1
Stefania
Wasted 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.
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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