3
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.
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?
Brilliant & Intense!!
Just plain incomprehensible. Yet completely absorbing from the beginning and never let go. Although the story itself is notably out of reach, the characters were so compelling; I wanted more. Initially, I thought perhaps it was due to me not understanding the makeup and composition of the story because it was based upon Chinese lore or myth or an esoteric fable. But then as the story merged from crossing into a parallel universe with Chinese legendry, I dismissed that notion. There was a corporal transference during a unique lunar eclipse that simply went beyond my level of perception. Yet all that did was merely make the story more compelling and entrancing for me. This is a dark, brooding, pessimistic BL but it is nonetheless still one and I think an exceptional one. It is misunderstood because it is so avant-guard and so plutonian in scope. Which is so ironic, given its title is one that is astonishing symbiotic as well as so apt. Charon is a moon of Pluto with each relying on the other for its orbit and stability. Each shining towards the other but never destined to meet because if they did, it would mean utter destruction. Much like Pluto and Charon here. They can never be together.Was this review helpful to you?
Provocative, Fervent but Relatable, and Just Missed
This is a surprisingly effective series that is deeply rooted in the realms of movie making and BL specifically. The more light that is shed on who represents characters in movies, specifically in the BL genre, hopefully fans will gain a better appreciation not only of the work that is involved in the making of a movie but also understand the complexities of the underlying production to a movie. And a lot of it is ugly. I do think the story is a relevant one to tell because it represents the ills that go on in this industry. It can be a brutal, impersonal, and cut-throat industry and make no mistake, it is an industry.And we also get to see that the ‘idols’ can be messed-up, insecure, vulnerable, and have many of the same problems that the rest of us have. Sure, I do think what was displayed in this series is a bit over-the-top and not necessarily representative of the industry as a whole. Living near and having friends in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, I do know some of these accounts are legitimate, but the nefarious deeds as presented are exceptionally rare.
Hidden in the production is a love story, because of happenstance and fortuity, is expressed indiscernibly, yet increasingly and steadily sensuously accentuated. Indeed, we have seen versions of this theme before. But this one felt intimate, genuine and honest. It also felt wonderfully unique as it created a world where they alone existed. And we got to see inside that world.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Senseless & Pointless Remake
The saying that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ is not always true. This series proved that. I shall come right out and say it. This is one of the worst BLs I have ever seen and one of the worst supposed remakes I have ever seen as well. To put it bluntly, this version was fatuous. Everything about it is. The production. The acting. The story. The plot. Hardly any of it even resembles the originality of the Japanese version. That had humanity. It had heart. Most importantly, it had authenticity sprinkled with humor, grace, and tons of human emotions. I can categorically tell you that the original Japanese version of Ossan’s Love was a masterpiece. This is simply a farce. What disturbed me the most about this series was the lack of focus and direction. It tried to mimic the original version and ended up not being funny and more like a mockery. Then relying heavily on the strength and reputation of the relationship between Earth/Mix to carry out a weak plot which they could not. For me, this is one series that should never have been made.Was this review helpful to you?
Standard Stuff
This series is a dichotomous BL, bordering on being oxymoronic. Sometimes brilliant then slipping into utter banality. Occasionally poignant but mostly filled with mundane trite tediousness. Sporadic displays of serious adult behaviors but mostly overshadowed with adolescent/pubescence behavioral patterns acting like petulant teenage children instead of adults in a serious sexual relationship. Occasional storylines eliciting tears and then in the next dialogue nothing but endless dribble of clichés and platitudes. In other words, not generally reflecting real life but an idealized sanitized world peppered with a whisper of reality and an occasional homage to authenticity. The best word to describe this series is: puffery. I simply had a hard time relating to this story.You can read my full review of this pretty standard BL at BLBliss.com.
Was this review helpful to you?
A Mature BL
While the story revolves around the relationship of an older couple, it is so so much more than that. Kakei Shiro (Nishijima Hidetoshi) and Yabuki Kenji (Uchino Seiyou) are both well into their 40s and are steep in Japanese culture. Shiro is an uptight lawyer, rigid in his thinking, terrified of being overtly gay, certainly closeted, although his family knows. He is frugal to the point of being labeled a ‘penny-pincher’ and sticks rigidly to sets of rules and budgets. Kenji, on the other hand, is a bit more extravagant and sort of ‘open’ in his gayness. He is a hairdresser. Never hiding it and yet does try to fit into the societal norms and desperately tries to fit in with what Shiro wants to keep things orderly. Over the course of their relationship, we see that Shiro changes more so. Sometimes, more subtlety but steadily, into how Kenji thinks and behaves. The two begin to mesh and blend and honestly act more like a married couple than most married couples.Was this review helpful to you?
It Is Their Destiny
This is a continuation story of Teh and Oh-aew. While the other two previous stories were phenomenal and profound story, this one just did not hit the mark for me. But I must quality that statement. It is NOT because of poor acting. Quite the contrary. This is one of the finest acted BL series from Thailand in a long time. The story itself is also superb. What left me empty and profoundly sad was the realization that these two loved each other with every fiber of their beings but it just is not enough to sustain a solid relationship. For me, their love is toxic. Their own inner demons stop them from actually becoming real true individuals. Their love is more what is supposed to be than what it really is. For me, that was sad.Was this review helpful to you?
