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Never Quite Got There
Overall, this series was a 'tease'. It could have been great but it never quite got there for me.. Thank goodness for the 5th episode otherwise, I would have been left hanging. There is an obvious intense relationship going on but when it really matters, it falls flat. Don't be afraid. Let us see some intensity in the relationship without necessarily going off the cliff. I know this series is short but things can be done without saying anything. Just a little more would have been so much more satisfying.Was this review helpful to you?
The Journey To Greatness
Wow, I was not expecting this! The series is hard to describe yet somehow made scrutable by the organic, unadorned human interactions. It is sequences of contradictions composed of oxymoronic concepts. Full of opposites yet seemingly archetypical. The story itself is dark, yet there are always whispers of light coming just around the corner or just over the horizon. There is unfathomable sadness yet always followed by a tactility of frivolity or irreverence, making us feel and see that life must be viewed in contextual terms. Protagonists share long periods of silence between just exposing individual pain that speak volumes of comfort and serenity simply in the way they look back at each other. I could go on, but you get the concept. It is a series that is so unique and one that, in a sense, is seminal, even if it may not feel so.I did not watch this series; I experienced it. It is a rarity for me to feel characters. Not just the protagonist, but the antagonists as well. All were made relatable, even though I could not link with any of them. I was completely unfamiliar with their world and its culture, which I do not understand and have very little knowledge of. Yet, the story and the organic feel to the acting made it such that I could perceive and discern what the characters were going through. Being unwanted, lost, hopeless, unloved, living like outcasts, or not belonging, and ultimately the inner anxiety about facing the question of why are you even here were portrayed with such deep dimension and personal depth that it draws you in; it absorbs you. The story vividly portrays a setting that feels especially bleak and melancholic, yet it retains a subtle atmosphere that life is still worth living. Even at its lowest points, the narrative never descends into utter hopelessness.
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Not entertaining and simply disconcerting
This series is misguided, misconceived, and misdirected. It other words, it missed. The entire series was so unfocused and presented in almost a cartoonish manner that I did not know if this was to be taken as a comedy, drama, fantasy, or romance. So how did this series fall apart? While the concept of the story itself was interesting, it never fully committed itself to seeing it to its completion. Was it a comedy? A drama? A fantasy? A romance? It tried to be everything and failed at all of it. This series went for cuteness but did not understand the price it paid to get to that end. It sacrificed a lot of integrity to get there. I found its underlying message subtly abusive and disconcerting, not funny, and mostly sad. And very little understanding of what it is like to be gay. Its negative message overpowers its cuteness and slight humor. Personally, I cannot dismiss so readily the attempted rape, the bullying, and its cringeworthy ending that made me feel uncomfortable.Was this review helpful to you?
A giant pity party that went nowhere
This series had the earmarks of being an intellectually stimulating exercise in love relationships. The premise was so good, initially. Then it drifted into a giant pity party of self-indulgent behavior that frankly I just did not get. Again, as so often is the theme in BLs, there is NO COMMUNICATION. No one says that they mean. And sometimes, even if they do, I do not understand. These series become so circumvent and I felt nothing for it or its characters. If this was supposed to be a romance story, it failed on every level. It was boring.Was this review helpful to you?
Changes the Direction for the BL Genre
Nothing that I can say will mean anything as I sure everything has been sad and no doubt better. This is an exceptional series and changes, or at least should change, the direction of BL series. It is not filled with breakable characters holding stuffed animals and whining and pining for another for 10 episodes. This is a genuine GAY love story not filled with crap about loving the person not the gender nonsense. Surprise! They are both guys and they know it and are not ashamed of it. How refreshing! They totally nailed these characters to the point that there connection was palpably real. I think there are certain series that literally changes the course of a genre. SOTUS is certainly one and 2GETHER is another (it really did) and this is the third. This series made gay relationships look real, normal, and frankly nice. THANK YOU!Read my full review at BLBliss.com/
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One of the Best "BLs" of 2021. A Masterpiece!
I know, I know. While a case could be made that this is not a BL in the true sense of the definition, you can not argue that it is a story about love in so many different ways. It manifests love in a simple story of connection and humanity. While this movie/series is short, it packs more into its story than most high production series do. There are no tangents; no side-stories. This story is about real people, facing real problems, yet taking the time to connect with nature, with each other, and yes even express love in a simple gesture of a hug. I was incredibly moved by this breathtaking series of one person touching the lives of others and they in turn reciprocating with kindness. It showed the absolute power of unconditional positivity in treating each other with respect and kindness. These values still mean something. And the acting is nothing short of brilliant. This is going to unquestionably be on my Top 10 Best BLs of 2021, however it is defined by others. It shows and displays the purist form of love - kindness and connection. My full review of this gem will be on my website shortly at BLBliss.com. Please watch this series/movie.Was this review helpful to you?
