There's lots to say about “I Promised you the Moon” but I have to begin by saying how it's close to ITSAY. While comparing IPYTM to ITSAY (which is but natural, considering they are sequels), many have pointed out how IPYTM fell back while others loved it more than it's sequel. I belong to the grey zone where I loved both for what they were.

The biggest parallel or similarity between these series was how Teh and Oh-Aew's relationship progressed. In itsay, they start out as friends, not best friends or bosom friends–these two boys were attached at the hips. They new even the most minute details about each other and the details they didn't know about each other, they were ready to learn. Similarly, in ipytm they start out as boyfriends. Not flings, not the questioning phase. Boyfriends in the truest sense of the word.

But all good things don't last and so it ends for Teh and Oh-Aew in both itsay and ipytm. In itsay they fight when one questions the other over whether they'd be ready to give up the thing they love for each other. In ipytm the struggle is different. It comes first in the form of Oh-Aew’s change in faculties which makes Teh feel betrayed; while Teh becomes closer to his own friends and his work, Oh-Aew gets closer to his own friends and his new faculty. Things hit the fan when Teh develops an attraction for Jai, his friend and then the director of the university play he acts in.

The problem with both Teh and Oh-Aew is that they don't stick together. The moment something happens they switch off communication, cut cords, ignore each other completely. But they can't let go. They keep thinking about each other. Both can't happen simultaneously, you either care of you don't and their conflict is that they do care but are forced to show that they don't. In itsay Teh texts Oh-Aew but he doesn't send it while Oh-Aew waits to talk to him in person. In ipytm Teh texts him again but Oh-Aew cuts him off.

The fact that they can't let go is highlighted when they meet each other for the first time after their fight. In itsay, they stare daggers at each other, unaware of what they will mean for each other in a month's time. In ipytm Teh and Oh-Aew meet at least two years after their breakup. Teh is heartbroken and guilty; Oh-Aew is heartbroken and angry.

It's ‘Shangxin’ all over again. Two people applying force against each other's hearts.

They take comfort in knowing that the other is okay. Seeing Teh flourish in his career on TV makes Oh-Aew smile. Teh texts him to know more about him, but stays away without imposing himself on Oh-Aew. The first thing he asks Oh-Aew on meeting him is whether he's okay.

“No one can replace you for me.”

Teh and Oh-Aew aren't just friends to lovers. Their connection runs deeper than that. It runs so deep that Oh-Aew knows he has to comfort Teh on learning about Tuty’s death. A small detail, but it really stood out to me. Because regardless of how many boyfriends Oh-Aew has and how many partners Teh dates, nobody can take take the place of Oh-Aew for Teh and nobody can take the place of Teh for Oh-Aew.

The series ends with at Phuket, with Teh’s brother getting married to his long time love. Teh and Oh-Aew, now with the sunset at their back, a calmer sunset–not the glaring brightness of the Promthep cape at Phuket–they get together again.


Direction • script and storytelling • cinematography & soundtrack
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CINEMATOGRAPHY:
In terms of cinematography, the quality is still maintained. Apparently the 4k release on Vimeo is the best experience ever, as has been said by those who purchased the Vimeo package. While we don't get to visit the quaint spots of old town Phuket, we have amazing shots of the characters with the Bangkok skyline in the background.

Aesthetics aren't about how much scenery you can clump into an episode–the colours matter. I never knew there were so many shades of blue.

In episode 3, where Oh-Aew first sees Teh and Jai kiss, the colors work perfectly. The drama club room where Teh and the other's practice have a light brown shade to them: Teh's shirt, the close-ups of Jai's face all meld together but Oh-Aew's bright pink and red don't match.

Again in episode 3, during the floating in water redux scene where Teh sadly backfloats on the water, the color is sea blue but this time it's artificial and lonely unlike the waves of Phuket where Teh and Oh-Aew swam in their childhood. The Bangkok skyline is navy night, not black. I can't help noticing all this about ipytm.

The most important usage of the color is the counterplay between cool blues and warm reds. Itsay was a whirlwind romance which shook me as an audience. It left me feeling raw in places, ugly sobbing and emotionally drained. Ipytm was considerably different–it was meant to be different. This is Teh and Oh-Aew after six to seven years of their relationship. They are both older, calmer and their story is sadder.

