This review may contain spoilers
Teen Emotions 2024
This series have more characters than the goddamn dictionary, literally, which dentist office did they find all these people in braces? Somewhere in Thailand a dentist is missing half his clients, and they out here trying to start bands and find love. Also, did this drama make everyone else remember their first love? cuz, same!
Listen, between the 1000 characters that we had, these children also had more drama/problems than the Kardashians. Damn, they were hustling. From emotional cheating, coming out, bullying, insecurities, misunderstandings, one-sided love, school work, abusive parents, blackmailing sisters, heartbreak, the band/singing, and to top it all off, braces! Like, how did any of them even passed their courses?
Now, why did these children came off more talented (acting) and their characters more mature than most veteran bls out there? That breakup scene between Aim and Phun was the most mature scene I’d seen in a bl. They took time off, cooled down, then sat and talked and even decided to be friends. And Noh and Phun were so mature as well with their feelings and how to move forward when there was Aim and Yuri between there. Kudos to the whole team for that, clap clap. Of course, this was a teenage drama, so there was a lot of unnecessary drama, insecurities and misunderstanding, but with the target audience, it was spot on, so again, kudos.
Even with its 3000 characters, this drama held my interest because it reminded me of my first crush/love. You know, those days when your friends push the two of you together on the football field, and you hold hands after agreeing to start dating, and you forget to breath for a second? Noh and Phun made me remember those awkward first love days, and that’s why I enjoyed watching this every Sunday.
So, yeah, with 15 episodes and 7000 characters, a lot of things happened in this show. Lots of side characters all out there doing their own thing, so I can't possibly review everything in details, so I'mma give a quick rundown of what I remember/held my attention on both plot and characters.
PHUN & NOH
When I find out this drama have like 10,000 characters already in the first episode, I thought I was gonna be confused on who the hell was who to even have a favourite, but Phun and Noh stood out, and managed to get my attention and keep it. In most shows that have these many characters, somehow, some side character always manage to steal the spotlight, but not here. The two leads did an amazing job. The way they handled their problems was how I came to love them. They were so mature and strong, making the characters very relatable. Which of course it's a testament to the actors and how well they understood the project. Almond (Phun) & Progress (Noh) were the perfect actors to play this version of the drama. Of course, the characters were teenagers and sometimes misunderstandings lead to unnecessary hurt, still, as a show about teenagers it was expected.
Noh is a better person than me though, being strong enough to let Phun go although they loved each other so he can keep being with his girlfriend, and then after they broke up, he even waited for Phun to sort out his feelings. Me and my broken-heart would have moved to Taiwan or something, cuz that must have hurt like hell. Most of the time, I felt angry and frustrated on his behalf when Phun gets jealous, and I'll go: 'Noh, my boy, let him sulk, he has a girlfriend, he has no right to get jealous!'
Phun on the other hand. I understood him as well, dealing with his feelings while also trying to do right by Aim, and trying to please his father. But he handle the whole Aim thing so well, and I'm glad he didn't even blame her, and also took some of the blame. I was happy that when Phun made his mind about Noh, he was all in and didn't care about anything else. That being said, no one, and I mean no one can outdo Phun when it comes to making that bitchy, unimpressed, sulky expression. Dude graduated from the school of sassiness with honours in attitude studies. Damn, sulk much?
AIM
I admire Aim’s commitment to not give a single eff at all. Literally, homegirl didn't even bat an eye when the whole thing with her, Phun and Li happened. I liked her, because let' be honest, they both cheated, emotionally or physically. She had her own thing going on with her mom, and then being rejected, finding herself. Yeah, her still being mature about everything and even knowing it was her fault for fumbling Li, was impressive. Also, imma need her and Phun to play a drama in the future as sibling/twins, cuz their expressions would be spot on!
EARN
Oh, Earnie, my boy. This child was so sad, falling for a bald-headed cute dude who let him down oh so easily, only for him to disappear from the drama like 80% of the run-time. No, where he go? Then, he came back in the final two episodes only to get his heart broken again. When he was sobbing. Yikes. Anyway, I liked Earn, he deserved so much more. If only Noh had a twin. That scene when he saw Noh sleeping on Phun's shoulder and got shock and hurt... I felt so bad for him, but like, I laughed a bit cuz, I love drama.
YURI
I liked her, but homegirl needed to go find somewhere to sit and touch some grass. Damn, she made a whole relationship in her head, then proceeded to make it our problem when it didn't work out. Sure she was sweet and whatnot, but that girl needed to take a hike at some point or another. She knew Noh wasn't interested in her that way, they even talked about it, and still she kept her hopes up. Really, SUSAN?? I understood her though, unrequited love sucks, but she broke her own heart, so there's only so much empathy I can show her.
