Oxygen (2020)

A good cute story

First things first, a warning about this drama is that there is a lack of attention to detail. Just small things like, ‘how is he not wet after being in the rain’ or ‘what happened to those cuts from five minutes ago’. There are also parts where some actions lack explanation for example, ‘how does bunny’s dad have people that beat people up. what is his occupation’.

Also there is a situation where solo is drugged and almost raped by a woman and it’s just ignored. I didn’t like that but as far as I’m concerned it’s because she ran out of the building and got hit by a bus....

SoloGui:
I know people love the side couple, but SoloGui where definitely my favourite. They have a relationship built on mutual respect and honesty so they appear to be perfect, but no relationship is perfect and the flaw of their relationship I’d say is transparency. To explain, when Solo fall in love with Guitar, he falls hard. Gui was his entire happiness, all that mattered was Gui and because of this he doesn’t really think about much else and by that I mean his fiancé. He honestly never loved her because he loves Gui but he just didn’t say anything about it. He should have at least warned Gui about her. Same with when he just disappeared. However I liked that Solo never actually lied to Gui.

PhuKao:
This relationship was fifty shades of pure fluff. it was just really wholesome and cute. At first the bunny thing was pretty weird and cheesy to watch, but it eventually grew on me and I enjoyed it a lot. As they where a side couple they never had any real conflict with each other, so I wasn't that emotionally invested in them. So, when we learn that Phu needs to go to England I didn't expect it to hurt that much lol. but it did.

Kao was also the most supportive friend even when he was missing Phu, which I find so amazing. He is really the perfect friend.

PetchKhimPerthKhem (ugh):
This whole love square thing was an absolute mess. It really made no sense .
Dr. Perch has THE MOST punchable face I’ve ever seen OMG I’ve never been so frustrated. He has got to be the most useless excuse for a doctor how this idiot got a medicine degree is beyond me. He hurts and lies to so many people without even realising how much harm he’s done.
At the start I really didn’t like Khim because she didn’t know how to respect peoples boundaries and would invaded people's space, which I hope was the production mocking the fans that behave like this in real life. I think there was some development in her character, because at the end she seemed to have changed.

Initially the acting of the main couple felt quite awkward, but as the story progressed their acting, as well as their chemistry improved greatly.

I loved the ending of this drama so bloody much. Solo finally fixes his relationship with his father, and he is finally with Gui and their stepson*insert giggle*.
In the last episode, where Solo came to the farewell party and Gui kissed him on the cheek and ran away.... that was by far my favourite moment of the drama. The smile on GUI’s face was so authentic and it felt so real .

Lastly what I love of this series is the OST and sound effects. I don’t know if it’s just me but I love being surrounded by music like I can’t even sleep without listening to music so I really liked that and the intro was perfect. I literally never skipped it .

To conclude if you just want a ‘lightly sweetened’ series with many fluffy cute moments I definitely recommend this one. But be warned!! If you stay to the end it gets stressful as the main drama happens from about ep 10 before then it’s literally all the calm before the storm.

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Exceeds (my) expectations at least

Strengths: The development of Solo and Guitar's relationship is nice as they each face different challenges in life; the cinematography and music complement the story well. The story of Kao and Phu is also cute.

Weaknesses: The series could have done with less fluff at the start and given more time for resolution in the last part; the addition of a practically redundant set of characters (Khim, Khem, Perth and Petch) that challenges even the editors who have done a rather good job with the editing overall.

Overall: I like this quite a lot though it has several weaknesses.

I have not read or heard of the novel prior to watching the first episode, but my expectation after watching the first episode was that it would be a sweet and lighthearted BL, full of fluff but still cute enough to satisfy a BL fan. For a few episodes, this seems to be where the series is headed. However, the story of Solo and Gui also takes a more serious turn later, which is both a good and a bad thing.

