Sixteen episodes of nothingness

The only reason I wanted to watch this series was because I was interested in Seng Wichai’s acting in it. But let me tell you, if you are here for the same reason, then I recommend you to just find all his parts from YouTube. You wouldn’t miss a thing, because his story is barely part of this series and it’s so short compared to the whole show. If you are not here because of Seng, then I also really advise you not to waste your precious time on this nonsense and I will let you know why in the following paragraphs…

You want to know the story of this series? Well, there is basically none. It is just sixteen episodes of grown-ups acting like teenagers, learning nothing from their mistakes and getting zero character development. If you are waiting for some deep message, then you won’t get one. Everything that happens during these sixteen episodes is later wrapped up with ‘share love’ and ‘don’t let your emotions get the best of you’. That’s basically it. Not that this show would actually move their plot towards this solution or understanding. It just kinda comes out of nowhere.

The law firm setting was actually interesting for some time, but it was hilarious, how they constantly reminded us how it’s the best in the country, yet they have workers who waste their work time on acting like teenagers. Shouldn’t they be intelligent and smart people? I did like how they connected their law cases with workers' own life, but even this was quite loosely done. It deals with very delicate themes but does it very badly. There is rape, prostitution, mental health, work stress, money issues, child abuse etc. Such a big spectrum of things! The problem with this series is that they decided to include so many things and in the end they couldn’t deliver…

Not to mention that it really felt like this whole show was portraying women as ambitious, unbalanced, gossip-hungry, mean, crazy people who only act on their emotions. Also, almost every one of the female characters who had kids had left them for their fathers to raise. The show also tries to tell women that they should take care of their children and not pursue careers and that being a mom is basically their only true purpose in this world. Yet almost all the male characters are shown as voices of reason and being balanced and calm and telling women to ‘stop the nonsense’.

Then the characters are all one dimensional and have zero development during the show. We have Beam who is your typical Mary Sue. Everything about her is just so perfect! Then we have Wan, who is just a pure villain, she doesn’t have any other qualities about her. And to justify her actions writers have given her the worst possible past you could imagine. Yet, they don’t manage to develop her in any direction. And the ending for her character was just so lousy, just an easy way out. Then we have Nick who is basically male version of Beam. The Marty Stu. The perfect character in every possible way. And then the last main character is Wayu, who is actually the most decent character in the whole show in my opinion. He even has a tiny bit of development. But he is quite boring if I am honest. I do think that acting wise this show was well done, but when the script itself is just a mess, there is not much the actors can do.

Then we have a bunch of supporting characters who are all their colleagues, but they don’t have any character. They are just there for the main characters’ sake. They are portrayed as brainless gossipers who take the side of a character who gives them something. Not to mention that they all act like children taking videos and pictures of their co-workers and then posting them online. If I had this kind of colleagues I would just quit.

And then we have a small plot for Pond and Jim. The reason why I even started to watch the series. I do think that Seng and Nut did a good job acting wise, but the script they had was just a joke. Their story is given in small short clips that basically have nothing to do with the main plot. I really felt like they were just there to show the viewers that the show supports same-sex couples. It was very cringey to have Beam say how cute they are because he supports BL. Yikes! It was just clear that they didn’t have any real purpose in this series other than being a BL couple. Their story is quite a cliche and has nothing interesting in it. Also, I felt like you had to really put half of the story together in your own mind. That’s how little screen time they gave them! I felt like they were such wasted characters. They could have made them Nick’s friends and connect them more with other characters. Especially when during the series they were only shown for work clips but then in the end suddenly they are celebrating with everybody else in Chat’s house. How did they get so close? I guess it must have happened behind the camera as there is no other explanation…

In conclusion, save yourself some time and nerves and just don’t watch it. You wouldn’t miss anything. If you are still curious about this show then watch it but I recommend you to take it as a comedy as I did in the end. Otherwise you just won’t get through this nonsense…

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Beautiful romantic comedy covered with cringey-blanket

Secret Crush on You is one of those series, which at first I wasn’t sure about, but with every episode it got better and better and I just couldn’t help but fall in love with this beautiful show. I must admit it was hard to watch it at first, because it is so damn embarrassing and awkward and cringey and comical. But once you get used to it, this show shares a lot of very beautiful messages about being yourself, love and friendship. I definitely recommend this show to everyone. I have watched it once, but I will probably watch it again in the near future.

The story itself is actually quite simple and easy to follow. There is nothing new - nerdy guy is falling for the popular older guy. But what makes this show so good are the characters and the way they show love and crushing as something embarrassing, cringey, awkward and comical at times! Just like in reality! But don’t think there are only laughs. Through humor they actually touch on a lot of important and serious (LGBTQ+) topics and they will even make you cry, I definitely cried!

I am convinced that the best part about this show is the main friend group of Toh, Khao, Daisy/Day and Som. Besides the fact that all of them have amazing chemistry with each other, they represent a beautiful friendship that we all long for. Their group is very dynamically balanced. None of them is necessarily a leader or a follower. They are equal. One thing that you could see from the start is how they support and accept each other. They all know they are not perfect and their friends are neither. They are close enough to tell each other the hard truths and give real actual usable advice. I also love how they listen to each other and notice when one of them is not feeling good. And can we all take a pause to appreciate their motto! Honestly I could’ve watched the whole show just about their friendship.

But since it's a romantic comedy, let’s talk about love! During the course of the series all four of them (Toh, Khao, Daisy/Day, Som) find love, but we see four very different ways of acting, while having a crush and being in a relationship. I would say that we all can probably see pieces of ourselves in every one of them.

Toh represents the kind of crush that you watch from afar thinking that you will never be worthy of that person. I would even say that he has put Nuea up on a pedestal. He never expects anything to happen and is totally okay never knowing the real person Nuea might be. But once things evolve and they are together we can see that they communicate and are actually very nice together. I really like that Nuea doesn’t try to change Toh, but wants him to embrace who he is. Even though they use typical BL top/bottom trope, they actually included discussions about roles of top/bottom. It was definitely something fresh to see. But what is very realistic and nicely done, is that Toh’s insecurities and way of thinking/acting don’t miraculously disappear. I really love the ending of the show, because they touch on all the important points about their story and give us a beautiful closure.

As for the Khao and Sky story at first it was even hard to tell whether Khao likes Sky or not. I actually had trouble not getting mad at Sky for his very forceful advances towards Khao. We learn that Khao is the kind of person who is not good with intimacy and keeps most of his thoughts to himself. Quite soon in the series we learn about his body image issues and I really love how they touched this subject. I guess I could tell that Khao thinks he is not worthy of love and is scared to open himself up. But once he does, we can see him bloom. But we can again see that insecurities and ways of thinking/acting don’t miraculously disappear just because you meet someone.

Third couple is Daisy/Day and Intouch. Their love story is really about changing who you are just because you think the other person will like you more. Even though their story doesn't get as much screen time, I found their story one of the best. I love Daisy! She had so many beautiful scenes and Nutt did just amazing acting! Most scenes where I was crying were part of her story. Also Som and Daisy’s friendship is just gold.

