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It Is What It Is! Nothing More! I LOVED it!
Frankly, I am astonished this series has gotten such poor to mediocre reviews. I loved it. I loved it for two reasons. First, it tells a full story, albeit short and sweet but to the point. Sure, its brevity is both a hinderance and an asset. I wish there would have been greater character development. Nonetheless, this mini-BL accomplished more in a short period of time than most droning on-and-on BLs characteristically do. It had a beginning, middle, and a fine end. Secondly, we saw flawed characters. These are not individuals who are straight from the trope play book. In some sense, they are not at all likeable individuals, yet they are so relatable to who we are as people. In other words, they are untruthful, blemished, and maybe disingenuous. Traits, I am afraid, we all share at one time or another in our lives.Was this review helpful to you?
Magnum Opus! The total Package!
Yes, indeed I did watch this phenomenal series and, while not a gamer nor fully understanding much about the intricacies of this series, I treasured its theme and ambition. This series is breathtaking in its presentation, cinematography, storytelling, and acting. I was completely mesmerized and astonishingly could pretty much follow the gist of the story minus the minutiae and detailed storylines. Being a Westerner, I also got hopelessly entangled by the names and relationships of individuals. None of that mattered to me, however. My focus was on the two main protagonists and the heart of their story.To say this series is unconventional would be an understatement. Interestingly, it was adapted from a BL, but it is NOT a BL. Is it romantic? Oh God, yes. It is beyond a bromance but certainly not a BL. It is in a category all by itself. The two leads, almost from the beginning, develop a strong and inseparable bond between each other that is unshakable. Early on there is a natural affinity between them and it does not take long for both to pledge fidelity to one other.
One of the best series of 2024! You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.
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One of the Worst for 2023!
he series begins interestingly enough. Even with a worn-out theme of a withdrawn boy who has an unrequired love for his best friend, it was charming for a while. However, this series very quickly falls apart when it tries to get into the nitty-gritty of an actual story. The supposed Thai Mafia underworld was filled with laughable caricatures of epic comic proportions. They looked silly, acted silly, and frankly were silly. Sometimes over-the-top trying to look bad (while always coiffed impeccably) but never really able to shake the sanitized version of a what has to be seen as nothing more than an after school special. I continue to state, there must be at least a minimal standard for acceptable acting and for me that is the ability to cry when necessary. So, if you cannot cry you cannot act and all you are doing is performing. This is such an underwhelming series that I am astonished at how bad it really is. But it presents well. Its theatrics are perhaps intoxicating but this time, I am not buying into it. The screenplay is so second-rate. The acting is at best mediocre. The story itself is so lame that it looked like it picked ideas from other BLs and stuck them in and hoped it all worked.Was this review helpful to you?
Pretty to look at but Illogical
The universality of this series being praised as a ‘masterpiece’ or ‘the best so far’, makes me reticent to be critical of this series. As indeed, I had so looked forward with great anticipation to watching this series, thinking my reaction would be the same. I understand that it is a fantasy and I love fantasies, specifically time travel, as you have to suspect your beliefs and embrace your disbeliefs. And I could easily do that but not with this series. It left me feeling empty for some reason. I hate to admit this, but I felt nothing for the main couple whereas everyone else seemed to see their love destiny. All I saw was cute acting to deliberately set-up scenarios to pull at heartstrings, mostly at an agonizingly slow pace then filled in between with a density of immaturity defined by a constant sense of deference that made no sense. The only ones having the courage to fight that mindset were the ‘servants’ who were nothing more than slaves, and the women, who had the courage to stand up for themselves but paid a very heavy price for their convictions. The men, including our main characters, cowered, and are ‘waiting for destiny’ to save them.Was this review helpful to you?
Unquestionably, one of the best in 2023!
This story is one of the most remarkable BLs in redefining the concept of what love, is or at lease perceived, especially how we see it between men. It reconceptualizes its beauty, enhances its endurance, redefines intimacy, and solidifies the virtue of a relationship. And does this all through the magic of fantasy. This narration broke down all the traditional stereotypical Thai BL stories and told a saga so deeply personal and profoundly moving that you became a part of its journey. One of the best BLs for the year 2023.See my full review at BLBliss.com
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So Much Fun!
This is a lakorn of Biblical proportions but honestly so much fun to watch. It has such family drama that soap operas fans will cherish and others will admire. Its love story is gentle but is the driving force for this entire series. It also has a deep, strong, and abiding connection between two brothers than can also not be broken. It is just fun to watch and before you know it, you are invested into what happens. And its message is clear and precise. Respect. Acceptance. And love.See my full review of this awesome series at BLBliss.com.
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There Is Really Nothing to Say About This Series
Even if I wanted to summarize this series, I could not as it is incomprehensible and ridiculous. It drifts some some sort of a BL to ending up being a series of jumbled random thoughts of someone's bad dream. This could never be labeled as a Spoiler as there simply no coherent story here at all. If you are looking for a romantic BL, move on. This ain't it. If you are seeking a story of one-dimensional, wooden, characters, then this is your story. There is no plat, no coherent story, and worse than all of that, no romance. Frankly I do not know what this series is. One this is for sure. You will need physical therapy after watching this because your mind and undoubtedly your body will be twisted in unnatural positions trying to figure out what their message and story is.Was this review helpful to you?
