1
10
1
chiha
This review may contain spoilers
A 9.5/10 ‘cause why not? I wouldn't say I am very liberal or too stingy giving ratings that are above 9, but ‘The Best Story’ hit every sweet and sad spot a middle school rom-com can.
With just three episodes, two main characters, a simple storyline and no kisses and/or mature scenes, ‘The Best Story’ will get you more emotional than most romances will. In this case acting is of top importance because there is no cushion for the show to go on. If the viewers don't like the main couple then there is nothing else to keep the show afloat.
This is the story of Best and Dew. At it's core, ‘The Best Story’ doesn’t bring much in terms of a new plot but the pacing out and presentation of this saccharine and bittersweet story and the amazing acting supplemented by the beautiful ost and soundtracks got me really emotional. This is a story of first crush and a youthful love which is nipped in the buds by a narrow-minded family. Kudos to this show for the representation of a boy who knows he likes men—
“Sometimes I wish I liked girls, it would be better that way.”
—and one who isn’t sure of himself but he is sure of his first crush.
“I li(ke you)”
This simple story is supplemented with a great portrayal of relationships. The thing which stood out to me here was how beautiful the friendship of Best, Bright and Ray was. Most Thai shows don't portray friendships properly but seeing these three I felt I could watch another series based just on them. Bright is full of bad ideas and crackhead energy, Ray is the calmer and cooler balance and Best will cheer on and go along with both. But while friendships can be beautiful some people turn out to be untrustworthy, like Fern, Dew’s best friend.
The story is rounded off with the B E S T acting. War, as I have said during Love Mechanics and continue to say so, has the most wonderfully expressive eyes and a beautiful expression to match his other skills. He is a different species in the sense that his eyes are actually his communicating appendage. In the face of War’s acting, I feel that Yin gets overshadowed a lot. But Yin conveys the character's emotions really really well too. The way he slowly lets his tears out is a contrast to War and I think such differences just establish how different but similar their characters are.
Unlike most Thai shows, the actors didn’t seem to be bursting out of their uniforms. The costumes and desk heights were managed properly and I felt they were actual school kids (this irked me a lot in the Gifted series, the actors seemed to more older than the age they were). The bashful or boisterous natures of the characters had me convinced that these were actual school kids.
So, The Best Story managed to make me smile and remember my first crush, gave me a sweet friendship to laugh over, feel the pain of love that is requited but forbidden and an actual gay character (as opposed to two dimensional characters who can't get over the fact that they are gay). It broke my heart on it’s knee but didn’t piece it back together because that’s how it is sometimes, even when you are brave it doesn’t work out always.
Apart from this, huge appreciation for the film crew. For one, the product placement wasn't awkward. Great camerawork and soundtrack. Unlike most Thai series (there I go again XD) which have random weird sound placements, TBS has sound effects which contribute to the crescendo of emotions it evokes in its viewers. Despite the small budget, they delivered on aesthetics and quality. The symbolisms here are just awesome but sometime it maybe difficult to grasp for international viewers because the subtitles yeeted themselves for a few crucial minutes in episode 3 but if you are paying attention then you will notice that what Bet wrote on Dew's shirt was what Dew put on his instagram story. The comments under the episodes (available on youtube) have explained everything btw so make sure to check them out.
Doesn’t it deserve that 9.5 if it managed to do all this in just 3 episodes? I have an unhealthy relationship with “The Best Story” :') it is one of the most 'delightfully sad' stories that left me in 'sad tears' by the end but it's the kind of story that I won’t forget for a while and I plan to rewatch it.
With just three episodes, two main characters, a simple storyline and no kisses and/or mature scenes, ‘The Best Story’ will get you more emotional than most romances will. In this case acting is of top importance because there is no cushion for the show to go on. If the viewers don't like the main couple then there is nothing else to keep the show afloat.
This is the story of Best and Dew. At it's core, ‘The Best Story’ doesn’t bring much in terms of a new plot but the pacing out and presentation of this saccharine and bittersweet story and the amazing acting supplemented by the beautiful ost and soundtracks got me really emotional. This is a story of first crush and a youthful love which is nipped in the buds by a narrow-minded family. Kudos to this show for the representation of a boy who knows he likes men—
“Sometimes I wish I liked girls, it would be better that way.”
—and one who isn’t sure of himself but he is sure of his first crush.
“I li(ke you)”
This simple story is supplemented with a great portrayal of relationships. The thing which stood out to me here was how beautiful the friendship of Best, Bright and Ray was. Most Thai shows don't portray friendships properly but seeing these three I felt I could watch another series based just on them. Bright is full of bad ideas and crackhead energy, Ray is the calmer and cooler balance and Best will cheer on and go along with both. But while friendships can be beautiful some people turn out to be untrustworthy, like Fern, Dew’s best friend.
The story is rounded off with the B E S T acting. War, as I have said during Love Mechanics and continue to say so, has the most wonderfully expressive eyes and a beautiful expression to match his other skills. He is a different species in the sense that his eyes are actually his communicating appendage. In the face of War’s acting, I feel that Yin gets overshadowed a lot. But Yin conveys the character's emotions really really well too. The way he slowly lets his tears out is a contrast to War and I think such differences just establish how different but similar their characters are.
Unlike most Thai shows, the actors didn’t seem to be bursting out of their uniforms. The costumes and desk heights were managed properly and I felt they were actual school kids (this irked me a lot in the Gifted series, the actors seemed to more older than the age they were). The bashful or boisterous natures of the characters had me convinced that these were actual school kids.
So, The Best Story managed to make me smile and remember my first crush, gave me a sweet friendship to laugh over, feel the pain of love that is requited but forbidden and an actual gay character (as opposed to two dimensional characters who can't get over the fact that they are gay). It broke my heart on it’s knee but didn’t piece it back together because that’s how it is sometimes, even when you are brave it doesn’t work out always.
Apart from this, huge appreciation for the film crew. For one, the product placement wasn't awkward. Great camerawork and soundtrack. Unlike most Thai series (there I go again XD) which have random weird sound placements, TBS has sound effects which contribute to the crescendo of emotions it evokes in its viewers. Despite the small budget, they delivered on aesthetics and quality. The symbolisms here are just awesome but sometime it maybe difficult to grasp for international viewers because the subtitles yeeted themselves for a few crucial minutes in episode 3 but if you are paying attention then you will notice that what Bet wrote on Dew's shirt was what Dew put on his instagram story. The comments under the episodes (available on youtube) have explained everything btw so make sure to check them out.
Doesn’t it deserve that 9.5 if it managed to do all this in just 3 episodes? I have an unhealthy relationship with “The Best Story” :') it is one of the most 'delightfully sad' stories that left me in 'sad tears' by the end but it's the kind of story that I won’t forget for a while and I plan to rewatch it.
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