I am really sad that we didn’t get to see as much of Som's story. But I must tell I actually felt the closest to her. She really represents a person who is very independent and strong willed and who thinks that they don’t need love. Yet we see her finding someone special to her in Tor. Their story could've been really interesting to see. Especially how Som navigates being in a relationship while also keeping her independence.

All in all we get to see four very different and interesting love stories and one amazing friend group. It really showed us that every single one of us is worthy of love, despite what other people may think. There were so many great topics that this show tried to talk about. Sometimes through humor and sometimes by making us all cry. I definitely love this show and it will be one of my top shows!

I want to praise the casting and acting of this show! It was so well done! All the actors were really good in my opinion and if you watch behind the scenes videos you can see that they were also very dedicated to this show. I would also applaud the people who made the cinematography - it was very enjoyable to watch it. The pacing was good and shots were very well done. And the soundtrack of this show really complemented the whole series.

If you read this all through - you are amazing! Hope you liked it and maybe it made you want to watch this beautiful show! I definitely recommend it! :)

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Show that leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling :)

Bad Buddy was the first Asian BL series that I watched. This is the show that started the whole Asian Tv-series and movies journey for me and I am so happy that I stumbled on this show! It seems that YouTube recommendations get it right sometimes! This show gave me so many different emotions while watching it. I cried. I laughed. I was angry. I was annoyed. I was frustrated. I was sad. I was happy. But in the end all these emotions left me with such contentment. Whenever I think about this show I just can’t stop a little smile forming to my face and the feeling of total calmness. I definitely recommend this show to anyone! Watch it once, twice or even more! I have already rewatched it once and I am sure I will do it again! :)

Storyline of this show is actually not anything new - two families that don't get along and because of that sons are basically born to be rivals, but of course they fall in love and have to face their parents. So the story itself is quite simple, but somehow they have managed to make it fresh and new. The pacing of this show is really good - I never felt like it was dragging or going too fast. Everything seemed to be on point. I really like that in this series parents have an actual story of their own and it is revealed bit by bit. Quite often in Asian BL’s that I have watched, the parents play minimal parts of the story. Sometimes you are even left wondering why it was necessary to bring them in. But not in this case! And what I really liked about the parents' storyline is, that in the end all four of them have made mistakes and you can’t really point a finger to only one character. Yes, one maybe set everything in motion, but in the end all of them made some questionable things. The whole show ends with a closure in my opinion. Everything feels settled in the end. What is very realistic is that even though Pran and Pat are together, we can see in the last episode that it hasn’t magically made their parents become best friends, but we can get hints that their parents are starting to accept their relationship. Also, I want to applaud whoever thought that starting the last episode in the way that leaves the viewers thinking that the boys have broken up. Honestly at first I was so disappointed about it, but once I learned the truth it made me laugh at myself.

One thing that made me love this show the most is the portrayal of a healthy and realistic relationship. Love between Pran and Pat is just so beautifully shown and done! Even though it takes them some time to get together, once they are a couple, they really support each other. Also, I love the way this series showed us how love doesn’t cure everything in our life but it makes everything easier, because you have someone in your corner. I am not a big fan of romanticizing miscommunication, which a lot of shows seem to love. But not Bad Buddy! I loved that boys actually communicated with each other and because of that there was no unnecessary drama. Yes, they still had flaws, but they learned from them or just accepted them. Their relationship also felt very equal. There was no top/bottom energy that all BL series seem to love by always making one character bigger and more dominant than the other. This series deserves a big long applause because they killed the ‘wifey trope’ with just a couple of scenes! I can’t stand it when Asian BL’s always let one guy call the other one ‘wife’. Why is this necessary, when there are two guys in the relationship? I could talk about my issue with this trope for quite some time, but I better stop here. Lastly I would love to point out that their relationship was not overly sexualised. Pran and Pat kissed only a couple of times during the whole show and it was more than enough! There was no actual sex scene and yet everything that needed to be said was said. This series really showed how you don’t have to make a super long make out session to show love. Love is something so much deeper than that…

The second couple is also very well portrayed. Pa and Ink show us a good relationship with actual communication too. Their story is cute and lovely! Quite often in BLs it seems that all the energy goes into making the main couple good and so the side couple seems to be less developed, but I think in this series it was nicely balanced. I want to point out how Wai acted once he learned that Pa is probably in love with Ink. There was no stupid heteronormativity-way-of-acting from him. He accepted it and moved on without making a scene or trying to win Pa over. His crush was actually kinda cute in my opinion :)

Now that I have talked so much about the couples and their families I want to point out that supporting characters don’t get developed much. We know their names and we get some sense about their characteristics, but that’s it. In this show they actually really are there to support the main characters’ storyline. And I was totally okay with that! We get to know them just enough and not too much. They don’t take away from the main story, but give more to it.

The casting of this series is on point! All the actors and actresses are really amazing and natural. All the relationships have such a good chemistry - love, friendship, families, enemies! I really enjoyed Nanon’s acting. He managed to squeeze so many emotions out of me!

Cinematography of this series was really beautiful! And I think that the filming locations were so well chosen. There were so many good shots! And lastly I want to point out the soundtrack, which I also loved!

All in all, this show is definitely at the top of my list! I just love it and I am sure you will, too! :)
Thank you to whoever managed to read this all through! I just love this show so much that I could talk all night about it!

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A fantasy series that will surprise you with its beautiful life lessons

As I was starting to watch this show (the uncut version), I was not ready to have such an emotional rollercoaster with beautiful life wisdom. Even though the love story between a human and a ghost is its main storyline, what really caught my heart and soul was the way they depicted life and loss. If you are more into slow-paced calm series with not too much drama between the main couple, then this show is most likely your cup of tea. It is definitely not your typical Thai BL series with its typical tropes. I enjoyed it very much and I am still trying to work through everything this show taught me. PS! you probably may need some tissues in the later episodes…

Starting with the story - I was positively surprised with the script! This show was full of metaphors and read-between-the-lines moments. You definitely need to really pay attention to this show to understand everything it tries to teach. With these ten episodes they touch such topics as time, identity, being yourself, failure, dreams, beliefs, family, friends, love etc. Through every character and through every memory Phob remembers we learn something new about life. This whole story is just so beautifully done! And I love how every character is somehow connected to the story. They have layers and are not one dimensional. All the characters have some kind of development during the show.

As for characters, let's start with Phob. At the beginning he is very playful and fun but as the story evolves and the more memories he gets back the more serious he gets. In my opinion it represents really well growing up. The more self-aware Phob gets the more connected he is to the real world. I think it represents amazingly real life - the more we know ourselves the more we engage with the life around us and the easier it is to connect with other people. Also, I really love the background the writers gave him. His family life with his parents and relationship with Ben were both very beautiful stories. They were very realistic - dramatic, but not too dramatic. And the ending they gave him was just right. I can’t think of a better ending for his story. I am really pleased they didn't go with the typical coma route or magic spell route.

Phat on the other hand was a very serious character, but I think that with every episode he changed more into himself. It can be seen in the way he reacts to certain situations and most importantly through his wardrobe. Over the span of the series he grows much more confident. Phob is such a good partner for him. Their love story is just so beautiful! I like how their love is not one sided - they both help and support each other. Also, I just have to point out the attention to details in Phat’s bedroom. It is clear that nothing in his room is just there for the sake of aesthetic pleasure. His room almost gives out a story in itself.

