1
FrankIncese
USA
This review may contain spoilers
FRUSTRATING
RATING: D
GENERAL
I know this opinion will be highly unpopular, but I can’t believe so many people like this series. I found it infuriating and at times excruciating. I wanted to stop watching so many times, but I stuck it out through the end. It did improve but not until about Episode 12. Considering Episodes 14 & 15 are basically filler (full of flashbacks and flashforwards), that means there are only 2 good episodes in the entire series.
2/3 of the series is about the hazing and initiation rituals. I assume this is based on actual habits in Thailand, but I have never heard of this type of system before. In my University, the only “hazing” happened within fraternities, not the entire student body. And that hazing went on for a week only, not the entire semester. While I saw the disclaimer that the hazing rituals had been exaggerated for the series, they were so extreme that I cannot believe anyone would have allowed them to happen. That ruined all believability for me. As it continued and got worse, I became increasingly frustrated. No teacher should have allowed behavior like this. Promoting unity, brotherhood, and support amongst students is a good idea, but none of these activities seem to be geared to that end. I think it is a far stretch to say that push-ups and running laps would do anything to help with unity, and none of it would help them become better engineers.
Because of this extreme set-up, much of the series has the two lead characters going through the same emotions over and over again. There is very little character development for the first half of the series. Arthit is dictatorial to the extreme, and Kong repeatedly disobeys – often for very little reason and never seeming to learn from the past. The worst example of this for me was during the beach scene when Kong feels compelled to complain because they’ve been allowed to go swimming. “It’s not fair!” Who would ever complain about being allowed to go swimming? Yes, they say he doesn’t like to swim, but this was just ridiculous. Without deeper character motivations, there was little to draw me in. I felt the series was cruel and there were not many characters that I even cared for and rooted for. The more it continued in this direction, the more frustrating it became. A big fail on the scripting side, IMO. Additionally, the script repeats itself continuously. Perhaps this is more to do with the translation I viewed. The translator may have missed some subtleties, but when 4 characters are discussing something, then 2 lines later simply repeat themselves, then 4 lines later go over it again, that is just lazy writing. The writer has done nothing to progress the scene, the characters, or show more emotion. So aggravating.
When the romance finally kicks in, some real character development comes with it, along with better acting (since they finally have some decent material to work with). It’s sweet and tender, conflicted and raw. If this had been a 4 episode mini-series focusing on this time I would have enjoyed it much more. My issues with the romance however, also have to do with scripting. Kong “jokes” (although he seems utterly serious) that he will make Arthit his wife in episode 1. Later he gives Arthit his “Heart” (the gear badge). He surmises that Arthit treats him so harshly because “You like me”. So it’s clear Kong has feelings for Arthit from the start, yet Arthit seems very unclear about Kong’s intentions. I understand that a young boy who is unclear about his sexuality may deny and hide his feelings, but after 3 admissions like this, to deny it later on seems absurd and out of character. Kong has been brave, honest and forthcoming. It felt like a convenient cheat for him to hide it later on.
There is a some of the usual stereotyping and homophobia in the portrayals of 2 other characters. One is an overtly effeminate senior who helps Kong during his photo shoot for Moon. While the hair, make-up and purse are a bit over the top, the actor plays the character fairly neutral, which was a relief. Tutah is an openly gay Senior who is friends with the Hazers. While his portrayal of the character is not over-the-top, several other characters use gay slurs when talking about him. This may have been meant as playful teasing amongst friends, however it did not come across that way, but merely as homophobic bullying – and was entirely unnecessary.
ACTING & DIRECTION
The acting is actually good across the boards (the only reason I give the series a D instead of an F). I give even more credit to the actors, given the script was so thin that they had very little to work with. Singto as Kong is decent, but it’s his personal charm that resonates the strongest, rather than his portrayal of the character. Krist as Arthit does a very nice job. He plays more levels and most of it is very real and natural. When we finally get into the romance story, he does a nice job showing his shifting emotions. The stand-outs for me were New who portrays his one-sided love story well (I know many feel his acting here was not as strong as in other series, but I found him believable and tender). But the brightest spot was Off as Bright. He brought great humor and energy to every scene he was in. According to the Special Episode, he improvised a lot in the role. With such a poor script, perhaps the other actors should have followed his lead even more.
