This review may contain spoilers
This series was a great watch. Although it was a bl that isn't exactly a bl, the storyline was new(at least for me) . Touching the realms of fantasy and virtual reality, this series had drama, comedy and romance, the things you need to make a good movie. It portrayed a very important lesson- 'the package doesn't matter, all you see when you really love a person is the person (not the gender or the body)'.
The series was short and yet it tied up all its loose ends and didn't leave us hanging, although a second season will not be un-welcomed by me, we could find love interests for other guys in the series ??.
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I don't usually do reviews so I hope this one isn't bad....
When I first started this series I thought it was going to be extremely generic. To be honest I only chose to watch show because I had nothing else to watch and wanted something comedic and fluffy...Great Men Academy was that and MUCH MORE! The plot started off so simple: Girl likes extremely popular boy. Girl goes to great lengths for him to love her. But it unraveled into one of the most well-written BLs I've ever watched. (Right up there with Until We Meet Again!) I really liked how the three leads weren't so one-sided. In most dramas, especially the Thai ones, the main characters are remarkably static--even after learning whatever lesson they were supposed to learn. The plot is far from realistic but it works. It does take a while to take in the unicorn, Hunger Games-type competition (sans death), and futuristic technology (...and the ghost). But none of it diminishes the quality of the series.Cast?
Love (Boy & Girl) - Absolutely pure of heart. Love is a genuine character who puts aside their wants and needs for other people. Love didn't let their goal blind them from acting as an ally to the cast and helping them through their issues. No matter what you're first impressions are of Love, throw them out the window, because Love is the sweetest cinnamon roll ever and is 10/10 the best character! James acting...GIVE HIM (THE THAI EQUIVALENT OF) AN EMMY! I laughed when he laugh and SOBBED when he teared up.
Tangmo - Wildcard! The show kind of sets him up to be a side character--the goofy best friend. But you begin to see that there's more than meets the eye with Tangmo. Tangmo learns that life can have a purpose if you give it one. JJ was definitely a good choice for this role, I don't think anyone else would have been able to portray such growth.
Vier - Kinda the anti-hero of the show. He most definitely let's his goal of winning the tournament blind himself. He makes poor decisions--which they don't REALLY resolve, kinda forgive and forget--and honestly, nothing against Ice, I really hated Vier. He was just and a**hat that everyone fawned over.
Sean - TBH completely irrelevant. No purpose. Had little emotional connection to any of the characters (sans Vier). He literally just snooped around and/or stood there awkwardly. The whole show could have been done without him idc what anyone else has to say. (But i do love Captain so :D)
Good - Big Brother Goals!! For a side character, he makes an impression. I would have liked to see more of him in the series, gave me more of a story arc.
Nuclear and Menn - As much as I loved them, they're scenes just ate up time. Both of their storylines started and reached a dead end so quickly (within the span of one episode if I'm not mistaken). I liked how they were Love's support system @ Great Men, I am always for best friend content. But in all honesty, they were just...use them or lose them TBH.
Music? Could NOT get that theme song out of my head. It's so catchy, I hope it's on Spotify or something.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you take the time to watch this series. It's way better than expected and the cast did a phenomenal job!! The ending could have gone either way and I would have been just fine.
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It was better than I expected
At first, I thought that this Dorama was too fanciful with a weird story (and really is!!!). I'm new to the "world of BL's" and this was different from everything that I'd seen (2gether, Tharntype, Addited, Why r u, Love by chance, 2moons etc). But when I realized I was completely involved with the story.Please watch 'til the end, this exceeded my expectations.
PS: Sorry for my english, actually I'm learning, and making reviews is a way that I found to improve my writing skills.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unexpected Transgender Representation
To be very honest, I wasn't expecting a body-swap show to be accidentally(?) trans-friendly. The anxiety that Love portrayed whenever she has to rush to the lake every night, as well as her identity getting found out by the people closest to her is similar to the feelings of those who are still in the closet. Out of al the letters in the LGBT community, I feel like trans folks would relate a lot to the feelings of love in regards to her worries about her identity. A really great way to show non-trans folks how is it like living as a trans folk who is still in the closet juggling with their "double life".This aside, the storyline is really cool. The school itself is so unique already, which makes me want to enroll there xD. The visual effects for the unicorn, the holograms, is just perfect. Games and activities in the show are also unique and never seen before. Really amazes me to see how everything played out.
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Not too sure on this one!
I did enjoy most of this.The premise was good, the actors were all very good, but the series just fell short. I think this was not a strong bl, more like a friends disguised as a bl. There were a few too many characters, I think the story would have been stronger with a little less going on. Also, one of the main characters went back and forth, doing good, then bad things. I didn't feel like he was the type of person that would do the things he did, so it did not sit well with me. And strangely, I found myself wanting him to fall in love, so I was disappointed at the end. Maybe I took this series too seriously...lol
This series does not have a high rewatch value for me, but I watch most bl's at least once, as I come across them in various lists.
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As suggestion, in case there is another season, can you back the character of Sean and Rose, I can say that they need some spotlight — such a good actor and actress.
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The acting is superior to the writing, particularly that of the leads Love as Played by James and Tangmo as played by Jaylerr. I'm amazed that James is the same actor who played Pat in Bad Genius. Total transformation. Paris as Vier was fluidly cool. Captain was, well, overacting but that's what I've come to know and love.
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The screenwriting is obviously the weakest link, the dialogues are pretty much okay, but be careful expecting something you should not. The story is deliberately dreamy and unrealistic, and you have to remember that every episode. Anyhow, the relationships feel very real and you might get caught rooting even for the supposed villains (Sean deserved better).
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This review may contain spoilers
I would start off by saying you need serious commitment to watch this showfirst, I would like to say I did not like either of the main characters because love was basically a lost dog when it came to vier who treated her like trash
second, I hate how vier just realized he liked love after tangmo confessed and also how he used love for his own benefit
I was kind of hoping that none of them ended up with anyone or each other because I thought it would have been toxic but actually watching the end changed my mind I like the show but it was really disappointing and annoying
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the BEST fantasy i've ever seen
At first, the description of this series seemed funny, so I started watching it just for fun, not expecting that I would like it at all. I watched this series very quickly, the plot really interested me and I felt a lot of emotions!ALL the characters there are green flags, and if not, then they realize their mistakes. The whole series is like a fairy tale, the narrator is charming, and at the end we get an interesting "criminal" plot!
And James did a great job! I love his role as Love, he acts really natural and perfect for his role. The entire cast is really well chosen, the characters are charming and very pleasant to watch!
I'm very positively surprised because I didn't expect this series to be so good!
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A Must Watch ! - Real Life questions/lessons ...
This being my first review, I thought it would be hard to write, but not in the least.I am not a fantasy production lover in the first place but this series caught me in a way that I would not have thought a fantasy movie ever would.
The main thing that I loved in this series is the way the men are taught to be Great Men - how to find their true self, how to reach one's goal with one's own strength, how to value true friendship, how to be open-minded and not judge by appearances...there is a lot more but I will highly recommend to build your own opinions.
One of the things that I really liked in this series is the life lessons taught in the Great men Academy, basic things like keeping the shared space clean ...
Second, is the emotional management - self and others - not to hurt others for our own benefit ...
To give and not to take unconditionally ...
There are so many more things that makes me think and ponder ... you will discover more when you watch it ...
The actors did a great job ... simple acting ... no overacting or overeacting or exageration. Kuddos to all :-)
Will there be Season 2 ? As the series left an open-ended question for the coming year ...? Wish so ...
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