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BL LOVER 1

United States

BL LOVER 1

United States
The Promise thai drama review
Ongoing 9/10
The Promise
8 people found this review helpful
by BL LOVER 1
Mar 4, 2023
9 of 10 episodes seen
Ongoing 1
Overall 9.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

Deviation From 2 Mini Series

I feel like Ive been waiting for this forever. Ive fallen in love with the actors and their characters. I will complete this series. That being said lets begin.

This review is preliminary as I have only seen 2 episodes.

Now in the mini series Gigi knew Phu. She spoke to him about the rumors about him and Nan. She made it clear she was interested in Nan. She was a freshman and Nan and Phu were seniors. However the Gigi in the series (played by a different actress) is she suppose to be the same Gigi?

In the mini series Nan tried to fix Phu up with Deena and Phu lost it. When Phu decided to be honest with Nan at Deena's suggestion he saw Nan with his friends and Gigi when he asked him to come straight home after his final and he left claiming to be going to Melbourne to be with his mother. Here it appears Phu left because Nan kissed him. A drunken kiss and Phu is obviously in love with Nan.
And another difference in the mini series Phu said he and Nan were in the same faculty with different majors yet here they both seem to be advertising majors but Phu wants to follow in his father's footstep and run a coffee shop.

This is a good series and maybe it will all come together in the 10 episodes. The changes aren't that jarring but to me it appears you need not (unless you already have) watch the two mini series since they're going in a different direction.
However I do suggest watching the two mini series just in case they refer to it in later episodes.

My last comparison is this...in the Nanfah mini series his landlady basically revealed Phu's feelings for Nan which is why Nan went to Melbourne every year in hopes of finding Phu. They showed Nan going to Melbourne in this series yet they dont seem to be showing his knowledge of Phu's feelings or his reciprocation of those feelings. So all I can do is wait to see where this series is going.

Okay, instead of starting over I will put my review below what I wrote after episode 2.

The problem with this series is it's complete deviation from the minis. They should've picked up where the Nanfah Mini Left Off. But shoulda coulda woulda.

This is still a decent series but the BL Fandom in my opinion got it wrong. All the blame is put solely on the character of Phu for leaving for 10 years without so much of an apology to Nanfah. Was Phu wrong, oh yes but Nan was wrong as well. You see in the minis Phu ran away after seeing Nan embrace Gigi and take the flower she gave him making him (incorrectly) think Nan accepted GiGi's feelings. Now in the series Gigi was played by a different actress and was clearly not the Gigi from the mini series.
So in the series Phu left after an extended kiss with Nan while they were drunk and Nan was all in for this kiss yet it was never discussed again. Nan clearly returned Phu's feelings but he didn't say anything either. Nan made a statement in the series that he didn't believe in dating friends to Phu.
What was Phu to think? In my opinion that kiss was Phu's attempt to get a conversation started about how they felt about each other. Phu was in pain. He was in love with a man that made him think if he confessed he would lose him. This was because of Nan's words and actions.
Nan could have at any time given Phu hope because clearly he felt the same. Now when Party confessed Nan said he knew Party liked him. But he did Party the same way he did Phu. He knew but he stayed quiet then shot him down saying what he said to Phu while they were in high school. Friends Are Just Friends.

So Phu was terrified. He loved his best friend and Nan told him he could never see a friend as anything more. Phu was a very likable character. In the minis he would do anything for Nan and did. Nan knew this and practically used Phu as an alarm clock, as a maid, as the food provider and as a dance partner. He walked all over what Phu wanted or needed. Im not saying Nan wasn't a decent friend. But there is plenty of blame to go around.

When Phu got back Nan went right back to using Phu. He stuck him with that cat and Phu basically took over caring for Nan's pet. He cleaned Nan's apartment. Nan is a grown ass man he should know to throw out rotten food and empty containers. So yes they both made mistakes. So Phu lied to Nan and that was wrong I 100% agree it was wrong.
But Nan's own words made Phu suffer in silence. Ultimately Phu running away was for his own mental health. They were codependent on the other which is why Nan could not even sleep without Phu in his world.
Then in Episode 8 they seem to revisit the minis with Khunkhao, suddenly it was back to Nan visiting Melbourne every year for 9 years in search of Phu. In the minis when Nan left to search for Phu he was well aware of Phu's feelings and he figured out he felt the same yet when Phu returned none of that was even covered.
Every fan has a right to their own opinion but Phu was a great friend to Nan from the beginning with those rowdy kids to helping him in high school and university. He got on his knees in front of Nan's father to beg for Nan to be able to follow the path he wanted. He even took that path himself and helped Nan all the way through.
The writing was the problem. For instance Phu said he didn't know how to market the coffee farm yet he studied the same thing as Nan. And Nan himself credited Phu for Nan making it. Phu was not perfect but neither was Nan. Mistakes were made by both them. Yet even Nan couldn't stay mad at Phu for his disappearance. The truth is he was just happy to have Phu back. The first night of Phu's return Nan slept like a baby without drugs. Nan wasnt angry at Phu because he loved him and he couldn't come out and say it either. Get over laying all their issues at Phu's doorstep. Nan's doorstep needs some baggage too. He isn't blameless.
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