1This review may contain spoilers
fun little fantasy romance
I liked the chemistry between the two lead actors. I liked the fantasy aspect. I'm not one to deeply analyze a program. This to me has a feel good vibe and I'm liking it. Others have criticized this program for being shallow. Is it predictable where the story is going? yes but I'm fine with that and I'm enjoying it. Sometimes it is okay to turn off your mind and have a fun story to watch and this series is one of those.The thing about the port keys and dreams could have been better but I'm okay with it , I think it would be nice it they had some time clues on how long the main characters have been in the alternate universe . Not until episode 9 do you a definite time sense because in that episode they have a 1 yr anniversary party for Friend Credits.
I liked that they didn't make the first movie they made a success. it was be interesting to see where things went from there. There was a little foreshadowing in episode 5 with the gentleman that came back after 5 years to find his life destroyed. I liked how that played a part after Talay returns to the main universe. I liked it when Talay and Puen meet in the main universe again and there was a reference to a scene from episode 2. I liked how it had a happy ending and you also got to see what was happening in the other universe. I was satisfied with the ending. In episode 12 be sure to watch the "Anywhere with Lays" segment after the credits roll. Not to spoil anything but you'll want to watch it. It makes the ending a little more satisfying.
Overall I really liked the series and If you are not an analytical person I would recommend it .
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1Wasted Potential
This series had almost every ingredient that it needed to become a hit: a unique, intriguing premise, handsome actors, sweet romance, great OSTs, and beautiful cinematography. I am still in disbelief that the production team messed up the recipe so badly that what should have been one of the best BLs of 2022 turned into a dull, plotless product placement fest. It is beyond my comprehension how other reviewers are so generous. I started this series with no expectations, aware of all the criticism that it was getting, and it still managed to disappoint me. Let me tell you why.1. Plot, or rather the lack of such.
As you will know from the summary, the story revolves around newbie colorist Talay and famous actor Puen, who are transported to a parallel universe and into the bodies of Tess, the heir of an entertainment corporation, and Tun, or Pakorn, a wannabe scriptwriter, who meanwhile are sent to Talay and Puen's universe. Overcoming their differences in personality, the two boys team up to help each other navigate their new lives and find their way back to their world.
Sounds great. Except that this is what the story should have been about, not what it is actually about. After episode two, it strays far away from the plotline and does not come near it until episode ten. For eight episodes, the viewers are treated to a mundane, cliché college story about a group of guys trying to make it as scriptwriters in the movie industry. I felt like I was watching a badly written remake of Theory of Love – which is probably precisely what it is – and in each next episode, I skipped more scenes than in the previous one because I was bored by the predictability of it all.
Furthermore, the unimaginative scriptwriters of this series have decided to rely on annoying, overused tropes, such as love triangles and female characters' coming between the main couple, to spice things up, while the main characters are, illogically, left to live ordinary lives. This makes no sense. To lose your whole life and be forced to live someone else's is stressful, even scary, but after the initial confusion, Talay and Puen seem to have forgotten that they have family, friends, and careers back home. In episode one, Talay was shown with a tight-knit group of friends to whom he was clearly attached. Not once throughout the episodes does he mention that he misses them or his family. Puen is similarly indifferent. It is true that the reason for his being so is explained, but this revelation comes much later than it should have – as does any other substantial information abut him as a character – and this makes him difficult to sympathize with through the bulk of the series.
Worst of all, there was a timeskip of one year that was introduced out of nowhere. What did the characters do for a whole year? We do not know. The story just continues, as if five, not 365, days have passed since the characters' last interaction.
2. Flawed pacing and endless product placements.
The more useless a scene is to the story, the more it drags. Too many scenes are included only for comedy. In the initial episodes, I, surprisingly, laughed many times – I usually do not buy the humor in BL series – but then the fun fizzled out, and the humor became forced.
Product placements – do not even get me started on them. At first, they were not as glaring as I feared they would be, but by episode seven they had become intolerable and were spoiling the mood of almost every scene that had the potential of being meaningful. Shame on the production team for prioritizing commercials over everything else.
3. Romance, or rather bromance.
On one hand, I am impressed by how healthy the dynamic between the two leads is. I forgot the specific instances, but I was surprised by their dialogue several times because instead of the cliché replies that I was expecting came kind, mature replies. Talay and Puen are both willing to express their thoughts and feelings and work on finding the best solution, which is essential in a healthy relationship. They also have moments of tenderness that made my heart flutter.
