•••
A punch is never worse than when not expected. This is the most heart wrenching and gratuitously cruel ending I have seen in years. It is beyond sad, beyond sorrowful; it is just plain upsetting.
The supporting characters, Tin and Can, eventually take over the drama while the main characters fade into the distance and turn rather insipid. But while the main characters achieve the cheesiest of romantic endings, Tin and Can end up in total devastation; one which caught me by surprise and really upset me because there was no anticipation, no purpose, and nothing other than a cruel knock out to what appeared to have been, at first, a movie about redemption and hope.
A drama that promised to be one of the best LB stories of the year turned out to be a nightmare of frustration and disappointment. Tin portrayed one of the most traumatized characters I’ve seen in this type of drama, one that could have taught viewers the values of recovery and redemption. But, instead, the writer opted to cave in and give prevalence to the cowardice of Can destroying any redemptive quality this ultimately very uninspiring plot may have had.
When viewers are tricked by an exaggerated twist of fate working alongside a false sense of hope the manipulation becomes disgustingly obvious and very irritating. I consider such manipulation a sadist approach to scriptwriting and a disingenuous sense of the dramatic: in other words, this movie is a bad high school novel written by a teenager. I would not recommend it to anyone taking film-making seriously.
I must mention though, that the fault lies with the writer, producer and director. The acting was beyond good; and on occasion it was, in fact, amazing! But the story and re-watch value are worth a negative number - something below zero... which, unfortunately, this site does not allow.
In conclusion, this drama is about Can caving into negative social pressures and becoming a closeted case bringing Tin down with him, who was painted in terms of exaggerated martyrdom for the sake of an audience of masochists (or suckers like me) who must have ended the series with a horrible taste in their mouths. A drama made for Xanax and in the service of the anti-depressant pharmaceutical industry, no doubt... XD.
I have made note of the director’s name to remove every single movie he has made from my watchlist - like I would any movie made by manipulative, frivolous, and callous writers with an exaggerated sense of the dramatic and a pitiful sense of resolution. Gratuitous pain is not welcomed; I find it trite!
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This review may contain spoilers
Like most fans, I've become addicted to Love by Chance. While it's not my favorite series, I've been thinking about what it is that makes me like it as much as I do.I like Ae (and he is a good actor). I think everybody dreams about having (or being) a head-over-heels in love superhero from time to time, and Ae fits that character. Other characters I like are Pond (he's so hilarious and really attractive), Tin (probably the hottest guy on the show and plays the jerk so well), the girl who plays Pond's girlfriend and Trump... yes, I actually enjoy him (although not his character, I realize he's the villain).
There's a good balance of romance, comedy and drama. While homophobia is part of the show (Trump; Tin), it's a small part, with a good deal of tolerance and acceptance of same-sex relationships. This is a good thing.
For me, the downsides of the show (not a dealbreaker) are the over-the-top-oh-so-cuuuuuute scenes between Ae and Pete... I like them but can we tone down the sugar overload just a bit? I know Pete is a fan favorite but, for me, his shyness/cuteness/weakness is so exaggerated that his character doesn't seem real. The Tum/Tar relationship bores me... possibly because the younger guy looks 12 and it's hard for me to imagine him in a serious relationship of any kind. Can makes me laugh (especially when he walks around blabbing to himself out loud in public), but his character is so weird... is he supposed to have some kind of mental disorder?
We're now 8 episodes in, and Ae/Pete are now officially a couple. Yay! They will have sex very soon (it's the big buildup right now) and probably move in together. Then what? If there's a Season 2, I'd prefer for them to be a "happily ever after" couple, and not the main focus, because that would mean a new set of intense drama for them. As for the rest of this season, I'm looking forward to what happens with Trump (you just know he's going to show up), as well as Tin/Can.
Edited to add: my review stands, but the ending absolutely ruined LBC for me. Hence, the reason for my somewhat low ratings. Because of the finale, I feel like I wasted my time watching it. It pains me to say that, because I really liked LBC.
