Daring To Dream

I think it is open to interpretation.
The original screenplay had the closing scene being the teacher and parent opening a door to the outside and the boys muddy but alive waving to them as the closing shot. There is a movie poster of this final shot.
However during the pandemic- the director said he and the screenwriter polished the script and made it "better".
Did they kill the gays?
Were they reborn? One boy says yes, the other says no.

I also think he did- additional clues - 1 he states he was up to 2 am the night of the fire 2 he "cremates" the dead cat and is fascinated by the flames and not too concerned with them spreading 3 He also states his belief that unless things burn - they can't be reborn

The other side: this movie is always shifting and trying to teach us to not jump to conclusions. As one person wrote: how realistic is it for an 11 year old to burn down a building with just a lighter? Just as everything pointed to teacher Hori being a monster - withhold judgement- maybe we all are monsters at different times and good at others.

I think it is open to interpretation-
Yori thinks they were reborn- Mugino says no- this fits with the story always shifting perspectives and revealing differences. I can see why people want to watch this more than once.
I hope they found the tunnel and emerged to be confident and happy at least for the moment- this follows the ambiguous principal's unexpected kindness and insight about what happiness is and who deserves it.

Yes this was a great premise for a story.....
Agree about all the "oh they saw it and therefore must misunderstand"- a huge number of these. I didn't feel any of the performers felt at ease or passionate. The actor playing Lomfon has expressive eyes- but many times he was standing waiting for his lines. I thought the little brother came off the most natural of the four leads. And the "oh we can just not be soulmates" was ridiculous- and it is a Thai staple to have someone be horrible (Phat) and not face any consequences- at the end of the show he has successfully isolated Saengtahi in the country away from friends and family. Run, pleasant but boring Saengtai RUN!
Several unintentional laugh moments: Saengthai falling after his big 1/3 mile hike up the road
Phat's frozen in time moment as his ex slo mos in for a forced kiss- and then her playing the victim!

Ben gives my least fave performance of the year....he has 3 expressions- smiling, constipated and crying- the director and acting coach also deserve some blame for this.

Saint as Jaab is lovely to look at- but can't do much with crying or any emotion- dreadful.

the script is a mess as well- there is a reason I made it 10 episodes and that person is Man as a charming romantic lead.

Even Up as a co producer seemed out of sorts in his small and poor scripted/paced role. But if he had taken Ben's role- things surely would have been better.

definitely some similarities to Back to The Future- this is longer and more intricate- nothing is perfect- but this is pretty dang good- try an ep or 2

Not Me was the first time I believed Off in a serious role- he can do immature and funny in his sleep- which is a great skill. In Cooking Crush- I think he is better than Gun- Off has the comic timing- Gun is just ok in comedy for me.

Per Ohm- I thought he was pretty decent in UWMA as someone who gradually becomes more fully present and human- but neither he nor Fluke ever came close to that level again.

they released it as there were so many delays in dropping new episodes-

This is a practical viewing guide! A YT reviewer just gave the series a -5 on a scale of 1 to 10---
and several people commented she was being unfair- it deserved a -10!

I have watched the pilot on YT- I may have to watch part of an ep if I ever sign up with IQYI:)

There is only one performance that I thought captured manga as real life actor: the lead in My Love Mix Up. That plot was also simple but better- with fully developed friend and mature love rival/well written female.
In this one- the sister and classmate simply exist to constantly ask about the relationship progress between the leads- ugh.

Please post link to that video- sometimes things are so bad they're good?

I haven't seen the series- but this comment brought chuckles-
there are so many series where it feels like they are deliberately not editing right to stretch run time---
the famous 28 second pause (it felt like it anyway) where Nubsib stands silent after saying something like "I need to talk to you"
another non BL trope is the episode filler where the schlubby, weird or insecure girl is dating the cool hot guy but now must do "comic" shenanigan's hiding their relationship because:
other girls might be mean (True Beauty, My Id is Gangham)
parents might disapprove (Love OXO)
etc etc

Even though I give the series as a whole 7.5- the colors and 50s aesthetic are worth watching - then add in an amazing performance by Tar as Noey, with some good support by various gang members and particularly the actresses playing his family. Tar is worth watching for- it reminds me of when Perth blazed forth in a performance so much better than his material in Love By Chance.

not just you- loved the first 5 eps--- thought the extended bullying /kidnapping plot for ep 7 was tropey and weak- the curse of turning to a dog is so wacko that it only makes sense if its treated very lightly

I think the idea is--- do you really want to just know- if not watch some more episodes and see if it is for you-----

He is a successful star who hasn't had much time or experience to develop actual relationships or be expected to act like a decent human. Everything he does- appearances, charity- is all for his career/public image.
So at this point, he is in love with himself and just loves constant attention- he wants the FL attention- he may just think on surface it is his due- but possibly underneath he is having a crush. He probably just doesn't realize it at this point.
That's my take....

I like the write up- anyone who uses palimpsest has my respect- and it fits this series so well- it shoots for the sky- and the first 10 episodes or so are amazing to me.

Had to reread this review- beyond the funny- you hit on some big points such as the ridiculous "plot" and an awful main character.
The things I liked, which you didn't mention- were the Disney like University- the location is fantastical and there is a cool car. Force came off decently as a debut actor- given the writing and direction- I'd say job well-done.
Also, Akk's family is kind of fun for first few episodes.....
Yep, pretty dismal otherwise.

The actor playing grandpa could act- so what if his character didn't add much- and the leads really could not act- but they looked good so there's that.
I kept watching when I've dropped series that were less mediocre just with jaw drops going- it has to go somewhere right? there has to be some reason for this?
Answer: No reason

Stay strong! Fighting!

Your reply has most of my feelings- I am intrigued by reviewer wanting "early" Zhang PIng- morally he only saw black and white and I felt the show successfully showed that there were no absolute good guys- there certainly was a lot of corruption and ruthless power positioning.
Zhang continuing to make noodles was a silly but effective way of trying to remain hard working and humble no matter what his official position.