On the other hand, most of the time, they act more like friends who care for each other than as young men who are in love with each other. Their interactions are sweet and intimate until they have to kiss or initiate any other physical contact that is not a hug. Then they become forced and awkward. They did not manage to convince me that they are actually crushing on each other.
They also do not act like they have already known each other for a whole year. Their friendship, while genuine, seems like it has not moved past its initial stages – which is understandable, considering Puen's illogical decision to not reveal his indentity to Talay. I understand why he might have not wanted Talay to know in the beginning. However, by episode five, it had already become clear that they had grown really close and were not afraid of opening up to each other. Puen was ready to tell Talay who he is a long time ago. The production team wanted to have an illogical twist in episode ten, though, and this twist could happen only if Puen did not tell Talay, so they did not let the character do what would be natural for him to do.
4. Acting.
Jimmy is not as bad as some viewers complain that he is. Compared to Bad Buddy, in which he did not deliver a good performance, he has improved. There is even something charismatic about him, and his gentle, slightly hoarse voice is pleasant to listen to. However, neither he nor Sea handle negative emotions and intense scenes well. Their acting becomes lackluster. They should both work on their facial expressions.
Edit: Episodes eleven and twelve were a notable exception. Although they had inconsistencies and unnecessary drama, they were breath-takingly romantic. The emotional scenes had depth because Jimmy and Sea's acting suddenly improved a lot. I do not know what caused this improvement, but kudos to them. If they had been on that level throughout the other episodes, this series might have been a success. They, and the ending, which awakened the hopeless romantic in me, made me raise my rating.
Overall, the production team of this series bit off more than they could chew. Vice Versa would have been much better received by the viewers if it was just a sweet college romance with a body-swap trope, without the alternate-universe plot. It would have also been great if all the time that was wasted on unfunny comedy, unnecessary conversations, and product placements was used to show how Tess and Tun are doing in Talay and Puen's bodies.
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runs on vibes instead of plot
Overall: I really enjoyed the beginning with a unique premise and the color themes, but similar to other GMMTV productions, it runs on vibes and poor communication instead of plot or realistic character actions. If you aren't a vibes person, then I suggest watching the first two episodes then skip to episode 8 part 4 and watch from there. Watched on YouTube.Content Warnings: beaten up, death (off screen), stalking, animal blood
What I Liked
- several cute and funny moments
- the color themes and prop integration
- supportive friend groups
- that this wasn't enemies to lovers but two guys figuring things out
- mentioning societal issues like marriage equality, expensive public transportation
'- several cameos/guest roles: Force, Book, Perth, Mix, Tay
- reference to 2gether/other BL series
- decent kissing in later episodes
- the two side characters and the vet stuff was cute (but they needed more time, had like a 5 second scene in the final episode)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects
Room For Improvement
- pacing was slow, characters went in circles (for 2 years!!!), I think they needed a fast burn side couple
- poor communication for grown men
- characters do not act realistically (the film crew in episode 11 was an example of this), characters do things because that's what the writer said not because it would make sense
- thin plot with a lot of product placement
- poor world building/plot holes
- that whole not name telling thing
- there were a few scenes that jumped a bit much, we were in one place and then suddenly somewhere else (the beach at the beginning was one)
- the cliche swimming issue in the beginning, wish they'd have come up with something else
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1A dull mess. Mostly a long ad for snack foods.
I hope you like insant noodles and factory-produced chocolate cakes with some white stuff inside.I was so excited for this, because after Bad Buddy I really wanted to see Jimmy star in a series, and I love the support cast. But what a huge disappointment.
First of all, the plot is barely existent. The gimmick is that people can get transported to an alternate universe when they die, but can get back to their own universe (apparently alive again) if you find your portkey, which is another person, but under circumstances that are not clear.
Jimmy and Sea are beautiful and they both look unusually good with their shirts off, or on, or a little of both, but that can't save this series.
Which is a thinly-veiled string of commercials for products. There is so much product placement, and not just people exaggeratedly enjoying a refreshing drink - it's endless. Episode 7, which finally killed any desire I have to waste time being victimized for my loyal BL viewership, had a good 20-minute streak where nothing happened except product placement. There's even a debate over whether KFC should be eaten with sauce or not. Apparently yes. Otherwise you're disrespecting whoever invented the sauce more than you are insulting whoever fried the chicken. (For the record, it's disrespecting whoever fried the chicken. It's already seasoned with spice.)