On many levels the direction was sub-par. Given the limitations of the script, the director should have looked for more ways to play other levels and bring more to the characters. It just felt like we were getting the same beats and emotions over and over. Additionally, there were annoying “conveniences”, where you could tell action was staged for ease, rather than realism. The prime example is again the beach scene. The boys are allowed to go into the sea to swim, and yet they all simply sit at the water’s edge. But when Kong walks into the ocean moments later (are we really supposed to believe he is this devasted by being yelled at for the 100th time?), none of the boys are around. Only Arthit runs to his aid. And he pulls him out of the sea by himself, before anyone else shows up. Your best friend is drowning, but your only response is to say, “You disappeared for such a long time.” That’s not a friend at all, just someone who has been told to stay out of the shot by the director.
KISSING & INTIMACY
There’s very little and that’s fine. Since most of the series focuses on the hazing and adversarial relationship, there is no real space for true intimacy. When they are allowed to kiss it is sweet and tender and felt natural. The best moment for me is after they kiss on the rooftop. Immediately, Arthit turns away. His body language is so awkward. He bends himself as if he’s been punched. It’s a perfect example of his shy/conflicted nature in that moment.
My favorite moment in the series is the scene between M and May, when he confesses his feelings and tells her he will wait until she is ready for him. It was a beautiful, tender moment and both actors played it very well.
THE DOWN SIDE
Episodes 1-11. Yeah. There’s a lot to dislike.
SUMMARY
Sorry folks, I don’t recommend this one. I’m not certain I can sit through SOTUS S, either. I feel compelled to give it a chance, since Kong & Arthit will be in an actual relationship and we might get to see some real character development instead of endless hazing, but I’ll probably wait until I watch other series before I revisit this franchise, as I would assume the writing is on the same level.
GENERAL
I know this opinion will be highly unpopular, but I can’t believe so many people like this series. I found it infuriating and at times excruciating. I wanted to stop watching so many times, but I stuck it out through the end. It did improve but not until about Episode 12. Considering Episodes 14 & 15 are basically filler (full of flashbacks and flashforwards), that means there are only 2 good episodes in the entire series.
2/3 of the series is about the hazing and initiation rituals. I assume this is based on actual habits in Thailand, but I have never heard of this type of system before. In my University, the only “hazing” happened within fraternities, not the entire student body. And that hazing went on for a week only, not the entire semester. While I saw the disclaimer that the hazing rituals had been exaggerated for the series, they were so extreme that I cannot believe anyone would have allowed them to happen. That ruined all believability for me. As it continued and got worse, I became increasingly frustrated. No teacher should have allowed behavior like this. Promoting unity, brotherhood, and support amongst students is a good idea, but none of these activities seem to be geared to that end. I think it is a far stretch to say that push-ups and running laps would do anything to help with unity, and none of it would help them become better engineers.
Because of this extreme set-up, much of the series has the two lead characters going through the same emotions over and over again. There is very little character development for the first half of the series. Arthit is dictatorial to the extreme, and Kong repeatedly disobeys – often for very little reason and never seeming to learn from the past. The worst example of this for me was during the beach scene when Kong feels compelled to complain because they’ve been allowed to go swimming. “It’s not fair!” Who would ever complain about being allowed to go swimming? Yes, they say he doesn’t like to swim, but this was just ridiculous. Without deeper character motivations, there was little to draw me in. I felt the series was cruel and there were not many characters that I even cared for and rooted for. The more it continued in this direction, the more frustrating it became. A big fail on the scripting side, IMO. Additionally, the script repeats itself continuously. Perhaps this is more to do with the translation I viewed. The translator may have missed some subtleties, but when 4 characters are discussing something, then 2 lines later simply repeat themselves, then 4 lines later go over it again, that is just lazy writing. The writer has done nothing to progress the scene, the characters, or show more emotion. So aggravating.
