raesmars
united states
finally a good gmmtv show
I decided to give this series a shot after I saw Mix in the first episode of Fish Upon the Sky, and instantly fell in love with his smile. So, yes it was a very shallow reason to watch but oh well. Turns out this series just made me fall in love with him further. He is so extremely talented for a newer actor, and he portrayed Tian is such a good and realistic way. This series does a good job at handling the concepts of loss, tragedy, and rebirth. It focuses a lot on our main character who was very self-destructive at the beginning of the story getting a second chance in life and then going on his own journey of self-realization and growth. He grows so much throughout the series and was extremely easy to root for. He was always doing his best!! The other main lead (played by Earth) was a bitch push and pull, because at some moments he was likeable and at others he was not. It was at times hard to keep up with him. Also this series probably has one of my favorite coming out scenes in any series ever!! I kind of enjoyed how the romance was more focused on the feelings of the characters and them learning each other instead of overly physical aspects. Very enjoyable side-characters and actually mostly cast members that I'm okay with from GmmTv. This was truly a gem with a garbage fire (perhaps I'm a bit of a GmmTv anti).Was this review helpful to you?
obsession
Okay, this is going to be one of my less objective reviews, just because it is subjectively one of my favorite boy love series EVER. One I came into this series not expecting to like it but I enjoyed Kao in UWMA so I was willing to go through it for him. However, I ended up loving the series, Up, and all the other casts. Everyone in the series is wonderful at acting. KaoUp are truly perfect at playing the parts of their characters. Up and his character Gene don't even look the same to me, is how in character he was able to get. And as a 26 year old man Kao was able to properly portraying a 20 year old.One thing I absolutely HATE in series is when drama drags on and on and on and is CONSTANT. However, Lovely Writer did an amazing job at handling each of its issues QUICKLY and in HEALTHY ways. Other series can't relate. Nubsib and Gene were amazing characters and honestly I enjoyed their storyline so so so so much.
My problem comes with side characters and their storylines. They seemed deadset on making Aey a villain and unredeemable (even though he's still very redeemable imo) and dragged on making him suffer for no reason??? Mhok really didn't need to be in the series ??? (maybe it was chap's schedule with y-destiny was a bit conflicting but idk) Tiffy and Tum were cute at first, but then it got weird with her questioning his sexuality and becoming really mean to him for no reason?? I HATE nubsib's parents. Gene's parents are on thin ice. I LOVED the brothers though and would have liked more of them and Hin throughout the series. Bua annoyed me and I didn't really enjoy any scene she was in. ALSO NUBSIB DESERVED MORE SCREENTIME. Truly I get it was Gene pov mostly, but random side characters had more screentime from their points of view than one half of our main lead.
Gene and Aey were my initial favorites in the series, and I still love both of them. But after finishing the series and being able to analyze Nubsib I have fallen for him. Anyways the cast is full of talented pretty tall bitches. Stan lwts.
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This review may contain spoilers
a piece of art
So, this series completely swept me off my feet. It really impressed me, because I was used to boy loves not having the best quality or pretty shots at all. This series was very visually stunning, and the use of color to represent Teh, Ohaew, and the girl character (can't recall her name atm) was really cool. It feels like every time I've rewatched I've been able to catch onto more symbolism or things I didn't catch the first time I was around. The characters and the storyline felt very REAL which I appreciated. Watching through Teh's eyes gave a lot of frustration towards him but I couldn't dislike him, because I understand why he was acting like that. The confliction between his growing feelings and realization of his sexuality, versus his fears of coming out and not being considered "normal" in the eyes of those around him was portrayed very well. It also goes to show when we are coming to terms with ourselves and having our own self discovery that we can oftentimes be destructive and hurt those around us. It also showed us hints of the opposite side of the spectrum, someone like Ohaew who wanted to be out AND loved openly. This series is just so beautiful, but is pretty angst heavy.Was this review helpful to you?
WATCH IT NOWWWW !!!!!!
This is going to be so biased, because it is tailored to me so hard. It involves a murder mystery AND a gay romance plot line. One MaxTul the original kings of bl play our main leads, and finally they were given a decent storyline to perform. And that they did. They always go all the way in and have no qualms with pushing the limits when doing romance. But their skills have also improved so much and they were both able to put on an amazing performance. ALL of the casts were amazing, mature, and super talented.What I enjoy about this series a lot is that I enjoy the non-romantic plot MORE than I enjoy the romance plot line. I love that TanBun's relationship while amazing, and I am completely in love with, was not my favorite part. The murder mystery was extremely well thought out and showed that this was not just another series trying to cash in views from lgbtq+ community and fetishizing straight girls.
Visually the series is also EXTREMELY stunning. All the shots are so so so so so beautiful. IDK I'M SO BIASED BUT PLEASE GIVE IT A SHOT
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LOML
So, okay okay I'll start with a problem off the bat. The first few episodes I did have to rewatch recaps of when I started, because there were so many characters and so many new names to learn. But after I caught on I ABSOLUTELY loved this show. I got so invested I failed Statistics my senior year of high school for it!!One the storyline is so intense and amazing and goes over the toxicity of publicity and how rumors can completely destroy lives. It also had a likeable main character and while he does fuck up (A LOT) I still love him and was okay with apologizing for him. It does have fun twists and turns and lore. Tons of loveable characters. The gay subtext is there. Idk I simp for this series. And it caused me to simp for Wang Yibo for a good bit of time.