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Starts off cute, but becomes disturbing -- romanticizes rape and abuse
Love by Chance, previously considered the reigning BL until 2gether joined the race, was quite a mess. Let me enumerate its main weaknesses and strengths below:Weaknesses
1) Boring, uninteresting and disturbing subplots
There are four subplots running simultaneously in LBC - PETExAE, TINxCAN, KENGKLAxTECHNO, and TUMxTAR, of which the last two were so irrelevant to the story that they can just be completely omitted and it won't change a thing. Obviously they were just included in LBC to serve as a "cue" for a prequel or a sequel, but they had no connections whatsoever with the main story - that of Pete and AE. There was actually another subplot, that of Tharn and Type, but the other half of that story did not appear in the series at all; there were just fleeting mentions of his existence.
I can also describe these four ships as "disturbing." Let us start off with Pete and Ae. Ae starts off as that sweet, protective boyfriend, but midway into the series, he starts to show his abusive side: he gets mad at Pete for talking to other boys, he literally drags him around, and he dictates what Pete should and should not do.
Tin and Can's relationship is not based on love but rather an exchange of needs. Can is "poor," and he gives in to Tin's demands in exchange for material things. Can is a very impressionable, carefree character and is generally unfamiliar with the concept of "love" until Tin came along. He is the complete opposite of Tin, so it's a mystery how and why these guys were paired. It's like pairing a child to a fully grown man.
The story between Kengkla and Techno romanticizes rape. Kengkla obviously took advantage of Techno and even conspired with the latter's very own brother so that he can take him to bed. Kengkla even pinned the blame on Techno and basically blackmailed him into becoming his boyfriend. It was NASTY.
Tum and Tar are step brothers who have developed feelings for each other. I am not sure how it goes in Thailand, but in other countries, such relationship is generally frowned upon. These two characters do not interact with anyone else in the series (except for very few scenes each of them is talking to Type).
2) I am not a big fan of characters that are introduced in one episode and then completely disappear from the series afterward. LBC has three of such characters --- Trump, Money and Chompoo. Trump's conflict with Pete was left unresolved; I was actually waiting for him to appear somewhere in the end to bring closure to his subplot but there's nothing. Money appears around EP 4 to invite Pete to join the cheering squad. Pete accepts, but not a single cheering scene can be found throughout LBC. Why mention it then? It was so pointless.... Chompoo never knew that Ae was in love with someone else. She just literally disappeared, so her purpose of making Pete jealous was also pointless.
3) Underutilized characters: Good, Bow and Ping. These characters have so much potential and, along with Can and Pond (the latter of whom was thankfully given a bigger part!), they are the only source of laughs in the entire series. Sadly they have been pushed aside in favor of much less interesting characters such as those I have mentioned above.
4) BS sponsorship scenes: The first 8 or 9 episodes of LBC had no plugs from sponsors, which is an admirable feat that I have never seen in any of the Thai lakorns I have watched. So I was disappointed at the last few episodes when LBC started showing pointless scenes that are specifically built for its sponsors.
Strengths:
1) I want to single out Saint, Perth, and Yacht from the rest of the cast because they played their roles so well. Saint completely embodied Pete (him saying "krab" so many times was cute!), Perth played Ae without reservations (however I think there are scenes where he played him too well---remember that humping bed scene, anyone?), and Yacht was all around great. I can even say that without Yacht's portrayal of Pond, I would've rated this serie much lower because he brings the series to life without fail each time he appears. I think it is unfair that he was ranked as a "supporting character" even if technically he plays a big part in Pete and Ae's story.
2) There are so many "conservative" Thai BLs that can't show anything else beyond innocent pecks on cheeks or two lips merely touching each other, leaving straight and gay fans disappointed. The creators of LBC apparently understood this so they went all out: multiple scenes of boys making out, having foreplay, showing near nudity, and talking dirty, so in terms of fan service, LBC excels in all counts. However, not every member of the audience is interested in this kind of stuff...
3) Music --- a very trivial point, but I loved the sounds in Love by Chance.
LBC was a messy show all in all. There are two followups to this series (TharnType and A Chance to Love), but I think I'll just put them aside for now given the many cons I have observed from this show.