The final scenes of both these series have a sunset but where in itsay it's the bright radiance of Promethep Cape of Old town Phuket, in ipytm it's a calm sunset with small waves. There's even an ornate pier which wasn't there before. Phuket has changed, Teh and Oh-Aew have changed, Mama Sui has changed (she speaks slower and softer now, stressing more on the syllables)—but that's the point of love. Unchanging and forever. In the end, it's not the sunset that convinced me that these two people were meant to be, it's the people.

SOUND EFFECT:
The sound effects of IPYTM don't sound like normal sound dumps in most dramas. Where the OST is just dumped during long agonising moments of 'romantic' eye contact, or during the kiss scenes–no, the tracks have been perfectly timed.

There are three particular beats in the OST which have never stuck out to me before but at the moment when Jai tells Teh to recreate his first memory with Oh-Aew (read: sleep with Oh-Aew again) in episode 3, I could feel the weight of those three notes, they perfect hinted at the impending sadness.

In episode 1, one of my favorite parts was the ending scene where Oh Aew was sitting alone on the couch, closing his eyes an hoping to conjure Teh in front of him. When he opens his eyes and sees Q who makes him join the party, the crescendo rises in the background before coming to a still.

TIME SKIP:
If you've been keeping up with the news on ipytm since March, then you might know that Nadao had announced that each episode will be dealing with a year of their lives at the university. Needless to say, this worried me A LOT. Time slips/jumps always feel like meaningless plot devices but I'm just beginning to understand that it's more about how you use it. In IPYTM, each year hasn't been summed up in one episode, instead key incidents from each year have been woven together to tell the story.

Thanks to P’Meen's direction, we can see all these actors at their best, bringing the characters to life. IPYTM (like itsay), is not a sci-fi or fantasy or historical production. Its a largely ‘feeling based’ romance, as in the emotions it conveys to the audience are very important. To convey sadness, an actor doesn't just have to be good at crying, the build up to that emotional precipice has to be guided well and the director, scriptwriters and everyone working backstage have done that.


Cast & Characters
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1. OH-AEW & TEH

Both Teh and Oh Aew have changed slightly—the cognitive changes which accompany the beginning of adulthood—but at heart Teh is still the enthusiastic boy who saw Yongjian on his television screen and realized what he wanted to be and Oh Aew is still the soft boy who fell in love.

But after episode 1, we begin to see significant changes in their characters. To anybody who complains about this, people do change. People change enormously, especially during the transition during university. Oh-Aew and Teh face lots of emotions–lomeliness on their first week when they had only each other for comfort, rejections during cast calls, the fear of not fulfilling their aspirations, new friends, new lives–they both change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.

PP Krit and Billkin have grown so much as actors. PP's soothing voice was perfect for the osts and mvs released for this series. He has really controlled tears, those single tear lines in episode 5 just shook me. Billkin deserves lots of love for his role. I hated to see people thrash the actor for the nuances in Teh's character. Billkin is a wonderful actor and nobody can change my mind.

2. JAI
JaiHe is so much more than an intriguing side character. First of I want to say that even though Jai told Teh that he wasn't sleeping with Ms. May for grades, I don't really believe him. His manner was secretive, not confidential while he told about it to Teh, as in he's hiding something.

Does that make him a bad person? I would say yes. If you've been to university, you may have encountered such individuals who to resort to such techniques. Does it make him a completely bad person? No, everyone is capable of growth. Does it make him a bad director? Definitely not. Judging from the way he interacts with the crew, it's evident that he's not a bad director. He pays attention to details, he reads through logbooks, he's considerate when he has to be.

A clear example is how Teh interacts with him. At first Teh was enamoured by Top but Jai was the one who told him to work backstage. Who opened up options for him. I'd say it's really natural for Teh to feel those signals from him. What stood out to me most about Jai was his dedication and secondly his insecurity. He tells Teh that he broke up with James because he was afraid how long they were going to stay together. He's afraid his portfolio isn't good enough for the New York university, which is probably why he's sleeping with Ms. May.

We get to see one shot of Jai in the end of episode 5 when he smiles on seeing Teh and Oh-Aew's post on Instagram. Regardless of what he has done, he's a character who left me rooting for him till the very end.

OAB is a splendid actor. If anyone has seen Blackout, you might appreciate him even more. He captures every emotion perfectly.

