Most Impressive BL Drama/Series in 2020 (and maybe of all time)
Watching ITSAY was a great way to end 2020. The acting was phenomenal, the cinematography was so beautiful, and the story was very rich in emotions. This was my first time seeing Billkin and PP onscreen, and I was so impressed by their chemistry, especially the way they look into each other's eyes. Some of the best moments were the parts where not a word was spoken, when the two of them were lost in their own world and their souls connected. Just magic.I also enjoyed how ITSAY focuses on the Sino-Thai culture in Thailand, particularly the Hokkien community in Phuket. This series includes things like the Hokkien-style temple, Chinese language, and Hokkien food to showcase the cultural heritage of some of the families in Thailand. I also like the fact that they included the Southern Thai dialect in some of the dialogue since they are in Phuket. Love that they paid attention to the local culture.
Without giving too much away, I just want to say ITSAY is truly a masterpiece in the LGBTQ+ category. Instead of having cute BL scenes, this drama focuses on the happiness, confusion, and sacrifices one might go through in a coming of age story. I hope ITSAY can reach a wider audience because this show needs to be talked about!
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i told sunset about you
Story- This plot gives us the right view of the current society and the value of self awareness. the representation of the two boys with different goals and views to meet and lash with misunderstanding. Which later leads into their up coming and the beautiful reality. And do i recommend you to watch this?Yes, its a beautiful story but YOU should be emotionally strong.
Acting/Cast- The acting was on point, their emotions , their gestures , their expressions and everything.the cast displayed it all perfectly. Billkin and PP did their best and they did amazing. Also the plot setting was a plus point to all the feeling it gave out, the perfect mood for the situation.
Music- The OSTs are basically AMAZING. Especially 'Skyline' even though its a very heart breaking (i still listen to it) the lyrics have a beautiful meaning. The usage of the Chinese language creates a very refreshing attitude.
Re watch ? I would say no but also yes because it was an emotional ride and heart breaking at times.and yes just because it just gives you all the feels
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This review may contain spoilers
Left Me Feeling Bitter
I am genuinely a little apprehensive about writing this review because it seems like you can't dislike a character anymore without being labelled as unsympathetic at best, or a cishet who's ignorant to LGBTQ struggles at worst.There are quite a few super fans of this series, let's just keep it at that.
But for the sake of transparency, I'll be honest about this seemingly beloved series.
I have very mixed feelings about ITSAY. On one hand, it dives deep into complex issues like internalized homophobia and has genuinely amazing scenes, both heartwarming and heartbreaking, but on the other hand, I was left feeling somewhat underwhelmed and maybe even a little bitter at the end.
I, like I'm sure many, had a hard time with one of the main leads, Teh. He got off to a bad start early on--which is fine, people are flawed and make mistakes and are petty all the time, but as a viewer, it's something that I remembered about him throughout the series. I very much understood his struggles and how he tried his best, that he made choices he believed were right, but whenever I then saw Oh-aew, the difference in feelings I had between the two of them became obvious.
I love Oh-aew. Sometimes he made similar choices to Teh, again, not all good. But I just cannot shake a feeling of him deserving better. This series is one of the few times I would've liked a sad ending romance-wise. I believe it would've worked better if Oh-aew and Teh didn't end up together--it would've been truly a masterpiece to me.
The acting was really good overall, both main leads and side characters. The story and plot were realistic and dealt with the problems and issues it wanted to portray in-depth. Characters that were important were three-dimensional.
A lot of this show was done so well. I just personally didn't like how the romance ended up, but you might feel very differently from me. After episode three, I never rooted for the main leads to end up together again. As of now, I haven't seen the sequel season, and I honestly doubt I will.
It was a fine experience watching ITSAY, but I won't rewatch it in a very, very long time, if ever. I'm sure that almost sounds contradictory to some haha, but sometimes that's just how it is.
It's hard to rate this series, 'cause I recognize its production value.
But if anything, I encourage you to watch the first episode. It looks like I'm an outlier with my feelings towards ITSAY, but if any of what I said here ends up validating your experience, then this review will have done its job!
Nothing is for everyone, after all.
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I'm not a fan of BL series but damn, Nadao hit me hard.
To begin with, I'm a big fan of Nadao dramas like In Family We Trust, Project S: The Series, and my all-time favorite series; Hormones. Nadao rarely produce dramas, like, twice to thrice a year but when they do, they just finesse it.I started ITSAY with mediocre standards, because again I'm not a big fan of BL but I remember waiting for it even before the title was revealed.