Then we have some side characters who still play an important part to the main storyline. There is Phat’s mother who has to deal with her own loss of losing her husband to monkhood. Also Phob’s parents who have their whole story. Then we have Nuan, who is very suspicious from the start and there are moments when she seems like the culprit of the show, but nothing is black and white. Only problem I have with her is this whole video camera scene where she spies on her neighbors. I didn’t understand the purpose behind this scene. And then this whole ‘you can’t move the furniture’ storyline. The same can be said about Ben who at first seems like your typical bad guy, but as you learn more about their story it will really make you think about his reasons. We also have Dream and Luck - who have an interesting storyline about having different beliefs and not being able to accept them. Even though their story is not long, it is really important. I do have to confess that I couldn’t stand Luck’s character at all. And this whole alien thing was weird. It almost felt as if his story was an introduction to some new show or second season, but I doubt it... The ending scene with them was just so random! For the last person I have to mention the house spirit, who was a very interesting character.

Now, let’s talk about acting! First, I have to mention that casting for this show has been incredible. All the actors and actresses really fit their characters. Acting wise I have to give a big applause to Nut! He was so good in this series! I was very iffy about his acting in Oxygen, but here he really showed what he is capable of. He managed to give us funny comedy scenes, serious talks about life and then cry so realistically, that it made me cry, too. He managed to show so many emotions and his acting was just so enjoyable. I can’t wait to see what he is up to next :) Plan was also very good in his acting. There were some scenes where I would’ve waited a little bit more, but all in all he did a great job. All the older actors and actresses were also great. I really liked Phiao (Nuan) acting, even though I didn’t stand her character that much. Basically the whole cast is very balanced in this series. Some of them may be slightly better than others, but there is not at least some actors/actresses that would take away from the whole series with their not so great acting.

The videography and editing supports the story very well. I really enjoyed the camera work. Also, the soundtrack they used for the scenes was just so spot on. And if we are on the topic of music I have to praise the OST of this series. Both - Nut and Plan - have their own song and these songs really represent their characters. Not to mention that they have really good voices.

In conclusion, this show was a big surprise for me! I was ready for your typical human-ghost love story, but stumbled on this beautiful series with an amazing plot and great messages. The acting in this series was also very surprisingly good! And the chemistry between Nut and Plan is really sweet. I definitely recommend this show mostly because of all the life lessons it gives to its viewers. As for rewatch - I think it wouldn’t be as interesting the second time, but at the same time maybe the second watch manages to show you even more hidden messages…

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A problematic show that should’ve never been shown to the public

Having recently watched Love by Chance I decided to give TharnType a chance, even though I could see that it had very discordant reviews. After watching this show I can see why some people love it and some people hate it. I lean towards the last group of people. I don’t think I have ever watched a worse romantic series than this, where I didn’t even want the main couple to end up together, because of romanticized assault, molestation and toxic behavior.

I feel like this show was made for straight people, not the LGBTQ+ community. Because honestly it felt like an insult to the whole gay community. No to mention that the whole script felt like it was written by some teenage fanfiction writer who has no sense of life, romanticizes everything and has no clue what’s right and what’s wrong in a relationship. They took a very serious topic and totally ruined it and even made it actually harmful to watch. I can’t believe that there are young people who watch this show and will walk around in this world thinking that this kind of acting in real life is actually okay.

Since most of the show deals with Tharn and Type’s relationships, let’s start with them. I must say that I don’t think either of them was very well thought through character, but at least with Type you could actually understand where his thoughts and actions come from. It’s clear from the very beginning that his homophobia comes from his past trauma. His fear over what happened to him is clearly coming out as anger towards LGBTQ+ community. Which is in a way understandable but definitely does not justify his actions. I was waiting the whole show for someone to talk to him about it and in the end we got ONE nice line from his old friend Khom (who by the way just kind of disappeared), who actually tells him, that just because of what happened to him does not mean that all gay people are bad and that most of them are actually nice. Khom also points out how his homophobic behaviour is hurtful and honestly I think that this scene was so powerful. I was hoping that Tharn would talk to him about this, but clearly this was too much to hope for.

Then Type’s characteristics. I do have a huge problem with his tendency to hit, kick, push, shove Tharn. This is not okay in any relationship! But him being cocky and self-centered actually may come from his past, too. I think that he likes to have this strong and confident persona, that no one approaches, because actually he is unconfident and somewhat scared to have any kind of attention on him. It is apparent in many different scenes. For example him not wanting to be part of the football team or the picture incident. So, even though Type is in no way a perfect character, I think that at least as a viewer you can actually understand his behavior a little bit, if you think about his past and really pay attention to his words and body language. I would honestly only watch this show again to pay even more attention to his characteristics.

I also like that there are some minor signs in Gulf’s acting that clearly show how certain things make his character uncomfortable or scared due to his past trauma. They are blink-and-you-miss it kind of moments. It can be seen whenever Tharn holds him in a way that he can’t escape or when he forcefully comes towards him (especially in the early episodes). Also during the picture incident with LGBTQ+ community people - I liked his acting there. I really think that even though Type’s character had his flaws, Gulf’s acting really saved him. Most points that I gave to this show come from his character and his acting.

Now, let’s talk about Tharn. The thing is - I didn’t like his character at all! First, he molested Type, while he was drunk just to get back at him. And later it was never addressed. Also, he never listened to words like ‘No!’ or ‘Let me go!’. Even if he later learned about Type's past. He had no respect towards consent or towards Type’s boundaries in general. He even told him something like ‘I don’t care what you want’ and in one scene ‘I don’t force myself, I just make it hard for you to resist’. I am paraphrasing here, but you get the idea, what kind of thoughts he has in his head. What pisses me off even more, is how he is portrayed to be this caring, friendly, respectful, warm guy, who everyone likes, but then he acts like a sexual harraser towards a guy he claims to love. Talkin about his love for Type. I guess I understand he fell in love with him during those three weeks, before Type didn’t know about his sexuality, but after that I can’t see how his love didn’t disappear? Also, when you learn that a person his homophobic you dont try to push yourself on them or pursui them in hopes of maybe he will love you back. And you certainly don’t touch and kiss them during the night! The bathroom scene was just horrible! Also the scene about sex offer from Type and Tharn accepting it! This was wrong on so many levels! WTF? There were just sooooo many problematic scenes with him. He was either acting problematic or saying very problematic things. Later when they were in a relationship he was also constantly manipulating him and playing the victim, so that Type would have to apologize. Their whole relationship was one big miscommunication that led to constant fighting.

Another thing that really pissed me off during the show was constant possessiveness, jealousy and controlling behavior from both of them. I don’t understand why so many BLs think that jealousy is cute or hot or whatever. No, these are all ugly and toxic behaviors in a relationship. It is as if when they get together they can’t spend time with anybody else anymore. Like what? At this point honestly I loved their break-up scene, because what Type said was actually true. I would have loved it if they had stayed broken-up. I don’t think they were ready to be in a relationship. It was way too problematic and toxic.