3. OH-AEW'S FRIENDS
Can we appreciate how unassuming Oh-Aew’s, Q, Mang, Plug and Au’s friendship is? In the fifth episode, when Mang and Plug (now dating) have a small argument which Oh-Aew and Q happen to witness, Q tells Oh-Aew to look after Mang while he will do the same for Plug and then they have a small squabble with Q finally conceding that he will take care of all of them. They will not judge their friends on the basis of who breakup and because of whom and will extend the same support regardless. When Teh comes on tv after the breakup, we see Au looking constantly at Oh-Aew to gauge his reaction to it. In this way we get too see how closely knitted they are.

4. OTHERS
If someone asked me what is the best part of IPYTM then they'd probably expect confusion but i have my answer ready: REAL CHARACTERS.IPYTM will convince you that the people they show are real. They are friends, partners, exes, sons/daughters—real people with aspirations and dreams and responsibilities. Even the side characters have a story to tell. Like Top who despite reaching his goal suspects that he isn't truly good enough. Khim, who isn't ready to forsake her dream yet but her duties compel her to. Teh, who is afraid of being alone. Oh Aew who gets judged for being who he is.

Everyone from itsay was reunited at Hoon's wedding. Teh’s brother Hoon finally–finally–gets married to the love of his life and that brings everybody who left Phuket, back to their scenic hometown. We get to see the MoRaoYuLok a final time, some of them are dating, some have a job, some want to return to Phuket, some want to stay in the places they have built for themselves outside Phuket. We get to see Bas, handsome as ever. We get to see Mama Sui, and she is sweeter than ever.

Also, are Top and Khim dating >·<


Cast & Characters
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1. Romance
We get to see a lot of romantic gestures from both Teh and Oh Aew. In the first scene we see Teh with the milk bottle in his hand. Even though its been a year, Oh Aew still heats up milk for him. He gets a small tattoo too. Teh may be more subtle but his emotions are there. I was particularly touched in the scene where Oh Aew was drunk and Teh, instead of taking the bed, sleeps on the carpet beside the couch.

2. Coming Out and being open
Five minutes into the episode 1 I was grinning like an idiot because Teh’s mom just got the best mom ever award. She's not only supportive but a romantic at heart and she had handmade gifts for both Teh and Oh Aew.

Then comes the aquarium kss. I think it was perfect that their first public kiss was after Teh’s mom accepted him. Even in LTIP, while they're on a nearly deserted street, they don't kiss openly. It's Teh's family's acceptance which gives them the courage to be open and it is Teh's love which let's Oh-Aew be free too.

3. Diversity
Itsay as fans know, took diversity to a whole new level in terms of ethnicity. Teh was partially Chinese, his friend was partially of Western decent. Ipytm took it to the next level with a transgender woman as Teh’s manager. It was the most natural thing ever and I hardly even realized it while watching the series. She was written in as a side character, thank you to P'Meen for not writing a cliche bl with horrendous transgender representation.

Also, kudos to Teh our bisexual king. He has dated other girls and boys but he's never struggled to find a label for himself. Then there's Oh-Aew who's comfortable in being gay. When Teh was not-so-subtly trying to find out whether he has a partner, Oh-Aew confirms that he doesn't have a 'boyfriend'. Some people like labels and some don't, giving space to your partner and understanding them is the most important part.

4. Phuket vs. Bangkok
The reason cited previously for the director change was that P'Meen would be better at framing a script which showcased the problems a student from a rural area would encounter in Bangkok and these were realistically portrayed: homesickness, cost cutting, sticking out in the crowd.

Teh, despite his avid interest in film making has no idea of how it works and is fascinated with even the simplest backstage tasks. The drama club members playfully laugh at his interest.

Oh Aew too faces difficulties, he is unable to make friends at Anantsart. While Teh immerses himself into the drama club, he is unable to toggle between reducing transportation cost, late nights backstage and making time for Oh Aew. When Teh thinks of resigning, Oh Aew encourages him to continue with his drama saying that he will be fine. But what was supposed to last just a month, stretches into two.

5. Reaching your dreams
Every character in itsay and ipytm was working towards a particular goal. While Teh is one minded and confident about his choices, Oh-Aew wavers. But in the end, both are successful. Even their mutual friends from Phuket have jobs or are in relationships. But we also have Au who decides to take a break which is encouraged by Q and the others.

Reaching dreams is hard and there are many obstacles, in some cases like Oh-Aew's, the obstacle includes discrimination for his slightly 'feminine' nature. This made me appreciate seeing a transgender woman in a strong job even more.

⚘
8.0/10 for an awesome story which fell a little flat sometimes but worked for the most of it.