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So I just finished this series and created this account just for this. Until the episode before the last everything is okay. But then in the last episode everything rushes to an end and things will even leave you with a heartbreak. My advise to you is to just focus and cheer on the main couple and the drama will please you.
SPOILER COMING UP NOW:
I hated Tin and Can's ending, it left me heartbroken. The other ships weren't even clear to me, except for Pete and Ae of course. They could've done way better on this, I'm dissappointed and left with may questions.
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What a joyride.
Love By Chance serves as the third BL I had ever seen, right behind Tharntype and History 3: Trapped. When those are the only BLs you've ever watched, for sure Love By chance would be in my corner. Having had seen this BL many many months ago before finding actual masterpieces, I would tell you that I had fallen in LOVE with this show... not so much now. But, I want to stay true to my original rating in which I gave it a 9 out of 10, but if I were to do back and watch, (which I NEVER do) I would give this a PHAT 6.Let's dive in.
Production: 5/10 - I will always and forever be bothered by the way BLs (Thailand productions in general ig) think we need 85 different camera angels when we only need ONE. We seriously don't need them showing us a kiss and then changing angles and show us them re-kissing and then do another angle and have them re-re-kissing again. Other than that, everything else looked normal.
Story: 6/10 - Not too much to say about this one, this was really just another very generic Uni BL. this was only my second BL that had been set in Uni, so I wasn’t too bothered, but looking back now, it wasn’t all that special like it had felt when I first watched.
Acting: 6/10 - Nothing too amazing, but nothing too poor either. I loved Perth's acting and Plan has always had me in awe about how good he is. Everyone else did their part of giving us "good enough".
Other: I had watched this series well after the situation that happened with Saint and Perth, and honestly, it was quite saddening, especially since I heard about there being a second season that Saint wouldn't be in. Tragic. But, from what I heard, I'm glad he left when he had the chance. Also on top of that, I have seen the situation in which the actors would make fun of and pick at Earth who is the only openly gay actor on LBC. Really turned me off to this series VERY quickly. I can't tolerate bullies, especially bullies that work in an industry that put their names on the map. dis-cuss-teng!
C-O-U-P-L-E-S
Ae and Pete: 9/10
Their story arc was pretty precious. From even the beginning, I honestly liked the connection that Ae and Pete had. The way that Ae helped him feel comfortable with his sexuality, Ae saving Pete, Them giving each other bracelets and the extra lovey-dovey shit on top of that. Overall, their dynamics were just really fun to watch. I will always shout this from the rooftop; I LOVE me some friends to lovers trope. Even with the good shit, there was undoubtedly the bad too. Ae at times overshadowed Pete and wouldn't let the dude make decisions for himself. On top of that, Ae's weird reasoning for throwing himself at Pete was very problematic and NOT okay. "You talked to another human being??? guess I'll have to punish you for it" *smirk emoji here*. Yeah, it was weird and them being a couple is not an excuse, especially since Pete was noticeably uncomfortable.
FIRST KISS: Okay, accidental kisses aren't everything to me, but, you know what, I'm not mad. Their kiss was so fresh and so innocent, I could really feel the anxiousness and the excitement of it happening, and Ae announcing that it was his first kiss added the cherry on top.
FIRST TIME: Yes, bye. Yes. This was everything, I LOVED that Pete was the one that explained that he wanted to have sex. Especially when he's the one negotiating and he opening up about what he wants. We love consent AND communication !!
Can and Tin: 8/10
Even though I’m not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, I give them a pass cause I enjoyed this one. The date episode was when I had gotten sold with this couple, and on top of Plan's amazing acting, it all really worked well. I really like how they ended things with this couple, it wasn't happy ever after, it was heartbreaking and sorrowful. Tin just needed someone and was taken aback when Can didn't feel like he could be that person. Although I liked this couple, I hated their development. There were many ways Tin could’ve gotten Can to like him back, there was no need for the whole “I’m going to force you to kiss me” thingy going on. very weird and very awkward,
FIRST KISS: No, Is there anything more I need to add to this? Just no. I wish to say that literally all other kisses were better, but all of them were just BAD. Not only bad but the worse I’ve ever seen in a BL. Like I don’t even know if I would call it kissing, I would more call it, Lip Touching. I truly believe the director said to them, “alright, you put your lip on the side of his mouth and then just pretend that you’re kissing.”
