I have been so excited for Gap for so long (Thailand's first GL!! And apparently Asia's first full-length GL!) and I came away really enjoying this show. Was it perfect? No. Were there aspects I kind of didn't like, or I don't think were done great? Yeah. But it was everything I could have wanted for a GL-- it was full of romance, swoon-worthy moments, and honestly felt like a celebration of f/f love.

I could go through and pick through all the different aspects of the show, but ultimately I think I just want to keep it brief. The acting is there, the chemistry is there, and while the story may wobble sometimes, it's there too. I am now a fan of just about everyone in this show, and I hope to see more from them all in the future!

If you're hesitant to give this one a try, I would say just go for it. Give it a chance, because it may just surprise you.

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Cute Enough

Honestly, my opinion is all over the place with this one. Ultimately, I did enjoy myself as I watched, but there was a lot of... not great stuff in here. The amount of non-consensual kisses, the brushing-off of a girl being abused, the general weirdness of the MC having FOUR people in love with him, and the plethora of background characters that were just /there/ ultimately made this show feel very underwhelming and poorly done. While I liked the pining, especially from Kluen, there just wasn't much substance beyond it. There were some cute moments-- the T-shirt painting scene, the scene where they finally get together, the whole sunflower thing, etc-- but in the end I just couldn't love it the way I wanted to. It’s cute and sweet enough to binge and enjoy, but I don’t think it’s going to be anyone’s favorite drama.

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A Solid BL

This is a show that got so much better as it went on, and by the end I was fully invested and flying through episodes. It's not my favorite drama I've watched, and not my favorite BL either, but it's a really solid show that I would definitely recommend to others.

I will admit, it took me a while to really get into the show and care about the characters. I'd only watched the Pete/Kao compilation of Kiss Me Again before watching this show— and while I do think that's the best choice if you're truly uninterested in the plots of Kiss: the Series and Kiss Me Again, it does lead to a little bit of a rough beginning in DBK. You don't know or care about the characters the same way you would if you'd already committed two series' worth of your time to them. Still, I did eventually grow to love all the characters and really enjoy watching their story.

I liked both of the BL plots a lot! I did enjoy Sun and Mork's plot line more, but that's probably because I tend to enjoy the "falling in love" stories over the "conflicts within the relationship" stories. Sun and Mork's story felt very coffeeshop AU in the best way.

My main complaint about this show was the superfluous addition of Rain and Manow's plot line. They're billed as main characters, yet their story is minuscule in comparison to the PeteKao and SunMork plots. The writers should have either committed more time to developing their story or cut it completely. It was really unneeded. I liked both of the characters fine, and I really enjoyed both Pluem and Ployphach's performances, but they were just really unnecessary.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a solid BL to try!

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Short and Sweet!

To be completely honest, the only reason I decided to watch this show was because Nanon is in it— and of everything else, he shined in this show. Even as a kid (an adorable kid!! I just want to pinch his cheeks) he's so talented and just a joy to watch. The other actors were good, too, but honestly I just have a soft spot for Nanon.

But all in all, I did end up enjoying this show! It was sweet and really quick to get through. While I sometimes didn't love Belle's determination to woo S when he straight up told her he wasn't interested, it was still cute and nice to see both of their feelings changing over the course of the series.

For a mini-series like this, I thought it was well done. The side characters were entertaining (Belle has some really great friends!), and I know I definitely want to see more. I'll definitely be jumping into My Lil Boy 2 in the near future.

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Fast-Paced and So Much Fun!

This show was SO fantastic, from the beginning all the way to the end! I don't think there was a single moment I wasn't enjoying myself and just itching to know what happened next.

The plot was incredible. It was fast-paced, entertaining, and surprisingly complex for a mini-series. Mote was an intelligent main character who got wrapped up in some rather unfortunate circumstances— honestly, it was so nice to watch a show like this and not be annoyed by the MC's stupidity! Mote was smart and was able to think his way through, which was awesome to see. All of the characters were interesting and fleshed out (Kat and Sun were both SO interesting, and I could have watched a whole show just about them and their backstories). The writing was pretty solid, as well.

As far as acting went, I think everyone did a great job. I will say, Mond really shined in this, though! He is so freaking incredible as an actor and played Sun beautifully— I could practically feel every emotion Sun felt during the whole series. Mond is an amazing actor, and I cannot wait to see him in more interesting roles like this!

All in all, this was such a hit! Definitely one I will want to revisit one day, and I would highly recommend it.