The story is not for people who like steamy scenes, unrealistic situations, and fast-paced. Nadao managed to make a series so damn beautiful in just 5 episodes. The story is very inclined to reality, the way it focuses on different types of relationships, the different struggles between bonds, and the questioning of one's sexuality; everything about this drama screams realistic.
To be fair, the cast seems unfamiliar except for the main lead but I was amazed on how well they acted despite not knowing them especially the ones who played Bas and Tarn, the acting is not perfect for me because there were some scenes I was bothered by the executions but nevertheless, it's near perfection.
The OSTs just hit different, even if I can't understand the words, I can feel the emotions it's trying to convey and it's been on repeat in my Spotify's Playlist lol. The fact that Billkin was actually the one who sang Skyline just shows how versatile of an actor he is.
The moment this series came out, I started watching it, I suffered through cliffhangers and week-long questions but I'm not regretting it, this series might be one of the best series I've seen so far. This series was worth it.
Fun-fact: Teh's scenes with his mom were the most tear-jerker for me, their scenes are just so raw I can't stop my eyes from bawling.
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Over dramatic more than anything
*outline*Unfortunately one of the lead actors sort of over dramatized their role. They kept crying, which I understand because their emotional state must've been affected by what happened, but did they really need to cry that hard? The transitions in the drama just didn't let me feel empathetic with the story. It felt like a reality check until maybe the last 2 episodes.
*analysis*
STORY : The context seemed really interesting to me (basically, what the description says) but the rest of the story sort of disappointed me when it became all climactic and Teh just couldn't hold back his tears. His situation actually made me feel really sorry for him and I totally empathized with the whole story until it just got too much. It felt like the focus was more on Teh crying than continuing on with the story. The pace also felt off a little, because of it. However, the confessions actually made me feel a lot more lighter, followed with the rejections which disappointed me but motivated me to keep on with the story. During the first 3 episodes I really wondered where exactly the story was going, because it didn't at all seem like anything was happening between Teh and Oh, so I read a spoiler to also motivate me to keep going.
ACTING/CAST : Teh's role just disappointed me. I've already mentioned this but I just think this role wasn't right for Billkin. Or, it was, but his acting just seemed a little amateur. I feel so bad saying this but that's really how I felt. Almost like he didn't understand his own character's feelings so he assumed how he should act for his role. He seemed to follow the script and the story - basically the whole moral - perfectly well, but the emotions he relayed just weren't it. It didn't make me cry in turn, like Krit did. Every time he cried it actually broke my heart. And I knew myself that Teh was going through a lot worse until Oh got confused of his own self. Quite heartbreaking, actually. Maybe if Billkin could get more into character or someone who's been through a similar situation could take on the role, that would've made me agree with the hundreds of others who rated this 10 stars. I think most of the background actors also did quite well in relaying emotions. Except for Teh's mom. Just like Teh, his mom was too over dramatic. I understood her emotions well but her acting seemed off too. It even made me think 'like mother, like son'. Hoon was probably my favourite character, after Oh.
MUSIC : I didn't like the music. I actually muted the drama every time the music came on because I felt distracted each time. Usually I'm quite a detailed person, and that means my concentration levels are decent too, but that wasn't the case this time. I just really couldn't empathise at all from around episode 3 or 4 onwards.
REWATCH VALUE : Despite my disappointment in some features of the drama, I have to say this was definitely worth the watch if I ignored some things. I'd probably watch this again just for the very ending. The ending didn't disappoint me at all. I actually liked that everything was finally over; all the climaxes, all the closeting, etc. The tiring part was all over. Most others seem to like this drama so that's probably the only reason why I'm even putting it at 7. It would be worth the rewatch for others, just not me.
*recommendations*
Visit my Asian BLs Custom List to see some more of my watches and ratings !! ^.^ Including: Korean, Taiwanese, and Thai !
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This review may contain spoilers
THE BEST!! SERIOUSLY!! But what happened to that 0.5 star?
It's really a great show! From the production, the cinematography, the storyline, all the way to the acting!!! I have been blown away since the very first episode and at the end of it, I am still very impressed!!Bilkin and PP were amazing actors. Every expression was believable and since I pay a lot of attention to details, seeing how Bilkin is able to control little muscles on his face really just proves that he is a great actor. Hats off to him!
Now character-wise, Teh really frustrates me. But It is very well portrayed especially the confusion he went through. It was clearly shown from the start. Oh's character is of someone who was hurt but learned to trust again only to be hurt again but in the end, still chose to love. I find it beautiful. Like really beautiful.