TW: R*PE
Techno and Kengkla: -2/10
There are plenty of reviews that speak on this topic, so I'll keep it brief. NO. Like No. Instead of formulating a whole ass heist, maybe next time we can try just, idk, having a freaking conversation? Maybe some flirting? Something along the lines of consensual perhaps? I feel bad for the actors though, they both seem decent, but this series shine a really bright and negative light for them both. Hope to see them in something better next time.
Not rating their "intimate" moments. It's all below hell.
TW: R*PE and IN*EST
Tum and Tar: 3/10
Someone's going to have to explain to me BL's obsession with In*est, cause from here on out, it's like nonstop. Although I adore Earth (He's right behind Fluke as one of my favorite BL actors), I still can't get behind this couple. Also, Tar tells Tum about something so traumatic that he's been through, and Tum was like "cool idc" and s*xually assaults him???? and it's not talked about ever again and is instead ignored and moved past????????? um, no?????? The only thing I truly enjoyed about these characters was their brotherly dynamic, (you know; when it didn't turn illegal). Also, Earth takes like two points out of the three, absolutely adore him.
RECOMMEND? If someone were to ask me what to watch as their first Bl, Love By Chance would be the 48th suggestion. Does that answer the question?
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Severely Underdeveloped
Kengkla and Techno were based on one sided love and the lack of consent which was a questionable desicion if you ask me. Complete waste of a really good character, Techno. It seemed to be a couple that was just thrown in last minute without any thought or purpose.Tum and Tar are literally step brothers so explain that? ? The only thing holding this couple up is Earth's acting. Why can't they just be loving brothers? Why do they have to be in love? Why is this even a thing?
They missed such a good opportunity to show the importance of sibling love and the importance of family. But noooo instead they decided, "You know what this story needs? Some good old incest to spice it up."
Tin and Can are by far the most tolerable couple which is saying something because i dont like this couple either. It was like a failed enemies to lovers type scenario. Can is whiny and cringy at times, he acts like a child, which i guess makes sense if he was a child, but he's literally a college student so i dont really understand what happened there, and Tin is just... hot lmao. Like i cant tell if i like this couple or if i just think Tin is really good looking. Regardless, they had some cute scenes, followed by some really weird scenes, followed by unnecessary angst, followed by another cute scene to patch up the weird angst.
Moving on to the main couple. Pete and Ae are... boring. Which is dissapointing considering that i love the actors playing these two. I don't really have much to say on them. The 18+ scenes were... strange, and i skipped almost all of their scenes together.
I don't know Pete just really rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. He's just so weird i dont get it.
Anyways that was my review. Boring plot, weird characters, and underdeveloped relationships with no meaning.
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*Potential spoiler section is marked below*Ahhh, the series that made viewers fall in love and then broke their hearts! Putting aside the unfortunate news that Season 2 is unlikely, I still think this is a good drama and recommend adding it to your watch list. Just get your heart and tissues ready before watching the final episode (and make sure to watch the Director's Version so you don't miss anything).
The plot was interesting and dynamic, with each episode moving the story along nicely. Beware that we are introduced to a lot of characters up front, and for me at least it was a little challenging keeping track of who was who and what their relationship to one another was, but with the help of a cheat sheet and a couple of episodes later, I had each one down.