There is no chemistry between the leads. Part of the problem is that their personalities weren't introduced before the switch, so we never really got a sense of what their motivations are, and the show is crippled by "uke-ism", meaning the seme (Puen) comes on to the uke (Talay), who behaves like being kissed on the cheek is attempted rape and grimaces in disgust and pushes him away. When they hug, they're standing a meter apart and leaning in to touch shoulders, and their kisses are mechanical and the actors put in the minimum required to make it techically a kiss.
There is no point to this series. It doesn't explore any social issues, balancing career & personal life, the trials of showbusiness, or anything at all, despite the golden opportunity of an alternate universe that could have contrasted with ours in meaningful ways. The differences are all superficial and meaningless, like instead of birthday cake, you have birthday cotton candy (with candles in it. I wonder what the death rate in this universe is from accidental fires). All we get is 12 eps of chemistry-free fluff and snacks. None of the support characters serve any purpose except comic relief, and exposition, and the series doesn't even explore what it means for the person you love to suddenly have a different body. (Personally, if I were dating doughy Nanon, I'd stay in bed 25 hours a day if he were suddenly built like Jimmy, but I'm shallow. If I were dating Nanon I'd be just as happy but I'd make him sing a lot instead.) It could have been an opportunity to look at the difference between surface aspects of attraction and the deeper connection of love.
This deserves a 3, but the actors did as well they could in a tragic situation like this, and I feel bad for punishing them, so I gave it a 5. Most of the actors actually play and sing the music in this, which also earns some points. Nanon has a lovely voice - I wanted to hear more of it. The production is competent but uninspired.
I can't recommend it, unless you love fluff and cheesy lines. And snacks.
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Vice Versa is a must watched series because it gives a new vibes in the bl industry
As I've read the novel, when I watched the series I am quite overwhelmed how they've managed to tackle the 5 chapters in just one episode but despite that they've elaborate the plot well for episode 1. I still don't get it why others find it hard to understand the plot when they've already told everything in the mock trailer and episode 1. So far, I liked the happenings in the series. I love how they added and changed some scenes from the novel that I think turns out better. It also quite exciting for me because even though I've read the novel, I am still confused what is go to happened next. I also loved how they applied the colors/palette to the series (A LITTLE SPOILER ?, it has a part to the plot so pay attention to the palettes). Overall, the series is so good and I am looking forward what will happen in the following episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
comfort bl series
I don't have much to say but give this series a chance. This series is better than the shitty bl drama u watched. If you're confuse, then it doesn't mean you have to stop watching. Trust me, it's worth it. But I'm not forcing you, but give it a chance once it's completed. You'll enjoy it. The actors are great and the plot. It's a chemistry of friends and couple. It's mixed with drama and comedy with a little bit of sci-fi. It also gives tension especially if you wait every week for the next episode cause as you watch, u just want more. That's what i've felt and now i'm going crazy.Was this review helpful to you?
In NO universe is this a FLOP - sponsored by LiN
Undeniably Controverse Series with an Attractive Implementation.Any media that is about "verse-jumping", universes and especially parallel universes has faced a great number of obstacles during its production/ writing/ etc. and VICE VERSA has made the best out of it, despite the complexity of the universe trope. Sure, there are some black holes and too much product placement, but let´s be honest, who can fix plot holes about universes anyway? And does KFC have enough seasoning on their fried chicken?
Honestly, when I first heard what this series is about I got very sceptical. How will they be able to show off such a complex plot in only 12 episodes without losing half of the audience on their way? To my surprise and happiness, they have succeeded.
Story >> 9.5 >> 9.0 >> 8.0 >> 7.5
Honestly, the story is such a banger, I don´t even want to find other words for it. It is a bit dull in some ways because it´s obvious that they had to do "some" Product Placement but the fact that they question how one has to live another one´s life is a good point for me and is also dragging the end way too long. However, it´s sharing nice messages, such as respect for crucial decisions another person makes in their life and how any decision can affect more than one person.
Most characters have an immense impact on the story and the writers paid a lot of attention to making every single one of the characters palpable. I also like that even though this was not an enemies-to-lovers trope, the main couple has so much intellectual and romantic tension between them. They just belong together because they make each other happy. Not more, not less. If they had just made it a little shorter, it could have been much better.
Acting/ Cast >> 9.0
Jimmy totally caught me in this role, as if it was written inspired by his visuals. He fits so well into the role of Puen. The same goes for Sea, though it is my first time seeing him in GMM25 and so I can´t really judge based on other performances. Honestly, I think GMM25 did a great job in casting their actors for each role. Not to forget all the support roles - I especially love to see Neo, he just makes me happy. In general, I think their performances as actors are very solid and only on rear occasions did I miss some intensity of gazes and some emotions. In my opinion, there is not much to complain about.