OHM & MICK
Hahahah, Mick taking charge of their relationship was so fun. I was laughing so hard when Mick went 'yeah, I like you, so prepare yourself, imma make you mine.' and Ohm just went back to eating in shock, and just accepted his fate. Sometimes I wished Ohm would stop playing and accept the poor boy's feelings already, verbally that is, our boy did show his love through his actions. Ohm's best-friend energy was on point. Poor Film though, in the novel he said something along the lines of 'I can't believe I let a cat go look after my fish.' LMAO. No, but Ohm and Mick almost stole my attention for a moment.
PER & WIN
First off, yes, Win is young so making bad decision is a must, but trying to get with the bad crowd and ruin your life because the guy you have a crush on don't like you back is dumb as hell. But, I love how he got brave and stood up to his military dad, thought at what cost??? #tears. Per was so over the place with his feelings, pretending not to want Win, dating that poor girl who had to put up with a jealous Win. But Per bit more than he could chew with Win's father acting like a waste of space, so I understand he got scared. I'm glad in the end he fought for Win and they had that two minutes of happiness.
OTHER THINGS
- Ohm randomly, suddenly, having feelings for Noh in episode 14 was total BS, unnecessary and stupid. Whoever's idea it was to include that plot should be fired. Like, that friendship was amazing, did everyone and their mamas have to have feelings for Noh? I thought we moved passed the main lead being super special nonsense. Ew!
- Per's friend who liked him though... Pete? I felt so bad for him, cuz you could see his emotions on display in his eyes, and Per just... pretended he didn't notice. So sad.
- That one friend who went out to the other one and went, 'I like you, let's date' and then that was it. He was like, yeah, I have a boyfriend now, and the other boy was like, 'wait you were serious?' HAHAHAH, I loved it. No drama, no nonsense, just straight to the point, my kind of love. They win the couple goals.
- Phun's father though, dude showed up one time and tried to be a father, like, go sit down. Also, is that actor like the only one auditioning for the father roles in bls or he's like the default choice now? I just saw him pretend to be a cop in Kidnap.
- Love how Noh and his house workers got along, also with his parents. At least not all the parents were portrayed as bad.
- Love how their age all the boys acted, their friendship was so chaotic and nice to see.
---
LOVESICK 2014 Vs LOVESICK 2024
If you are wondering if you should watch the 2 seasons of the first adaptation of this drama, then I'll recommend it, because it had its charm. There are some difference, although they both follow the novel, the first version had lots of scenes/plot focus on the girl school as well, with lots of drama coming from them, so there was a lot more characters and storylines. Frankly, my glad the 2024 version removed most of the drama with Jeed and the other girls, it made the season 2 of the 2014 version dragged a lot. When it comes down to it, the changes reflect the current times rather than anything, so yeah, watch it if you want more Phun and Noh, cuz both couple did amazing job with the characters.
THE NOVEL (spoilers)
If you are looking for more depth, read the novel. It's in first person POV and Noh is the narrator, so we get to be in his head, and all his rumblings and thoughts are so much fun. I found myself laughing at his antics and inner thoughts throughout the novel. Since we are in his POV, everything is limited and we get told stuff that happens with others instead of being show, so there's a lot of telling and not enough showing, but we do get to connect and understand Noh better.
This 2024 adaptation of the novel is very cute and a heartwarming watch, although it had its heavy topics. It practically followed the novel, except of course a few charges to get with the times. A lot of people were waiting for a kiss between Phun and Noh. I saw some even complaining that, the ending scene in episode 10, when they finally agreed to become boyfriends needed a kiss. While I do understand, that scene was so emotional and well acted by the two leads that it didn't need anything more than what we got. Personally, I think the emotional impact with the viewers was better without the kiss.
But of course, for those who wanted more, I'd recommend you read the novel, cuz it has more intimate scenes. Which starts as earlier as in episode 3. In the novel when Phun first confessed that he wanted Noh, they had their first kiss, first time, twice. So, yeah, lots of things that both dramas didn't show, so if you want a more mature version, where you get a kiss and more during the let's be boyfriend scene, then do yourself a favour and read the novel.
All in all, of course this drama wasn't without flaws, the main one being, trying to keep up with the 20.000 characters and their storylines. I almost gave up, but then I kept going because Sundays were my drama watching days and I loved having five-six shows to watch XD. But even with its flaws, the team made a decent and coherent show that managed to keep my interest for 15 episodes, so I'll recommend it to all bl lovers. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the cast, they are all going places with how good they were in this.