Soft but very endearing
There is something so endearing about this series. It is short, sweet, and entertaining. I think others are turned off by its non-dynamic story of love. It is simply not an in your face saga but one with a slow burn and a flash of inevitability about it. I like it a lot and lets face it, it has some of the most beautiful ensemble of men starring in it on the planet. That is really not the story but it certainly enhances it. The message at the end is composed of true friendship over a possible momentary lustful encounter.You can read my full review of this quiet soft-spoken BL series at BLBliss.com.
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Too Formulaic
It had such potential but ended up being so formulaic and boring. There are some good parts to it but it drags on endlessly, I do not think this is a spoiler but they tried to make out one of the main characters as an 'ugly duckling', Oh please! He could not be ugly even if you wrapped him in a burlap sack and rolled him in mud! Why do they have to take up endless episodes to develop relationships? There are so much more to stories. These actors are good; they just do not have the material to work with. If you want to read my complete review, go to BLBliss.com.Was this review helpful to you?
A Masterpiece
Soulful, emotional, and brilliant. This is absolutely one of the best BL series I have seen. It is an epic love story more than a BL series. The acting is perfection and captured the essence of each of their characters flawlessly. For me, this is a masterpiece and is a cinematic gem. The screenplay of this series is nothing short of brilliant. This series left me emotionally drained and in a real sense feeling heartbroken. This series presented characters that are flawed, victims of others AND themselves, but also willing to sacrifice. Getting to love and giving love is not always straightforward or a series of rom-com events. The way this series presented love was imaginative, real, and profoundly moving. If you want to read my full review of this brilliant series, please go to my free blog site at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
4 Minutes That Seemed Like 8
Essentially, you must buy into the premise that our physical brain will cease to function after 4 minutes without oxygen. This of course, is a truism. But what this series then does is push forward a premise that during those 4 minutes without oxygen, people who are experiencing that trauma, relive ‘life’ in various manners within that 4-minute window period. For some, they can perceive events that will occur 4 minutes in the future. Why this series is so confusing is that it attempts to project too much story with too many people. Admittedly, I am old, and I have a difficult time following a train of thought for one individual and I am pushing it for two people. But when you have multiple people affected by the advancement of 4 minutes in the future with a number of different alternatives for each, my mind begins to jellify. Logic becomes inoperative here. Everything makes sense because nothing actually does. It depends upon the time frame you are currently in. Therefore, there is no logic. Consequently, I am lost.I am bemused by criticism of this series from people who state there are too many NC scenes. I did not see any, so I am not sure what they are talking about. For those who read this, this IS an adult series with an adult theme. There is nothing pornographic or even sexually offensive. If you find it so, then stop watching. Do not impose your standards on others for that will become a dangerous precedent There are way more obscene subject matters such as infidelity, murder, suicide, illegal gambling, bullying, abuse, and yet we are concerned about a few scenes of two guys laying in bed semi-naked? Incongruent, silly, and cretinous thinking.
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Does More Harm Than Good
This series attraction simply confounds me, honestly. To be sure, the acting is not the issue. But we have seen good acting before in mediocre series without any sort of recognition. Yet, this series seems to be inordinately ‘liked’ which to me makes absolutely no sense. Let me try and explain in reasons that both summarize the story as well as exhibit its massive flaws in the series overall – both in terms of its script and message. Let me emphasize that I have nothing against the acting, per se. It is satisfying but with no one really rising to the top to claim any accolade for outstanding performance. It all seemed rather predictable and pedestrian. You can read my full review of this BL, which for me does more harm than good, at BLBliss.com. It is filled with toxicity, abuse, and exploitation, and I find none of that 'loving'.Was this review helpful to you?
Cute but Toxic and Abusive!
Honestly, you have to suspend this series’ entertainment value from any sort of connection to reality because if you do not, your mind would be twisted into a pretzel of contradictions. It is a cute, entertaining BL at face value but if you dig deeper, it is a series that has so many incongruities in it and abuses, that it is hard to ignore those aspects of it. I know this is a BL and that portion was done in an entertaining way. While they made a cute couple, I never bought they were a couple, which of course did not happen until the last episode and then the screen was filled with moonbeams and hosannas. It was just a bit too Pollyanna and rushed.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best in 21
This is an astonishing BL series full of angst, pain, and heartache. It is hard to watch because love here is not a storybook fantasy but an obsession. Well, more like possession. It is raw, gritty, and unhealthy. Yet compelling. This is not romance; its abuse. Told astonishingly and acted brilliantly. One of the best for the year 2021. This kind of story needs to be told.It is a toxic love story that should not be romanticized. It does not make it less brilliant, but we should not try to fit a ‘square peg into a round hole’. It is haunting and will leave you feeling something. You must decide what to feel.
If you want to read my full review, go to my website at BLBliss.com/
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Surprisingly entertaining!
Shockingly, this series is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it frankly does not deserve the low ratings it is garnering on several other review sites. In essence, it is unexpectedly entertaining. And surprise! The story is a good one. I found the premise certainly different and piqued my interest. Why it fell from grace is that it kept repeating the same plot themes over-and-over again. It is the direction again that brought this series down. While not as salacious as some of the other Filipino BLs by the same director, its story could have clearly been a more rewarding one, if more energy was spent on embellishing its theme. Too bad, honestly. This series really does deserve a 'look see' despite all the negative comments here.Was this review helpful to you?