Talking about other characters, the only character I liked besides Type was Techno. He honestly saved the show for sure. I even liked this Techno more than the one in Love by Chance. He was actually a great friend and he was the least problematic character in the whole show. Also, Mild’s acting was really great!

And if I mention Tar and Tum, then I didn’t like them in Love by Chance and didn’t like them in this show either. I still think their story should’ve been left out from this whole universe. And then of course we have Lhong, whose place is in a mental hospital or jail. I think they should’ve put more effort into making the main storyline actually watchable and not burden it with all these side stories.

All in all, I don’t recommend anyone to watch it unless you have a very good sense of critical thinking. I do understand that people love this show because of main actors’ chemistry and some cute scenes here and there, but I just can’t enjoy a show that actually plays into harmful stereotypes that gay people have to fight against every day. No to mention all the toxic behavior and romanticizing awful things. They make Tharn out to be this sex-crazy gay man that has a reputation of having a lot of exes and then he also pushes himself on Type - a assumingly straight guy, whoe despises gays. And then during the picture incident again the LGBTQ+ community members are made out to be the problematic ones. That’s why I don’t think this show is written for LGBTQ+ community but rather for straight young girls who find it hot and cute, when two handsome guys are together… Also there are scenes where poeple justify Type's homophobia and that's not okay!

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Up and down series with so many plot twists that they give you trust issues

After seeing Nanon in Bad Buddy I wanted to see more of his work and stumbled on The Gifted. The plot seemed interesting and the supernatural aspect of it made the decision for me. The first episode got me interested and hooked, but after that the quality of this show was like a sinusoidal wave. Some episodes were good and the other ones not so much. The pacing was all over the place. Also the storyline could’ve been better. It basically seemed to me that they started with one storyline and then somewhere during the show they started other ones and then they went back to the original story, which actually in the end wasn’t even solved properly. In other words it’s a little bit of a mess…

One reason, why I think the quality of this show was so up and down, is because each episode focuses on one gifted student, but their storylines are not equally well written and their acting skills are on so different levels. Nanon, Gun, Sing, Jane and Chimon practically stole the whole show. They were so much better at acting than other kids. It really annoyed me in group scenes, when the focus was on one or two characters and the ones that were in the background almost didn’t do anything, like they forgot they were filming.

One episode that stood out for me was Punn’s episode. His episode was interesting, scary and really put you on your toes. Also Gun’s acting is phenomenal, especially when he plays five different versions of himself at once. That scene was powerful! We can clearly see his journey through this episode and honestly this episode was the highlight of this whole show for me!

Second reason the quality of this show isn’t the best is the usage of too many plot twists. At first, it was okay - there were not too many of them. But as the series was moving towards an end, the more and more plot twists there were. Until I started to feel frustrated and annoyed by them. Also they made you lose all the hope and I think the power balance between good and evil was really off. In a way I guess it’s realistic, considering there were high school kids fighting against grown ups…

One thing I liked about this show is how realistically they showed us the formation of a group. The gifted students come together from all over the school and some of them meet there for the first time. It is very well portrayed how every single one of them is trying to find their place in the group and how they work on their power dynamic.

Cinematography and music of this show were quite average for me. Just like the rest of the series, there were some great shots and scenes and then some that were not as good.

All in all, I can’t say it was super bad or super good, It just kinda was… I don’t necessarily recommend this show, but if you are really curious, then give it a go. There seems to be a lot of people who really enjoy it.

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It started out really good, but lost it cuteness quite quickly...

I am quite new in watching Thai BL series (and overall Asian Tv-shows and movies). Cutie Pie was one of the first ones I watched in real time having to wait every week for the new episode to come. That being said, I was actually looking forward to this show. It seemed interesting enough based on the trailer. However, during the middle I started to think about droping it, but managed to push through. In the end I felt that something was missing. Like... the series ended, but it didn't feel like it really closed anything. This show really left me hanging. Nothing seemed finalised in the end.

I will talk about different things that I liked and didn't like about the show next. So, there may be some spoilers - you have been warned! If you don't want to read further I would say that give it a try, but be critical and don't excpect anything mindblowing.

Story: I actually really liked the idea/story of this show, but I don't think they managed to execute it very well. The arranged marriage, childhood friends and double life seemed interesting enough to me. I would say that for about first 5 episodes I actually liked the show, but it lost it charm, when I started to feel very uncomfortable about two main couples, because their relationships started to feel very controlling and toxic to me. I would never think that this kind of acting in loving relationship is acceptable. Also what made me dislike the show was endless miscommunication that lasted until the end and in my opinion never got resolved. It was draged and draged until it made me frustrated and bored at the same time. I also felt like there was a lot of backstory, that we as viewers didn't know about, and therefore a lot of things didn't make sense. For example during most of the series I seriously couldn't understand the story of Yi and Diao. It felt like half of their plot was withheld from us.

Acting: I would say, that the acting wasn't anything extraordinary. If I should praise anyone, I would praise NuNew since it was his first main role and in my opinion he managed to do very well. I definitely felt his emotions. As for Zee and Max... I felt that their acting was quite minimal and repetitive - they were either smirking, sending death glares, smiling or just wearing blank unreadable expression. I do have to say, that Zee acted well through his eyes, but if anything else is not following, it is not very good acting. I must say that chemistry between actors was good. All relationships felt natural and not forced. I really enjoyed scenes where Kuea was with his school friends.

Music: I don't know much about Asian music, but I really liked the soundtrack of this series. I felt that it often carried on the emotion of the show or complemented it. Definitely enjoyed this part! NuNew's voice is angelic!

Cinematography: I am no expert in this field, but I think the scenes were beatifully shot and filming locations were nicely chosen. The editing was also okay, in my opinion.

Ending and starting monologues: I wanted to point them out because I really liked them! Even though at the end everything was a mess I felt that the monologue at least gave you a good feeling at the end.

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More interesting than first season, but at times illogical

Season one of To My Star was too slow and predictable for me. Season two was more interesting to watch, but it had many things happening in its plot that didn’t make any sense. Just like in season one I find the acting, camera work, editing and music really good, but the problem for me yet again was the story.

This series has typical getting back together after the break up storyline. And like always we have one character who chases after the other only to be rejected and when they finally decide to give up then the other one realizes how much they actually love the other. This is basically a summary of this whole show. But this series has so many illogical things in it, that it ruins the feeling.

First, why does it take Seo Joon a whole year to find Ji Woo? Wouldn’t someone's home town be the first place to look at after they disappear? Or why wait until one year to contact Hyung Ki? Also, why did they decide on one year? I personally think this was too long a time to have them be broken up. I think 1-3 months would’ve been enough. So, if it has been one year, why is Seo Joon still looking for Ji Woo when it’s clear that the latter is not interested in being found.

Second, I don’t understand how Ji Woo managed to open a restaurant and then keep it afloat when he didn’t have any customers. Yet, he bought food and probably had to pay rent. Where did all his money come from? And later when he actually gets some customers, how was he able to do everything alone in this restaurant? It just didn’t make any sense!

