This review may contain spoilers
A simple, but very touching and sincere story
So far, together with Love for Love's Sake, this is my favourite BL series this year. The plot (best friends to lovers, miscommunication and misunderstanding) is nothing we haven't seen before, but the way it was told, i.e. past and present side by side throughout the first 7 episodes, in combination with an amazing cast, was absolutely compelling, I loved it and anticipated every new episode. A very honest, genuine, sincere love story with likable mains that had their faults but at the end I ended up sympathizing with both of them. The cherry on top for me was that there was never any doubt how much Ji and Achi loved each other despite their struggles to deal with it and admit it. They certainly deserved their episode 8 and the happiest ending ever.This isn't a series that can be watched casually to spend the time, because many of the details are important to understand the parallels between the past and the present and to unveil why the characters would act the way they did. Ji spends most of his time in the present trying to desperately protect himself from being abandoned again, but at the same time he is the biggest Achi fanboy and can't really deny him anything despite being blunt and direct. In contrary, in the present Achi finally does what he wanted to do in the past but didn't dare to and relentlessly pursues Ji until the misunderstanding is cleared up. I loved both of them so much and I hope to see these actors again, because they did such a great job. Ji crying while admitting to Coin that he still hasn't forgotten Achi and Achi crying while watching Ji with Pear in the cinema moved me equally. The love scenes were very well done, too. The desperate longing looks, the heat, the adoration, devotion, the pure happiness once they came together, it was all there. I've lost count how many times I've rewatched the kiss from episode 4. I said this already, but I'll say it again - Ji and Achi were utterly and totally in love the entire time, in past and present, and it was transmitted believably on screen. This is what I want to see most in a BL - both mains being obviously into each other and being open and honest about it once they come together.
I would've loved to see more of the second couple instead of finding out that everybody in the hospital was into Achi, because there were some filler scenes I think could've been used better. Still, I'm giving the series full marks, because I enjoyed watching it so much, I adored the main couple and their relationship so much and because I found the way the story was told fascinating and captivating so it felt like something new I haven't seen before despite the simple plot. Also, I think the current rating for the series is very undeserving and hope more people will give it a chance.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Satisfyingly Done!
Writing this review an hour before midnight because I can't let this day pass by without sharing how this series satisfied my cravings...STORY: I gave the story a rating of 8.0/10 because of the lame reason why the romance they deserved took 10 years to conceive. If the reason was grave---to the point where you can't take sides because both suffered, I could've given a rating of 10. Still, an 8 is a good rating because it's forgivable. Achi even said that they were young back then and that they let simple misunderstanding took away 10 years of their supposedly romantic relationship. Another thing that I liked with the story is the occupation of both leads. I know that a doctor as a lead is a common thing but an Orthopedic surgeon to be specific is not. He look too young to be a surgeon though but it is fine since Ji has a baby face. Achi on the other hand was lucky to have a non-toxic celebrity ex and an understanding manager. The positivity that that character structure has. brought peace to the story and made the viewers focused on what's going on with the MLs more than minding those extras. I want to see more romance of the second leads though, they're quite cute.
ACTING/CAST: I have no issues with the casting because both did well. Fluke (Ji) with his cute dimples made me forget those small areas of concerns. Junior (Achi) is good looking and his "superstar" role suited him visually but he's so stiff in the rehearsal scenes and even on the finale where he had a concert---that area needs polishing but it's forgettable hahaha. The best scene where their acting really caught my attention was the AV scene. You can really feel the tension while watching at their body movements and the need of heat. Correct me if I am wrong but that scene has no kissing on the lips but that was hot.
MUSIC: The intro music which was used in the actual story was good as well especially the meaning but not to the point of me singing it on repeat like how the OST of Theory of Love which was entitled Fake Protagonist became my anthem for an entire year.
REWATCH VALUE: Some scenes maybe but not the entire series.
OVERALL: The series was satisfyingly good. 8 episodes are not to less nor too much. No unnecessary storyline. Though we were given a second lead storyline----it didn't diverted us from the storyline of the MLs actually it made me crave for a more developed storyline for the second leads. How the story ended was reasonable and impressive as well. Though the last part looks like congested because of the things which happened after and was only shown as short clips it was still well presented because it was edited in the way that it would look like a flashback while the song is being played on the background.