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honestly just watch ramking scenes if you don't want to suffer
so, it's been awhile since I watched this series in full so my memory is a tad bit spotty on all my own opinions1. I do not enjoy the main couple AT ALL. They both are extremely toxic to each other throughout the series. Bohn is weirdly mean to Duen and it seems like he kind of was overly pushy to get him into the relationship and wasn't respectful of giving him time to come around to it. It also seemed like he was overly possessive and had a lot of toxic jealousy throughout the whole series. It felt like we were on loop with them. The whole entire show.
2. MhekBoss. Honestly I was okay with their plot line and even their wife/husband thing didn't offend me. I just wasn't like EXTREMELY attached to them. I am a bit of a sucker for friends to lover plot lines though, It seems like they moved a little bit quick once Boss (?) found out Mhek liked him. The dubbing IS kinda weird but my non-observant ass didn't notice it until it was pointed out to me.
3. TharaFrong - I honestly enjoyed both of their characters, and enjoyed that Frong really really really wanted to hate Thara from the beginning but the doctor's cheerful and odd nature kind of left him with no choice but to become WHIPPED. Watching him struggle with this was also very nice. I am a Thara stan honestly. MD is my baby and Thara is the cutest little weirdo. Lizards for life!!!
4. RamKing (truly the only reason to stick with the series). It honestly seem like the directors had favorites with this one. They got the most visually stunning scenes throughout the shows. They got the healthiest relationship dynamics. They got the BEST storyline. I honestly liked the comparison of plants vs dogs. King is used to caring for plants which takes a lot of effort and they really give him no response besides growth. While Ram has an affinity for dogs which are very cheerful and hyper and outwardly loving. So, it makes sense why they would be good for each other bc King is like the dogs he fears and Ram is like the plant. Their growth was amazing. I love how patient King is with Ram and respectful of his anxieties and quietness. While Ram never led on King and tried to be as open as he was comfortable with.
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very nice but also so short :(
So, this was the first Korean bl and it was wonderfully done. It felt exactly like how a kdrama for any hetero romance would be. I think it handles the concept of falling in love for a friend very well. Both the actors are very very good at pining. I honestly think the story could have been a bit better if it was longer, but it still did amazing with what it was given. I honestly can't be a judge towards music because I don't pay attention to soundtracks in these shows most of the time. I would honestly love to see either of the other actors in another series.Was this review helpful to you?
don't expect much with storyline and characters
I honestly watched this series very mindlessly, because I enjoyed the cast of it a lot at the time. I don't think the storylines are groundbreaking or anything notable. It was very much a typical boy love in the period of time it was released. I do think the actors did their best with what was given. And I can mindlessly enjoy mingkit and forthbeam. I found the main couple to be a bit uninteresting, and their conflicts were always kind of stupid. These characters are also very pushy and don't know how to communicate.Was this review helpful to you?
conflicted
So, overall my rating for this series would be an 8.5. I did enjoy the series and I did end up enjoying the majority of the characters by the end. However, my big issue is that it took way too long for me to get invested into the show in my opinion. The first few episodes (if you're counting on a 1-20 ep scale) were honestly a little bit dull. Visually the scenes were not interesting, kind of dull color schemes and basic sets, and I did not feel anything for our main leads until about episode 4 or 5 (on 1-20 scale). However, I waited it out, because I knew it is a beloved treasure within the bl community. Thankfully, I did because soon I met Jack (him and Zhaozi were honestly a huge highlight for me) I knew I had a character I could hold onto to at least FINISH the show and then also to my luck the main leads warmed up to me. The pace of the mystery plot also picked up (but unfortunately I was kind of meh to it. I enjoyed it but wasn't overly impressed by it).On another note I'll speak about the acting, I honestly do not believe that it is a problem with the actor who plays Shaofei, because he honestly did really well in scenes where he was serious, but I think the directing was a bit confusing for some of his scenes. He would have to go from serious to goofy in the snap of a finger, and honestly the comedic aspect didn't hit right in those scenes. I think Shaofei and Tangyi's storyline could have been left without the weird goofy aspects, and that could have been left to the group of cops and Jack/Zhaozi's relationship personally. I also HATE HATE HATE that every single kiss within this series used the dead ass wide fish kiss eyes. Like who kisses like that???????? But overall it was very nice and overall enjoyable, some aspects just didn't hit right with me.
I think that the actor who plays Tangyi was honestly the highlight of the show. He was so good at playing his character and showcasing every emotion Tangyi felt. His scene at the end of episode 18 (or 9) was so wonderfully performed. I would love to see more from him in the future.
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I LOVED IT
I loved how interesting and unique the plot was. I don't think there is any bl's like this one at all. It's why it is so cool to see Korea breaking out into the scene, because they're bringing in their really interesting and unique writing. I just wish they were longer. I honestly checked it out, because of the ex the boyz member, because I am an extremely casual fan of theirs. But I fell and feel HARD for Yoojun. I think he was truly the highlight of the series, an extremely good actor and honestly I like people who look like him visually (shallow I know). I think Yoohan was at sometimes a little pushy and overbearing of Yeonwoo, but the series helps to explain WHY near the end. The colors were visually STUNNING (I love bright colors I'm honestly a neon hoe in series). The soundtrack I actually noticed and liked while watching. Overall, I'm hyped for season two and hope we can find out more about the mystery surrounding Yeonwoo's mom.Tw // kind of graphic suicide attempt near the end of the series.
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