One problem is that the earlier episodes with more fluff could have been condensed and the story with the slightly more serious turn from the point Gui's foster mother falls sick and passes away could have been given more space for development. A BL with a simpler story would simply end with Solo and Gui becoming officially together after some episodes of childish jealousy on Solo's part. However, it is interesting how Solo and Gui stand by each other through more difficult moments in life and how their relationship is strengthened as a result. The story does turn out to be rather moving without causing one to cru.

The way the relationship develops is a pleasant surprise. However, while I appreciate the way the story moves on the the problems experienced by the couple, the final episode leaves me feeling ambiguous. Perhaps Solo is really being unrealistic in thinking that he can run away with Gui (given that his sole source of money is his father), but I also admire his determined rebellion against his father (which Gui chides him for). In fact, Gui's willingness to make a bet of sorts with Solo's father and arranged fiancee to leave Solo isn't that great a thing either--why should he willingly break up with Solo if he fails his internship?

Of course, it turns out that Solo's father isn't as cold as he appears to be (an overly convenient means of resolving the crisis quickly in the last episode). Neither does he really disapprove of Gui. But it remains that he can and will break up Solo and Gui if he really wants to. The same father has someone stalk his son and report to him everything the son does. Yet, Solo's father is supposed to really love his son. This vision of familial love offered seems to me rather disturbing.

The execution of the final part of the series regarding Solo's father and Gui's internship can possibly have more finesse. Although the series has more than just hinted at the problem that Solo's father would present, his return to Thailand seems timed to suit the structure of the story than anything else. In short, the problem isn't so much a weak story but weak storytelling skills. By the end of Episode 11, we can anticipate how the crisis involving Solo's father is going to be quite suddenly resolved in the final episode. To be fair, it didn't feel all that rushed when I was watching it. Nevertheless, everything just gets resolved too conveniently--instead of solving a problem, it turns out that the problem has never been much of a problem to begin with.

Where storytelling is concerned, the story of the second couple, Kao and Phu seems better, but the story may seem a little hackneyed at first, with Kao being the persistent guy who goes after and melts a seemingly cold Phu. Nevertheless, there is much to love about Kao--he may be persistent and borderline stalkerish, but he doesn't really go overboard. The actor has brought the character to life, especially with a nice scene in Episode 11 where Kao sees Phu before the latter leaves for England: beneath the bunny make-up, we can see that his smile isn't fake or false but a sincere attempt to look happy while saying goodbye, and it isn't exaggerated when he is unable to sustain the smile and starts crying.

Perhaps the biggest weakness of the series is the inclusion of the siblings Khim and Khem and their relationships with the doctors Petch and Perth. While their part of the plot isn't bad as a story, which are better intertwined. Khim is the only tenuous connection with the BL couples as she happens to be Gui's colleague in a cafe. Because the focus isn't on the siblings and doctors, events in their parts of the series happen abruptly and with insufficient attention. Just look at what is going on and we can see that there is potential for a separate series:

1. Perth has a secret crush on Petch
2. Petch has a crush on Khim
3. Khim has a serious illness
4. Khim is a fujoshi/yaoi fan, and Petch feigns romantic interest in men to motivate her so that she has something to live for (OK, that sounds weird)
5. Not knowing that Perth has a crush on him, Petch tries to fake dates with him to give Khim fodder for her fujoshi imagination
6. Perth is upset when he finds out; he refuses to help Petch
7. Khim's brother, Khem, mistakenly thinks that Petch likes him and falls in love with Petch
8. Petch kisses Khim, Khem sees it and almost falls out with his sister.
9. Petch and Khim end up together
10. Maybe Perth and Khem too...?

Couldn't the same space have been used for Solo/Gui and Kao/Phu instead? The effect would have been better--I wish there had been more exposition on the backgrounds on Solo and Gui in the first few episodes (e.g. Gui's relationship with his foster mother, Gui's struggles as a student who has to work, Solo's loneliness and tensions with his father).

