Deserves More Love!
Week after week, I would check the rating here on MDL to see if other people were seeing what I was seeing, yet the rating remains consistently poor. If you've come down to the review section out of curiosity, please don't let the low average rating scare you away! This is a beautiful show that gets better the more you engage with it as a viewer.I think the thing that might be throwing many people is actually the thing I also like most: namely, that this series is more like a stage play than a TV show. There are a limited number of sets, a relatively small cast of characters, and high dialogue to action ratio. This ties in with the main character's profession as a play actor and also serves in a metacontextual way of engaging with the act of storytelling in a rather novel way. Not only does this show have a main plot and a few subplots, but everything about it is also a love letter to the very notion of storytelling itself. Characters serve as stand-ins for the audience, the chorus, and even the storyteller in turns. It's a fun device that really adds to the depth of each and every shot, line of dialogue, and character choice made along the way.
I also have to applaud the way that this show handles religion and spirituality and the supernatural. It's also a deep dive into grief and loss. Honestly, there's so much to this show! Also, Jared is adorable and it's worth watching for each of his appearances onscreen alone.
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theatrical series that needed tighter pacing especially in the beginning-middle
Overall: although I liked the unique premise, it felt like the director or writer was also the editor and couldn't bear to remove/edit down any of the scenes that they filmed. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on WeTV.Content Warnings: deaths off screen, suicide, self-harm, manipulation, mental health struggles, grief
What I Liked
- unique premise
- production value (lighting, felt very theatrical)
- styling choices (especially that first scene)
- incorporating symbolism/metaphors
- discussion social justice issues such as same sex marriage
- in episode 4 they argued realistically by talking over one another
- bathtub scenes
- they ended the series 7 days before Valentine's Day
Room For Improvement
- a ton narration i.e. telling vs showing, the pacing felt very slow even watching at a faster speed, this story would have done much better as 6-8 episodes, this slow pacing (and it airing over 12 weeks) actually made my point below worse
- Sunshine started as unlikable which is okay, but the audience needed to see character growth before the last minute, finally in episode 8 he seemed to have a little character growth but then his wish undid it, then we saw a little more but by then it felt too little too late
- the mystery/world building wasn't engaging, it was confusing (I think there was a lot of symbolism/metaphors that I didn't grasp), they needed to explain things just a little bit more/more clearly
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Beautiful Story and Beautifully Shot
First, this is not for everyone. If you're expecting a BL, you can stop expecting a BL - it's not one. There is an LGBT aspect of the story, and the male gaze is present as Atom wears very little thorughout which is a goldmine for shallow people like me, and when he is dressed up, he looks amazing.Reading the comments section, there is a bit of overstatement of the theatricality of the series. It is intentionally play-like, but the purely visual elements are of equal importance to the dialogue, and I think that because this was deceptively marketed a BL, the audience was looking for BL and not seeing what was really there, and you can't blame the audience for that.
If you approach this as a straightforward story, you may hate it - it's an allegory, so it's important to think about what everyting symbolizes and what is metaphor, and what the message is.
There are many related themes, a couple of the more surfacy ones being the futility of second-guessing past decisions - and the utility of atonement in order to move on.
The structure of the story has Sunshine given the power to totally erase a person from the universe each night for 7 Days before Valentine('s - I wish these productions could get the grammar of the title correct), and the correct decision will bring love back to him. Each erasure has a lessson, but this causes the biggest problem with the series and what I think is the main reason so many people disliked it and/or dropped it:
it's too long, One of the erasures is a self-indulgent political statement by the writer, which didn't belong in here. What would have been more meaningful and universal would have been to erase the Conservative, ending up in a Stalinist far-left conformity, as without balance even the side you're on can become descend into oppression.
Another of the erasures just makes Sunshine evil and malicious and should not have been included, Some of his decisions are bad, but viewed through the lens of his heartbreak is understandable, but this one isn't - it's just awful of him.
The acting in this is fantastic - the series rests firmly on Atom's shoulders, and he carries it. His heartbreak is heartbreaking, his smile is even worse (so beautiful it hurts), and there's a scene with him on stage that's worth it in itself. Jet is good too, but he has a more limited range and I don't think he quite kept up with Atom. The small parts are all very well acted, even "annoying stock characters" that made them all compelling, like Jared the Flower Guy. who could have just been irritating, but it's hard not to fall in love with him.