The acting, for the most part, was pretty good. Although some actors in the beginning felt a little stiff, I did notice it improving as the series went on. Saint as Pete was absolutely adorable, and he somehow managed to exude both shy innocence and sexy naughtiness. As others have noted, it was so refreshing to see that this character was gay and not gay-for-you, which occurs frequently in BL pieces. Perth as Ae was caring and doting, and his loyalty to and protectiveness of Pete was charming. Tin and Can--ugh, my favorite couple and the favorite of probably a majority of fans as well. Can (or Cantaloupe, as Tin likes to call him *my heart*) was so cute: young, naive, and pretty much drama-free until resident tsundere Tin decides to make Can the target of his affections. Once it became apparent that they would become a pair, I waited impatiently for the upcoming episode to see how much further along they would get. I just loved the side of Tin that Can brought out, and seeing Can get so flustered with Tin as he tried to work out his emotions towards the other boy was so charming and well-done. And that last scene with Tin in the shower, wow. Surrounding circumstances notwithstanding, he really shone in that scene. It was so beautiful and so raw and probably the best-acted scene in the entire series, in my humble opinion.
There are two other BL couples to speak of, though they don't get nearly as much screen time. The first is Tum and Tar, step-brothers who harbor complicated feelings for one another and one of whom hides a dark secret. The second consists of Kenglka, a high school student crushing on his best friend's brother, Techno, a university student who is friends with Ae and Can. Though short, I feel that Tum and Tar are given sufficient screen time to tell a complete story and leave you with a bit of closure. But I was a bit disappointed that KlaNo's story got barely any development. The most significant thing that happened between them occurred in the last episode, and it felt more like the beginning of something that would have been explored further in Season 2. I did hear that P'New was going to make a spin-off for these two characters, though we'll see if that's still going to happen now. I hope that he does, as I'd love to see Mark and Gun breathe more life into these characters. Though they only had a few minutes together as a couple, Mark did so well in his role as Kengkla, and I'm curious to know how KlaNo's relationship develops.
Characters aside, in terms of story line, from what I've seen, P'New stuck pretty closely to the timeline and events in the books. Thus, although I got a little bored with Ae and Pete's story, preferring to see more development in the three side couples, I appreciate the director's faithfulness to the original text. This also helps explain why the other couples didn't get as much screen time, especially TumTar and KlaNo, as I don't think they played major roles in the book (with Tum and Tar playing bigger roles in other books from this universe). And, without revealing too much, this may also explain why one of the couples got a sad (read: heartbreaking) ending. I think the series just ended in the wrong place in the books.
***BEGIN SPOILER***
Speaking of that ending, because I have to get my thoughts down . . . . Sadly, Tin and Can do not get a happily ever after. At least, not in the series. This, coupled with the fact that Season 2 seems unlikely, is the source of disappointment for most people. One the one hand, I respect P'New's rationale that it makes the series more realistic: not everyone gets a happy ending. I can also see where Can's rejection was somewhat supported by his earlier actions. Tin was the more pushy one, and Can struggled with his feelings throughout the entire series. He was still struggling when Tin confessed to him, trying to figure out the difference between liking someone as a friend and liking someone as more than that. But on the other hand, Can also (perhaps subtly) seemed to be warming up to having Tin as a boyfriend, which I think gave a lot of viewers hope and made the ending even more surprising. We saw Can get jealous when he though Tin liked someone else, and we also saw Can ask for more kisses when hanging out with Tin earlier. Again, it may just be that Tin confessed too soon, before Can had a chance to work out his feelings, and because of that I can see how P'New would construe the confession scene, and its consequences, the way he did.
***END SPOILER***
Overall, this was a really solid start to what could have been a few great seasons, and I'm sad to see it end the way it did. I'll keep my fingers crossed that things will get resolved and we'll get a Season 2 or maybe a couple of spin-offs, but I thin right now P'New needs a break from the real-life drama. On the plus side, I heard he's cleaning up some unedited footage with plans to release it, so at least we'll get one final treat. I'm also now impatiently waiting for the English translation of the novel to be released to I can get that happy ending I'm told exists. :)
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I only watched for Earth Katsamonnat.
I actually really liked this during the first half. Ae and Pete were two characters I liked and got invested in their story. I happily shipped them and had no queries with their relationship.But as the episodes went on and they became less of the focus, I just stopped caring. Almost all of the side characters were annoying af and I did not get invested in their relationships at all. There was just too many side couples who had little to zero development and lacked any likability.
