY BEST pairing of the drama; hence why I have dubbed them "The Royals". Right off the bat, this pairing was a favorite. I couldn't get enough of their scenes, not a single one can be called just a filler. This pairing tells the love story between a plant and dog. King understands Ram like he understands his plants without Ram having to utter a single word, while Ram, the dog-lover, likes to care, feed and pull King around . I love how intuited they are with each other and to be honest this pairings visual is no joke either. Their character and relationship development was done really well. Really I can go on and on about these two but I'm worried I'd veer off of even the bounds of spoilers lol I'm all in for Monarchy all the common people be damned!
THARA-FRONG: The slooooow burn couple. Theirs is the least developed relationship in the series but I believe we will have more story for them in season two.
Honestly I would have given this a higher score but the "fan-girls" and King's iseenobounderies sister were too much for me. I dislike how they show girls chasing around a cute boy or a "couple" like they have nothing better to do, that it's a complete turn off for me every time they appear in any drama. I don't find them cute or funny, and I don't see their inclusion as nothing more than ridiculing young girls. I hope this is a part they improve on for the second season.
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Hand's Down The Best BL of 2020 and all my Life
Now you might think I'm crazy for rating it 10/10 on everything but hear me out. First I'm not a teenage girl but a 24 year old guy who is gay and have been watching BL since 2013. So when I rate this a 10 there is a reason.This series is soo well written and everything makes more sense than just useless drama in other BL's. Every character, every couple, every plot is written soo well that it makes me wonder where these wonderful writers and directors were all this time. Also what I like about this series is the way they subtly have countered all the usual cliche in BL we see. For example in Ep9 they start this Top/Bottom issue out of nowhere but also counter that idea by the end of the episode. Watch it to know what I'm saying. Just like that this series keeps countering such cliche and issues we usually see in other BL drama.
Acting/Cast: Every actor of this series is handsome or cute I guess everyone can agree on that lol. And they all give superb performance. Ill start with the couples since we get to see 4 couples 1 main and 3 sidecouples not that it matters since all of them get equivalent screentime and reasonable development in every episode which is another good aspect of this series. They didnt fucked up their couples like Why R U?
Bohn/Deun(Cooper/Poy): So many people started to get annoyed by the main couple as the series progressed and while I agree that they get a bit annoying sometimes they are still absolute sweethearts and Deun(Poy's) smile can light up your day. We see a lot of jealously, bickering and immaturity in this couple throughtout the series. Deun who has always been single his own life and shy and innocent is not able to show his love and Bohn being immature and hotheaded always jealous. But this couple resembles a lot more to real life
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This review may contain spoilers
This review is a personal opinion. IT is in no way intended to sway anyone from watching a drama or convincing them otherwise. We all have different tastes and are individuals so please proceed to watch or not watch a drama based on your own personal opinion/feeling.What can I say about this drama that probably hasn't already been said?
This was a surprise to me considering the let downs we have had with other BLs recently. I came into this drama not expecting much. I actually did not watch it as it was airing, but waited until at least the 12th episode was out because there were too many dramas I was overloading myself with.
I am glad I waited. I believe it helped me actually concentrate on the story and acting and not give an opinion based on the moment emotions which sometimes happens.
Lets start off with what I did like.
I loved the pacing. I think that there wasn't much rushing or slowness to this drama as we have seen in other. I also believe that because there is a rumor of a second season, that the production team took care to really try to develop the characters.
Those damn FUJOSHI characters. Can we please stop this?!!! They are annoying and just makes women characters look like obsessed hyenas. Even King's sister being such a grown a&& woman with kids and making her kids take pictures of her brother kissing another boy is some level of voyeurism that's just UGG (barf)
Speaking of character:
RAM! I truly believe that this was the most developed character in the drama aside from King. Ram had very little dialogue compare to others because his character was the introverted and guarded type. But could his eyes and smiles really deliver a scene? And when he cried after learning of his father's affair?? I really loved how much they did with this character with so little, yet his story arc was the most developed one of all (dealing with a father who cheats, dealing with his inability to open up to others, dealing with a budding crush on his senior, so much)
King!: This kid was so adorable and such an easy to like character. His love of plants allowed him to be very observant of others around him and soon Ram was another specimen he needed to dissect and study and then give care and love to. This couple had very interesting dynamics and I liked it very much.