In short, this series deserves a good review.
Was this review helpful to you?
So sweet together ❤️
I really enjoy it. I did confused at first but worth of watched .cant wait see episode 8I hope in the end they will able to be together .
KI and Gumbie r so adorable! I also hope they end up dating . Im so looking to this too!! Again its really good!! So exciting! This does deserve better rates. It should be higher than 8!
Was this review helpful to you?
it got there eventually (watch suggestions)
Overall: this is a premise we've seen several times already (Night Dream, The Promise, Venus in the Sky) and I haven't been impressed with the execution of any of them. In this case they revealed the reason way too late and the pacing was quite slow. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on Netflix in 11 countries in Southeast Asia including Thailand. Later added subtitles on their YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDIqVRSvaz9Ii4mniqowFEaRS2Mfel8DT&si=dnuP2dj0o_fVAyGjContent Warnings: blood, death off screen, grief, non con kiss, punches, parental abuse
Watch Suggestions (unless you enjoy very slow pacing/love rivals)
- read the synopsis
- watch episode 4 at the beginning to 17 minutes, then 34:30 to the end
- watch the flashback in episode 5 30-34:25
- watch episode 6, skip 31-36 unless you want to hate Ji's dad
- you can start episode 7 at 7:20 or watch the whole thing
- watch episode 8
What I Liked
- sweet moments
- adorable puppy
- intimacy/tension in episode 7 and 8
- Ji's supportive friend (need Poppy in a lead BL role)
- visuals
- ended the series well
Room For Improvement
- I understand wanting some mystery, but they didn't clearly reveal why Ji was so angry at Achi until episode 7, I couldn't really support their relationship until I understood exactly what happened
- Achi saying he had a girlfriend in episode 2 right before he did what he did made no sense, another bad "plan"
- the tone started very serious followed by scenes with comedy sound effects and then another serious scene, the changing tone felt jarring
- at times it wasn't immediately clear what was in flashback vs. present
- nonsense stuff (i.e. fake-looking blood, a doctor saying they can do a surgery without seeing anything in person, diagnosing something from just an x-ray)
- what the dad did in episode 6
- one side couple had no resolution
Was this review helpful to you?
Surprisingly good
I was skeptical when I see it's Ch3 production as I've dropped their series way too many times. This turned out to be one where I absolutely LOVE it and changed my perspective on future Ch3 production, keep it up guys!!!First episode in and I found myself laughing a lot and smiling a lot. It was really entertaining, lighthearted, cute, fluffy and just so sweet, I died.
ML are really good together and boy, Junior is totally dazzling!! I especially love the simplicity of it, with no unnecessary over the top dramatic issue and/or toxicity in it
The last episode nails it! The song in the concert just wrap everything up. It's one of the best OST out there, every song represents their relationship so well, so it really hits home. I love the voice the singer too (I'm not sure if that's Junior or someone else) but beautiful voice!
Overall, it's a really nice Thai BL watch that I'd highly recommend
It might not have an outstanding storyline, but it really is very well executed in terms of how it makes you feel
My heart is so warm and I think my smile line has increased just by smiling throughout the sweetest last episode ever!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Remembering your first love
I enjoyed this short series (8 eps). It doesn't have an unusual plot: high school best friends have a misunderstanding causing a 10-year rift. But we get flashbacks to their high school days and how they got to know each other and became close.In the present, Achi wants to renew their friendship but he when he starts talking about the past, Ji doesn't want to talk about it. It's clearly something big, at least for Ji. That kept me hooked and I wanted to know what happened between them. In the meantime, Achi is bringing Ji meals at home and at the hospital, really taking care of him. It was so sweet. They exchange post-it notes, like they used to. So many sweet, small things that tugged on Ji's heart (and on mine). Even before Achi showed up at the airport, Ji was already following him online. I was rooting for them the whole time I was watching.
I loved Ji's parents together and individually. How Ji's Dad was able to pull himself together for his sons' sake, I was just so happy for them.