Music >> 8.0 >> 7.5
The used music and soundtracks, as well as the outro and intro, fit the entire theme of the series well and they leave a certain imprint on my mind as a viewer. However, the music is nothing that specifically stands out nor something that causes inconvenience. To me, the songs and other music scores are very well chosen and implemented into the series.
Rewatch Value >> 7.0 >> 5.5 >> 5.0
I rarely rewatch the series even though the chemistry between Sea and Jimmy was just too mesmerizing to just forget about it. However, the product placement was just too much over the top.
Overall >> 9.0 >> 8.0 >> 7.5
As I have seen it in other reviews as well, this series is a precision landing on 8.5 to me. The series totally caught me and kept me in suspense, so I can leave this good rating with a clear conscience. (at least until episode 9 hehe).
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This review may contain spoilers
Another Forgettable Fluff Story Between Commercials
Overall Review:The trailer of the series might present the series about universe jumping and its consequential complications, and the motivations to travel back to their original universe, but if you take out the different universe aspect out of the story, you still would have 10.5+ hours worth of same content, which is to say that it's not an important aspect of the story. But then you would assume it's more character driven; which again is false as the characters are mostly one dimensional are used way too often to sell things. So this is a series that doesn't deliver what it promises but forces you to watch commercials.
Plot:
- While the trailer and official synopsis promises a multiverse and body jumping plot, it is mostly treated as a side-note rather than the main focus, so much so that one can trim the universe jumping story out and still have 10.5+ hours of video.
- Aside from that main failing, the plot also lacks internal consistency, that is the things canonised to be true at the beginning of the series suddenly become non-canon at the end to further the plot.
- Moreover, all the important events driving the plot happen in the background, so the viewer is left to instead fill-up the plot holes on their own to try to make sense of the development in the plot.
- The plot also jumps time a lot, which again is a task for the viewer to keep tabs on, as this time jump is only displayed through text once, with no significant changes to establish that in the story.
- This plot at best revolves around a love story, but it is not a slow-burn at all, instead the couple-esque moments start pretty early, making it a non-stop cheesy lines & slow-mo moments saga of fluff.
Characters:
- The characters of the Series are pretty uninteresting on their own in terms that they are one-dimensional, their own life, thoughts and motivations are either non-existent or don't matter to their character's actions. Tun (Puen) is obsessed with Talay from the get go, and Talay is hesitant to his advances throughout the series- be it being strangers, friends or in a post-confession relationship.
- Tun (Puen) doesn't want to go back to his universe as he says that he enjoys his new friends and family, while Talay wants to go back as he says that he misses his friends and family; neither of these two motivations/reasons are established in the series as there are zero to none scenes depicting that - Tun cherishing the love from his famliy, and Talay missing his family (we don't even get to see Talay's real family until the end of the series). {Tun (puen) is moreover shown spending all the days mostly with only Talay.}
- Talay as much as he claims desperately wanting to back home, abandons all the work to find his portkey; and is shown as comfortably living in the new universe.
- There is also a second couple that the series starts establishing at the rear end of the of the series and is left unexplored.
- The original Tess and Pakorn are also left unexplored and frozen in time, and their story for these two years in which the main story takes place, is left to a minute of dialogues in 12 hours of the series (about 0.1%).
- The one-dimensionality of the characters is also worsened by the unnatural/unrealsitic actions of the characters.
- Whilst the characters proclaim time and again both directly and indirectly how they aren't attracted to each others bodies (which are also not their own bodies anyway); there are a lot of kisses, sniffing, bath scenes, etc set in slow-mo in romantic music, which signifies the opposite. Tun (puen)'s obsession with Talay, on a similar note, is also not logically explored; {why did he flirt with Talay but not his newfound friends, as all of them are strangers to him. It might not be much of an issue if characters didn't claim that physical attributes aren't important to them in the first place.}
Conclusion:
This series, in essence, is just a wasted potential of a story wrongly marketed with a false cover of universe jumping, when it is just another forgettable fluff-cheesy 'man' and 'woman' stereotyped homosexual couple story.
