Second Chance (2021)

Sweet and Understated

STORY:
Though this drama doesn't really bring anything new to the table in terms of story, it has a sweet, understated vibe to it that made for an enjoyable watch. And while it premiered in 2021, I felt like I was watching something from five or six years ago, but the warm feelings of nostalgia were nice and comforting. Second Chance brings not the annoying ex-girlfriends, obnoxious fujoshis, and slapstick sound effects that seem to inundate more recent Thai BLs and instead takes us back to that feeling of discovering one's self and one's first love in the midst of emerging adulthood.

There are three main stories here: Paper and Tong Fah, Chris and Jeno, and Near and M, with the main focus being on the first two. I do think the writers were ambitious in attempting to deliver so many plots given the number of episodes, and, as much as I adore Near and the actor who plays him, I agree with others who said that his and M's storyline could have been left out due to the miniscule amount of screen time and development, in favor of advancing the other couples' plot lines. But that said, although some parts of this drama felt rushed and/or underdeveloped (and at times I felt like I had missed something), there wasn't a lot of filler fluff, and I do think the writers tried to devote every minute they could to advancing something, for which I'm appreciative.

I also just need to point out that the scene in episode three where Tong Fah and Paper are dancing in one of their bedrooms is one the best I've seen in a BL. So raw and vulnerable—got me all in the feels—and I applaud the actors in evoking those emotions.

ACTING/CAST:
The cast overall did a nice job portraying their characters, some better than others, but none were terrible. Each character was charming in his or her own way. Even the antagonist was devilishly alluring and made me really intrigued to know his (and Jeno's) backstory. The actors had good chemistry with one another, both as friends and love interests, and there was a natural ease about their interactions with one another.

OVERALL:
Do I recommend? Yes, totally. It's short and sweet and hearkens back to the BL days of old which was (perhaps surprisingly) a nice break from the more loud and chaotic Thai BLs we've been seeing lately. This gives me vibes of Love Sick and I Told Sunset About You (note, for the latter, I said vibes, not production quality, so don't compare it on that end lol), and if you're a fan of those and the feelings they give you, I think you might like Second Chance.

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So sweet...<3<3 So wholesome So healthy

I don't write a lot of reviews, but I do write reviews for the ones that need more loving and attention....and this sooooooo does need it.......Definitely do not miss out on this one...Its so good.
TBH I started watching it for Tong the actor who plays Paper, cause I adore him and he's precious and talented....and he did prove that in this series....All the actors in the series fabulously executed their roles and really made me feel connected with the characters.
The story of the show might seem like a typical BL but it will definitely surprise you with some tiny details...it might not be the best plot line out there but it does end up giving u the feels and its not too complicated to be fit into 6 episodes (which we suddenly came to know after the 5th episode release that oooop the next one is the finale ToT)
The thing I liked the most is the relationships, they were portrayed in such a healthy way with both the characters trying to understand the other's perspective during any conflict which was amazing....
The background music and the OST was amazing and so addictive....all in all an amazing show with a good story, some awesome acting and great music so definitely check it out and don't miss it....<3<3<3

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Nothing special

Another series completed. For me, it was pretty boring and forgettable. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

ATTENTION TO BULLYING. This is a subject that really can't get too much publicity these days. It happens a lot and needs to stop.

CUTE ACTORS. Always a plus. I thought Chris was especially cute and Arthur was just off-the-charts hot!

REAL KISSING. Finally!

SIX EPISODES. Happy that this wasn't dragged out unnecessarily.

CONS

THE STORY. Sorry, but for me this was just typical high school melodrama over nothing. The only serious issues were the bullying, Tong Fah's hospitalization and his father's death. They could have made more of these, but chose to take us through a bunch of superficial "drama" between the couples.

TOO MUCH DULLNESS. Five second spaces between lines and unnecessary scenes that had no real purpose made this short series, at times, seem interminably long.

ARTHUR'S ENDING. Disappointing. He goes from being a vicious bully to a crying, apologetic mess, complaining that no one loves him, not even his family. Okay, fine... some backstory would have been welcome, especially in place of the aforementioned dullness. A missed opportunity.

JENO AND NEAR. I thought they were the same person until I looked them up. They are actual brothers, 2 years apart, but look like identical twins. And they weren't even playing brothers in the series. Totally confusing, and a bad casting decision.