Third, it has been a whole year of Ji Woo living in the countryside, yet he hasn’t been able to think about his actions and figure out that maybe what he did was wrong? Also, I didn’t get why he was waiting and basically expecting Seo Joon to find him after he broke up with him via note. And when they do finally meet he is so rude and cold to him. He could’ve at least said sorry and admit his mistake. Instead he is quite harsh to his ex-lover. Also, I didn’t like the kiss and them sleeping together only to be driven even further away from each other after that. Not to mention that the kiss was initiated by Ji Woo himself! He was constantly sending mixed signals.

Four, can we talk about weird coincidences or ‘destiny’ in this series? Seo Joon just happens to work with Ji Woo’s ex of all people. Then Seo Joon just happens to work with the “Countryside Kitchen” series. And in the end this all handkerchief story. It just seems so unrealistic. I understand that sometimes this kind of things happen where you think that the world is so small, but so many times with one person? Unlikely...

Moving on to the characters. In season one I actually found Ji Woo as an interesting character. But in this season I just didn’t like him and most of the time I didn’t understand his actions. I felt that the series should’ve explored more about his reasons. Seo Joon was quite the same as in the previous season. I did find his efforts to get Ji Woo back quite weird and I am happy he decided to give up when he did, because otherwise he would’ve over done it. It is still quite a mystery why after one year he still wanted to get back together with him, though? I personally would’ve wanted to get closure and then get as far away from Ji Woo as possible. Ending to their story was a little bit underwhelming for me and I felt that viewers didn’t really get the closure or final understanding why things happened between them as they did. It feels like the makers of this series knew exactly why everything happened, but they couldn’t bring it to the viewers.

As for background characters - there were too many! I seriously don’t understand the reason for bringing in Ji Woo’s ex and neighbor with the daughter. Most of the time I was annoyed with their scenes and was just waiting to get back to the main storyline. They could’ve used all this time they put into these three characters to make the main storyline better... I do like that Ho Min got his own story this time, even though I must say that ending for him was quite unexpected. Pil Hyun actually turned into one of my favorite characters in this season. It was clear that he was constantly giving everything to others, but in the end he was still alone. I found his relationship with Yoon Seul so bittersweet. He, like Seo Joon, clearly loved his partner yet he was constantly being left aside. I think that Pil Hyun in a way represented both Seo Joon and Ji Woo.

In conclusion, I found this season easier to follow, but just like in season one the story wasn’t the best. Even if the acting, camera work, editing and music are really well done they can’t help badly written script. I often felt like this whole series was not thoroughly thought through.

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A beautiful romantic movie with predictable storyline

I started to watch this movie because of all the hype around this series. Even though I generally love slower and calmer romantic series, this one was a little bit too slow for me. I did love all the acting, camera work, editing and music, but what didn’t work for me was the story. It was too simple and predictable for me. Everything that you thought would happen actually happened. I didn’t have any surprises or wow-moments. I won’t watch it again, but I recommend this to anyone who loves beautiful and simple love stories with very good cinematography.

As previously said, the story is very simple and quite often used in the romantic genre. The celebrity gets in trouble and ends up meeting a common person and of course they fall in love. Their personalities are often clashing with each other as one of them is a more blunt and open extrovert and another one is a more quiet and reserved introvert. Their love evolves quite naturally for this short series. The only problem I had with their story was Ji Woo’s harsh and homophobic language used in order to push other one away from him. I wished that Seo Joon would call him out on this, but it didn’t happen. Still Ji Woo's character was the most interesting one to me, but I would’ve loved to get to know him and his past more. I felt like there were some pieces missing in his story. As for Seo Joon, he seemed quite a stereotypical character. Maybe if we would’ve gotten more about his past, we would’ve seen him in a different light.

As for supporting characters they were okay and acting was good. I liked the reporter Yoon Seul the most. She seemed like an interesting character and she was the only one whose actions were a little bit unpredictable. I didn’t really get the manager Ho Min’s character and at times he seemed to not have any place in the story.

The strong suit of this movie is definitely cinematography. There were many beautiful scenes where I would admire the shooting location and camera work. One of my favorites were the park and basketball court scenes. But also the way they showed cooking and food was very good. As a former cook, I can say that the way they portrayed kitchen work was very realistic.

All in all, this movie was not for me story wise, but everything else was very well done. I wish they would’ve put more effort into the script to make it more original and fresh. It is definitely better than a lot of Asian series I have watched, but not a ten point show for me.

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A slow-moving sweet series about love and support

If I had to describe this show with only one word I would say it is calm. The pacing, music, acting, videography - everything is very soft and calming, some would probably even use the word boring. If you’re more into loud and steamy Thai dramas with over the top acting, then it’s probably not your cup of tea. I personally quite enjoyed it. There were definitely a lot of things that could’ve been better, but overall I liked it.

The story itself is your average BL, nothing too original, but what lured me in was the calming atmosphere this show had. Videography was really well done in my opinion. And the music choices complemented it nicely. I liked the idea of another person being your oxygen in life, but not in a way where they save you from everything and make everything bad disappear, but rather help you conquer the world by being next to you and supporting you. The relationships in this story were realistic and healthy. Also, I loved that they didn’t use those typical harmful BL tropes like top/bottom, wifey, overprotectiveness etc. I am a big fan of shows that don’t use too many steamy scenes just for the sake of it. I am a sucker for the soft beautiful love, where a couple holding hands, cuddling and having one or two kisses is more than enough to understand their longing and love for one another. I find it much more powerful than any steamy scene that usually has no importance to the main plot.

Usually I’m not a big fan of OST in Thai series, but I really liked the song Oxygen as it really sums up the whole series and what it is about. Nut’s voice was really suitable for this song as it gave it life. I want to say a big thank you to them for making an English version for international fans. It’s such a small yet nice gesture.

As for couples I find that even though Solo and Gui’s story is a beautiful love story, I do think that their acting wasn’t the best. I know that these roles were, for both of them, their first bigger acting jobs. Therefore, I think that some of the problems lie there. But maybe it is because of the director? Who knows… The point is there were scenes where I did enjoy their acting and then there were scenes where I felt like they were just reciting text not acting. There was often no flow in their dialogues, like something important was missing. I wonder whether maybe they got too little time to prepare before shooting started? It may also be because of the script or the fact that they made a couple out of two introverts who both had sad backstories and therefore were meant to be quiet and serious. You have to be quite an experienced actor to pull off a character who doesn’t speak much, because you should be able to convey emotions through body language. All in all, I did like their story, but at the same time I felt that chemistry and acting wise there was much left to desire.

For me the whole heart of the show was Kao (and his relationship with Phu). Boss definitely stole the show with his portrayal of Kao. I even think that they were better than the main couple which doesn’t happen often in series. I just felt that Kao brought the whole show to life. Whenever he was in the scene the scene was so much better. He is much more experienced than the other mains, so it is quite understandable. His scenes had more flow and playfulness in them, too. It may also be the case because his character was one of the only extroverts in this show. As for his relationship - I wasn't a big fan of Phu, but after each episode I liked him more, even though it was clear that acting wise Phuri is not as good as Kao. But he managed to pull his character off, though.