Painful to Watch
This is a story of opposites falling in love. It is an uncomfortable series as it does involve a relationship between step-brothers. For some strange reason, there seems to be a lot of stories evolving around step-brothers that baffle me. It isn't prudishness; just not understandable. Anyway, it is a good solid story that is extremely well acted by the main actors who are adorable and play their roles with complete conviction. But I hated this story. Not the acting nor the actors. Just the story. It contains a Fujoshi (a woman who is a fan of gay relationships) of the worst kind. She does something that is so astonishingly despicable . I absolutely hated this story because of disgusting manipulation of someone trying to force something that was not quite ready to fully develop yet. I detest people who think they know more than they do or think that gay relationship are cute, romantic, or a fantasy of some sort. Perhaps from an outsider looking it, that might be but for the individuals who are experiencing them, it can be givers of pain and delight. And these are the individuals who must work through all of that; not the fantasizers.Was this review helpful to you?
Heartbreaking, Breathtaking, and Emotionally Stunning
This is what this series is. It is not a BL series in the classic or traditional sense but a ‘coming out’ series that shows the pain and heartbreak of acceptance. It is a story about a friendship between two boys. I must depart for just a second to commend the director for his absolute commitment to nuisances, mannerisms, and details that were captured by the young actors that carried over to the older ones. It is not easy to carry the personalities and idiosyncrasies of a person without looking like you are mimicking them, but he did it with these two young actors. They are superb and studied their older characters to display their same characteristics. It is a thing of beauty to watch. Their friendship developed fast and intense as children. I cannot say enough about the acting of the two main characters. The intensity of connection to one another is simply palpable. This is very close to being a BL masterpiece. For my full review, please read it at ppgongi.medium.com. Any comment would be appreciated.Was this review helpful to you?
Twisted a Serious Medical Condition...
To accept this series, you have to buy into its core belief or concept. This core belief was a functionally based condition that I simply could not wrap my head around either logically or scientifically. Apparently, for some individuals with ‘sudden sensorineural hearing loss’ when it rained, you lost your ability to hear but could still communicate and hear your ‘soulmate’. While I am all for ‘poetic license’, this was carrying something real so farfetched that it simply is not believable whatsoever. Even if it were remotely possible as a medical condition, you would not suddenly develop it nor suddenly lose it as the series implies. I am all for ‘fantasy’ but this one I had a hard time wrapping my head around. Even as a good story. And therefore, I could not. So, I stopped trying.The true issue here is the lack of communication, not some misused medical condition that sounds fanciful. Not a particularly good or interesting series except for the character of Lomfon.
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Too toxic
This is indeed a story of love. An ugly love. A toxic love. A painful love. One I could not wrap my head around. Yet here it is. A love centered around two very unhappy people full of joyless functioning and longing for one another in the most ardent way. This is an exceptionally well-acted series of fascinating and memorable characters, be they people you want to love or hate. Honestly, I felt nothing for this series, except a profound sense of sadness. It never got emotionally deep with any of the connections for me to feel, care, or commiserate with. For me, there are much better end of world series than this one - TIL THE WORLD ENDS and LOVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD.Was this review helpful to you?
Great Occult/Horror Story! BL Falls Flat
There are only two reasons to watch this series. One is for the metaplot to the story itself. The horror fantasy theme of it is simply engrossing. As long as that portion was involved, this story was most extraordinarily entertaining. The second reason is for the antagonists; as they far outshined the protagonists. They were more engaging in terms of depth of quintessential personifications, acting, emotional impact, and frankly just the spirit of the story (no pun intended). The story rapt you with its supernatural elements, including magic, mystic incantations, and frequent exorcisms. Since a lot of this is foreign to me as a Westerner, I am enthralled and captivated by the spiritualism of it all. As I stated, the story is very entertaining and its production value and special effects are some of the best I have seen in a Thai series. Because the protagonists for the most part have no real personalities, the series dragged on with mundane storylines only carried on by some fine acting and scenes by the support performers. This whole series frankly would have fallen apart without the eclectic array of antagonists and the plethora of tragedians propping up the dullness in who the protagonists were. Once again, gay relationships are shown as being unserious and are presented as pre-pubescents exercises that never show any real depth to commitment and/or devoid of any desire of physicality to love. Or those acts are too ‘shameful’ even if they are done contextually or innocuously and therefore must be backtracked and made to go down a right (acceptable) path. Or worse than all that, a relationship is presented as to what an idealized version of what a gay couple reside in the Land of Oz, ought to be, devoid of a serious tethering to any reality.Was this review helpful to you?