I ended up skipping the majority of Tin and Can’s scenes as I just did not care at all and by the end I was so glad it was over. I was so disappointed as I really enjoyed AePete, but the rest of it ruined it for me. And then the ending happened, and they weren’t even together in the final scene. It all just felt like a waste of time.
I wouldn’t bother with this one if you’re thinking about watching it, there are so many better shows you can spend your time on.
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There's a rape scene in the last episode
I liked the show well enough. Pete and Ae are an okay couple, although Ae is too controlling and jealous and also manhandles Pete several times (pushing him against walls, grabbing his wrist and dragging him away). But I guess it's not too unrealistic considering that he's like 18 or 19 years old and in his first serious relationship. I still liked both Ae and Pete as characters because they feel fleshed out.But then the last episode happens and there is a literal sexual assault happening and we are supposed to be okay with it?! That's why the overall rating is so low. I was not prepared and it's just so wrong. I can overlook some other problematic stuff (like one side character making homophobic and sexist remarks) but the rape scene messed me up.
There's also a love story between two brothers, which is disturbing. (Them being stepbrothers doesn't make it better, they grew up together.)
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Cliches are treated realistically for the most part.
Have you ever asked yourself, “if I wanted to introduced someone into the world of Boys Love drama series, what would be the first recommendation I would make?” As someone who has been reading and watching Boy Love content for nearly fifteen years of my life, I made my first trip into the BL drama series by watching a few Chinese dramas that were circulating on the web. I began to explore more of the genre, which led me to gems such as Sotus (the first one), Love sick, HIStory the complete anthology and so on. However, now that I am a bit more knowledgeable and have watched a fair number of series from different countries, if I were to make a recommendation to a new fan, I would simply say that Love By Chance (LBC) is definitely where they want to start. There is so much I can write about this drama. I don’t usually recommend dramas to people because we all have different tastes. However, I feel that this drama was well done even with some missed opportunities here and there.Edited to include comments regarding the last episode.
Why you ask? (spoilers ahead) LONG REVIEW AHEAD
The drama is cliche as any other drama---Rich kid falls for poor kid and vice versa (or poor girl marries into rich family if we are speaking in the heterosexual genre) The two come from two completely different world and were raised differently. Rich kid is shy, introverted, polite, has a low expectation of himself, low self esteem. Poor kid on the other hand is, honest, to the point, explosive in nature (his feelings), knows has faults but doesn’t let those flaws define him, sweet and a protector of sorts. So the two are complete opposites and they as the cliche saying goes “opposites attract”. However, these two also help each other become better for themselves and for others.
Consent: This drama is all about being “woke”...without getting too political I just want to say that in the midst of this “#metoo” movement, it’s refreshing to watch a drama where characters are always asking for consent--to kiss, to touch, to have sex. Often, as I mentioned in the beginning, many of the BLs I have watched have normalized drunken sex (where one party is drunk and has sex with another person who isn’t drunk...someone is drunk they cannot consent, no matter how HOT that character is.) Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not out to lynch anyone for liking those types of scenes, but when the default sex between a couple who is of the same sex is that one is drunk, then we have a problem. Sending the signal that it’s okay to have sex with someone drunk is wrong. (How to know when it’s wrong? Ask yourself, would you be okay if the drunk person had been a woman?) I bet most will say NO it would not be okay, so why would it be okay for it to be the default for two boys in a drama? That's why I was conflicted with the Kengkla/Techno pairing because their story does rely on this trope. However, the director wisely left this until the very last episode and while they still romanticized it and made "drunken sex/rape" something "acceptable" by the offended person, I can easily say you can chose to ignore that scene and the drama would still be a good one to watch.
Communication: It was surprising how easy most problems were resolved by communicating! Who knew that talking it out instead of prolonging the problem work? [sarcasm on] This is one thing that seems to evade other dramas, where a character is having a problem or a couple is having a communication issue and instead of dealing with it head on, they let it fester until a bigger problem arises. However, in LBC Ae/Pete talk their problems out making this a very healthy relationship. Even if they don't speak for a few hours, they come back and address the issue head on.