Despite some obvious flaws, Oxygen isn't really awful at all. The cinematography and editing manage to conceal and even make up for some of its flaws. To its credit, it doesn't seem as disjointed as a series like Kiss Me Again (a series with a BL couple). I also love Solo and Gui as a couple. The way they care for and respect each other is quite unusual in BLs, which often rely on a more conventionally masculine guy protecting a weaker one or being the center of attraction. The series also has a lot of cuteness (human puppies and bunnies) mixed with more serious events that make the love between the couples more touching.

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Big Disappointment

I read reviews of shows because I only have so much time, and I can't watch everything. I'd seen the hype over this show, and I was looking forward to it - but looking at other people's reviews here and having actually watched the show, I'm completely flummoxed. My only explanation is that many fans have read the novel and have carried their appreciation over to the series where their imaginations can fill the enormous gaps in the narrative.

This show is jaw-droppingly unoriginal, with every BL trope you can imagine - in fact all the characters are engineering, medical and music students, because nobody is allowed to study anything else in a BL. The tired and untrue-to-life seme/uke dynamic is in full force, there's a tiresome fujoshi, and there are no countervailing positives, at least not in the main pair. Substituting warm milk for pink milk is not originality, it's almost laughable cribbing. And the evil gf is apparenly on the way.

The premise of the show is that Solo's mother has died and so he's lost his smile - but did he also need to lose his entire emotional range? And shouldn't Gui have a contrasting personality? He's equally dour and unsmiling.

The problem is the lack of acting skill in the main pair, and this is underlined with force by the secondary pairing, where Phu is equally unsmiling - but played by a talented actor, he is with virtually no dialog and only a handful of scenes able to convey his character's loneliness, pain, and repressed longing. We get nothing from Solo except his creepily expressionless face and his dead eyes. Losing your smile doesn't mean losing all facial expression.

If PhuKao were the main pair, this would be a really compelling series - the two actors playing these characters are really impressive, and their characters are interestingly drawn, and I can't predict every word they'll say and action they'll take like I can for the main pair. Kao has to work to chip away at Phu's walls, and you can see it slowly working, which is wonderful and beautiful. Kao manages to make his whiney and annoying character charming and endearing, and conveys a greater depth than the surface characteristics of his character suggest. He's cute as f@#$, too.

But I don't see any motivation for the relationship between Solo and Gui. What does Gui see in him? They have no shared experiences, they don't know each other, Solo just stares at him with his creepy blank eyes, and occassionally does something really frighteningly aggressive, like when he backs him into a corner at the flower shop. If you'd seen desire in his eyes, it would have been hot - but instead you (and Gui) had to wonder if he was about to commit murder. For that matter, what does Solo see in Gui? I'll admit he's cute, but that's all there is. So is this a purely physical attraction? One doesn't normally fall in love with someone cute but dull because he boiled milk for you.

I think another problem may be that losing your smile works better in a verbal medium than it does in a visual one, where you get a sort of uncanny valley effect that makes Solo look Not Quite Right.

In Episode 8, there's a character played by an experienced actress that's ill and so also quiet and understated, with only a few lines of dialog, but the actress gives such a powerhouse performance that I was in tears all the way through the episode, which underscores how acting ability is so utterly important and so utterly ignored by Thai BL, at least for the main roles (with the hugely notable exception of I Told Sunset About You and mostly for 1,000 Stars). If Solo had been played by someone with 25% of her ability, this would have been a truly memorable series.

The positives of the show are compelling side characters (except the fujoshi), including one of the best pairings I've seen in PhuKao, and the music is way better than your average Thai BL.

EDIT: Also, if you're going to hire an actor to play another character's father, you should really consider hiring someone more than 3 years older (Solo actor is 27, his father is 30). The little grey streaks of hair dye and glasses aren't fooling anyone. I'm sure the reason is because it's strongly implied he's the lover of a much younger character and they wanted to make it less creepy. But it makes me crack up every time they show him. I will say that he's just as dull and expressionless as his son, so that helps make it believable.