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Didn't Work For Me

Honestly, I’m really surprised because everyone seems to like this series the best out of all of the Girl Next Room stories— and considering my love for OffMild, I was expecting to feel the same. I love Mild, and I love Off, and I LOVED Duchess’s outfits throughout this series. But otherwise, this really wasn’t the show for me. The plot wasn’t my cup of tea, and the over-the-top direction and acting felt very out of place in comparison to the other Girl Next Room series. I really didn’t enjoy the story much at all until the very end of the fourth episode. The climax there and then everything in the final episode was really good, but I just wish I had liked the first 2/3 of the show.

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SUCH a Delightful Show!

Genuinely, this is one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. I enjoyed literally every second of this show, and I cannot recommend it enough. If you have any doubts about this show at all, know that they are for nought. I can’t imagine someone watching this and not thinking it’s sweet, wholesome, romantic, and just all-over amazing!

Shows with this sort of speculative/magical twist are always a favorite of mine. A slight magical edge to an otherwise contemporary story is so much fun when done well, and Cherry Magic incorporated Adachi’s newfound mind-reading power wonderfully. The limit where it only works when he’s touching the person was a good touch, and led to a couple hilarious moments when it was “nonchalantly” trying to get a hand on someone to read their mind. And the show even addressed the drawbacks of an ability like this! How Tsuge struggled to communicate after his disappeared and Adachi was afraid Kurosawa wouldn’t like him without it. It was very well done.

There was also something so… sweet about the set-up for the story. Adachi (and Tsuge, his best friend) is a 30-year-old virgin who’s never so much as been on a date before the story starts. It was nice to see adult characters falling in love for the first time, and learning as they go. These stories are so often constrained to high school (and /maybe/ college) students, but that’s not everyone’s experience. This was like a breath of fresh air in that way.

The characters and the acting were all very well done, too. Even minor roles like Fujisaki were written thoughtfully and as a full character, which was really nice to see.

All in all, this was a very nice, very low-conflict show that just warmed my heart in all the best ways!!

Also— B R U H, Adachi called Kurosawa “sexiness personified” in, like, the second episode and then had the gall to act shocked when he realized he liked him back???

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A Cute and Quick Show to Watch!

For a show that only has four episodes, this was really well done and surprisingly deep! The writers certainly didn't hold back on this, didn't make it overly cutesy and conflict-free in order to fit within only four episodes. The care and depth they worked into the show made it very funny, romantic, and enjoyable to watch.

The actors in the show were phenomenal. Singto is, of course, a joy to watch on screen and so fantastic as an actor. His duality between DJ Titan's sweet, romantic personality and Tan's more abrasive one was performed very well, and as always he handled the deeper parts of the show wonderfully. Jamie as our female lead was so great, too! I'm surprised she hasn't had more lead roles yet— she's adorable, very funny, and brought a sweet naivety to Mimi's character that I loved.

The side actors were very striking and memorable, as well. Off and Mild's cameos made me itch to start their GNR series, Richy-Rich, ASAP. Gunsmile did a very good job within the show, as well (seriously, how does he not have his own series yet??).

Overall, this was cute and sweet and I'm very glad I watched this!

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Very Angsty, But Ultimately a Good Story

My thoughts on this show are very mixed, though overall I did enjoy my experience watching it. I did fly through it— it was very good at making you want to watch the next episode immediately— but I wouldn't say I loved it the way I've loved shows in the past.

To start, I wasn't the biggest fan of all the angst. It was very frustrating to watch Third like Khai, to get heartbroken over him, and then to cry over and over and over. I will admit, that first scene where he stalks into the bathroom, slaps on the shower, and just sobs was hilarious and a total mood— but it got old very fast. Plus, Khai was so unlikable during the first half or so of the show that I couldn't understand why Third liked him, which made it hard to care about it heart being broken again and again.

I felt like the show got a lot better around the midpoint, when the "secret" is revealed and the roles are switched— Third gets over Khai and Khai realizes he has feelings for Third. I appreciated the hoops Khai had to jump through to to earn Third's love back— he'd been so shitty to Third, so it was nice to see him have to work to have the right to be with him.

The definite highlight of this show was that train station scene. That hit me so hard, and was the only time I really cared for Khai. It's probably the only scene I would want to ever rewatch, to be honest.

The actors were all really good, and I liked the various subplots that played out throughout the show. I especially liked Two and his whole story— plus, he was just a really good friend to Third and I appreciated it a lot.

Overall, I'm happy I ended up watching this! It may not be a new favorite, but it was a good time.

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Deceptively Cute, But With a Whole Lot More Depth!

Spoiler section will be clearly marked at the end of the review!

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I'm honestly so surprised by the low ratings this show seems to have! I had a blast watching this from start to finish. Yes, the ending was a bit of a shock and was very emotional for a variety of reasons, but I think it was the only real way they could end it. It was very unexpected, but I honestly feel like any other ending would have felt cheap— forced, even.

