Excellent 19 episodes, trash finale. Queer baiting trash.

This is a completely hilarious show with an interesting premise that produces a queer leading character - a man in a woman's body. It's extremely unfortunate that the finale is such a cop out, which renders the entire show another example of queer baiting. This is an exciting roller coaster ride that at the end throws you off your seat to your death.

Spoilers below:
1. The king is explicitly in love with the spirit of the male MC, not the real queen. He noticed that the queen is out of character but did nothing. They’re now just another straight couple.
2. Is the MC bisexual now? Ending it this way makes it another queer baiting show. The writers are also trying to backtrack and say that both characters' souls are inhabiting the same body but remember how the queen's body almost died because the MC went back to the 21st century? The doctor said her body was in a soulless state. This is the only time where the queen's soul took back control of the body and their explanation is that she's in hiding all along? Also, none of the queen’s feelings for other characters stayed, not her feelings for her childhood friend/maid, cousin, or father, only her feelings for the king, whom she met once as a child, “remained.” But why? Is her entire existence anchored around her love for the king? The MC certainly rationalized it as the queen’s feelings when he first felt his attraction to the king. At the same time the MC certainly has enough control and agency to do whatever he wanted unrestrained by the queen's years of etiquette training, including acting on his attraction to women. Bullshit.
3. The original queen is literally the most useless character on the show but gets to reap the fruits of the MC’s labor. In fact, she is a(n abusive) damsel in distress saved by straight male MC. This is not feminist at all.
4. All the reforms they did led to an identical Korea in 2021.

Bad ending on all fronts. 0/10. Just don't watch the finale.

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Poor representation, lackluster story

Representation: I'm disappointed that people including Sarawat, Man, and Dim (all gay men), called Tine, Phukong, and Green the wives - this is a regression from the last season and a persistant problem throughout the series. "Team Wives" never rebukes them. And it's obvious why the reverse (Sarawat and Dim being called the wives) hadn't happened - because they're perceived as tops/semes and Tine, Green, and Phukong the bottoms. The same director also directed Dark Blue Kiss, which also had the same issue. Surprisingly, he also directed He's Coming to Me, which was pretty much flawless in this department. Apart from this, I must commend the show for putting in effort in repping with decorations and clothing: there is a Call Me By Your Name poster on Tine and Sarawat's apartment wall; Sarawat wore a pride shirt in episode 2, etc. These are small things that LGBTQ people won't ever miss, so thank you. In episode 4, when Sarawat's friend from the music club talked to him (in a rather obvious PSA moment) about his being so open with his love, he said it was not about courage but about 2 people in love, and that it was up to the couple whether to show PDA or not. Well, he's wrong. It is very much about courage. Homophobia is very real, even in Thailand, especially when people still look at your relationship through heteronormative lenses, as shown by this very show itself. And this is the least of our problems. So don't try and whitewash the struggles of being gay to accommodate the delicate sensibilities of a portion of your audience. You don't have to highlight it but to erase it like so is to trivialize our struggles. Before we look at our preferences with regards to PDA, we must consider our safety, our livelihood, our social life, etc. For many, the fear is real. Like all other GMMTV shows, trans people are shown matter of fact although they play very limited roles.

Story: Apparently fans complained that Sarawat wouldn't leave Tine in the hospital with Mil when he had food poisoning and the director retconned and said Sarawat actually was there the whole night but left in the morning to change, before Tine woke up. While this is great, sadly, like the last season the story is still very lackluster. Compound this with how the show treats Tine, Phukong and Green, at episode 5, I no longer want to continue.

Acting: I'm not sure if the actor is the problem, or the director. Tine has an aversion to affection, an annoying trope in BL, and continues to wear a constant constipated expression when he's around Sarawat (seriously, he's a lot chipper with other characters). For example, when Tine was sad that Sarawat was leaving to practice, he just gave Sarawat a sad smile when Sarawat told him about the extremely sweet story where he searched for Tine everywhere and even applied to the university in hopes of meeting Tine again. Tine was pretty much expressionless. Every time (and this applies to the previous series as well) they kiss, Tine looks like a deer caught in the headlights even when he's the one who initiated the flirting. This is not something I expected from someone who's still in their honeymoon period. I'm not sure if the director want Tine and Sarawat to have contrast with Type and Man but I don't believe this is the way to do it. That said, Tine was great with the lonely scene by the pool.

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Trigger warning for homophobia and death

Realism and Representation: directed by out gay director, Kim Jo Kwang Soo, the representation of LGBTQ characters are pretty realistic. There is a variety of LGBTQ characters, including caricatures as comic relief. The bar owner Kyung Nam is the most unapologetically proud character, which is great. It's both realistic and hilarious Min Soo and Lee Seok both expected to be the bottom the first night they got together. Despite that, they still stayed together, which I find especially romantic. There is some triggering portrayal of homophobia so be careful.

