This show fell a bit flat for me. I loved the hazy, hot, golden summer mood and the ust in the first few eps, but then the show slows way down and eps 4-10 feel like filler with no real purpose or memorable story arcs. I think my main issue surrounded Akira: I disliked that he rarely ever felt like an adult character with life experiences which should have set him apart from how naive but filled with youthful bravado that Shin is. Akira pretty much does zero character growth throughout this whole show, which is a shame because he had two poignant moments of self reflection where he mused that he wasn’t worth Shin, that he would just hold Shin back… but he never tries to better himself or even discuss his concerns with anyone. Again and again Akira pushes Shin away saying he needs time to think, but Akira never seems to do any thinking? He ends the show pretty much the same man he started as and it kind of felt like there was no point to watching the show. I liked the brief moments where Akira talked with his ex Saki or with Sakuma, and I wish there had been more scenes where Akira had adult friends to discuss his views and concerns with, perhaps he would have been a more compelling character if he had been given room to speak his mind away from the kids.
There were a lot of things that held potential in this show, but I just never really felt like the writing was detailed enough to make this premise sing. This was fine for one watch, but I doubt I will rec this to any friends or rewatch myself.
First off, I really have to commend South Korea for making such a wide variety of bls. The production teams over there are really giving us so much variety to watch, and I am so here for it. The only other vampire bl dramas I can think of are Bite Fight from China and Discipline Z from South Korea, and maaaaybe if you squint you could say Moon Child from Japan. So right off the bat this show gets points just for having a unique premise.
And you know what? For a student film I thought this was not bad. The acting was good from the mains and I was drawn into their story and invested in their relationship. The two mains have good chemistry and we got some unexpectedly adorable kissing and cuddling scenes from them here. Were there plot holes? Yeah, a fair few, some quite big ones that it seemed ludicrous they could overlook. I also was bugged that half the characters were never named (it took two full episodes to even learn Minhyun’s name!). But overall I enjoyed this show and would give it a solid 7/10.
Charming fluff that is well made and has good acting. My favorite aspect was the plethora of casual skinship between the mains: a complaint I often have about a lot of romance dramas is how little the couples touch each other outside of their big dramatic moments. But this show delivers all those little skinship and domestic moments that you want to see! Holding hands, relaxing quietly together, sitting pressed side to side, morning kisses, casual arms thrown around shoulders and waists, sharing clothes, etc. A very heartwarming watch that I would definitely recommend if you are in the mood for something sweet.
A very interesting watch, this is a well done high school bl with some psychological and angsty elements. I loved Dayeol's and Taehyun's "two steps forward, one step back" growth into friendship and love because it felt very natural. I also loved to hate the main antagonist of this story because they were a believable villain, one that many viewers have probably come across at least once in their own lives. This series is shot very well and the acting was always good (*except you, auntie!).
As for negatives, there were one or two moments that were overdone and/or too sensational (*ahem* auntie 👀). Luckily these moments were few and far between so you could easily move past them and get sucked back into the mains' unique dynamic. I also didn't love the two final eps and would have preferred a different ending, but for what we got I thought everyone's actions were understandable when you try to put yourself in the mindset of an angry hormonal teen. So... yeah, ending was fine but not superb.
1) The show nailed the high school vibe and I am bummed we didn’t get to see our mains be a happy couple in high school. I wanted to see them hold hands down the hallway, get teased by their friends at lunch, lean out the window to flirt as the other passed by, etc. I feel a bit jipped we didn’t get to see that kind of cute thing.
2) Taehyun’s biggest fear was that his new love (Dayeol) would leave him like his mother left him. I don’t love how Dayeol knew this fear of Taehyun's but left anyway, thus causing the time skip. I think I would have been more okay with a time skip if it had been caused by any other reason (perhaps one of them could have gone to study abroad or something). As is, the time skip and the fight leading up to it felt like a continuity error because Dayeol should have known and been a bit more understanding of Taehyun's slow response to his confession.