I loved this series, but I did feel it bogged down in the middle. If you can put up with that, the end is worth it. But again, this is not a BL, so don't watch it expecting one.
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Absolutely worth the watch but know what you're going for.
Firs the big question; is this a BL?No it's really not. BUT I like this because it is so unique. The author was upfront about that, the novella is a character study for Sunshine. It is a Faustian tale, where the lead happens to have a boyfriend but it really has no bearing on the rest of the plot, it could have been female or male it makes no difference.
This was an art-house piece, it's a stage play in a series, and I absolutely applaud the whole team and their work, especially Atom and Jet, this whole production hinged on them and they put in a solid performance. Adapting this particular novella was ambitious, but I think the director was looking for the challenge, I appreciate that they aren't selling it on fan service, with pointless makeout scenes with overly loud music. There is intent here, and more said in a longing looks than anything else and it's one of the big selling points.
This is not going to be for everyone, and the ending is an open/ambiguous one, but if you're like me and a fan of the off-beat and outside the norm, this will for sure be right up your alley and absolutely worth the time to watch it through, and give the novella a read as well, it's not a big commitment.
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VALE A PENA CONFERIR
Ok, não julgue um BL pela capa hehe.Eu não dava nada por esse aqui, mas me surpreendi horrores!!!! E olha que sou muito exigente e chata com as produções e esse bl está entregando bastante.
Por enquanto temos uma historia diferente e curiosa, atuações de qualidade e um ritmo bem interessante que traz uma novidade para o que estamaos acostumados a ver em bls no geral.
Vou ter que dar uma enrolada aqui, pq o site não deixa postar a review sem ter os caracteres mínimos kkkkkkkkkk
Assistam e tirem suas próprias conclusões. Honestamente temos muitas opções de bl no ar, o que é ótimo pq podemos escolher ou simplesmente Assis tudo, mas a qualidade tem deixado a desejar em muitas produções, então pra quem gosta mesmo de séries mais elaboradas acaba tendo que garimpar um pouco. E por vezes acabamos por passar batido em algo legal (tipo essa série aqui) pq julgamos pela capa, sinopse ou algo assim.
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Need to be watched in one go!!
I tell you what, this drama has to be watched in one go. Why? because you need to feel the characters in this very difficult story-line. I loved it!First, the story of Kyu (or Q): He call himself the cupid reaper, 7 wishes to make people dessaper from the earth like they never existed. He call himself a demon but was in fact a human who made bad choices to save his dad from death. The back story of this character comes in small parts, but episode 11 reveal more about him. Loving someone, a lover or a family member, is often push back from living your own life and you only realize your love when you are going to loose them. That is the story that everyone can relate to.
Second, the story of Sunshine: He is not a very good person, or at least it's what you think after only a few episodes. He blame everyone but himself for his boyfriend, Rain, braking up with him. When he met Q, he decided to agree to the contract with him to erase people that are going against his lover and him. Each day, he choose someone. But, by making those decisions, he doesn't only affect his life, but the whole world. Rain's new lover disappearance didn't change the fact that he broke up with Sunshine. The politician disappearance changed the policy against gays. The ex-lover disappearance made Rain forget Sunshine. Then, Rain 's best friend disappearance made Rain kill himself. All those actions made Sunshine question himself about who he is, still not accepting the fact that Rain disappeared because of his choices and blaming Q. When he finally made the wish to make everyone who was against their love, Rain didn't come back. Sunshine realised that maybe Rain never really loved him. He still wondered why HE didn't disappeared instead as he was the real problem. So, he wished to disappear himself. When he did, everything came back, and so did he, apparently because "someone" wished him to come back. BUT, still no trace of Rain and Sunshine started to forget everything about him and his love for him. When Sunshine learned Q's full story, he also realised that it was his selfishness that made the choices of people disappearance, not his love for Rain, because he forgot his love yet kept on making wishes. He realised that he was, in fact, in love with the only person who understood him and helped him : Q. Unfortunately, to make the world as it was, he wished for Q to disappear.
