Vice Versa (2022)

NARAKNESS OVERLOAD!

I’m writing this after having watched only 4 episodes. There are 8 more I have on my way, but for now I can say that I’M FULLY, ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY, COMPLETELY IN LOVE. CUTENESS OVERLOAD. The plot is something fresh and new among other Thai dramas and I like it.

Will you please excuse me if I get distracted from the plot for a minute and talk about Jimmy? I don’t usually express my feeling for actors, but I can’t help it. I have been head over heels for Jimmy since I first saw him in Bad Buddy. JIMMY IS HANDSOME, STUNNING, INVINCIBLE and yeah, Sea got that right: He is so cute and tiny when he pouts. AND THOSE MOTHERFUCKING EYES. I can’t help staring at him.

THE CHEMISTRY IS CHEMISTRYING! I CANT BELIEVE I FINALLY BUMPED INTO REAL CHEMISTRY! Last time I felt it in “My school president” and now I’m getting the same vibes. This drama is about to become my comfort zone. I absolutely like the references here. When Phuwadol said the password “I will kiss you till you drop” I started screeming like crazy! And so-called “copyright infringement” “You don’t have to like me very much, just keep you heart open for me”. THOSE REFERENCES WARM MY HEART EVERY TIME. The moment when Tun gave the inhaler to Talay I remembered Pat and Pran fighting over it. The fact that Puen’s vessel is Nanon’s body (who is Pran) makes it even more touching.
The fact that I’m watching this when OhmNanon (aka one of the most iconic couples) is gone makes those references heartwarming and painful for me at the same time. Once Talay asked Tun “are you competing me again?” THAT GOT ME CRYING AF.

Update after watching 4 more episodes: I have seen some reviews about this whole “alternative universes’’ stuff, and want to talk about it. I don’t find it messy. Puen and Talay met In their universe and obviously there had been chemistry between them since the beginning. Doesn’t matter how apparent and predictable was their meeting In the second universe, it still has its meaning. You will find your soulmate even after travelling to another universe. Besides, we can see that both Talay and Puen have never experienced love and they got the opportunity to do it In another universe. And yeah, people who say “how is that even possible to get back, total nonsense”…Hilarious. Have you ever questioned yourself how Loki was able to teleport to Earth through the tessaract without the possession of it? FANTASY. THAT’S IT.

Elements of fantasy are really interesting for me. Whether you like it or not depends on your interpretation of everything said and done by the characters. This drama teaches us 2 important things: 1. You don’t always need to have mutual interests to match with each other. 2. Faces don’t matter when you are in love with a person’s soul.

One more thing that really got me is the development of their feelings. It is not boring, their conversations and interaction are always relevant. PICK UP LINES ARE SO CUTE. I still cant get over “carbo-naraaaaak”. THE KISS IN THE END OF THE 8TH EPISODE. I got shivers all over my body! ROMANTIC!
The plotline when Puen didn’t want to go back again was expectable.
Cuteness became suffocating when Talay told Tun that he was falling for him.
THE HAT WITH ALPACA ON IT. I used to think that Puen would somehow find out that Talay was the guy he acted with (every time they stood close to each other I thought that Talay would start laughing, because “it tickles”). As long as it didn’t happen I couldn’t think of anything else BUT THE HAT. THE MOMENT WHEN PUEN REALISED THAT HE HAD ALREADY KNOWN TALAY IN THEIR UNIVERSE AND PUT THE HAT ON WRONG DELBERATELY. “Is this a llama?” That’s the question he asked when they first met.

Acting in this show is magnificent! EVERY PART OF JIMMY’S FACE IS THE INCARNATION OF HIS FEELINGS! And have you ever paid attention to Talays yearning eyes after kissing Puen? Hail Mary…

The plot got a little bit messy in the 11th episode. It took me long to suss out what had happened. I don’t think I comprehended it precisely…Did Puen went to their universe first, because Pakorn had a near-death experience while Puen was dreaming? I don’t know..

BUT HELL, WHEN TALAY REVEALED PUEN’S WISH: “That day, in the glass house, I fell head over heals in love with you”. THAT GOT ME SQUEALING.
I knew, that an irresponsible person like Tess would fuck up Talays life. He is lucky to get his job back.