Simple, fluffy, kooky. There are a couple moments when Copter puts the fluff down and delivers solid emotional performances (like the angry cake scene in ep 1). I think this show would have been more palatable if they had aired it in small 5-minute skits instead of in full episodes because even though it was only 6 eps it still dragged here and there.
This show was so suspenseful and it keeps you on your toes! I loved how you could really see the “butterfly effects” and how drastically characters’ personalities and actions would change due to this or that happening. The writers did a brilliant job at creating such a plethora of situations and outcomes for each time loop, I was never bored. Stuffed to the gills with medical drama, time travel, and suspense, the first ten episodes were incredible.
The place I think this drama slightly drops the ball is when introducing the romance. Tin seems to have fallen for Tol by ep 5 and I just don’t think Tin knew Tol well enough at that point to be in love with him yet. It is believable that Tin grew to care for this young man that he watched die over and over, but love? I don’t think so. It then felt a little creepy how Tin immediately throws himself into the “I have to make Tol love me this loop” mindset. I would have enjoyed their romance much more if it had begun later in the show after more loops had taken place where there got to know each other better.
This series was so so cute! The actors feel very natural on camera, to the point I couldn't decide at first if I thought they felt very amateur or very brilliant. In a similar manner, the conversations play out in such a realistic tone and pace that I could see how some people might think this show slow, but I again liked how natural it felt. In the end I loved them and got so much more invested than I thought I would in such a short series. I love the little ways Win and Tops gravitate around each other, like how Win is constantly praising Tops and bragging about him to anyone who will listen, or the way they follow after each other and calm each other down in times of stress.
The audio was a little poor in some places (dialogue quiet compared to bgm) but other than that I really have no complaints!
A very realistic piece of light angst about a character who cannot see past his own insecurities to realize that other people have their own problems that they struggle with. I like how artful this series feels, and I love how it ties into the idea of the characters being in film school and how they are learning to tell a story through film: there are moments where the line between reality and film are blurred and it creates this dreamy atmosphere that I really enjoyed.
This show grew on me. In the first three or so episodes of the Rain/Payu arc I found Payu to be creepily manipulative and infantilizing to Rain, and I thought it was pretty insidious to pass that off as Payu being a generic handsome, caring, older partner in the relationship. But as the episodes went on and the two got more lovey dovey I found Payu to be not as controlling and condescending. I love that both Rain and Payu loved to be in each others’ arms and that they both initiated kisses and sex (and hoo boy, this show delivers sex!!). To put it bluntly, seeing an enthusiastic and energetic bottom was very nice! Seeing a sappy and corny top was very nice! Hooray for breaking some genre archetypes! Other than showcasing a couple from very early on in the show I don’t think the plot was anything to write home about, but the riding scenes were exciting.
As for the Sky/Prapai arc, I really like Sky as a character. He is strong and hardworking and sharp and has emotional depth to him. I didn’t love the actor who played Prapai and I felt like his cheese factor somewhat clashed with Sky’s otherwise serious nature, but otherwise they had an emotional and memorable story.
TLDR: watch Rain/Payu for their chemistry and watch Sky/Prapai for an unexpectedly well done performance by Peat (Sky).
If I remember correctly at the begining White was taking the exam and failed on some basic questions because he…
I thought White was knowledgeable of govnt at the start, he was able to please his dad and the other officials he had dinner with. And he answered his govnt work exam with smart answers that his dad said were correct in truth but not applicable in the corrupted version of govnt that they live in. In university when acting as Black White struggles to answer the pop quiz in Thai (he can't think of the words, he is used to Russian) but he seems to know all the theories and knows major examples of cases (he does not know smaller cases, like Sean's dad). I guess in general I wanted there to be more scandal and suspense about White having to hide his secret identity as White, and the language/knowledge thing was something I think would have added suspense by giving him away quickly if it were to be found out.