The story is mainly focus on those two, Sunshine and Q. Everyone else are background characters. Even Rain, who is a main character in the drama, yet we mainly see him in flashbacks or quick view of the present. We learn about Rain's story through the episodes. He make us like him very much and put light on Sunshine's selfishness. I loved how you feel empathy for the guy who cheated on Sunshine. It also shows that the had nothing in commun and that their love was never going to work. In the last episode, when Sunshine asked for forgiveness to Rain and his new boyfriend after Q's disappearance, Rain saw how Sunshine had changed in 7 days. Even if they broke up, they left as friend and it was nice to see.
What was expected happened of course. Sunshine met "Q" on the plane and they both recognise each other, BUT, what was strange, is that they called each other "Q". You can suspect that those wishes was in fact a travel through various universe (Sunshine suggested that in one episode) and they are each other's Cupid Reaper??? We'll never really know. The ending was neither good or bad. The "dialogue" between the two in the background suggest they will re-discover each other.
The story was fantastic. No s.x, not much kissing. A bit of very sexy shirtless men, but it is for all ages. (you can also often be frustrated by the s.xual tension between S and Q). The acting was amazing too. Atom and Jet are new actors, but their performance was fantastic. I mean, most dialogues, often very longue, are between the two of them. For people who knows about acting, doing long dialogues while staying in characters is very difficult. Who doesn't remember Ponlawit Ketprapakorn (Pond) in 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us back in 2022 and those longue dialogues? That is what this drama reminded me off.
Those who gave a low score didn't really watch it with their heart. Even if it's a drama for everyone, it is not an upbeat story about love. It is about looking back into yourself when bad things happen into your life and how to move on without blaming anyone.
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A Solemn Tale of Love, Redemption and Reconciliation
Love. Death. Redemption. Realization.Life is full of never truly looking at ourselves while also learning to understand exactly who we are.
And this is precisely the kind of story the Thai BL 7 Days Before Valentine offers. It’s a theatrical, intense story about a man named Sunshine whose love life hangs by a thread. Just as he grapples with the daunting task of charting his life’s course after an unexpected breakup, fate intervenes in surprising ways. A mysterious Cupid reaper, wielding powers beyond comprehension, emerges with a proposition: to restore Sunshine’s lost love within the span of seven days by having him wish away a person each night. Yet, as the intricate web of fate unfurls, it becomes clear that every boon comes with a price. As Sunshine embarks on a journey of choice and reflection, he learns that some lessons are worth their weight in gold.
Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/02/13/7-days-before-valentine-series-review-ep-1-to-12/
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Philosophical and original epic tale
This drama does not deserve the current rating (7.1/10). I can't help but think if the main leads were played by more well known actors, the rating would've gone through the roof! They might not have done as good a job as the actual main leads, though. These men put on the show of their lives. Atom especially absolutely floored me with his performance, he is truly an amazing actor.The overall feel of the drama is somewhat melancholy, very much in line with the story, which is an epic tale about life and death, love and regret. The dialogue is riddled with poetic and philosphical lines. With this theres a danger of cringe, but that never happens thanks to the immaculate delivery. Except for the audition scene, where Sunshines agony poors out. I felt there was a bit of overacting going on here.
There is no NC scene, but the chemistry is absolutely there. Not the raw sensual kind, but the slowly falling in love and getting to know eachother kind. There are a few (near) kisses and these are actually enough.
The story is reminiscent of supernatural Kdramas, with the twists of fate, the agonizing dilemma's and letting go of your love . The feel is Epic, with a capital E.
The music deserves an honorary mention. No typical BL tunes here. Jazzy, indie tunes kiss your ears like a smooth summer breeze.
So if you're in for a drama about love, philosophy, referencing Faust and MacBeth, with amazing acting and a melancholy feel, watch this and be amazed.
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It's beautiful but depressing af
It's like the heaviest and most depressing BL ever. It's not even romantic, just depressing lol...I guess some would call it artistic, which it actually isDon't get me wrong, the show could have been great. I especially love the last episode, it's beautiful. I mean there are lessons learnt, etc but the way the show is being delivered is really really really hard to watch
I was enjoying for 1st half until I felt the story gets repetitive and eventually draggy. It also gets really really really depressing that i've to skip most of it, just to know the ending because I am curious
I wouldn't say the show is bad per se, but it isn't my style. Unfortunately, I feel heavy after watching this show, which kinda leads me with a lingering bad after taste, if u may.