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My new solace show
This is one of the shows where it can be very subjective for me personally i loved it a lot really! It was heartwarming and overall just gave me so much joy. I love Talay and Puen’s love and it was just a lovely journey to watch them fall for each other more and more. Definitely will rewatch this when i want to watch something sweet. The acting i thought was good and the story was a nice sci-fi story with not much angst which i love. The ads maybe were excessive but it didn’t really bother me. Overall definitely enjoyed it! If you’re a fan of sweetness I recommend this a lot.Was this review helpful to you?
An easy but perhaps too easy watch
First off, the chemistry was insane. I had no idea if Sea and Jimmy would go well together, but these two actors swept all those doubts away almost immediately.The plot does leave a lot to be desired, though, and the new place Talay and Puen find themselves in isn't explored enough. I would have loved to have seen more differences between the universes and more interesting locations highlighting those differences. There also aren't many conflicts, making the story feel a bit aimless but also pleasant. Each week I could rest assured that I wouldn't feel anxious or upset at big misunderstandings or dangerous situations. It reminded me a little of the few episodes in Bad Buddy where the couple just got to exist together for a while. Either this will make you annoyed, or you'll enjoy the easygoing nature of it. It really depends on what you look for in a drama. For me, I quite liked it. The strong characters and solid acting carried me along to the end.
Side Note: I love how this year we're getting Thai Dramas pushing legalizing same-sex marriage. Not Me and Cutie Pie, for example, would not shut up about it. And we love them for that!
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Best series by rookies
I gave 10 stars to all of them, just the one with acting/cast might be 9.5, well it was mistake. I was gaving 10, but my finger might have moved slightly so it became 9.5We know that Jimmy made his debut in Bad buddy series while Sea made his debut in 55:15. Now they have their own series with them being the main leads, makes me feel happy as I was waiting for this series to air soon. Now that just 1 week has left out to finish this series, I want to share my review. I have loved ever single saturday since I started my journey of watching Vice versa. They gave me great Lovestory of switching between universes which is a new kind of plot that I've never watched before in BL history. Many of them have ignored this series without watching it properly, while watching the main leads of 'Love in the air' series having sex scenes. I'm not telling that you guys should not watch it, I respect everyone's decision, you guys can watch whatever you want. But please, don't watch any BL series just for their sex scenes.
Every single person working for Vice versa, worked really hard, not to get this much of low viewers and supporters. I just want you guys to consider the plot before watching it. I want you guys to support new actors entering every year.
The main thing I love in this series is literally everything. From Cast and crew to main leads. From Editing to choosing new locations. From hairstylist to costume designer. And from plot to writer and director. They all worked hard, especially the main leads Jimmy and Sea as they had lots of scenes and they were not used to this genre before. Please consider their hard work before judging it as bad series.
For VVS haters :
And importantly "those who are criticising the main leads" that their acting is bad, then you have the worst judgement. They are rookies and conveyed all of the feelings needed for every scene. And if you still feel tha they are not good enough then, you better get an appointment with a pshyciatrist.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm gonna ruffle some feathers
Gather around children I am going to tell you a story...Have you ever heard the story of how a bucket of delicious friend chicken called KFC wanted so badly to fall in love with the very desirable noodles called OK mama? And how this bucket of chicken jumped from one universe to another and suddenly found itself in the body of a very moist choco moon pie and had to find a way to win the heart of the noodles, but couldn't figure out who the noodle was in this new universe? Only to learn that the noodle was a two-timing tooth paste hell bent on conquering the new universe as when they were Ok Mama they couldn't do much, but now they had all the power in the world to make everyone else suffer through countless commercial and product placement moments! Only for the Choco moon pie find itself falling for the Lay's potato chips who together with other products were able to defeat Ok Mama (tooth paste) and then KFC and Lay's Potato Chips were able to go back to their own universe and be happily ever after! The End.
Seriously, this drama was 80% commercial/product placement. The premise of the alternate universe as a plot was nowhere to be seen and only got touched on a few times to make some cockamamie point that we all could see a mile away.
I am sorry but this had so much potential. If they had left out the whole universe/sci-fi element, this would have been an okay fluffy romance drama. As it was, this was more like GMM ran out of money and ideas and decided to test this new way of making money by sacrificing the story and the actors.
I think the drama itself is okay if you want something mindless to watch when you can't find anything else. I didn't get sold on the chemistry of the main leads sometimes it felt strange, like neither one wanted to be in the same personal space. But they did have some nice kiss scenes.
The only interesting characters to me were Don (I wish I had seen more of her) and Talay's manager in the end who I wanted to know more about, maybe he liked Talay more than just as his artist? Could have been explored.
However, the cinematography was beautiful and a lot of these locations were dreamy. That gets a 10/10
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