Like, wouldn't it have been an interesting scene if Sean found a journal written in Russian in Black/White's apartment when he was snooping around? Sean would immediately be suspicious and could call "Black" out on it and I would love to see what White came up with as an excuse. Or Tawi had a drug empire, right? Perhaps he could have been working with a Russian buyer and White would be the only one capable of sneaking in and spying on their meetings. Or perhaps they could have included a scene where the hisos were having a dinner party or something, and the gang wants to infiltrate it to cause a scene. White would have to coach them on how to blend in and perhaps he would lead the infiltration because he could point out who was who and what their personalities were like. So lol, I am basically saying "if the entire story were to be rewritten with more of a focus on identity shenanigans, I would want more moments where White was almost found out because he has a background in diplomacy that Black didn't have."
Woah though, I didn't know that about the book. I definitely prefer the version of Sean in the drama, I think!!
The actors are very handsome and have nice chemistry, and they are given quite a few erotic scenes to flex that in! The first two eps set up this scandalous and outrageous show about sex between rivals but that concept dies out pretty quick. Mangkorn and Yai become friends swiftly and then move right on to being fluffy lovey dovey partners. This show is cute with some funny moments but it does lack some stronger plot or driving motivation because for all those kissing scenes I was terribly bored in eps 5-8. Oh! The cinematography was great though. I loved the lighting and there are also some really beautiful individual shots too, where you really feel the action of the moment or you get an interesting angle.
TLDR: Beautifully shot short series with handsome actors who go through all the motions but somewhat lacking in meaningful plot. Definitely one of those “just watch it for the sex” shows.
This drama is superb in terms of character growth and message. The actors are incredible, with Off as Sean being especially notable. The overall message of social reform the show carries will resonate with almost anyone who watches. The costumes, makeup (blood and injuries), and sets feel real and gritty and show you a side to life in Thailand that most rose-tinted bls won’t. It truly is a superb show that everyone should watch at least once. Believe you me, you will fall in love with these characters and they will linger in your mind long after you finish watching.
All that being said, the plot itself can be lacking at times, which feels bizarre because the rest of the show is so brilliant. One of my biggest gripes is the underutilization of White as White: he is introduced as being smart, speaking several languages, he is rich, he has a good understanding of the inner workings of bureaucracy because he was raised in it, and so on. Over the course of the show he realizes he was raised in a privileged position… but he never uses that privilege to help? I understand that he wanted to cut himself off from the two-faced hisos that this show villainizes, but he still could have used the skills and knowledge he learned from his family to help the gang. There was not one scene where White flexed his linguistic skills nor one scene where White chimed in with insider info about the government or bureaucracy which could have been helpful. I feel like that is a big waste of his character’s potential. Another complaint about White is that I never really felt like he fell for Sean at the start. You can very clearly see Sean considering “Black” in a new light and you can see him turning the issue over in his mind and eventually coming to trust and care for “Black.” But White? He treats Sean the same as he treats the other gang members and you never see him single Sean out in particular as someone worth caring for. I feel like White also becomes somewhat bland after Black returns and White goes back to being himself. Other plot issues take place later in the story when dealing with the antagonists, and maybe I will write those under a spoiler tag.
TLDR, the characters and message are great, the actual execution of the plot has some holes if you start looking closely.
I am definitely in the camp that finds this show so bad it is good. This show tries so hard to be cool and edgy from every angle --soundtrack, costuming, set design, characters, plot, mood-- that it circles back around to be absurd and ridonkulous. I can't put it down.
I really liked this series after ep 2. The first two eps are confusing as the characters go through a rollercoaster of emotions and it really makes no sense how Mark for example can go from raging against Vee for sleeping together to being chummy and eating lunch together. That first bit lacks continuity and feels sloppy. However, past ep 2, Mark and Vee have fantastic chemistry. The actors are very good at showcasing the highs and lows of maneuvering through relationships, and there are some surprisingly deep moments of dialogue. So yeah, if you ignore the first two eps (and the fact that Vee cheats on Ploy first and he never tells her), this show is pretty good!