EDIT: The acting issue may largely be the directing because Nut Supanut is amazing in Something In My Room.

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A warm cup of milk

If you want a series to give you warm, fuzzy feelings after a long day, this is the series for you. The relationship between Solo and Gui is so sweet and endearing to watch grow throughout the series, like a warm cup of milk if you will. The side couple from the start grab you by the heart. Watching the bunny like; Kao melt the hesistant, cold walls of the man with secret soft inside, a love for bunnies and an awful reputation; Phu and fall in love with their chemistry.

Another set of characters are Dr. Petch, Dr. Perth, Khim and Khem... I honestly wouldn't know where to start with them. That whole storyline brings down the score to where it is vs what it would've been if it wasn't included. Not much of the intense fujoshi characters, so Khim was a bit of an annoyance for me, nothing against the actress but luckily I could look past the scenes without really missing anything important. I did end up liking Khem and Perth towards the end though nothing really came of that storyline.

The ost is so incredibly catchy, it will make you want to stick through the intro every episode.

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Shines in some areas, while lacking in others (aka phukao appreciation hours)

This is a show that gives me such mixed feelings that I can't quite figure out a rating I like on any level. Which isn't usually something I struggle with...

Let's get the negatives out of the way first:

- Acting & Characterization: this'll be on the pros list too (did I not say conflicting???), but some of the performances here were a bit distracting. While I don't at all agree that the two leads are terrible actors like I've seen mentioned here, I will say that Supanut's acting was confusing for me. What I initially thought was that he was an actor whose heart was in it, but was a bit too rigid in his facial and body language (his face really remained the same quite a bit of the time, and he often sat unusually still), wound up perplexing me a bit, because I really thought he was quite good in the scenes in ep. 12 being isolated and going mad in his apartment, and in the first scene of the finale, where he was losing his mind a bit after his card was declined. If he is capable of really channeling emotion there, why did it seem so difficult the rest of the season? It often felt like he was reading a teleprompter behind the screen. Chanapoom did pretty well with what he was given... he was impressive in the scenes involving his foster mom. But I just... didn't get any sparks between the two. The chemistry was very off, imo, esp. when compared to a much stronger secondary pairing (which I'll talk about in the pros). With the acting, it can be difficult to tell what the fault of the actor is vs. what the fault of the director is. After all, the actors could've been making better choices, but the director's vision is different. But, if it was simply the actors, I felt like the lines were way off from the chemistry. I felt like the were saying all these grandiose lines to each other constantly (which I'll talk about in the next point about writing), but there really weren't the sparks between them to back it up. From the synopsis, I thought that Gui would be a smiling, kind soul to Solo's darker one. But he was kind of equally stand-offish, and I he didn't smile much either. I never even really saw him be especially friendly to anyone besides the kids or Solo, to be honest. I don't know, their personalities just didn't seem to fit together. Also, lastly.... not really sure where else to put this... why on earth is Perth in the opening credits? He's barely really even in the show! I have no problem at all with Yuuki, but the odd switch from the focus on him and Petch in the first episode to Petch and Khim threw me off, and he wasn't fairly compensated for that switch, and never really developed into his own character. Speaking of Khim.... BL writers. Please. I beg of you.... no more fujoshi......... please................... i am wilting and my crops are shrivelling

- Writing: I want to keep this one brief, even though I feel strongly about it. I mentioned just now that the main couple were constantly speaking to each other like they were straight out of a soap opera.. they had very little dialogue about everyday matters or simple little things. This completely weakened all the love-talk between them, to the point where, by the finale, I found myself pretty damn bored of it.