All in all, this is series that I will likely forget about in the not-too-distant future.

5 out of 10 for me.

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This was Cute!

Second Chance was honestly a cup of tea I didn't think I needed. It took me a while to get into this series for some reason, so I finished the first episode in about a week, but then after that, it only took me a day to finish the rest. second Chance has a bit of a confusing plot, but the use of great actors, decent music, and driven relationships helps to circle this series into a good one.

Let's Dive In.

We won't hang long in production, they were as good as most BLs will get. I did like the very little use of sound effects, which is sometimes my problem with other series. Also, it was a nice change i seeing their uniforms be fancy than the button downs and kakis (I mean it was really only a blazer and the occasional sweater vest, but still).

Onto the plot. It had me at times really jumbled up, especially because of the opening scene. From my understanding, the opening scene happened in the present, and then most of the series is shown in the past. Now, where that opening scene plays in, I have no clue, which is why I kept wondering what the freak was going on. Other than that, I loved the plot. I liked each relationship and how they ended. They were all different in dynamic and it felt refreshing to see that they all had a decent amount of screen time (obviously Tong Fah and Paper had a bit more). Character development was also on point, I liked seeing Jeno's change more than anything, but the other characters grew very nicely as well. This story could've been even better if they didn't add BL-obsessed women. They weren't too bad, but they still were pretty annoying.

Usually I fall in love with the side couple more than the main couple, but here, I was very much wrapped in their relationship. I liked how they handled their emotions and how you could clearly read on their faces how they were feeling. Their relationship was a bit confusing, I think the premise of the title "Second Chance" was coming from Paper after Tong Fah's accident when I had personally thought it was going to come from Tong Fah after his fall in the pool, but that part of the story was choppy, Paper confused me a bit just because he clearly had feelings for Tong Fah, so him freaking out after the kiss (aka the most sensual shit I've ever seen) feels out of place. Maybe he was dealing with internalized homophobia? Scared of losing Tong Fah as a friend? I'm not all too sure, that part of their conflict was so unnecessary. The ending was beautiful, the emotions that gave off were so strong that it made my own self get a bit choked up. Tong and Fluke's acting was magical, I never really paid attention to Tong in Tharntype (but I dropped it so...) but here, he really showed off his ability to act so I hope we see so much more of him. Friends to Lovers wins again!!

Moving onto the secondary couples. Jeno and Chris were a really nice touch to the series. Jeno was being heavily bullied by his ex-boyfriend, where he would get cornered and beaten up (let's not talk about the irony with all those "don't bully" poster; and the excessive amount of them) so Chris was is savor (but so was Paper..?) Anyways, their relationship was cute. Jeno kind of being stand offish to Chris was getting kind of annoying. He likes you, he's being nice to you, what's the problem? Let's go back to that character development. It's obvious with Jeno since he becomes a shy and cowardly person to a tough and confident guy (with the help of Chris of course). Even Arthur (that son of a bitch) had nice character development. I mean, he's still a piece of shit but at least he tried somewhat going easier on Jeno. Their ending was nice as well (and a perfect kiss) I feel satisfied enough with this couple. Onto Near and M. Now for a while, I was so confused on what was going on. At first I was like, "oh look! A love triangle!" but no, it took me two episodes to realize they were two different people. Near and M were nice, they probably had the least amount of screen time, but their relationship was pretty cute. I also liked Near and Tong Fah's friendship. It showed a healthy relationship between guys, and I loved how they were their for one another. Anyways, coffee shop love, where can you go wrong? The two brothers did a really good job and Nine was decent.

Overall, this was a nice watch. It was super easy too and episodes went by like nothing. Maybe they'll make a second season, if they do, I want to see more of Near and M more than anything, just because I think that their relationship has so many more places it can go. I do recommend this series, it was a bit sad a times, but for the most part it was pretty fluffy and simplistic.

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Nostalgic, detallist and brilliantly acted by our main couple

This show starts slow paced. My advice is to persevere if the first two episodes are not it for you, it gets better each episode, like a room that gets warmer as you wait after turning on the heat.
There is a nostalgic feel all over it, with an early 2000's OST that helps you being translated to that time and place. They use the color in a diluted way, costumbrist i will say, sometimes it evoques the ITSAY and Call me by your name vibes, quite brilliantly for a very small production and budget. Pay extra atention to the rooms decorations, each poster has sense there.