I have to admit that there were plot holes but now I’m replete with emotions, for which I’m thankful. This drama is another safe zone for me. Narakness overload! It is easy to watch, although you can get bored during the last two episodes, because the dream is gone and the characters have to face the reality. But it is still sweet and wholesome!
My mind is brimful of quotes from this drama and the last one I want to mention is “Ever since I saw you singing in Pong’s bar, I have been head over heals for you”.
Shia, those guys captured my heart and wiped the dust off it. Thank you! 9.5/10

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Is it worth spending your time on?

Plot: 8
I really, really liked the plot. It was something new, not typical romance between doc and engineer. It was kinda new concept and I actually enjoyed ot very much. But... There are some plot holes that should be filled. For example, Friend Credits waited so much for the movie festival to happen and we didn't even get to see it. And it's not one situation, there's more. Also... Why so little of 'their' universe? Unless they plan another series that will show us how Tess and Tun's lives were like in anothet universe. And I honestly would enjoy it very much!

Music: 10
I loved the soundtrack! Especially at art gallery it hit me how much time they probably spend on choosing the right music. If felt magical.

Actors: 10
The acting was very good! Jimmy's one... I'm just happy that they gave him this role. It suits him very much. Don't even get me started on the second leads characters that I loved very much. And it's of course mainly thanks to the actors.

Overall, I have to say, I very much enjoyed this show. I'm even sad that I didn't watch it when it was aired. Actually I kinda hope for a second season that will focus more on the second leads characters. Though... I don't know what they could show us. I would also love the story of Nanon and Ohm's characters in universe of main characters.

So, answering the question in headline... Yes, it is worth watching! Better late that never.

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Great idea & purses

What to say about this disaster that the other 105 reviewers haven't already said?

Sometimes you need more in a drama beside cute leads, fluffy moments (ads!!!) and an idea!

Vice Versa is a bit of a convoluted, not fully thought out story of parallel universes. I love these kinds of dramas, books, movies...but here it is all undercooked and mostly left to our imagination to fill out the blanks they could not be bothered to explain. It was also very quickly obvious that the whole idea was not really sci-fi but a way to talk about soulmates. Fine, that's OK with me. I like that! But....

What I liked:
- episode titles: colours
- the original idea
- the cinematography: colour coded episodes
- Jimmy, cute as a button, carrying his heart on his sleeve
- Friends Credits
- creative way to present PPLs
and that's it!

What I did not like:
- messy storytelling
- music, annoying
- Sea's awful acting and total lack of chemistry
- gratuitous partial nudity
- man purses
- quantity of PPLs
and so much more!

Frankly I could have enjoyed this as a piece of mindless fun, if the main couple had an ounce of chemistry between them but unfortunately there was none to speak of.

Sea can't act and it was so irritating seeing him pouting and looking sideways and not knowing what to do with himself! He was also terribly written which was maybe the reason for his bad acting: his character is all over the place and mostly going with the flow without ever taking the initiative! And, I do not know what the costume designer was thinking, making him wear those purses all the time: they were ugly, unbecoming and I was so annoyed by them to the point that I only looked at them!

I was dreading the PPLs since I heard there were too many of them but I was pleasantly surprised since they were not often out of context. Though they did not manage to find realistic moments to use NIVEA or the toothpaste but the rest was not too bad!

The producers know how to pander to their viewers' expectations, so there were some really ridiculous scenes where the actors show their bare chest (waking up in the bed in the morning without a T-shirt but with shoes on!Really?!?).

All in all, this was a great idea badly executed though pretty and completely ruined by the lack of chemistry and too many purses!

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Inter-universe body swap done quite well

I love this series in so many ways, but I also can't help feeling that it can be better.

The series starts off pretty impressively with a twist to the body swap concept as the main characters swap bodies with people in a parallel universe. There are a lot of cute references to other BL series like 2gether and intelligently self-reflexive moments that refer to BLs and film production, teasing us on whether the main couple would have a happy ending.

The main actors (Sea and Jimmy) have done a rather good job, but the decision to have Nanon and Ohm make brief appearances in the early episodes has its pros and cons. Of course, it draws in viewers because of the star power. But Nanon and Ohm have such a presence , despite the few scenes they appear in, that they not only give the same characters different vibes but also cause the viewer to have difficulty getting used to Sea and Jimmy when they basically disappear from the show.