As for the third story - I couldn’t care less! It was such a mess! I couldn’t stand Dr.Petch at all! He was such an unpleasant character. He was basically using everyone around him during the whole show. Khim also took me almost the whole show before I could stand her. Her obsession with same-sex couples was disturbing (she taking videos and pictures without consent was just horrible, but then she also posted them online) and her reasoning behind why someone is gay or not was just so harmful stereotyping of a gay man. I had to really push myself to not skip their story completely. And their ending? I really didn’t get it either. As I said - it was a mess.

Another disturbing thing for me was Solo’s father. First, I wasn’t too keen on the casting choice. I was expecting someone much older, but we got such a young actor instead. It would have been okay, if there would have been a story that Solo’s parents were young when they got him, but no - it just didn’t make sense. Second, he was such a toxic character. He basically imprisoned his grown-up son and starved him, because he wanted to visit his boyfriend. Like what? And then, when said grown-up son manages to escape, his boyfriend and best friend basically say that he is selfish, when in reality it is his first time to do things for himself in order to get away from his controlling father. And then everything is just pushed under a rug like nothing bad happened as both characters decide to start on a clean slate. This whole storyline was a big no-no for me.

So, in the end, I do think this show has its moments and charm. However, I do understand why some don't like it at all. One of the main reasons this series is not a ten point series is probably acting and casting. Also, the script could’ve been much better. I do recommend you to watch it if you are more into calm and soft love stories with beautiful videography like me :)

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Angsty love story with beautiful cinematography and great actors

After watching season one I decided to take mikimika101's advice and watch only season two's special edition instead of the regular one. I really liked We Best Love season one and I must say, that season two didn’t let me down. Just like in season one it had some really big strong suits and then some things that could’ve been better.

I am going to start with cinematography, because I think that it’s actually one of the biggest strong suits of the We Better Love series. The filming is just phenomenal, not to mention all the post production work. It has great shots with beautiful angles! The scenes are just long enough to convey everything that needs to be said. The pacing is just as good as in the previous season. If talking about color palette, then in season one we could see more warmer colors and the scenes were more airy and soft. In season two however the colors are colder and blue plays an important role in the scene. I noticed that quite many of the important scenes are filmed during the night time. And lastly the music of this show is just beautiful and suits the whole show so much. It’s clear from both seasons that cinematography is really thought through by the crew.

The second thing this series excels in is acting. Yu and Sam stole the whole show for me. I already loved Yu’s acting in season one and I still can’t believe that it’s his first acting job. In this season we can see him do some very difficult emotional scenes with such masterfulness. There are scenes where his posture, eyes and dialogue all give different emotions and signals to the viewer. Just amazing! As for Sam, in season one I couldn’t really see how great he actually is. It was mostly because I think that in this season he had much more challenging scenes and he nailed them. Can we all talk about the drunk scene or all these scenes where he tried to ask for forgiveness and a second chance, while also portraying him knowing that maybe he doesn’t deserve them. Just brilliant! They took quite a cliche storyline and made it their own just with their acting. I also want to mention their chemistry, which was good already in the first season but in this one it’s even better. The office scene, where Shu Yi talks about his love for Shi De, and the bedroom scene, where they get back together, are just two great examples!

As I mentioned, the storyline itself is not anything very new - because of lots of misunderstandings the couple have broken up and are now trying to get their way back to each other. And of course we get a father who basically tries to keep them apart. This season mostly revolves around the theme about trying to get back the love you have lost. It also deals with miscommunication, misunderstandings, presuming and betrayal. I do have to thank the writers for not turning Shu Yi's father into this one dimensional evil character. Instead we actually get an understanding why he acted the way he acted. In a way I found his father and Shi De quite similar. They are both blinded by the love and care they have for Shu Yi and therefore they think that they know what is best for him. I really enjoyed seeing Shu Yi stand up for them and tell them that he can make his own choices. I think one reason why I like them getting back together in the end is because of how the writers dealt with it. Everything didn’t go immediately back to normal and their past was not pushed aside. Instead they both acknowledged what had happened between them and didn’t shy away from asking more questions and explanations in order to understand each other better. The way it was all written made their relationship seem healthy even after everything they went through. As a viewer you can really get a sense that their love will last moving forward. However, I do have to point out that their storyline had some plot holes and illogical things in it, but they didn’t take too much away from the show. Also the whole stealing of Alpha storyline felt a little bit out of place.

The side couple in this season was a little bit of a surprise for me. I was hoping to finally get a better understanding of Bing Wei and Zhe Yu’s relationship, but we barely saw them. In season one I was really confused whether they were actually together or not. And in this season I didn’t get any smarter until the very end when out of the blue we got a very anticlimactic proposal scene. Honestly, it was quite awkward in my opinion. They just hugged and nothing else. I didn’t see any chemistry between them and I am not sure they even kissed once during both seasons. Instead of their story, we got a very complicated story between Shou Yi and Zhen Xuan. I think that their story should’ve been a spin-off series on its own. It was way too complex to make it a side couple’s story. I like that they decided to include mental health into this series, but there were only six episodes in this season. It's way too little time for this story. I think that in the last episodes they took so much time from the whole episode, that they were more like a main couple. I wished we could've gotten more of Shu Yi and Shi De instead. Honestly I am not sure how I feel about their story - it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t also amazing. And in the end their scenes started to annoy and bore me a little bit.

In conclusion I felt that it had the same pros as season one and also quite the same cons. I do recommend watching season two if you liked season one. I probably wouldn’t rewatch it though. If I would watch it again, I would just watch the main love story and skip everything else.

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BL that is like a breath of fresh air

Not Me is definitely not your typical BL drama, that only revolves around a cute love story. It has many layers and I would say that romance is just one of them, but it’s not the main focus. When I first saw the trailer of this show, I was immediately interested, because it seemed so much different from all the previous series I had seen. I was hooked from the start and didn’t lose my interest even once. It touches a lot of important topics in the social justice field. If long dialogues about laws, politics, society and justice are not your cup of tea, then maybe this show is not for you. I must say that in order to really get this show you have to really concentrate and focus on this series. Also thinking along with the characters makes this show even more interesting and fun to watch. I don’t think it’s one of those BLs, which you can just watch in the background, while doing something else. You have to really take this in. I definitely loved this show and I would love to watch it again sometime soon!

I would say that this show has two main storylines and then some smaller stories, but together they make one big balanced plot. The series starts with twins Black and White. Their story puts everything else in motion. White joining his brother’s gang is really well done and it’s so cute and awkward how he tries to be Black, but crealy fails at this. I liked their sibling storyline, but I would’ve wished that later on we would have gotten a better understanding about Black and how he even got into this gang. Honestly I would love to have either season 2 of this show to explore their brotherhood or a prequel to learn more about Black’s past. I think he was a little bit cast aside in the last episodes. But I guess it really fits his mysterious persona.

Ever since White joined the gang we really did dive head first into the social justice, politics and activism storyline. I really liked how episode by episode we see how he slowly starts to be the brain/logical thinking of this gang, while others are more do-then-think kinda guys who are mostly guided through their anger. I appreciate that the show discussed the line between activism and vandalism, because it really is a difficult road to walk on. And later on we actually see them getting punished because of the things they did. They are not made out to be those heroes who are untouchable or who are forgiven everything in the end. One thing I would've loved to see in this storyline is whether they continued their activism and gang later on or not.