Mek and Boss! Putting aside the horrible voice over (come on they could have found a voice actor with a more easy to digest voice tone) Mek was another "mute" character. He had very little dialogue just like Ram, but he was able to convey a lot of what he felt for Boss without saying much. Boss was a typical goofy character that you see in a lot of dramas, but honestly, there was so much to him. He had feelings for MEK for a while but was afraid to ruin it. He liked to pretend that their Husband-wife roles were real and fun as a way to stay close to him. I understand why they included Fon in their relationship, because Boss was trying to forget his feelings for Mek.
Duen/Bohn....sighs...I really want to say some nice things about this couple...I really do...but they were FRUSTRATING and just another cliche of a couple. I could put aside some of the childish and immature behaviors from Bohn, but I was not really feeling them as a couple. Honestly, they need to have more development. Bohn was such a cocky and immature punk all the way until the 13th episode and then we get some character development from him?? That was annoying to say the least. Well, if the season 2 rumors are true, then I hope this couple takes the side-pairing seat and let Ram/King be main as their story is more interesting.
Thara/Frong....I am in the minority here, but I felt zero chemistry from them, but that just means that another season will be a time to develop them.
Overall, for me the drama was good, not great. It felt like every other BL cliche drama out there, nothing we haven't seen before. What saved it for me was the characters RAM and KING...and MEK/Boss to some extent. Really without them, I would have rated this even lower.
In the end, it's a watch if you are bored and waiting for something else to drop.
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I didn’t really get attached to My Engineer for the first two episodes, but it got better and better every passing minute and slowly but surely found its way into my heart.The story itself is nothing much more than romance, and it’s full of tropes and clichés, but the character building and development was extremely interesting.
I didn’t really expect anything much because it was ‘too many couples’ but gosh did they wing it. No one felt left behind, rushed or badly explored, it was perfect from start to finish.
Of course it has its flaws, and I’m not gonna see past them like they didn’t happen, but they turn to be kinda irrelevant when you look at the bigger picture.
A little about the couples since it's the whole point of the drama:
TharaFrong - They do start to develop later in the game but it still didn't feel forced or rushed at all. Frong was a special flavor of tsundere and Thara being soft but an oddball at the same time made their ship dynamic something to really look forward to. Frong being p'zoned by Thara at the very end really caught everyone, including Frong, off guard and I thought that was fantastic, because we didn't really see much of them and now there's a whole other conflict for the second season - since Frong was rejected at first by Duen, we didn't really get to see his romantic side until Thara entered the scene. But now he has a wide open path to Thara's heart and how he will walk that path is one of the things I'm looking forward the most in S2.
Shane and MD are so absurdly sweet, but I still think there's a biiit of lack of chemistry between them, something I hope it's fixed on the second season since they're really good together off screen.
MekBoss - This was a huge surprise for me. The dubbing was bad and I kinda lost interest halfway because it was painful to watch their scenes, but I toughened up and watched (I just focused very hard on the subs so I wouldn't look at Mek's mouth when he was talking lol), and I honestly don't regret it. They're an absurdly cute couple, and them having the first kiss of the series blew my mind. I really like how they're honest and communicate easily with each other, especially because they were already friends before, so it's basically, they are the same, but as a couple. Their biggest conflict was something more external (Fon) and I was afraid Boss was gonna have kind of a love triangle but no, Boss didn't even blink to reject Fon and choose Mek. I'm also happy that Fon wasn't portrayed as a bad ex and understood Boss couldn't be with her because he was in love with someone else.
