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SOTUS thai drama review
Completed
SOTUS
1 people found this review helpful
by spunkless
Sep 28, 2020
15 of 15 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

The game changer --- A rite of passage for people new to Boys Love

I think everything that needs to be said has already been shared by the other reviewers. SOTUS defined the BL genre; every BL series that followed owes its success to SOTUS. I hate giving perfect 10 scores but I think SOTUS deserves this rating. It is just perfect in every way.

First, the buildup of romance between Kongpob and Arthit was so beautifully done. It runs in a slow pace yes, I think when we get to that point when they finally admit their feelings to each other (which does not happen until the last 2-3 episodes), the feeling of satisfaction is just purely immeasurable. I, as a viewer, felt that I was "rewarded" upon reaching Episode 15. I rarely get that feeling when watching TV shows.

Second, there is no single character in SOTUS that you can despise. All of them are so loveable in different ways. Arthit, as cold as he is in the beginning, was hiding in a shell this whole time. It was a side of him that we'll never get to see if Kongpob chose to follow what he wants (enroll in Economics) than what his heart wants (enroll in Engineering). You see this is why I highly appreciate the flashback scenes in Eps. 14 and 15. Whoever thought of leaving those two key scenes (end of Ep. 14 and beginning of Ep. 15) for the end was a genius. It was such a nice touch. When I just started watching SOTUS, I couldn't believe why they chose such a character to be the romantic lead. How foolish I was for making such a premature judgment. As for Kongpob... what can I say? There is literally not a single bad bone in him. He's the perfect leading man because we can easily ride along and relate with what he feels. As for Singto and Krist, I could never have chosen a better couple to play these leads. In the special Episode, Krist mentioned that they actually auditioned for each other's parts, but the director eventually decided to switch their roles. Man, that was probably the best casting decision he'll ever make in his whole life.

As for the supporting characters: I loved the variety in their personalities, especially Arthit's fellow hazers. It was so funny watching how they behave when they are not playing their hazer roles. Kongpob's friends were a hilarious bunch. Newwiee was perfectly cast as the slow yet charming M opposite to Prince, who played that one friend who always leads the group in mischief. There was one thing I didn't like though; how Tew was under-utilized throughout the series. While his friends were given things to do, he mostly stays quiet in the background.. it's like his role in the series was just to "be there" with M and Oak. The creators made up for this though in SOTUS S--a series that I have yet to watch--by giving Ouajun a bigger part to play and even a romantic interest. The girl group of Maprang, May and Prae was also highly entertaining: I think Maprang should have been given a bigger role because she was hilarious, and making Prae a lesbian was so unexpected yet also added a nice touch to the story. May's crush on Kongpob was very cute, and Neen did such a great job in that scene where her character was both physically (after falling from her bike) and emotionally (after being rejected by Kongpob) hurt at the same time. There was actually another person in Kongpob's circle of friends that mysteriously disappeared mid season: Wad. I am not sure about the reason behind his disappearance, but if the creators pushed through with the Prem+Wad pairing, that would definitely raise this show to greater heights. Probably the creators thought it better to just stick to one ship for the entire show so that the audiences can better focus on the dynamics between Kongpob and Arthit.

Lastly, the best thing that impressed me the most about SOTUS was how it makes sense of hazing and the gear that symbolizes the engineering school (the same gear we are seeing in SOTUS posters and title cards). People merely think of hazing as a ritual every one has to go through, but SOTUS goes deeper than that. Arthit and his senior P'Tum did a perfect explanation for this, so you'll have to watch the entire series to understand what I am talking about.

I know that I have soooo many other things to say about SOTUS but I can't talk here forever, can I? You'll just have to watch to the end to understand its appeal. It will be one of the most rewarding viewing experiences you will ever have.
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