The Boat Left The Island
Frankly, I am not sure how I sat through this miscue. It is an inferior story with pedestrian acting. There I said it and am glad I did. I just do not know when these sappy BLs, will end. This is yet another in a L-O-N-G line of them. What saved this series from being on my Bathos List is the cinematography. The water scenes are exceptional but there are not nearly enough of them. If you are going to have a story about mermen, how about showing more of them and their communion? This whole story is so cliché driven and full of tropey other side-characters that quickly you begin to realize that this will be no different than a whole bunch of other Thai BLs of the same ilk. Dull, lifeless characters with no personalities. Love scenes that are more rehearsed made to feel quite quaffed and polished but not concrete. Couples with little to no screen chemistry and lightweight sexual tension. In other words, a zero-believability factor. While the merman scenes were quite good, there were so few of them that they almost were secondary to the story. This series started out so promising but swam off into the deep end not because of the actions of the mermen but because of the poor script and lifeless characters.Was this review helpful to you?
Lost Some Of Its Charm
While I have a great affinity for Seasons 1 and 2 of this series, this set left me just a tad feeling deprived. It felt ‘empty’ and a bit stale. While certainly entertaining and funny overall, it lost a bit of its magic; at least for me. However, its ending did redeem itself. There is no question that overall, this series is entertaining and still humorous. I did not find it as funny or as creative as the first two seasons, however. ALL the characters seemed stuck to me; that is, none show any progression or movement or growth. I know that this is a guy living in a fantasy world of BL and it has a sense and feel of an animated comic strip coming to life; but there is nothing new here. In addition, the actors are getting to the point that they simply cannot play high school or college students anymore. I do not care how much make-up you powder yourself with, there just comes a point that someone in their late 20’s or early 30’s cannot play high schoolers anymore. It becomes a physical impossibility as well as an emotional and psychological barrier. You just have too much life experience to play sweet innocence with any honest conviction.Was this review helpful to you?
An Honest & Real BL - Heartfelt
This is one of the more honest BLs to come out of Japan in a very long time. It is also surprisingly sincere and heartfelt. It had a deeply personal grok about it. There was an unawareness of the feelings that the individual protagonists were realizing, and those susceptibilities were projected into their actions and to a degree manifested into who they became and are. This BL is misunderstood. To understand this series, you must take it at its face value. Do not read into it more than is there; on the other hand, do not assume that what you see is all that is there. What is here is a story about two guys who grew up liking each other and were wounded by that. For that was in a stage of life in a culture when that could not be cultivated, and frankly the only acceptable way to display one liking another was by tormenting (bullying) the other. In this way, you fostered a warped sense of connection. This connection was usually expressed by a strange need to be close to and near each other for any reason. Yet, it was because of that unique bond where each just could seem to be able to escape the other. It became a hunger for both. It only brought him nearer to his tormentor. The tormentor could then socially express his love. Provided that expression was not too painful. Unfortunately, in ALL cases, it always ends up being so. Always.Was this review helpful to you?
Certainly A Study In Shyness. Does It Work?
Tactically, this series is a bit incongruous simply because the story is not unabridged. To be honest, I ended up disliking it. Not because it was poorly acted. I eschewed it because it had no point, and it aimlessly wondered around trying to find one. It simply could not. I just did not get the why of the story. The whole story felt undeveloped. This is a good story that was overdone. It showed very little understanding of their relationship and even less understanding of them as individuals. Then there is this sudden burst of personalities from both at the end of the series that just felt like it was too contrived. I found nothing outstanding about this series. I could have easily skipped it as it had little effect on me. While well-acted, and we are certainly entertained by the supporting cast, it just did not do much for me. Watch it if you want. It is “okay’.Was this review helpful to you?
Silly and Unnecessary
This diminishes and takes away from the story. Perhaps it is just me, but I found the narrative with the spin-off to be a bit too contrived and unnecessary. It slips the story back into banality. It is completely unnecessary. This series is a remarkable study of the character development of two rather asymmetrical individuals who needed each other, found each other, and for lack of a better term and become the epitome redefining the term, soulmates, a term I truly detest using. What is further astonishing is no one else sees it except one – at the end in the spin-off. And all this did was took away from the story; not add to it. Do not bother to watch this. It is unnecessary and takes away from the impact of the story iteself.Was this review helpful to you?
A Visual Guide For Dating
One would have to be completely dead inside to not get a warm cozy feeling from watching this film. It is a joy to behold and drink in. And it is so astonishingly relatable because it is happening to ordinary people under very ordinary situations. It is a pure story of love with its only requirement being someone courageous enough to make the first move. Honestly, one does not need to read manuals, books, or listen to experts on how to find love; all one needs to do is watch this movie. It gives you a step-by-step visual presentation of what to do. This is a complete joy to watch!Was this review helpful to you?