The show is so funny and ridiculous in the beginning, but it gains a lot of heart as the show progresses. I loved all of the characters so much— every actor was so talented and brought life to these characters in the best way possible. The story continually grew and expanded on all of the characters, which was really nice to see.

The shining star of this show was definitely the actor who played Kim/Pan-as-Kim, First. He was so talented! He was brilliant as Pan, playing her the exact same as the actress so it felt like the same character in a different body. He was also so great when it came to the comedy of the show— I don't know how he managed to keep from laughing through every take! His "EHHHH"s had me rolling every time.

The rest of the actors were wonderful, as well. Ohm, the actor playing Khet, did a particularly great job with the more romantic and sad moments in the story. But the actors playing Way, Pan, Soda, and the Angel of Death were all incredible, as well. I have absolutely no complaints about the acting in this show.

I also really enjoyed the editing and cinematography of the show! The pop-ups when Pan and Soda were writing their fiction, and the text messages on the screen were a really good visual aspect of the show. Social media and texting is such a common part of today's teens' lives, and they did a really good job representing that. The scenes where the actors actually acted out their ridiculous stories were SO well done and comical in the best way. And the points when Pan-as-Kim was speaking and the camera would pan behind something and then Pan herself was standing there? WONDERFUL. It was so poignant and really showed the points when Pan's personality was shining through or when she was feeling extra impacted by the situation. Plus, it was a good way to give the actress more to do than just lie in the hospital bed.

To be quite honest, the only real reason this got marked down at all was because of the rewatch value. I'm not sure how the process of watching the show would feel upon a rewatch, when the viewer knows the end. Maybe one day I'll give it a try, but I feel like knowing the ending will change the viewing experience too much. Still, this show impacted me more than any show has in a really long time and I won't forget it.

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SPOILER SECTION | SPOILER SECTION | SPOILER SECTION

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The ending of this show did throw me off, but in the end I liked it. I guessed around episode 5 or 6 that Kim was dead, but I didn't realize how much it would affect me when it was finally revealed. I literally sobbed through the entirety of the final three episodes. The scenes that got me the most were Khet fixing the RC Plane, the family photo, and Kim's final goodbye to Way. (Honorable mention was the coin flip!)

I get that people don't like that there was no happy ending for Way and Kim. I get that it's a disappointment, but I do feel that with how the show was set up— with the fact that Kim never woke up in Pan's body— there wasn't another way. It would have been a happier ending, sure, but it would have been more forced for Kim to just pop back up and be totally fine.

I am really intrigued by the end credit scene— Kim standing alone in the afterlife, and an ominous voice saying they have a proposal for him. I really hope there's a sequel series— perhaps Kim gets a second chance at life, but ends up in someone else's body? And he has to find his friends and family in his new body and figure out how to get back to his old life? I don't know what the whole story would be, but I want it.

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To Absolutely No One's Surprise, The Ending Ruined It

The only other show that I've seen that has so completely ruined itself with its ending was How I Met Your Mother. Like HIMYM, this show used the final (two) episode(s) to completely take a left turn and undermine the entire point of the rest of the show. Both shows left me with a bad taste in my mouth and I feel, from a writing standpoint, ended up just being very cheap and unsatisfactory.

And it's sad, because the rest of the show was so good! I enjoyed the first 18 episodes immensely. I loved watching these characters fall for each other and fight to be together. I loved the friend group and even the side couple (though I will say the age difference squicked me pretty bad, especially in the beginning when they kept calling attention to it).

If I were to give the final episodes any sort of props, it would be that the acting was super well done. I liked the acting throughout the whole show, but I was very impressed by the acting in the final episodes. Still, the final episodes just ruined this whole thing.

I just— god, if you wanna write a tragedy, then write a tragedy. Don't write a romance and throw a dash of tragedy in at the end.

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This show was really great from start to finish, and I'm so glad I gave it a shot! I wasn't sure how I would like it, since I was really let down by JimmySea's previous show, but they were both incredible in this! They both improved so much as actors over the past year, and their chemistry was amazing. I was particularly impressed by Sea, who did such a good job portraying Day's complexity and made his blindness look very real.

As a whole, I was really impressed with how the show handled Day's blindness. There never was a moment where it felt like they forgot about it, and they included so many little details that showed that they really did their research for this show. I thought they did such a good job, and I loved how the arc of the show was largely about Day learning how to take care of himself and function as a blind man. It was empowering, really.

I didn't love the ending of the show (particularly the final episode and how it was set up), but on the whole this was such a wonderful show to watch.

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