Paper and Sky, the main couple, have great chemistry and acting skills. The last part of episode 3 is mesmerizing. Starting from there, their acting just keeps raising the bar each second. Is one of those special dynamics that not many bl couples can deliver, is in the details, the smallest gestures of tenderness, love, the little touches, the fingers caressing each other's skin... Even i got the shivers. Let’s give a special standing ovation to the actor that plays Sky part, Fluke, he is a rookie, but not many bl actors have made me feel the desperate, needy, profound and agonic love that he feels with just his eyes alone.

Also, i have warmed up with Chris and Jeno love story, it was just ok, till the last 2 episodes leveled up the game, and gave us a why, it was hella cute. Their story here is way more developed than in TharnType, liked their characters there but they were just a comedic distraction, here they have more deepness.

Some plots could have been improved, especially the first 2 episodes and the 3rd couple all together, for me they could have been cut and instead focus more on showing more alone scenes of the two main couples, when they are face to face alone is where everything in this series is right and makes sense, too bad there wasn't more of that.

The ending could have been better, but i am happy with it. Considering they cut from 8 to 6 episodes at the end, i would have focus more and again cut a lot of random scenes and provide more IT ones.

Overall, i am very pleased with this drama, came expecting average and ended with a treat. Totally recommended.

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You've seen this before, but it's still fun

“Second Chance the Series” is a perfectly innocuous example of a Thai BL series. If you watch BL because they make you happy, this series will work for you. The various plotlines unfold in such by-the-numbers fashion that one could easily envision, standing open on the screenwriter’s desk, a dogeared copy of that famous reference guide So You’re Writing a BL Series? Formulaic it may be, but “Second Chance” entertains; it pleases; it delivers not one, not two, but three (THREE!) cute couples to cheer for. Predictability becomes both a strength and a weakness. Strength: the series delivers Exactly What Viewers Expect and Want from a BL. Weakness: the series possesses no traits that enable it to stand out amidst a crowded slate of series in a genre that is evolving rapidly beyond its traditional tropes.

To be clear, “Second Chance” is a good series. But a great series, it is not. The production delivers an entertaining result. The story and acting entertain sufficiently. The production values are unobjectionable. Well, save for the unfortunate instance when one character’s hair changed colors between scenes then reverted to the original thereafter. Lack of originality in the story supplies this show’s major flaw. The audience will have seen these story beats previously, probably in multiple instances. And that’s where the predictability undermines any claim to greatness. “Second Chance” aired in March and April—and already by this point in 2021, several of the year’s other series have dazzled and delighted viewers. 2021 is likely to go down in the annals of BL history as a transformative year, one that introduced genre-altering innovations in storytelling and series quality.

• Unlike “Manner of Death,” SC breaks no new ground in its setting or plot—it’s got both feet firmly entrenched in the standard-model story about high school students.
• Unlike “Lovely Writer,” SC has nothing much to say about BL as a genre—the story features boys falling for each other (and fujioshi girls cheering them on) without much introspection about what it all means.
• Unlike “Fish Upon the Sky,” SC wasn’t highly-anticipated due to a star-studded cast who earned their pedigree and their popularity acting in prior BL series—the actors offer typical levels of cuteness and charm, but none exudes attention-grabbing charisma.
• Unlike “We Best Love” [either season], SC didn’t take standard BL-couple tropes and rework them so they felt charming and fresh—the three featured couples tread the familiar, if comfortable, beats of the friends-to-lovers trope, a standard pursuit of a crush trope, and a younger-older trope (here, mostly not-cringey).
• Unlike “History 4: Come to Me,” SC will not require any trigger warnings—here, the boys’ methods of courtship raise no red flags. (Ok, that’s actually a good thing, but fans sniping at each other in message boards over H4’s narrative choices creates controversy that probably drives eyeballs to the series. So, again, nothing here to make the series stand out.)