Anyway, two more episodes left, then I'll be back to finish my review. Can't wait to see how everything comes to an end in this version.
Listen, between the 1000 characters that we had, these children also had more drama/problems than the Kardashians. Damn, they were hustling. From emotional cheating, coming out, bullying, insecurities, misunderstandings, one-sided love, school work, abusive parents, blackmailing sisters, heartbreak, the band/singing, and to top it all off, braces! Like, how did any of them even passed their courses?
Now, why did these children came off more talented (acting) and their characters more mature than most veteran bls out there? That breakup scene between Aim and Phun was the most mature scene I’d seen in a bl. They took time off, cooled down, then sat and talked and even decided to be friends. And Noh and Phun were so mature as well with their feelings and how to move forward when there was Aim and Yuri between there. Kudos to the whole team for that, clap clap. Of course, this was a teenage drama, so there was a lot of unnecessary drama, insecurities and misunderstanding, but with the target audience, it was spot on, so again, kudos.
Even with its 3000 characters, this drama held my interest because it reminded me of my first crush/love. You know, those days when your friends push the two of you together on the football field, and you hold hands after agreeing to start dating, and you forget to breath for a second? Noh and Phun made me remember those awkward first love days, and that’s why I enjoyed watching this every Sunday.
So, yeah, with 15 episodes and 7000 characters, a lot of things happened in this show. Lots of side characters all out there doing their own thing, so I can't possibly review everything in details, so I'mma give a quick rundown of what I remember/held my attention on both plot and characters.
PHUN & NOH
When I find out this drama have like 10,000 characters already in the first episode, I thought I was gonna be confused on who the hell was who to even have a favourite, but Phun and Noh stood out, and managed to get my attention and keep it. In most shows that have these many characters, somehow, some side character always manage to steal the spotlight, but not here. The two leads did an amazing job. The way they handled their problems was how I came to love them. They were so mature and strong, making the characters very relatable. Which of course it's a testament to the actors and how well they understood the project. Almond (Phun) & Progress (Noh) were the perfect actors to play this version of the drama. Of course, the characters were teenagers and sometimes misunderstandings lead to unnecessary hurt, still, as a show about teenagers it was expected.
Noh is a better person than me though, being strong enough to let Phun go although they loved each other so he can keep being with his girlfriend, and then after they broke up, he even waited for Phun to sort out his feelings. Me and my broken-heart would have moved to Taiwan or something, cuz that must have hurt like hell. Most of the time, I felt angry and frustrated on his behalf when Phun gets jealous, and I'll go: 'Noh, my boy, let him sulk, he has a girlfriend, he has no right to get jealous!'
Phun on the other hand. I understood him as well, dealing with his feelings while also trying to do right by Aim, and trying to please his father. But he handle the whole Aim thing so well, and I'm glad he didn't even blame her, and also took some of the blame. I was happy that when Phun made his mind about Noh, he was all in and didn't care about anything else. That being said, no one, and I mean no one can outdo Phun when it comes to making that bitchy, unimpressed, sulky expression. Dude graduated from the school of sassiness with honours in attitude studies. Damn, sulk much?
AIM
I admire Aim’s commitment to not give a single eff at all. Literally, homegirl didn't even bat an eye when the whole thing with her, Phun and Li happened. I liked her, because let' be honest, they both cheated, emotionally or physically. She had her own thing going on with her mom, and then being rejected, finding herself. Yeah, her still being mature about everything and even knowing it was her fault for fumbling Li, was impressive. Also, imma need her and Phun to play a drama in the future as sibling/twins, cuz their expressions would be spot on!
EARN
Oh, Earnie, my boy. This child was so sad, falling for a bald-headed cute dude who let him down oh so easily, only for him to disappear from the drama like 80% of the run-time. No, where he go? Then, he came back in the final two episodes only to get his heart broken again. When he was sobbing. Yikes. Anyway, I liked Earn, he deserved so much more. If only Noh had a twin. That scene when he saw Noh sleeping on Phun's shoulder and got shock and hurt... I felt so bad for him, but like, I laughed a bit cuz, I love drama.
YURI
I liked her, but homegirl needed to go find somewhere to sit and touch some grass. Damn, she made a whole relationship in her head, then proceeded to make it our problem when it didn't work out. Sure she was sweet and whatnot, but that girl needed to take a hike at some point or another. She knew Noh wasn't interested in her that way, they even talked about it, and still she kept her hopes up. Really, SUSAN?? I understood her though, unrequited love sucks, but she broke her own heart, so there's only so much empathy I can show her.