- Storyline: this is possibly the single weakest link of Oxygen. First off, the storyline was extremely generic. I won't harp too much on it, since this is already so long and it's already been spoken of by another reviewer, but there really is nothing new about this story. Obviously, nothing groundbreaking either, but I'm not even asking for that... I can really appreciate a nice, simple plot. But everything about this seemed like an OUTLINE of a story that got made into multiple dramas... if that makes sense? Like a template. With nothing really personal added. Maybe my biggest qualm of the entire show, though... the PACING. What on earth? When Solo and Gui got together super quickly, I really didn't mind. I figured it was a love at first sight kind of thing, and it actually kind of excited me because I thought that meant some interesting storylines & conflict were coming up. But then the pace came to a near-halt. It was moving PAINFULLY slow. Now, I can deal with slow storylines, if the characters are super well written, and there are interesting plots bubbling under the surface. But this wasn't that. A lot of the scenes were too drawn out, sometimes even becoming awkward. Certain plots were difficult to care about (particularly Khim and Petch... don't get me started on how much I disliked the fujoshi/dr storyline). And then, suddenly, everything seemed to happen at once. Meeting Solo's dad, the rapid explanations of multiple storylines, and a janky anti-climax. And the ending was kind of staggeringly bad. Everyone just magically became nice? Solo's dad, Pam, Linda, everyone. Like magic. And then Solo's dad adopting the kid for Solo and Gui to eventually adopt... all in one episode? What? It's like the writer's asked themselves, "what is every possible ~magically positive thing~ that could ever happen to someone? Oh, okay, make it all happen in the course of one episode! Oh, and make it badly written, a bit cringy, and nonsensical." All of that slowness at the beginning, and the forewarnings of how difficult things would be in the penultimate episode, and then Solo's dad was just like "ah nvm jk I like solo/gui :)" and .2 seconds of prep for 30 seconds of Gui's presentation that was shown, and he magically has the best one in the group and everything is amazing. I just.... long story short, the storyline and pacing were Not Good.

- Solo's dad: SO damn distracting... there is no shortage of older Thai actors?? So why on EARTH would you choose an actor that young and try to pass him off as older with fake grey streaks... I understand he looks a hell of a lot like Solo, but good lord this was such an unnecessary casting choice.

Pros:

PHUKAO: easily, EASILY the best part of Oxygen. They carried the show, end of discussion. None of my ratings (esp acting and overall) would be as high as they are if not for them. These guys are absolutely brilliant together. Let it be known that none of my issues with characterization and acting relate to these two. Starting with Phu/Phuri... he was great. He reminded me a bit of how Solo was, but much more well-done by all parties (writing and acting). Phu, in my personal opinion, is a more skilled actor, and added layers to the character that didn't exist with Solo. In his little smiles that very slowly became more frequent, you could see an entire softening to him. Although he is a man of (very) few words, Phu was able to use the script he was given and deliver the lines he did get in a way that can't help but make you feel for this character, who we know so little about from the beginning. And oh, Boss Thanabat. I'm going to go out on a limb, and say he was the best actor on the show. He lit up every scene he was in, and every episode he appeared in. At first I was worried his character would be too over the top, but he was actually balanced perfectly, and was the shining light of the series. His emotional scenes were equally powerful, and he pulled off this character - that is so easy to do one-dimensionally - so, so well, and allowed us to really care for Kao. Now, together? Their chemistry is phenomenal. I wonder if, at any point, the crew realized that their secondary leads shone so brightly over the main leads. Their storyline had a better build up, the emotions and lines felt WORLDS more deserved, every new step they took (or, rather, that Phu would allow) felt like a damn level up for my heart, and holy shit, how cute are they? When Phuri slowly begins opening up to Kao, calling him Ball and Bunny, smiling gently at him, the playful but careful little touches. Also, their dialogue seemed like it was almost written by an entirely different team than the rest of the cast. It was funny, heartfelt, and even completely heartbreaking at times. The way Phu would tell Kao how much he cared about him in his own way (nursing him back from the fight, covering him with his jacket, all the small pieces of physical affection, saying Kao's the one he WANTS to be right, leaving the painting, etc) was wonderfully done. The only way I'd consider watching a sequel would be if it's centered around these two. It feels odd that a pairing I love SO MUCH was in a show that was otherwise very mediocre. They have main character energy PERIODT ...... okay I could literally write a ten-page paper on these two but let's move on

Soundtrack: I always have a hard time talking too much about the music in shows unless it's super specific, so I'll just say that this show did its music very, very well. Boss has a beautiful voice, and Sanaput did a damn good job on the musical end as well. The instrumentals were also super well done, and not overwhelming, nor underwhelming. Big ups to music crew on this one.