And then there are micro storylines for almost every character. I think this is one of the reasons why this show is so much better than your typical BL’s. Every character seems to be really thought through and they actually have a story of their own. All the characters have flaws and make mistakes, but this only makes them more human and more relatable to the viewer. They are not there to only support the main characters' storyline. I personally really liked Yok’s story with his mute mother (and Dan) as they were touching another important social justice topic with it. Through these smaller plots we actually get to see why all these guys are in the gang and what they are fighting for.

Of Course we can’t forget White and Sean's story as it plays quite a big role throughout all the series. At first I was a tiny bit frustrated because it took them some time to get their sh*t together. But once they were a couple, their love was really nice and beautiful. Yes, they had some bumps along the way, but mostly they communicated well and there was no unnecessary drama that came out of the blue.

Whoever was responsible for the casting of this show did an amazing job! First we have Gun who is a phenomenal actor and in this show he managed to play two characters at once and he mastered being both of them. You can clearly see the difference between Black and White through his way of acting. White is so soft, warm, fuzzy, calm and relaxed, while Black is more tense, angry, hurt and cold. In every scene you could immediately tell which one is on screen just based on his posture. Then we have Off, who really surprised me with his acting. My personal favorites were also First and Film. But honestly everyone did an amazing job!

Cinematography was on point! The locations, the scenes, the shots! Everything was really well thought through. Also, the action scenes were well executed and they seemed quite realistic. And the soundtrack of this show really binds everything together.

In conclusion Not Me has really raised the bar of BL series. They made interesting and difficult storyline work in BL setting, without ruining it with an over the top love story. Everything in this show is really thought through - story, characters, casting, cinematography, music. I definitely recommend watching it. And if you really like it go and watch behind the scenes footage, too!

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I hated the first season, but actually liked second season

After watching TharnType season one, which I didn’t like at all, I was very hesitant to watch season two. So many negative reviews from other watchers didn’t help my decision either. But finally I decided to still give it a try and honestly I was very positively surprised! I genuinely liked it! Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but it was so much better than season one. Well, season one was so bad, that it is hard to do even worse. My expectations were also already quite low. After reading many reviews I tend to think that season two will be more likable to the older audience.

To me the season two storyline seems to be a little bit like a parallel to season one storyline. In the previous season we have Type and Tharn starting their relationship and fighting about it becoming official. In this season instead we get the marriage plot. Then in season one we get jealousy through Tharn’s exes and in this season we get the short plot with Nana. In the first season we get Lhong and in this season we get Fiat. In season one we got the picture incident with LGBTQ+ people and in this season we get the Type’s workplace storyline. So, you can see a lot of parallels with season one, but the setting around is changed. Also, the character's reactions towards these things are different.

Now, moving on to the characters, I was very happy to see that Type’s character had changed quite a lot during these seven years. First, we can already see in season one special Our Final Love, how he is working on his internalized homophobia and in this season we never see him having problems with any LGBTQ+ characters. Secondly, in season one a lot of people were saying how Type is selfish, arrogant and self-centered and in this season we can see him working in a hospital helping his patience. Thirdly, even though he can still be blunt and rash with his friends and Tharn, we can see that he endures quite a lot at the workplace. Fourthly, we can see him being not afraid to apologize or take responsibility for his actions. And fifthly, in this season I could actually see him wanting to communicate with Tharn in many cases - when they first had a fight about the marriage and about the kiss/cheating storyline. I could also see that he knows he has to calm down before talking to tharn. So, in my opinion Type has matured quite a lot compared to season one Type.

Tharn on the other hand seemed to me quite the same as in season one. He still thought that everything can be smoothed over with sex or some romance. We can’t see him communicate or even try to communicate with Type at all. He is sulking like a child during most of the season. He barely apologizes for anything he does. Also, his partner says that he doesn’t want to get married and yet he decides to start ring shopping? Still not respecting Type’s boundaries, I see? And what the hell was this plot with Techno about wanting to make Type jealous of Nana? This was so childish! And then the phone call with Type in the later episode, where he basically hung up on Type after the latter told him how much he misses him. Why be so cruel?

I know some people are saying that this show doesn’t show love and just shows miscommunication and bad relationships, well… in that case I guess the majority of people’s relationships are bad. In my opinion this show really shows an adult relationship, where such things as work, society and other people may cause troubles to your love life. I really liked Type’s workplace drama, because it is just so real! All people who work and live with other people know how much good or a bad workday can actually affect your relationship. How you can explode on people just because of work stress! And we actually saw him apologizing for it later. And that’s life! I am not a big fan of jealousy and possessiveness plots, but this too happens in real life. Especially when people don’t communicate and jump into conclusions without talking to one another. The difference between adult and teenage love is patience and will to do better. In season one we can see that in almost every fight the solution is break-up. But in this season we can see that they don’t want to break-up, but rather think things through and then talk with each other. So, I don’t think that this series showed unhealthy relationships, but rather realistic adult relationships.

As for other characters, I still liked Techno, but would have loved to get to know his boyfriend, too. Champ and Doc’s relationship was very cute and different from usual BL couples. I really enjoyed their story! I didn’t understand the need for Phu and Cir on this series, though. What was their point? We didn’t learn anything from their relationship and they just appeared out of thin air. They could’ve been easily left out from the show. Then also, why did they decide to bring back Khlui and Seo? They didn’t give anything to the plot either. And honestly Khlui’s snooping behavior was quite disturbing. Fiat and Leo were great additions to the story, but I felt that their story could’ve been done better. There was something missing for me. Also, my biggest no-no for this whole show was this whole kidnaping scene. That was so not okay!

Compared to season one, I would definitely recommend season two. It has its problems, but it actually shows a real adult relationship and what it means to be in a relationship with someone for such a long time. I genuinely liked it, even though I didn’t like season one at all. I would advise you to watch this show for yourself and then make up your own mind about it, because reviews are not very generous with this show.

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It could’ve been a 10 point show…

Love by Chance seemed to be a very hyped up and loved series in the BL community, so I decided to give it a try. And the thing is… I believe this show had so much potential to become one of the best or at least top shows, but it had some major flaws that ruined it for me. There were parts that I really loved and parts that I just couldn’t agree on. So, I will talk about my likes and dislikes in the following paragraphs. I try not to spoil much, but there may be some spoilers here and there.

First, the different stories we see in this series are actually quite simple and typical to the romantic genre. But what makes it more interesting than most is the realistic way they try to portray things and also the (quite) healthy relationships they show. Acting is also good. There are no actors who are much better or much worse than others. So, a very balanced cast. Also, the filming and editing is done in a way that is enjoyable to watch!

Secondly, let’s talk about the main couples (at least for me) - Pete and Ae, Tin and Can, Pond and Chaam. I think that these three pairings really stole the show and made this show what it is. They are also the only couples I liked in this show even though they had some flaws that I didn’t like that much.