As a fan of the Hemp Rope novel (perhaps even more so than of Red Thread), I was very excited for Between Us. And I think Win and Team’s story here was pretty good! I liked the slow and emotional way it played out. I always love the fuck-buddies-to-more cliche and I like that this story plays out with domesticity, trust, and devotion between the two buddies. There were a few moments where I thought “do we really need to see this childhood flashback again?” but otherwise I thought their story progressed at a fine pace. Do I think if they had just been honest about their feelings they could have had an easier go of things? Absolutely, but then where is the emotional and angsty fun in that? They have a fair few kissing scenes and cuddling scenes so the skinship here is good, and I liked watching them sleep, eat, and dress together. That domesticity is often missing in Thai bls and here it is center stage. I give their storyline a solid 8/10.
In terms of this show running parallel to UWMA, I think it did not bad-not great. I liked seeing the UWMA characters again and I loved seeing a bit more from some of my fave UWMA moments (like the extended scene of Dean and Pharm at the grocery store). I liked that they used the UWMA music sparingly but poignantly, and I thought that overall this show didn’t feel like a simple pandering nostalgia trip for UWMA. That being said, if you haven’t seen UWMA and you started instead with Between Us I don’t think you would enjoy watching Dean and Pharm here as a “side couple” because they actually appear in this show very little and their relationship here isn’t given regular screentime. There is actually relatively little overlap here with the UWMA story so you shouldn’t go into this thinking you are going to see UWMA take-two. This is firmly Win and Team’s story, not their perspective of everything that is happening between Dean and Pharm.
I liked the inclusion of the side plots about Win’s family and about Tul being Waan’s gaming friend. I didn’t love the completely new side couple of Bee and Prince because their acting was pretty awkward at first, but they did get better as the show went on. I don’t think Bee and Prince really add anything to the show that we couldn’t have done without.
1
There were a lot of things that held potential in this show, but I just never really felt like the writing was detailed enough to make this premise sing. This was fine for one watch, but I doubt I will rec this to any friends or rewatch myself.
And you know what? For a student film I thought this was not bad. The acting was good from the mains and I was drawn into their story and invested in their relationship. The two mains have good chemistry and we got some unexpectedly adorable kissing and cuddling scenes from them here. Were there plot holes? Yeah, a fair few, some quite big ones that it seemed ludicrous they could overlook. I also was bugged that half the characters were never named (it took two full episodes to even learn Minhyun’s name!). But overall I enjoyed this show and would give it a solid 7/10.
As for negatives, there were one or two moments that were overdone and/or too sensational (*ahem* auntie 👀). Luckily these moments were few and far between so you could easily move past them and get sucked back into the mains' unique dynamic. I also didn't love the two final eps and would have preferred a different ending, but for what we got I thought everyone's actions were understandable when you try to put yourself in the mindset of an angry hormonal teen. So... yeah, ending was fine but not superb.
1) The show nailed the high school vibe and I am bummed we didn’t get to see our mains be a happy couple in high school. I wanted to see them hold hands down the hallway, get teased by their friends at lunch, lean out the window to flirt as the other passed by, etc. I feel a bit jipped we didn’t get to see that kind of cute thing.
2) Taehyun’s biggest fear was that his new love (Dayeol) would leave him like his mother left him. I don’t love how Dayeol knew this fear of Taehyun's but left anyway, thus causing the time skip. I think I would have been more okay with a time skip if it had been caused by any other reason (perhaps one of them could have gone to study abroad or something). As is, the time skip and the fight leading up to it felt like a continuity error because Dayeol should have known and been a bit more understanding of Taehyun's slow response to his confession.
The place I think this drama slightly drops the ball is when introducing the romance. Tin seems to have fallen for Tol by ep 5 and I just don’t think Tin knew Tol well enough at that point to be in love with him yet. It is believable that Tin grew to care for this young man that he watched die over and over, but love? I don’t think so. It then felt a little creepy how Tin immediately throws himself into the “I have to make Tol love me this loop” mindset. I would have enjoyed their romance much more if it had begun later in the show after more loops had taken place where there got to know each other better.