Acting: my points here will be a bit quicker than my acting cons. I already said this, but I will mention it again because I Have To: PhuKao were absolutely fantastic, the lights of the show, and had natural chemistry together. Okay, okay, I'm done. Onto the actors I haven't mentioned a lot yet.. I really liked Natty! Khim as a character.... yeah. I already talked about that in the characterization cons. But Natty did what she could, I think. And when her storyline focued on her COPD and her brother, she was an endlessly stronger character. They never should have added the stupid fujoshi aspect. Kun did a fine job with Petch as well with what he was given - his entire plot revolved around Khim, so that's really all he had to work with, but I have no qualms with his work! I also really liked Michael's work as Jay. Although I couldn't find it in me to care about his relationship with Solo's dad, I thought Michael did a great job at really bringing soulful energy to the character, and the character was one I actually grew quite fond of (you deserve better than Solo's dad bb xoxoxo)

okay I can't bring myself to type anymore......... anyways stan phukao for clear skin :))))))))

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A Little Basic

If you're looking for a BL where they ravage each other turn back cause you won't find that here. This series was a little basic (especially if you've seen as many BL as I have) but overall still worth the watch. It didn't take long before side couple(s) became my favourite s opposed to the main couple but the MC are still cute. Sol is too precious with his love and Gui is the mature one lol Anyways, there's ships I had that didn't sail and there's ships I didn't even think about that began to sail. The story itself isn't too basic and there's enough couples and different storylines that I didn't get bored (but obviously wanted more). I don't see a reason for a S2 which is fine considering the ending. As long as you have a decent imagination you can make a pretty good S2 yourself lol Not my favourite but if you're a BL fan (which if you're here you probably are) then give it a try...there's visuals all around!

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I enjoyed it a lot

I see there’s a lot of hate on this show but I actually really enjoyed it. It was very sweet and wholesome and I think the only thing I can say I didn’t enjoy were the bits of the doctors, but hey it’s not a big deal I just skipped them. I think you should give it a try if you’re thinking about watching it. Im not exactly sure what people were expecting out this show. Yeah the storyline wasn’t anything special but that’s the case with a lot of bls at least that I’ve seen. They haven’t been great but they get gassed like crazy. So it’s weird to me that such a typical show is getting all this hate lol. I thought it was cute though.

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After careful consideration I've decided that... no.

I feel like I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

Long story short, this was questionably good. But the line that divides good from bad is extremely thin with this one, almost invisible.

~Story:
Boring. If I could describe it using food, it would be a soda cracker... because it's bland and tasteless. There's literally nothing here that I could find entertaining in the slightest. The episodes were slow paced, there were plenty of plot holes that left me confused, unanswered questions, and lack of organization.
First time in my gay life that I see a BL were everybody else had to carry the story because the mains were completely irrelevant. Like, what were they even doing here? And even though I see potential, I still think that even if you fixed it, it would still be boring.

~Cast:
Ugh. I mean UUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH with these leads!

- Solo/Gui: They were so dry I felt like I was in the desert. The biggest problem here was whoever the hell was playing Solo. Extremely monotone and forced. His character was socially awkward, but he took it to the next level. Now, there were some moments were he was genuinely funny and relatable but, unfortunately, I can only count those with one hand. Gui's actor was better, but there was so much disconnection between both characters. It's like two strangers suddenly met and began a relationship without knowing anything about the other... wait... that's EXACTLY what happened here. There's no flavor in this relationship.