Chemistry: ON POINT! With every character. Ae/Pete, Pond/ChaAim, even Tin-Can though I didn’t get into them until much later. I really loved that we had actors willing to go the extra mile and not seem robotic in their intimate acting. Kisses seemed natural, hugging and touching seemed like they wanted to do it and not like they were “gay for pay” acting. Perth and Saint really sold their pairing well and I’m a sucker for small intimacy such as fingers touching, gentle tapping etc, so there was a lot of that. Only thing I would have loved is for more pecks here and there, but I’ll take what they gave us.
Friendship goals: This drama had it right the minute they introduced the friendships among all of the characters. It was great to see so many people root and support their friends, because let’s be honest, in real life same sex couples have many supportive friends, but in BLs sometimes that isn’t highlighted as much as it should and often it seems as if the leads are ALONE in their journey-with families being opposed to the relationship or with someone trying to break them apart-so to see a group of college friends support, tease and encourage each other just made me extremely happy. POND will forever be known as the best CUPID in all of the BL world. He was undoubtedly the MVP of this drama. If we were to rank favorite characters, my list will always include him in the top 3.
Sexual orientation: I was so happy to have a series where the lead knew he was gay, accepted it and never lied about it. I also appreciated that Ae was not sure of his sexual orientation and even when he was not sure, he was completely taken in by Pete and all he knew was that “oh this is the one, the person/soul that I was waiting for but didn’t know.” I know some people complained about his “I like you because you are you” but Ae had no experience in the love department. Pete was his first literally in everything.
Parents: How refreshing to have a mother who is so supportive of her gay son and so much so that she even gets close to his boyfriend. The actress did such a great job of showing what a mother who supports her child will be like. Yes she was upset learning about his sexual orientation the way she did, but she also allowed her son to come to her and confess, not once mentioning what happened prior. And the way she held him and told him “you are my son” just proved that a mother’s love for her child sees beyond what the sexual orientation of that child is. Ae’s parents were also supportive, though they seem to be oblivious to the boys dating. But part me of wonders if they have an inkling to the relationship...there is something in the way Ae’s mother and brother hinted at it, but were totally okay with them.
Villains: Trump was a good villain. His character was believable and the good thing is that he didn’t last long. Tin, yes he was a villain sort of...but the right kind of villain that shows us that people are not just GOOD or BAD, but there are many layers to them. He redeemed himself and that shows that people CAN change (see what I did there LoL) Chompoo--Also not a villain, though for a few episodes she was hated...Dali...lets not mention this one.
Rape and Depression: This topic is such a heavy one to try and digest in a drama series, but in LBC it has so far been handled okay. However, this is only because we have only scratched the surface of the problem. If a second season is green-lighted, I hope it will focus on this and that it gets treated with the utmost care.
Music, Scenery, filming: the use of music was an exceptional tool in this drama. The right music played at the right time and it completely changed once scene to another. The filming and scenery was also nicely done. Cinematography was on point.
The CONs…
Introduction of women as a way to bring romance drama is not only cliche but sometimes not realistic. Sometimes I wonder with all of these dramas depicting women who break relationships as something that happens in real life all the time?? I mean I know there are women out there who when scorned will do whatever they can to break someone apart, but is that really true for every gay couple? Seems to cheapen the experience and like normalization of drunken sex, sends a message that women interested in gay men will do whatever they can to sabotage the relationship, when in the real world, I don’t think it happens as much as it is depicted. If anything, there are more females who support their gay friends...
Too many couples, too little time: This drama suffered from having too many couples, when the focus should have been on the main pairing and one side pairing. The reason I say this, is not because I don’t like the other couples, but because realistically speaking, 14 episodes is not enough for 4 couples. Which is the reason why the Kla/No and Tum/Tar pairing suffered a great deal of missed opportunities. I understand that perhaps because the director was under the impression that they would have a second season, but then the company dropped them in the middle of finishing the first season, they had not hope of a second season being picked up and just tried to introduce all of the stories in one go so we could all at least see where their stories would have gone. I was really looking forward to more development of the other couples. I do hope a second season is picked up. What they should have done was given these couples the minutes/episodes the director spent on Chompoo and Dali..since those girls disappeared anyways...what a missed opportunity that was.