The audio was a little poor in some places (dialogue quiet compared to bgm) but other than that I really have no complaints!
As for the Sky/Prapai arc, I really like Sky as a character. He is strong and hardworking and sharp and has emotional depth to him. I didn’t love the actor who played Prapai and I felt like his cheese factor somewhat clashed with Sky’s otherwise serious nature, but otherwise they had an emotional and memorable story.
TLDR: watch Rain/Payu for their chemistry and watch Sky/Prapai for an unexpectedly well done performance by Peat (Sky).
Like, wouldn't it have been an interesting scene if Sean found a journal written in Russian in Black/White's apartment when he was snooping around? Sean would immediately be suspicious and could call "Black" out on it and I would love to see what White came up with as an excuse. Or Tawi had a drug empire, right? Perhaps he could have been working with a Russian buyer and White would be the only one capable of sneaking in and spying on their meetings. Or perhaps they could have included a scene where the hisos were having a dinner party or something, and the gang wants to infiltrate it to cause a scene. White would have to coach them on how to blend in and perhaps he would lead the infiltration because he could point out who was who and what their personalities were like. So lol, I am basically saying "if the entire story were to be rewritten with more of a focus on identity shenanigans, I would want more moments where White was almost found out because he has a background in diplomacy that Black didn't have."
Woah though, I didn't know that about the book. I definitely prefer the version of Sean in the drama, I think!!
TLDR: Beautifully shot short series with handsome actors who go through all the motions but somewhat lacking in meaningful plot. Definitely one of those “just watch it for the sex” shows.
All that being said, the plot itself can be lacking at times, which feels bizarre because the rest of the show is so brilliant. One of my biggest gripes is the underutilization of White as White: he is introduced as being smart, speaking several languages, he is rich, he has a good understanding of the inner workings of bureaucracy because he was raised in it, and so on. Over the course of the show he realizes he was raised in a privileged position… but he never uses that privilege to help? I understand that he wanted to cut himself off from the two-faced hisos that this show villainizes, but he still could have used the skills and knowledge he learned from his family to help the gang. There was not one scene where White flexed his linguistic skills nor one scene where White chimed in with insider info about the government or bureaucracy which could have been helpful. I feel like that is a big waste of his character’s potential. Another complaint about White is that I never really felt like he fell for Sean at the start. You can very clearly see Sean considering “Black” in a new light and you can see him turning the issue over in his mind and eventually coming to trust and care for “Black.” But White? He treats Sean the same as he treats the other gang members and you never see him single Sean out in particular as someone worth caring for. I feel like White also becomes somewhat bland after Black returns and White goes back to being himself. Other plot issues take place later in the story when dealing with the antagonists, and maybe I will write those under a spoiler tag.
TLDR, the characters and message are great, the actual execution of the plot has some holes if you start looking closely.
In terms of this show running parallel to UWMA, I think it did not bad-not great. I liked seeing the UWMA characters again and I loved seeing a bit more from some of my fave UWMA moments (like the extended scene of Dean and Pharm at the grocery store). I liked that they used the UWMA music sparingly but poignantly, and I thought that overall this show didn’t feel like a simple pandering nostalgia trip for UWMA. That being said, if you haven’t seen UWMA and you started instead with Between Us I don’t think you would enjoy watching Dean and Pharm here as a “side couple” because they actually appear in this show very little and their relationship here isn’t given regular screentime. There is actually relatively little overlap here with the UWMA story so you shouldn’t go into this thinking you are going to see UWMA take-two. This is firmly Win and Team’s story, not their perspective of everything that is happening between Dean and Pharm.
I liked the inclusion of the side plots about Win’s family and about Tul being Waan’s gaming friend. I didn’t love the completely new side couple of Bee and Prince because their acting was pretty awkward at first, but they did get better as the show went on. I don’t think Bee and Prince really add anything to the show that we couldn’t have done without.