Inn and Ryan are ridiculously cute together and after all this, I mourn that Ryan was fired. I will absolutely miss him in the second season, even if I come to like whoever they cast in his place, if that even happens. I wish there was a way to keep him, but what's done is done.
BohnDuen - I see a lot of people criticizing BohnDuen development and honestly I really understand how they can be super annoying... but I can't help but defend them and how they were written, I think the whole point of their relationship was to show how childish and immature they were and how the repetitiveness of their mistakes and behaviors (esp Bohn) peaked with them not trusting each other and having their love actually tested.
Is it a cliche? Absolutely. But it's also HOW the cliche was told that makes it so compelling to me. Despite being annoying (it WAS annoying for me too, believe me), I think that's the intention of their relationship. How this kinda things aren't actually cute or funny or a 'sign of love' like it's usually depicted. It's annoying and tiring and it's bad for the relationship. I also like how they approached the whole top/bottom discourse and how they decided that, in the end, it doesn't matter as long as they are together.
Cooper and Poy? Icons of fluff. I love their chemistry and though Poy can let his 'rookiness' slide at times, he still delivered a sweet but assertive character without turning him into an annoying one. I think the fact Cooper has more experience helped Poy giving his all without it feeling unbalanced.
RamKing - Oh please. Everyone's favorite and for a good reason. I have a LOT to say about them but I'll try keeping it short. Their slow burn was one of the most beautiful and well-done relationship building I've ever seen. They are very complex characters but don't feel like they're trying too hard to seem deep. I think that what makes them such a good couple is that they're also interesting characters individually. It was really devastating to see how much effort King put to tear down Ram’s walls without forcing anything just to reject him when he was already open and vulnerable. I could write a whole essay about every step of their relationship until their kiss because there’s so much to unpack. But their kiss was one of the most beautiful and yet sad moments of their arc. You can see the desperation and relief and doubt and everything weighting down on them. I see a lot of people confused about King’s feelings and behaviors toward Ram especially because it was really obvious that Ram liked him back, but that’s precisely why I think there’s something else entirely bugging King - it’s more complex than just acceptance/denial when it comes to King’s feelings. And I’m pretty sure S2 will be focused on them so oof. Let’s wait and see.
Talay and Perth. Ooooh, Talay and Perth… what a pair. They complement each other so perfectly and their chemistry is chef kiss. Perth being a rookie is mindblowing because Ram has very few lines compared to others yet he delivered a character full of emotion. And Talay knows what he does. I think they’re a match made in heaven and I honestly hope they do more stuff together in the future besides MyEng.
All in all, My Engineer is a simple but effective drama. It relies heavily on character building instead of story to keep us entertained and I think that, even though it’s not a master of it, it still delivers.
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RamKing is life and Thara is amazing.
Now that we have that behind us, let’s talk about the drama itself. It was a mess. They didn't try to be serious for sure, and some silly scenes were borderline dumb, but somehow it did not bother me. But then… My expectations were extremely low to begin with. There was an imbalance in the quality of writing between couples. Some were good and executed well with interesting characters, some were based fully on cliches and made me want to either sleep or smash my head on the wall.Let’s talk about couples. The leading babies, Duen and Bohn, had a strong start. Their interactions were funny and cute, but then, it led to nowhere. About halfway through the show I was asking myself: what is happening with them, why does every episode have more or less exactly the same plot for them? There was not much creativity behind who they are, what they do and how they behave. They are basically every cute BL couple from every BL put together to create this monster. Not to mention how frustrating their dynamic was - Bohn always being jealous about the smallest and most random stuff and Duen apologizing and pleading.
King and Ram… how were they so good? How could the same person write them and Duen/Bohn? The quality is vastly different. There was something fresh and fun, yet cute and innocent behind their interaction. King was a perfect senior who, with his mature and bubbly personality, brought some peace and happiness to the soft boy Ram. Since season one focused on Ram's development, I can’t wait to see what will happen to them and King in the 2nd season.