This Series is Real, Raw, & Revealing! Brilliant!
Don't let the negative comments about this series through you off. It is deeper than what it is given credit for.This series is an erotic roller-coaster ride through the world of gay love. If non-gay people want to know what it is like to be gay, then this is the series to watch. Not the idealized versions of BLs. This is what the world of gayness is, whether you want to believe it or not, accept it or not. It is what it is. Sure, it is the darker side, but it is no less real than the ornament sanitized version of what GAY love is via BL. In other words, this is its antithesis. This expresses the real world. It is a potpourri story that is at times impossible to follow and logically makes absolutely no sense; it has a ‘soap-opera aspect to it. And I loved every minute of it. Why? Because it presents the darker side of ‘BL’. And if you think for one second that this world either does not exist or is not real, then you are misinformed and mistaken. As it does. What this story does is capture all the issues facing gay men today in a raw, gritty, realistic fashion. Sometimes a bit over-the-top dramatically but never ever unrealistically. To be sure, the problems are overblown, but never its lasciviousness. These actors had the guts to portray the characters in all their rawness and ugliness, and yet give them believability and made them oh so human. Kudos! And well done!
I for one loved this series. This will end up on my Ten Best List for 2024. You can read my complete review of this amazing series at BLBliss.com.
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NOT a Dating Series
Contrary to popular opinion, this is NOT a gay dating show. It is a 'reality' show that allows individuals to explore feelings for others. It was established to see if two people after exploring and getting to know one another could date, especially away from the limelight and lure of the cameras. I think it was a stunningly creative and beautiful concept that permitted guys to see others and check out compatibilities. Then date - away from the limelight and into reality. There was no 'rose' here; only a chance for one.It took courage to expose yourself and to show the world that you are gay and proud, especially in a country that sees you differently. For that they deserve kudos.
But remember, this is a 'reality' show full of rules, regulations, and contrived situations that in essence is not real. Therefore, the chances of successful relationships developing are slim to none. That does not take away from its impact nor beauty. It was a breath of fresh air for the whole world to see that gay men, like their straight counterparts, act, do, feel, behave, and pain all in the same way.
But remember, always take these kinds of 'reality' shows with a 'grain of salt'. Life when the cameras are turned off is actually the real world.
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Didn't Buy The Emotional Tugging
This series has all the right elements to pull at the heartstrings of the audience. Misunderstood youth. Overbearing parents. Abusive family dynamics. Tone-deaf school officials. And reverential/delinquent love. Unfortunately, for me, it just did not work, and I did not, as the expression goes, ‘buy it’. Undoubtedly alone here, I felt no chemistry between the two main leads. In addition, it is getting tiresome and weary to preach the same tune over and over again: someone physically 25 years old simply cannot be a student in high school. In fact, no one past 20 should even attempt to portray anyone supposedly in high school. No matter how much they try, their own life experiences as well as their physical characteristics begin to show/display that they are not 16, 17 or 18. And I lose interest in the story. No matter how good the story is. It just does not work. In this case, one could easily tell who were not young looking. Overall, the story vacillated from being good to being utterly frustratingly bad. The whole story is so filled with tropey scenes and cliché setups that whatever emotional responses that we were supposed to feel, I could not elicit. Regrettably, this series did not even have potential. The characters are overplayed. The plot is weak and mawkish. And the storylines are right out of the unoriginal book of tropes and cliches. To be sure, it worked on a lot of people; I just did not get its attraction or appeal.Was this review helpful to you?
Poignant Yet Beautiful and Outstanding
A simple basic story of an individual down on his luck who happens to meet someone who will change his life. But the road to his happiness is detoured by an unexpected trauma. This trauma happens often to individuals who are marginalized or society thinks of as unworthy. This trauma carries with it a stigma that will never leave you and you must carry it alone. But it does not mean that you need to be alone. The depth of a love for someone shines brightly in this series and is a beautiful example of what love truly is and its power of commitment in healing the soul. This is an outstanding series of great inner beauty. It has rawness, guts to tackle the issues it does, and a strong sense of great story telling. While sad, it is not maudlin. But it is real. A beautiful story with stunningly handsome lead actors in roles that had to have been emotionally draining to do. I applaud their commitment to making their roles real and genuine.This breaks the mold of the stereotypical BL series. It is not at a college. It involves a young man with an older. And it deal with REAL issues still facing the gay community today. This is outstanding BL series. I shall (shortly) post my full review of this awesome series on my website at BLBliss.com.
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