- Kao/Pu: *insert angel chorus* the saviors! If it weren't for them I wouldn't have stayed until the end. They were a very basic couple with predictable reactions to predictable moments, but holy crap how much light the brought into this drama. They had a nice story going on and, luckily, both actors actually did a great job. If you guys think about it, they were a mirrored image of the main couple, but done right. If there's ever a season two (which I hope not, to be honest), they should bring them as the leads and completely remove the mains.

- Kim/Petch: Love them! Definitely on the same page as Kao/Pu. If it weren't for their funny, complicated, and crazy relationship, this drama wouldn't have survived in my eyes. Funny how a heterosexual relationship had better screen time than the supposed mains of a BL.

- Perth: Honorable mention because he is so my type of guy. He was a good actor too, although I am not a big fan of how his story ended. It's like the writers tried too force something that didn't even look good. Like I said, baseless plot holes that are unnecessary.

~Editing:
First of all, can we talk about the opening sequence? Mama all the budget went there. It was such a high quality edition that I couldn't bring myself to skip it because whoever edited it deserved the attention. Good job, sis! The rest of the drama was... in lack of better words... messy. There were things here and there that could have been changed or just completely removed. The lack of a coherent story made the editing go all over the place sometimes.

Girl, this show has everything: questionable leads, questionable relationship, questionable story line, manipulative relationships, and relationships that deserved the main roles. Honestly, I do not recommend it, but it isn't too bad to not give it a try. I mean, it's not Tossara levels of bad that I can't even think about it. It's so so.

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Just amazing

I loves this drama because it had amazing actors and a really good story. Finally not everyone was just lying to each other and the honesty was really refreshing. None of the characters seamed brainless and I loved the friends of the main couple. Even though the main characters weren't as extroverted as most others, they had really good chemistry and it didn't feel like there was something missing but rather like there was an even deaper conection. Through out the series I constantly enjoyed watching and I really really hope there will be a ss2. This BL is defenetly worth it's time!

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One of the Best of 2020

If you have looked through the reviews, this show is very polarizing. Some like it a lot and some don't like it at all. I liked it a lot. I liked that the story provided me with likable characters who each had back stories that informed their actions. Guitar's background explains why he is so mature and goal-oriented - an old soul with sore spots. Solo's background helps you understand why he is an injured boy looking for someone to love him completely. Even Phu's background can help explain why he is so robotic in his expressions (it's a pretty extreme story). Those stories are also explained in the show to one another, like people do when they're trying to get to know each other. I also liked that the story had enough details that weren't in the stereotypical mold. They were college students, but were barely in class, Guitar was an engineering student, but you couldn't tell. There are work scenarios, but none of them take over the show. Some might hate that it can't seem to decide what it is, but I enjoyed its obsessed focus on the love of the couple at the center. Whether school, work, internships, family, friends, it all comes second to the love of Solo and his Guitar.

There are some drawbacks to this show. Some of the music, especially the harp music, is pretty bad, but cheap. The secondary storylines are not as good, especially the bizarre love square featuring the doctors. There might be at least a ten-year age difference between some members of that love game. The saddest part is that the second couple of Phu and Kao doesn't develop as much as it should. For me, Kao is a wonderful character and he deserved more. He stole the show for me, which isn't hard to do when everyone else is acting in such an understated way. That may also put people off, but there was enough sincere crying to go around at the right moments, and importantly, there is a lot of physical touch, like hugs and head leaning (love it!), that go a long way to making the connections between characters clear even when their actions are lowkey.

So, it isn't a perfect show, but it is a lot better than most of the recent BL shows coming out of Thailand. It's better than Tonhon Chonlatee, it's better than My Gear & Your Gown, and it's better than 2gether, so that's saying something. And the show gave me what I needed during this depressing COVID-19 pandemic - a beautiful, happy ending where all is resolved. I can't really ask for more from a 13 episode series.

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