Was this review helpful to you?
Slow and steady wins the race
Although the pacing to this drama feels slow, it is one of the better dramas out there. The plot is nothing new or unheard of but yet this drama still feels quite nice and fun. Naturally this story revolves around a past memory that sets their friendship apart so to speak so there are going to be flashbacks. The flashbacks are placed pretty well within the story.The side couple is cute and kinda just there lol but they cute. Actually this drama was just sweetness overload especially towards the end. You should watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A nice drama about second chances, though not without flaws
The whole "BFF had a falling out, then meet again years later" trope is nothing new. Initially, I was fairly curious when I saw the trailer, but not enough for me to want to check it out. I only decided to take a look because there wasn't anything else better to watch (lol).The first three episodes were a bit hard to follow. There were some confusions with the mix of flashbacks and present times, and character development felt dragged. However, episode 4 onwards, things got better as the story became clearer, and it was easier to figure out which were flashbacks and which were present times. Despite this, the back-to-forth felt inconsistent. There were times when I couldn't figure out if the flashbacks were following a timeline or not. Or, they'd start the episode with a flashback, and I'd be confused about the events before it hit me that oh, it's a flashback. I'd say the sequence of events could've been better. However, they did help explain why Ji and Achi's personality and behavior in the present.
Basically, this is your typical best friends fell in love, but were driven apart by misunderstandings and miscommunication, only to reconnect ten years later. I have to give Achi props for willing to take that risk of reconnecting with Ji, not knowing whether or not Ji would say yes. Both Junior and Fluke are great actors, and even though the plot feels disorganized at times, they have done a fantastic job bringing Ji and Achi's story to life.
I'd say this is one of the better works from Mandee, though it's a shame that they didn't put in much effort in promoting this series.
Was this review helpful to you?
Sweet but too short
I approach most of the series I watch with an open mind and can’t see the low rating on this one. The only reason I drop any series is usually because the subtitles are bad and make it hard to follow the storyline or there is a really annoying character that is hard to overlook. This series had great subtitles and no annoying people. Even Achi’s manager wasn’t the typical BL doucheI really loved the characters and thought the acting was great. I thought they could have used a few more episodes to develop the other couples’ relationships but overall a great ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Flashing Back Timelines
My heading is something to do with those flashed back of them being together and get separated because of misunderstanding. But in the end of the storyline they are together. It's a beautiful storyline but have to endure the flash backs of their time. It can be annoying because heard from many fans it's boring to see/watch those flashed back of their time and fans mentioned wasting time. But after watching complete of the drama I guess it's necessary or else we wouldn't know what had happened back then.Was this review helpful to you?
Special moments
This wasn't perfect, I found the soundtrack very odd and the 2nd couple didn't get enough screen time. The story wasn't very original and there were parts that were drawn out and didn't make sense..BUT
There was something special about this drama. The cast, I thought, were great. Fluke and Junior had amazing chemistry and I would really love to see them in another BL together. Dr Ji was a fiesty sweetheart and I fell in love with him from the start, he was just gorgeous.
The biggest reason for a higher score than I would have normally given it was that there were some really special moments. They were heartfelt and artistic and had me clutching my chest. The emotions portrayed were delivered beautifully. The NC scenes had me feeling wistful.
I would rewatch and I encourage most people to give it a chance.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
COMMON STORY BEAUTIFUL EXECUTION HEARTFELT
I can't believe I finished this this fast, I just started watching this yesterday and now I am done, somehow I'm gonna miss the leads here. I am impressed that the makers of this drama did not made this one too long but idle, I mean not all but most of the Thai BL I watch there was too long but nothing is really happening and here I think this is one of the most precised I have seen, I got a little bit bored in the middle coz it was like I did not know where was the anger of Ji coming from until they have shown what really happened on their past, It was beautiful for me because maybe their past was not the right time for their love story, thankfully they are able to get back to each other after 10 years. It was all just a misunderstanding haha.All in all good acting, not really good script , very light drama and heartfelt, watching this was not heavy in the heart, I think I would rewatch this again after some time and I hope I will see the boys to have another drama in the future.
Was this review helpful to you?