The main couple is of course Pete and Ae. I think their relationship was very sweet and quite healthy. They communicated well, supported each other and also were not scared to apologize. The only problems I had with them was Ae’s toxic controlling and possessive behavior and their zero character development during the 14 episode series. Basically Ae got angry when Pete was close to another guy and also when he was close to another girl. So, is Pete not allowed to talk to or about anyone else? Also the way he manhandled him by pulling him by his arm was quite a big ‘no-no’ for me. And it was not once, it was at least three times if not even more… And the character development practically didn’t happen with them. Pete was a very soft, naive, rich kid with no street/life knowledge at the beginning of the show and 14 episodes later he was still the same. If I am honest he even started to annoy me a tiny bit by the end of the season. As for Ae, he didn’t seem to change at all, he just got really controlling. At least Pete adapted his lifestyle to Ae’s, but it felt very one sided as Ae didn’t really try to adapt to Pete’s lifestyle. At least that’s the kind of feeling I got. All in all they were a decent couple, but there were some things that irked me a little bit.

Then there were Pond and Chaam. Honestly, their scenes were always very refreshing to see! But I did have quite a love-hate relationship with Pond. There were moments when I really liked him and then there were moments when I didn’t like him at all. He was a funny character, but sometimes he was too much for me. As for Chaam, she was the perfect girl for him, because she could easily handle him. Usually in BL series straight couples are not very well done or they are simply missing, but they really did good with this one. They are definitely one of the highlights of this show! But unfortunately they, too, have very little character development if any…

And then my favorites Tin and Can. At the beginning I had a hard time liking Tin, but as the story progressed I actually started to like him. As for Can, I loved this energetic albino monkey from the start. He is just sooo precious! I couldn’t really see them being a couple at first, but by the end of the season somehow they had grown to be my favorites. With them I could actually see the character development and it was very well done. I could’ve even liked to see more on how they both started to change their views on each other. And then the ending! I was happy with the way they decided to end their story as it was very realistic. I loved how open and honest Can was with Tin. He really poured his soul and heart out to him. Too bad that Tin reacted the way he did, but I also understand his reaction. I know that season 2 is more about their story, but I have read different reviews on it and I am not sure if I am going to watch it…

And then there were two pairings that could have easily been left out from this series in my opinion. Techno and Kengkla’s story was super horrible and I don’t understand why they decided to include this to the show in the first place. Basically, if I call things as they are, Techno’s younger brother pimped him out to his friend Kengkla. And what happened between them at the end was a rape. It was planned rape and nothing else. It was very disturbing to watch and even more sad was the way they handled the next morning. Their story was just not okay! It was one of the biggest reasons why I couldn’t like this show as much! Tum and Tar on the other hand had almost your typical step-brothers storyline. I always felt some discomfort watching their scenes. Maybe it was because Earth looked really young next to Title? And since Love by Chance has a spin-off about TharnType that deals with similar things then maybe it would’ve been better to leave them out of this series as they didn’t give much to the series.

I want to bring out a character called Bow as she was such a beautiful soul to watch!

In the end this show had an opportunity to become one of the top shows, but I think they made some major mistakes in their stories that I just can’t look past. I would recommend you to watch it, but my advice would be to concentrate on the three main couples and try to not think too much (or simply skip) the other couples. I wouldn’t rewatch it as watching it once was more than enough.

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Series with a beautiful love story and cinematography

This was my first Taiwanese BL to watch and I loved it! I was engaged with the story right from the start and not once during the show did I feel bored even if the topic of this show is nothing new. If I had to describe this show with only one word, I would say that it’s calm. Nothing in this series feels rushed, but rather they give the viewer room to breathe and think, making the show feel airy. It’s such a contrast to all the Thai BL series I have watched so far with their way too many characters, fast moving plot, sometimes over the top acting and rather loud atmosphere.

First thing that I noticed about this show was actually cinematography, which is so new to me, since I’m not usually one to talk much about this topic. I don’t have much knowledge in this area, but even I could tell that it was beautifully done. The scenes were just right - not too long and not too short. The locations! I was really into the short atmospheric shots before the actual scene started. It already gave you the feeling for the scene. Also can we talk about the color palette! Color tone for this show was chosen so well, it worked really well with the rest of the cinematography. Lastly the music, they chose mostly calm instrumental piano and guitar songs and they did amazing in this kind of series. I was actually quite mesmerized with the soundtrack. There was just enough music, but they also used many scenes with no music at all. And it all worked so well! One of the scenes I really liked was the piano scene with Zhou Shu Yi at the start of the series.

Second thing for me was the character Zhou Shu Yi (portrayed amazingly by Yu). Hands down he was my favorite in the whole show! He stole my heart right from the start. His story about always giving 100% but not being enough is something that a lot of people can connect with. I certainly did. Him being rather introverted than extroverted is something I can really relate to. I guess I just saw so much of myself in him. Also, can we talk about his fashion? I would love to have his entire wardrobe. And if we are in this topic I found the symbolism of the necklace so good! We can really see him change during these six episodes. One thing about his story that bothered me was his father. He was mentioned once and shown only once, but nothing came out of this later. Why was he even necessary to show? His scene felt so out of place from the rest of the show. My only guess is that he will be more important in the second season?

Third thing that I loved was the love story between Zhou Shu Yi and Gao Shi De. Their chemistry was just phenomenal. I liked their cat and dog kind of relationship, that was done just right. I didn’t get frustrated or annoyed with them. It seemed that writers knew exactly when to move their story forward and when to drag it a little longer - perfect balance. It was very refreshing to see how at the beginning both of them really worked through their feelings about unrequited love, before the story moved forward. I have to point out this amazing question this show gave us - If you like someone, is it their business to know? I could debate about it for quite some time… Once they actually manage to get together, I must say that I loved their communication with each other. It was so clear to see that they loved each other without having to make their relationship overly sexualised. I liked how they ended the story with a long distance relationship. Neither of them had to give something up to be with the other. I do have to say that I liked this ending until I watched the special scene after episode 6 credits and special episode 6.5. After that the ending left me really confused. What happened? Of course it was a perfect cliffhanger for the second season, I guess, but it ruined the love story for me a little bit.

It seems that a lot of creators' energy went into making the main storyline good because the side couples and their stories were definitely not as thought through. Yes, the main couple had great supportive friends, who didn’t shy away from giving them hard truths, but they were so poorly developed. They were in this show clearly only to support the main love story. I quite enjoyed Fang Zheng Wen and Jiang Yu Xin's relationship, but we didn’t really get to know them. As for the second BL couple, I felt that they were a little bit unnecessary. Also their story seemed so underdeveloped and I didn’t even completely understand how they got together. The show would have been good whether they were in it or not. And then we had Pei Shou Yi, who for some reason wasn’t my favorite. Yes, he played quite a role in getting the main couple together, but his own storyline was kinda missing? We got hints about him having a bad love experience in the past, but we didn’t really learn what happened. I did get an inkling that it was love or crush with a student(?), but I am not completely sure…

All in all, I recommend watching this show because of the really good main couple and amazing filming and postproduction. And I would probably watch it again some time, because of the cinematography and the main character Zhou Shu Yi. However if you are not into slow moving stories, then maybe this show is not your cup of tea.

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