Drunken sex/Rape: While in the real world this does happen more often than people realize, I still think that BLs have an unhealthy relationship with using this trope as a way to get couples together. In a real world most people would not get together with their rapist, so I always side-eye dramas that use this. However, as I mentioned earlier, because they had left that scene for the end, people were not distracted or put off by it through the entire series and can chose to ignore the last episode if they wish.
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however, it gave us perth who is, so far, one of the best thai actors i have gotten to see in any of these shows. who has an actual passion for acting and to continue that. i really admire it. he's so childlike and immature both as a character and just as a kid IRL at the time but it's really nice to see him act, for his certain charm to come out; he became the one i loved to watch. i loved him. and pete as a character really facilitated that. it was sort of made for him to do a blank slate on since perth's so small but not intended to be read as feminine or with any background trauma (like pete) so it was just easier to connect with him as someone who has a lot less of an identity both because of intentional purposes and the writing's own flaws. it's interesting to see how he's evolved since then. and you get to see this young new actor with a true passion for the craft. it's less about ae as a characer and more about just getting to watch someone grow into a better version of what's on the page. genuinely that's the best part of the show and what i'm happy it gave us.
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This review may contain spoilers
CA (caution advisory) this is a show definitely worthy of the American TV-MA rating. This is a great show. It's going to go down as one of my favorites BL or otherwise. I was crying from episode 1! The show feels so unique and refreshing because they avoid most of the BL tropes and cliches (at least with Pete/Ae).
Honestly, I wanted to give the show a 10/10, but I really did not care for the secondary storylines. Pete and Ae carry the entire show for me. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised that right off the bat Pete came out to his mom in the first episode and she accepted him! I was so happy to avoid that trope. I really love Ae's character he is direct and never shies away from Pete. I also love that they avoided the whole "only gay for you" trope. I can't emphasize enough how much I like Ae's character. He was never at any point embarrassed to be around Pete and when he realized he had feelings for him he didn't push him away and/or get angry at him. 99% of the issues that arise in these dramas are from a lack of communication and that doesn't really happen with Pete/Ae or else it is quickly squashed. This feels like a really genuine exploration of first love. There's a lot of sex and mention of sex in this show, but I really appreciate how they present it. It felt real and carefully done.
I really wish they had made Tin/Can's relationship platonic because where they had otherwise been really good at avoiding tropes this relationship falls into so many (guy with a rough past is angry at the world until he meets the happy-go-lucky character (who he is mean to in the beginning) that opens his heart and makes him trust again)/ the enemies to lovers. But damn, it took until episode 14 but they reeled me in. They got me. I mean Tin's scene in the shower! Ugh, my heart was breaking.
You get the feeling early on that they always envisioned a season 2 (which is confirmed and set for 2020) although after shooting the first season the director said there wouldn't be one. The secondary storylines are very poorly laid out and convoluted leading you to believe they will delve into these storylines in-depth in season 2. I have no idea where the Tar/Tum storyline is going or what are the circumstances surrounding what happened to Tar and how that relates to Type and his BF. *Update: i watched TarnType so i no longer have these questions, although is still don’t know where they’re going w/ Tar/Tum. I highly recommend it!* This forbidden familial love trope is one of my least favorites. I also don't know or frankly care about Kla's crush on No. I HATE the way they set up their relationship, That's rape. It was rape and for the life of me i can’t understand how they spent time dealing with Tar’s emotional issues from being raped only to have one character rape the other (ugh!!).
I wasn't sure but I came to like Tin/Can's storyline but the rest of them weighed down what was otherwise a fantastic show. I highly recommend it. I definitely will re-watch at some point (just as enamored with the 2nd rewatch) although I'm skipping over some parts. I was also unsure about season 2, but after seeing the trailer I have slightly higher expectations. I am among the many heartbroken that Saint will not be participating in season 2 :(.
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