Still, the story is good enough to get viewers to continue watching. I like the way the characters, Talay and Puen, develop as they get used to being in a parallel universe. Some ethical questions are raised about living in the bodies that belong to other souls, but I wonder why no one has an issue with making out with people whilst in other people's bodies. Perhaps this would take the story into a terrain that gets too uncomfortable and undermine the body swap concept.

While the main characters develop rather nicely, there seem to be some back-and-forth changes to their relationship. Sometimes they seem to have progressed further in their romance but soon the "progress" seems to be reversed. At some point, the story starts to fizzle out a little because the elements that make it interesting are not fully exploited. There is, for instance, more than a hint that the parallel universe that doesn't belong to the main characters, may well be better in many ways than their original universe (at least gay marriage is legalized in the parallel universe). Yet, the sense of helplessness that the characters would face (they can't really choose to return to their own world or stay) as they develop close friendships and work hard for their achievements isn't really worked on. Neither is Talay's longing for his friends and family in his original universe. There is a slight sense of sadness in the final episode that the protagonists will no longer be able to interact with the people they have come to genuinely care about in the other universe, but perhaps the struggle could have been emphasized earlier.

We are also left wondering what happens to the people in the alternative universe, particularly Nanon and Ohm's characters. (It's kind of sad that Ohm's character seems very much like the irresponsible troublemaker he was at the start. There could have been a better wrap-up for their story, but perhaps there isn't enough budget to pay Nanon and Ohm for more scenes.) Perhaps this is to bring across the point that Talay and Puen will forever be cut off from the parallel universe, but there is also a hint that when Talay dreams of the people in the other universe, it's really what is happening to them (so there's a sort of happy ending for everyone).

In the end, I think the series has a message to convey: we do not have all the power to decide what the world we live in is like, but we can try to live our lives in the best ways possible in the areas we have some control over.

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Must See Series!!! Great Story and Awesome Actors!

This is my top favorite BL series that I have seen. Great story and awesome actors! Jitaphon Potiwihok and Tawinan Anukoolprasert showed great acting skills and portrayed their roles really well. Been a thrilling moment to wait for the next episode before and felt a bit sad that I have reached the last episode but glad watching with how the story ends.

Kudos to all the cast especially to the scriptwriters and directors for giving us a very warm story/straight to the heart moments on this series. I even cried a few times.

Hope to see more of series for both Jitaphon Potiwihok and Tawinan Anukoolprasert as their chemistry and being comfortable with each other are shown in this series. Rewatched it again from the beginning and it is really worth to re watch! Definitely recommended!

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No words can describe how beautiful this fantasy BL is.

For those who are wondering, this serie is a *happy ending*

The cinematography, the coloring, the camera angles, the scenes, the setting, the actors, everything is beautiful down to the writing. It may seem confusing at first when the plot is read or heard from another source, but I tell you, when you watch it, everything flows so perfectly.

This series also had my most favorite episode 11 ever. No more episode 11 curse. This series' episode 11 is so nicely written and the acting of the actors are so heart-wrenching, I can feel that I am in their shoes. I cried a lot.

Some little points that I think lacks is the kissing scenes. Yes it is long, but most of the time their hands are hanging in their sides especially talay's. It is beautiful in the video, but I cannot seem to feel the love in those kisses. They are just plain kisses. Though when they do not kiss, I can see better acting. I can then feel the longing and the love. I hope the actors grow more on that part.

Overall, I love love love this series. Their cinematography is almost like ITSAY, and the writing has the beauty of Theory of Love. Such a great author! Also, there are no cringey words, cliche tropes, and a second couple that overshadows the main couple. So I definitely recommend you to watch this!

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Love in the most unexpected place❤️

I wasn't expecting a lot when I started it , but it was adorable. It is very different from the regular BLs with a unique storyline.
Although I would have loved to know more about the specifics of the multiverse or why or what triggers the shift, but still I was satisfied ❤️
The best part about it is that it didn't leave us hanging . We got to know what was happening in both the universe at the end. Love with a lot of lotuses :giggle: (if ya'll get the reference . I promise this isn't a spoiler. Just a little teaser I guess) Give it a try . You won't be disappointed. Just go in without a second thought❤️

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Very sweet and romantic, definitely worth a watch