When the romance finally kicks in, some real character development comes with it, along with better acting (since they finally have some decent material to work with). It’s sweet and tender, conflicted and raw. If this had been a 4 episode mini-series focusing on this time I would have enjoyed it much more. My issues with the romance however, also have to do with scripting. Kong “jokes” (although he seems utterly serious) that he will make Arthit his wife in episode 1. Later he gives Arthit his “Heart” (the gear badge). He surmises that Arthit treats him so harshly because “You like me”. So it’s clear Kong has feelings for Arthit from the start, yet Arthit seems very unclear about Kong’s intentions. I understand that a young boy who is unclear about his sexuality may deny and hide his feelings, but after 3 admissions like this, to deny it later on seems absurd and out of character. Kong has been brave, honest and forthcoming. It felt like a convenient cheat for him to hide it later on.
There is a some of the usual stereotyping and homophobia in the portrayals of 2 other characters. One is an overtly effeminate senior who helps Kong during his photo shoot for Moon. While the hair, make-up and purse are a bit over the top, the actor plays the character fairly neutral, which was a relief. Tutah is an openly gay Senior who is friends with the Hazers. While his portrayal of the character is not over-the-top, several other characters use gay slurs when talking about him. This may have been meant as playful teasing amongst friends, however it did not come across that way, but merely as homophobic bullying – and was entirely unnecessary.
ACTING & DIRECTION
The acting is actually good across the boards (the only reason I give the series a D instead of an F). I give even more credit to the actors, given the script was so thin that they had very little to work with. Singto as Kong is decent, but it’s his personal charm that resonates the strongest, rather than his portrayal of the character. Krist as Arthit does a very nice job. He plays more levels and most of it is very real and natural. When we finally get into the romance story, he does a nice job showing his shifting emotions. The stand-outs for me were New who portrays his one-sided love story well (I know many feel his acting here was not as strong as in other series, but I found him believable and tender). But the brightest spot was Off as Bright. He brought great humor and energy to every scene he was in. According to the Special Episode, he improvised a lot in the role. With such a poor script, perhaps the other actors should have followed his lead even more.
On many levels the direction was sub-par. Given the limitations of the script, the director should have looked for more ways to play other levels and bring more to the characters. It just felt like we were getting the same beats and emotions over and over. Additionally, there were annoying “conveniences”, where you could tell action was staged for ease, rather than realism. The prime example is again the beach scene. The boys are allowed to go into the sea to swim, and yet they all simply sit at the water’s edge. But when Kong walks into the ocean moments later (are we really supposed to believe he is this devasted by being yelled at for the 100th time?), none of the boys are around. Only Arthit runs to his aid. And he pulls him out of the sea by himself, before anyone else shows up. Your best friend is drowning, but your only response is to say, “You disappeared for such a long time.” That’s not a friend at all, just someone who has been told to stay out of the shot by the director.
KISSING & INTIMACY
There’s very little and that’s fine. Since most of the series focuses on the hazing and adversarial relationship, there is no real space for true intimacy. When they are allowed to kiss it is sweet and tender and felt natural. The best moment for me is after they kiss on the rooftop. Immediately, Arthit turns away. His body language is so awkward. He bends himself as if he’s been punched. It’s a perfect example of his shy/conflicted nature in that moment.
My favorite moment in the series is the scene between M and May, when he confesses his feelings and tells her he will wait until she is ready for him. It was a beautiful, tender moment and both actors played it very well.
THE DOWN SIDE
Episodes 1-11. Yeah. There’s a lot to dislike.
SUMMARY
Sorry folks, I don’t recommend this one. I’m not certain I can sit through SOTUS S, either. I feel compelled to give it a chance, since Kong & Arthit will be in an actual relationship and we might get to see some real character development instead of endless hazing, but I’ll probably wait until I watch other series before I revisit this franchise, as I would assume the writing is on the same level.
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