I don’t have anything to say about Boss and Mek. Their story might have been amazing, but I did not witness it at all. Sadly, I could not look past Mek’s dubbing, and skipped all his scenes. I just could not focus on whatever was happening because of the poorly done dubbing.
I also have a complaint about Thara and Frong - there was not enough screen time for them! Another pairing that, to some extent, relied on the stereotypes, but brought a bit of a twist to it. The slow, but adorable change we saw in how Frong treated Thara made my heart melt a few times. Loved how they became so open and were able to communicate with each other, say sorry when it was required, and support each other when needed.
The acting would be fine if it was not for Poy. His crying scenes were some new level of comedy. The rest did well. I did feel a bit awkward with Talay's delivery at times too, but since his character was so nicely written, I could ignore it.
The editing, set design, directing - everything was meh. It was not bad, but it was not good either.
Overall, it’s a nice “I want to watch some sweet show that does not require a lot of brain power and I am willing to skip 50% of the scenes if needed”. There were some scenes more ridiculous than others (the fact Duen was hit by a car in episode one and it was never addressed still makes me laugh), but I guess the confusion it created in my brain was also its charm?
Would I recommend watching? Yes and no. Watch RamKing and TharaFrong, feel free to skip the rest.
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Great One
After the fiasco of "2gether", I'm really happy with the development of "My Engineer".The story starts like your typical BL with the confident gay-panicked gay relationship. However, just like "UWMA", it changes the game and gives you something different (not saying the plot is like UWMA, not at all. I mean that there are no crazy ex-girlfriends, love triangles, parents against the relationship, etc).
The drama follows the story of 4 different couples. Sometimes when there are a lot of couples the development is bad because it feels like none of them have enough screen time and everything is rushed. However, they were able to show all the couples at a good pace and it didn't seem rushed at all.
The main leads, Bohn and Duen, portray a relationship of the confident and panicked gay (as mentioned before). Bohn is confident about his feelings and doesn't mind showing it to everyone, while Duen is way more innocent and shy. The biggest downside of this couple is the lack of communication, however they are able to overcome that little by little.
Ram and King seem to be everyone's favorite (in general). In my case I liked all the couples, but it's true that Ram and King have a really good chemistry usually found in all the second lead BL couples (Tin and Can (LBC), Team and Win (UWMA), Jack & Zhao Li An (HIS3), etc). I'm looking forward to their development in the second season. Their relationship is so pure and understanding, that I believe no one can dislike them. They portray the confused gay roles, where they are starting to find out about their sexual orientation.
Mek and Boss seemed a really side couple, yet they stole some of the cutest scenes in the show. Their relationship is the most "advanced" one, since both of them are confident about their sexual orientation and where their heart belongs. Despite of the first denial due to being afraid of rejection, their development is worth the watch.
Thara and Frong are the couple that had less screen time, but that makes sense if you look at their story. Frong starts liking Duen, but that's until he meets Thara (something that happens after the first half of the show). It's quite obvious for the viewer that both guys are gay and aren't confused about their sexual orientation, however the first season ends with no real development on their relationship. So I can't say much about them, other than I am excited for the second season and I can't wait to see how this love story starts.
The only thing I didn't like is how they dubbed Mek's voice. I understand that he is chinese and not thai, however the audio is awful. They could have tried to hide a little bit the dubbing. But you can also see it as one of the comical sides of the drama.
Overall, this drama gives you more heartwarming moments than sad ones. It became one of my favorites. The whole cast did a good job. Each character was beautifully portrayed. Don't expect villains since there are really none (that influence the relationships).
I always like to watch the cast reacting to episodes in order to see their chemistry off screen, and the actors seem to be close with each other which explains why it's a good drama.
I will definitely rewatch it before the second season starts.
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