I don't understand the real reason people are not enjoying it, the story of Puen and Talay is really adorable. The multiverse/supernatural thing is really interesting and there were scenes where my heart skipped a beat! It's not full of suspence but it has some important points: the fated encounter between the two main characters ad the fact that their destinies are linked no matter what. The purity of the feelings Puen has for Talay and that this one gets to understand with time, the bond with their friends and them always having each other's back. The importance of a family that supports you (Puen didn't want to leave the other universe cause even if he didn't have his life as an actor and had way less money, he had a family is that one, Pakorn's) and the importance of the person of your life above everything. Acting was really good, especially Jimmy's. It took me a bit to like Talay's character because he was that kind who is always a "no, no" in the beginning (Akk, I'm looking at you rn lol) but in the end you could tell he really loved Puen. The aesthetic of the colors was really pretty and the fact that the pink is their 'together' color, I mean that's really cute. Honestly I'm really hoping for a season two on Aou and Fuse, I'd be so up for it. We already know Aou has a counterpart in PuenTalay's universe, sooooo :) but also if it does not have a sequel I'm totally fine because Puen and Talay's story is perfect the way it is and everything can be left like that. By the way I highly recommend it, I loved it! Only thing I wasn't a big fan of was the dynamic of Tess and Pakorn, I really wanted to know what happened to them while being on the other universe, I know they were not the main characters but I mean PuenTalay lived as them for two years.

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It was alright, but that's about it.

Okay, so let's start with this first. I was very interested in the concept of this drama. I'm totally into fantasy and sci-fi b/c it forces writers to be smart. Creating an entire universe is not easy and it takes A LOT of nuances. So I was excited to see what they were going to come up with in the end. What they came up with was nothing, besides a few differences no big changes in this new universe. Fine, we move. But as things continue I see there was literally nothing else that had to do with fantasy AT ALL. It was just so weird, how such a concept had absolutely no follow through except for literally three episodes. It was sad. However, I am open to things not going the way I thought in dramas as long as it's still interesting and fun. I will say this drama did have fun moments but none of them were interesting.
It was a boring drama, with nothing of merit happening in the background of the relationship b/t the leads. Which, again, I think you can get away with if the couple is super interesting, super fun, super cute, and super hot. Now Puen and Talay were so adorable and they definitely had their moments that made me laugh and cry (ep 9 was my fav), BUT they were not that interesting as a couple. It's the truth.
So all in all, it was okay. Which sucks because they really could have really went for it with this drama but it seems like they just held back on so much. Even Sea and Jimmy seemed like they were holding back, which made some moments seem awkward and look uncomfortable. They made up for it by having sweet moments together that definitely made me say "awwww." But this drama only has moments nothing much more beyond that.

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it's not what it could have been, but ...

For sure it's not what it could have been, but now that it's over I'm not sure if it ever could have been acurately placed into film. My readers digest conclusion is that we ( the audience) fell in love with the actors who played Puen and Talay (Sea and Jimmy) they fall in love with each other and we have a happy ending. Makes for a great BL series. As intruging as the plot was I'm not sure if would ever really work in film series or movie. I think it may be too diffult.
The secondary cast was also very strong. Up Kita Fuse Aou just great charcters and all very likebale. Aslo the female charcters were all very strong and well played in my opnion. I actually think that Ohm and Nanom may have been more distracting. For those whom think it started out good and went wrong I'll challenege them to take a second look and think about it from the end and go to the beginiing. For all it's complications I very much enjoyed this series.

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Interesting universe swap concept with unfulfilled potential

Vice Versa is one of the more aesthetically pleasing shows produced by GMMTV. And although it may be a body switch BL, thankfully, you don’t actually need to do any mental gymnastics to figure out who’s who. (GMMTV is kind enough to use the actual characters in most scenes even though they’re really in someone else’s body.)

Science fiction lovers, however, may be a little disappointed to know that the show flounders a little when it comes to the science and logic of its story – in short, there are obvious plot holes. Personally, I thought this was a shame. Vice Versa presented a fantastic opportunity for GMMTV to explore new genres and push the boundaries of storytelling.

Most of the episodes are filled with fluffy scenes of Jimmy and Sea spending time with each other, or their gang going about their lives trying to produce a movie. It's a great JimmySea debut given that their chemistry is excellent. However, the show would have been far more holistic if it also showed the other side of the swap – what happened to Tess and Tun in the other universe, and how are they holding up in their portkey search? Much of the science fiction is backloaded in the final episodes, when I would have liked to see it throughout the series.

Still a great BL with pretty solid acting, though.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/01/vice-versa-2022-review/

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