I didn't have high expectations going into this, having read a lot of the comments and the reviews about it. I was mostly watching it for New, as i really liked his performances in Kiss Me Again and Dark Blue Kiss. He was as good in this as he has been in everything else I've seen in him. His emotional range is excellent, especially in the later episodes.

My problem is that this series goes for too long. They could have cut the episode number down to 10, or even 8, and still told the same story. Most of the scenes feel like filler. And tedious filler at that. So much of it is unnecessary.

I thought the conflict between Waii and his father was very well done. It was something I could relate to. I liked the portrayal of Coach Tee and Kan's relationship. Despite their 20 year age difference, there were no hints of abuse or manipulation (unlike the godawful relationship between Bright and Farm in Together With Me) and their relationship seemed more focused on supporting each other and honest communication, which was refreshing to see.

I liked the slow build of Waii and Apo's relationship, and how Apo always supported Waii whilst not hesitating to tell him the truth and giving him solid and well thought out advice.

I also liked the relationships between Kluay and Achi, and Wan and Min.

If the show had just stuck to the relationships between these characters and left the swimming club as more of a backdrop, it would have improved things considerably.

As it is, we get a terrible lesbian-meets-the-right-guy-and-turns-straight-for-him storyline (which wouldn't nominally be problem, but the show never says she's bi or pan, and we get so little of the 'L' representation in LBGTQ+ stories, especially in Thailand, that it really annoys me when this happens) that's made worse by the bullying she subjects the poor young man to. We get a half-assed plot about a play to raise money to save the club, which goes nowhere; a plot involving Min and his ex which also goes nowhere; and a lot of scenes of fit young men lounging around in tiny swim shorts - lovely eye-candy, but pretty much pointless.

And, of course, the ever-present love triangle, because a male character with a girlfriend can't fall for another man and then just do the right thing and break it off with her, because where's the drama in that? Maybe if this had been the first BL-ish series I'd ever watched, I might have let it go. Unfortunately, I've watched quite a few now and it's really, really over-used. I'm bored by it.

And here it's not even done right, because it's made clear that Waii wants Apo (he literally asks him to stay forever) and then, when his girlfriend tries to break up with him because she knows something is going on, he refuses to let her go and promises to stop being with Apo.

Refusing to break up before you're sure of your own feelings for another person is one thing. Refusing to break up after you've already kissed another person and told them you want to be with them forever? An entirely different thing altogether. It's just another plot device to up the melodrama and drag the story out some more.

I've heard the movie is better, so that's what I'm going to go watch next.