I mean I am someone who could watch thriller show, but still, this is even darker than murder show, because its just so heavy emotionally, like it just keep going down the rabbithole. I don't enjoy it although logically I think the ending is very beautifully done. If it's of any comfort, the reaper is hot af haha
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A Masterpiece and One Of The Best! Magnum Opus!
Undoubtedly, this is one of those series that will either be loved or panned, mainly because of the esoteric and metaphysical nature of its theme and its presentation as a Greek tragedy. It is allegorical with metaphorical representations of life presented in temperaments of profound introspection surrounded by an almost overwhelming sense of loss, guilt, and shame. It tackles all the hidden and unexplored and often times buried emotions of humans we do not want to face or find impossible to bear. It strips away for us to see and quite literally experience and feel. We see it through the eyes of a protagonist and an antagonist at the same time; with each character being both. This series is a thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating elegy that uses the language of words to embody love. If you want to see lust, or romps in a bed, or contrived love scenes, or soft rituals of love, this is not for you. If you want to see a deep, meditative, and, at times, profoundly poignant perspective of human nature augmented by the process of finding what the meaning of love is all about, then this is for you. There is nothing ‘cute’ about this transmigration at all. It is deeply solipsistic, pensive, and intensely mystifying. There is also nothing ‘clear’ about this series. It is symbolic with symbolisms of all kinds bombarding you. At times they overwhelm you. Everything has meaning. Even the smallest of details. Blink and you might miss it. You have to decipher their meanings. Much happens mostly through words but also through deep reflections in expressions of the faces, manners, and body language of the main two characters, as well as all the other characters in this series.The rest of my review of this phenomenal series is posted at BLBliss.com.
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Frustrating but enthralling
Going into this show you need to understand that the protagonist is the MOST frustrating character you will ever encounter, with a redemption arc that comes late in the show. With that in mind, it is still a very good show to watch. I enjoy watching shows that tackle social commentary with unique means and this is exactly what this show does. You get to reflect on society and yourself as well throughout the show. The cinematography was beautiful and that aided in the overall storytelling. Why this is not a 10/10 show for me was mostly because of the main character, I understand that he is supposed to be unreasonable and I also understand that we are supposed to follow along his growth journey with him, but I have a short temper so it was hard to watch sometimes. But that's more of a me problem, not anything inherently wrong with this show. All in all, this is a great show to watch and then ponder on some more in your free time.P.S.: This is not really a BL in the way that you think of one. It is a love story that entails men if that makes sense.
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Nice inter-time love story, heavily influenced by Goethe and Genki Kawamura
I recently started watching this series, and was immediately captivated. The storyline pretty straightforward: Sunshine makes a pact with a supernatural being, who grants him 7 wishes in order to bring his boyfriend back (very much like Dr. Faustus did with the devil in the classic novel by Goethe, however to a different end), and for this has a price to pay. The price for every wish is to make someone disappear from the world (an idea very similar to the exceptional novel "If Cats Disappeared From The World" by the Japanese author Genki Kawamura, which cost me two sleepless nights). Each wish predictably leads to unanticipated results, which gradually teach Sunshine a lesson about life and complexity. The story is based on the book by Patrick Rangsimant, but (at least the few pages that I read) there are differences, especially with respect to the overall atmosphere. In fact I like the adaptation more. I cannot tell about the actual plot and its ending, since the series is ongoing.The acting is quite good, and the two main lead characters have great chemistry (according to some research I did, which I am not sure is correct, this reflects their relationship in real life). Despite the reason for it, they definitely are very convincing.
Technically the series is good, the sound background very nice, cut and angles are very good.
Having said that, I do have some criticism as well. I am not a huge fan of overall dramatized stories (you know the one that make you cry all the time). I like emotions to come in finite portions, while here (especially in the last episodes), the drama simply grows and grows. It is not a perpetual whining yet, but I feel that the series would gain more with a touch of down-to-earth objectivity. But this is a matter of personal taste perhaps. The second (rather technical?) thing that bothers me are the countless flash-backs, which not always serve a purpose. I would go for shorter episodes, since rewatching so many scenes again and again in most cases brings no new information.
As a whole, I am really enjoying this series, which gratefully is not another high-school puppy-love BL drama, but explores more aspects of the human nature, and clearly comes from the pen of an author with certain life experience and maturity. We certainly need of those.
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