And that’s just how this series stacks up against other 2021 series so far. Given the stratospheric expectations surrounding more than a few of the year’s yet-to-air productions, it’s likely that swaths of BL fandom will simply overlook this effort. By hewing so closely to the genre’s standard playbook, “Second Chance” will likely enrapture some portion of the genre’s devotees. Ultimately, however, this series will not likely linger long in memory. In 2021, being good is not good enough.

Story Synopsis
The story trails the romantic trials of three couples, TongFah/Paper (friends-to-lovers), Chris/Jeno (pursuing a reluctant crush), and Near/M (younger-older). TongFah, Paper, and Chris are close friends. Jeno and Near are other students at the same school, while M operates a game/coffee shop that serves as a hangout for the characters. From the first episode, it’s clear TongFah’s feelings for Paper have evolved beyond the friend stage, but it’s less clear how enthusiastic Paper is for this shift in their friendship. Jeno is being bullied at school by his ex-boyfriend, prompting him to sign up for MuayThai instruction. His mentor at the gym turns out to be Chris, who quickly determines to pursue his reticent classmate. Near, an avid gamer, has a part-time job at M’s café. It’s clear to viewers that M likes his young employee, but that Near is oblivious to the boss’s feelings. “Second Chance” is a bit of a slow burn, but by the end of Episode 3, all three couples seem to be inching towards acknowledging mutual attractions. By the end Ep 4, all three embryonic couplings have imploded. Yes, folks—they need a second chance!

Where “Second Chance” had the potential to deliver some originality to BL storytelling lay in its exploration of couples trying to reboot their relationships. I do not recall another BL series centered around the idea of redeeming a relationship that once had foundered. Unfortunately, such redemption would have required more time to unfold than the two episodes that remained in the series. Those last two episodes are the weakest two in the series, rushing through complications, reconciliations, and proms.

Typical of Thai BL series, “Second Chance” offers no particular comment on what it means to be gay in 21st century Thailand. Posters from queer cinema classics decorate the walls of TongFah’s bedroom, but that’s as close as the series comes to implying any of the lads extrapolates a personal identity from his romantic leanings. On the bright side, the writers eschewed using homophobic families as a source of conflict in the story. Boys falling for other boys is treated as a perfectly normal state of affairs in this tale, no complications from school authorities, the families, or from society writ large. Frankly, relief from those overused tropes about anti-gay attitudes is a big reason the meager plot of “Second Chance” succeeds in delivering a happy story—and after all, seeing happy stories that lead to boys kissing other boys is why many of us consume BL series in the first place.

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Just SLOW, with NO SATISFACTION.

I have to be honest. I didn't enjoy this BL unfortunately. I had to watch in 2X to get through the episodes because most scenes were just too damn looooong.

We have 2 stories, and none of them did anything to me if that makes sense. Like I wasn't touched by any of them. The acting wasn't the best. The story didn't live up to its potential. And what was up with Sky / Tong Fah suddenly being hospitalized ( why wasn't that addressed? ).

Some scenes were good as for example when Sky / Tong Fah talks to Near and M separately about their relationship. but some others for example when Daisy left Jeno alone after Arthur, Jim and Suer ambushed him, like TF. ( girl ruuuuun or just walk past them ). I kinda liked how they dealt with the whole bullying situation, but it could have been done better. Or when The Uni Counselor was talking to Chris about uni was nice once, but don't let that be their only dialogue because it was sooo repetitive.

But yeah, I personally didn't like this. I just felt disconnected from it, and again 2X.

Give it a try and let me know what you think, but I wouldn't watch it again.

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Extremely Slow & Boring ...

This drama is short 6 episodes, but they are extremely slow and move along at a snail pace.

I am not exactly sure what the story line is about, as they is no flow to it, its like everyone is everywhere and there is no light at the end of the drama.

For me, it was pretty boring and forgettable. ATTENTION TO BULLYING. CUTE ACTORS. REAL KISSING. Finally!

But yeah, I personally didn't like this. I just felt disconnected from it.

Much of the series is more like a collection of disconnected scenes rather than something that flows together to weave a story. Something will happen one moment and then the next it's like the last one didn't happen.

Overall : This drama is likely to be forgotten by the time i close this off.