OHM & MICK
Hahahah, Mick taking charge of their relationship was so fun. I was laughing so hard when Mick went 'yeah, I like you, so prepare yourself, imma make you mine.' and Ohm just went back to eating in shock, and just accepted his fate. Sometimes I wished Ohm would stop playing and accept the poor boy's feelings already, verbally that is, our boy did show his love through his actions. Ohm's best-friend energy was on point. Poor Film though, in the novel he said something along the lines of 'I can't believe I let a cat go look after my fish.' LMAO. No, but Ohm and Mick almost stole my attention for a moment.
PER & WIN
First off, yes, Win is young so making bad decision is a must, but trying to get with the bad crowd and ruin your life because the guy you have a crush on don't like you back is dumb as hell. But, I love how he got brave and stood up to his military dad, thought at what cost??? #tears. Per was so over the place with his feelings, pretending not to want Win, dating that poor girl who had to put up with a jealous Win. But Per bit more than he could chew with Win's father acting like a waste of space, so I understand he got scared. I'm glad in the end he fought for Win and they had that two minutes of happiness.
OTHER THINGS
- Ohm randomly, suddenly, having feelings for Noh in episode 14 was total BS, unnecessary and stupid. Whoever's idea it was to include that plot should be fired. Like, that friendship was amazing, did everyone and their mamas have to have feelings for Noh? I thought we moved passed the main lead being super special nonsense. Ew!
- Per's friend who liked him though... Pete? I felt so bad for him, cuz you could see his emotions on display in his eyes, and Per just... pretended he didn't notice. So sad.
- That one friend who went out to the other one and went, 'I like you, let's date' and then that was it. He was like, yeah, I have a boyfriend now, and the other boy was like, 'wait you were serious?' HAHAHAH, I loved it. No drama, no nonsense, just straight to the point, my kind of love. They win the couple goals.
- Phun's father though, dude showed up one time and tried to be a father, like, go sit down. Also, is that actor like the only one auditioning for the father roles in bls or he's like the default choice now? I just saw him pretend to be a cop in Kidnap.
- Love how Noh and his house workers got along, also with his parents. At least not all the parents were portrayed as bad.
- Love how their age all the boys acted, their friendship was so chaotic and nice to see.
---
LOVESICK 2014 Vs LOVESICK 2024
If you are wondering if you should watch the 2 seasons of the first adaptation of this drama, then I'll recommend it, because it had its charm. There are some difference, although they both follow the novel, the first version had lots of scenes/plot focus on the girl school as well, with lots of drama coming from them, so there was a lot more characters and storylines. Frankly, my glad the 2024 version removed most of the drama with Jeed and the other girls, it made the season 2 of the 2014 version dragged a lot. When it comes down to it, the changes reflect the current times rather than anything, so yeah, watch it if you want more Phun and Noh, cuz both couple did amazing job with the characters.
THE NOVEL (spoilers)
If you are looking for more depth, read the novel. It's in first person POV and Noh is the narrator, so we get to be in his head, and all his rumblings and thoughts are so much fun. I found myself laughing at his antics and inner thoughts throughout the novel. Since we are in his POV, everything is limited and we get told stuff that happens with others instead of being show, so there's a lot of telling and not enough showing, but we do get to connect and understand Noh better.
This 2024 adaptation of the novel is very cute and a heartwarming watch, although it had its heavy topics. It practically followed the novel, except of course a few charges to get with the times. A lot of people were waiting for a kiss between Phun and Noh. I saw some even complaining that, the ending scene in episode 10, when they finally agreed to become boyfriends needed a kiss. While I do understand, that scene was so emotional and well acted by the two leads that it didn't need anything more than what we got. Personally, I think the emotional impact with the viewers was better without the kiss.
But of course, for those who wanted more, I'd recommend you read the novel, cuz it has more intimate scenes. Which starts as earlier as in episode 3. In the novel when Phun first confessed that he wanted Noh, they had their first kiss, first time, twice. So, yeah, lots of things that both dramas didn't show, so if you want a more mature version, where you get a kiss and more during the let's be boyfriend scene, then do yourself a favour and read the novel.
All in all, of course this drama wasn't without flaws, the main one being, trying to keep up with the 20.000 characters and their storylines. I almost gave up, but then I kept going because Sundays were my drama watching days and I loved having five-six shows to watch XD. But even with its flaws, the team made a decent and coherent show that managed to keep my interest for 15 episodes, so I'll recommend it to all bl lovers. I'm looking forward to seeing more from the cast, they are all going places with how good they were in this.
Anyway, two more episodes left, then I'll be back to finish my review. Can't wait to see how everything comes to an end in this version.
Was this review helpful to you?