My favorite character of all was definitely Bas. He didn't really have many scripts in the show. Nor was his screentime many but his presence was huge. In silence, he was able to portray so many emotions of someone who is an introvert and hiding his secret love. Another character that took home the award for me is really Hoon. He played a very good big brother. I loved that exchange between Teh and Hoon especially when Teh was sitting in the vegetable after having his heart, broken.
The only reason why I gave an overall 9.5 stars is simply that I am a sour and bitter bitch whose ship sunk! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH I am all for Bas... so, watching him cry broke my heart!
But hey, the two leads are great too!
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Masterpiece
Literally the best word I can come up with to sum up this show. Everything about it was beautiful, from the acting, to the way it was shot, to the music, to the setting, the story... Each facet was brilliant... It’s been a while since I’ve been so deeply touched and impressed by a show, but I was pulled in nearly from the first moment I started watching it. The whole crew did such a phenomenal job and I actually cried a lot with Teh and Oh Aew. I’m not great at writing and describing my feelings, but others have expressed exactly how I feel but don’t know how to say. Honestly this show truly deserves to win every award there is. I won’t be able to forget it for a long time and it’s something I will definitely watch again.Was this review helpful to you?
How the feelings and emotions were expressed
It's one of the best series I have watched in my life. Everything is perfect, the cinematography plus they are such great actors the way they expressed their feelings and emotions, I really love the story. At this rate I'm just hoping for a happy ending and season 2 of course. I'm in love.And not to forget the osts, I fell more for the actors when I heard them sing these great osts.
Especially Billkin, I watched a video where he performed live and he sings so passionately. Enough for us, fans, to fall deeper.
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Beautiful! Just beautiful!
The best coming of age story, it is so beautiful that framing it merely as a BL doesnt do justice. It is so beautiful that I hope straight people could have a love story as beautiful as this!I particularly liked how this show does not shun away from the complexity of Tarn's emotions, which other BL shows have not handled as beautifully as this ITSAY.
Everything is topnotch and flawless. I am kind of happy I watched this on a staggard basis as I dont think I'll be able to immerse into the beauty of this story had I bingewatched it.
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BL series that u must watch before die
no words all aspect of this series freaking amazing, i just create this acc mydramalist for this series to praise the all cast ...now the standard of other bl needs to high with this ...luv so much arghh....need another series with this kind of storyline and the actors are probally main reason ..their chemistry no joke huhuhu.no words all aspect of this series freaking amazing, i just create this acc mydramalist for this series to praise the all cast ...now the standard of other bl needs to high with this ...luv so much arghh....need another series with this kind of storyline and the actors are probally main reason ..their chemistry no joke huhuhu.
no words all aspect of this series freaking amazing, i just create this acc mydramalist for this series to praise the all cast ...now the standard of other bl needs to high with this ...luv so much arghh....need another series with this kind of storyline and the actors are probally main reason ..their chemistry no joke huhuhu.
no words all aspect of this series freaking amazing, i just create this acc mydramalist for this series to praise the all cast ...now the standard of other bl needs to high with this ...luv so much arghh....need another series with this kind of storyline and the actors are probally main reason ..their chemistry no joke huhuhu.
sory same content
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When you can't tell the person, tell the sunset
The complications of this drama mostly arise from the cultural situation of the community where Teh grows up. Much like any small town, there is instinct to revere similarity and call that normal and that which isn't similar is not normal. Teh has the expectations of being normal, but early on realizes in his heart that he may not be.Much like a hero in chains his conditioning constrains him from breaking free of the impositions of society to be his true self. The result is much hardship and heartache for those around him as he fights against his nature and causes heartache and pain.
His inclination is to stay true to the values the community has instilled in him, but that goes against what the heart wants and so his head and heart are constantly at war. He's also very bad at communicating his emotions.
Billkin and PP were teamed up for My Ambulance. After seeing how their performance resonated the director decided to make a story just for them. His reflections took several paths until reached the idea of a young man trying to break out his shell in Phuket.
After a childhood tiff Teh gives Oh-aew the cold shoulder. They both feel slighted so it's not 'til they're trying to gain university admission that they are thrown together by chance. Aft first they are antagonistic, but then they realize there's something going on between them that Teh doesn't want to talk about and Oh-aew doesn't have the fortitude to bring to the surface.
There is a great deal of indirection and glancing surfaces in their interactions until they nearly reach a break through while watching a sunset.
From there to the end it's a constant battle for Teh to come to grips with what he knows he feels inside but is too scared to admit to himself. Can Oh-aew help draw him out?
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