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Ending=Rating Up

In all honesty I really expected this to be pretty basic and cliché so I didn't have high hopes for it. I happily regret having that mindset cause it's definitely better than expected. It starts out a little plain but it grew on me. Visuals all around and the storyline of each couple gets fluffy, emotional and overall realistic. If you're looking for high sexual content TURN BACK! I was pleased af with the ending and even though my re-watch value is average I'd still recommend to a BL newbie or someone who likes light and simple romance. More importantly, (to some) I have to give extra credit to the actors, they're all predominantly new to the BL/Acting industry but I gotta say...the kissings scenes were VERY convincing!
Enjoy...
P.S. It took me a LOT longer than I care to admit to realize 2 of the characters are real life brothers LMAO

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Seriously, you have to watch this!

I started watching this because of Tong (he played Tharn's brother in TharnType). I've been saying from TT that he deserves his own series. Even though this drama is only 6 episodes, it is so worth the watch. I waited until the end to binge it and omg!

The chemistry between Tong/Fluke was everything! They play Paper/Tong Fah the main couple. There is something so beautiful watching them together even during the characters' struggles to get their footing. There was almost something angelic about their connection that kept me there and enjoy and watching and crying.

Then there is the secondary couple Jeno/Chris played by Mawin/Run. There was just such a purity about the way Chris has loved Jeno and realizes that Jeno doesn't need to be loved the way Chris wants to love him but the way Jeno deserves to be loved. OMG that conversation in the library???? DEFINITION OF A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP! So proud!

The third couple, I could have done without and given that screen time to the other two. M/Near played by Nine/Games. Their disagreement wasn't the most and the reaction to it was out of proportion. I didn't agree it needed to be as big a deal as they made it out to be.

This series was beautiful and well written.
Why didn't I give it 10/10 - the bullying. Okay, so I know bullying happens but I'm just fed up with it in these series. I've watched about four BLs so far this year and it's a constant thing. I'm happy they seem to have gotten away from the r*apie disasters but this isn't a good troupe either. And it was A LOT! Like, whew.

Other than that and the overacting by the fujoshi - I really enjoyed this drama - you should totally check it out.

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A return to good form for Thai BL

In terms of writing and acting, was this the best Thai BL I've ever seen? No.

Was it better by far than some of the other show we've all been subjected to recently? Absolutely, yes.

This has so much going for it. There is no glaringly unsubtle product placement (yes, this series could've been sponsored by Jenga, but it's not constantly in your face), no over-the-top sound effects punctuating every other sentence, no scheming female characters trying to break up the couples and, thank goodness, the shippers behaviour was restricted to a bit of gossip and didn't verge on harassment and stalking.

The plot revolves around a group of students in their last year of high school. Paper, Tong Fah and Chris are all close friends. Chris has a crush on Jeno, who is being bullied by his ex, Arthur. Tong Fah has a crush on Paper. And another student, Near, works at a local gaming cafe and is being courted online through a game. He doesn't realise that it's his fellow cafe worker, M, who's doing the courting.

Now, this series can get a little preachy at times. Some of the dialogue starts to sound like inspirational speeches and it's sending a very obvious and clear message about how the end of high school should be approached and how to manage people's expectation of what comes next.

The bullying gets very egregious in parts, especially in the first three episodes, so consider this a warning if bullying is a trigger for you. Unlike other Thai BL's, though, where you wonder why the adults are even in it because they clearly don't care, this behaviour is addressed and the student being bullied is listened to, believed and supported.

The student doing the bullying suffers actual consequences and, even though they're not harsh, it's such an improvement on how other shows I've seen deal with abusive and violent behaviour. I'm sure I don't need to name names.

Also, the bully recognises his behaviour is wrong and apologises sincerely - again, character development we rarely see.

This is a small series consisting of only six episodes, all of which I watched in a day. The episodes are an hour long, however, so it isn't like you're left feeling short-changed and, even if Near and M didn't get the nearly the amount of screen time as the other characters, they still had plenty of development.

The pacing was fairly consistent, the editing relatively good (there were some parts where I was slightly confused because I was watching flashbacks that weren't differentiated from the present time in the story, but I did understand it all by the end) and the music is lovely.

The acting isn't so great sometimes, but given that for two of them it was their first acting job and for the others they've mainly had support roles, it's not horrible. There's some real talent in this cast.

This is a good series and I enjoyed it. It definitely has rewatch value and I'm happy to recommend it.

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