Story: I can't say I love the death of Tina but it seems like the only way to teach homophobes is for them to experience a fraction of the pain they inflict to LGBTQ people via on-screen violence and death. The plot serves the purpose of education as well as representation of both positive and negative experiences of being LGBTQ.

The worst character in the movie aside from the taxi driver is Lee Seok. I don't understand why Seok refused to leave Korea and reprimanded Min Soo of trying to leave. Since France is still pretty homophobic to this day, I get why he wouldn't want to return to Paris but there are other places they can go. I also get that leaving Hyo Jin alone to deal with the aftermath of being outed would be cruel but emigrating from a homophobic country is a legitimate and valid decision and LGBTQ people shouldn't be shamed for "escaping." People emigrate for all kinds of reasons - work, raising children, better quality of life, etc. Not everyone has to fight to improve labor rights, better education, LGBTQ rights, the economy, etc. in their own country. Escaping homophobia is probably the most legitimate reason you can have. How is this different from leaving the countryside to live in the cities? Besides, most capitals are global cities and we are global citizens. Seok also pressured Min Soo to come out - in a society where violence and loss of livelihood due to discrimination is rampant. He had no right to do that. His leaving Min Soo at the critical moment of almost being outed is also irresponsible and cruel. If he couldn't be in a relationship with someone who is closeted (as most LGBTQ people are/were in South Korea), he shouldn't have involved himself from the beginning. Kyung Nam trying to keep Seok from answering Min Soo's calls is similarly cruel. Hyo Jin had a point - Min Soo was at risk of suicide, and doubly so given the suicide rates for LGBTQ people and Koreans.

Acting: excellent.

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Could be better

Realism and Representation: this is pretty good. There are no caricatures, stereotypes, heteronormativity or demonization of women. One of the main characters is a very flamboyant gay man but he is neither a caricature or a stereotype because he has depth. A lot of the story is set within a gay sauna so there are a variety of gay men, although most are extras. One of the love interests, Paul, can be considered to be pansexual.

Story: This is a hilarious and feel-good series. There is potential for the story to go further, especially regarding the endings. More interaction between the love interests and the main characters in their correct bodies would be nice because right now it feels incomplete. I want to see more gay intimacy. There are 2 endings, which is kind of gimmicky. The only major difference is whether Xiao Chi accepts or rejects his "girlfriend." Obviously the one where he rejects her is more logical, thus is my preferred ending. I'd like to see him actually get together with the art dealer. It takes only 30 seconds, why not include it? As for the other ending, if he accepts to date the girl, all the build up and tension between him and the art-dealer, and Hua Hua asking if he likes boys would be for nothing. He has zero chemistry with her and is obviously uncomfortable with her clinginess. So, for me, to include the other ending is unnecessary. Why not go all out different if you're going to do it?

Acting: there isn't enough range of emotions to showchase the actors' skills but for its purposes, everyone gave a solid performance.

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Feels icky

I know this is supposed to be cute and endearing but one looks like a middle school student and the other an adult man in his twenties. Feels icky honestly. The movie shows them in the same school so they're supposed to be only a few years apart so maybe cast actors who look similar in age? The music video in the middle is completely unnecessary. It breaks the flow of the movie even if it raises valid concerns about meeting strangers - but in the end they're actually schoolmates, so what's the relevance? There is no dialogue but I feel some of the expressions are exaggerated in overcompensation.

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Excellent, heartfelt, charming, happy ending

Excellent, heartfelt, charming. Strongberry's short films always deliver.

It's rare to see intergenerational gay relationships featured in Asian media and this is a welcomed change. Both actors are handsome and charming. The acting is natural and understated yet you can really feel the atmosphere and emotion, especially the Professor's disappointment near the end. I rarely pay much attention to how movies or shows use music but here, the use of music has a great impact. Music represents the Professor's state of mind: 80% of the film consists of background noise and no background music because it conveys the Professor's loneliness. When they get together, a romantic track plays, followed by a quirky, happy tune. The dialogue is succinct and romantic. I'm as surprised as the Professor that the student already consider them in a relationship. That was so cute! Their hand-holding and flirting at the end is also extremely cute and heartwarming.

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A clusterfuck with some good moments

Representation: First of all, Pan is a LESBIAN in a BL drama. It's a miracle. A miracle turned disaster because of Fah. It perpetuates the idea that lesbians simply haven't found the right man. I don't even want to talk about corrective rapes. Make her bisexual from the start if you want Pan choosing between a man and a woman. Given how heteronormative every society is, how likely is it that an openly gay lesbian finds out she's bi? We didn't even get her inner struggle about her identity once she finds out she's attracted to a man, after knowing herself to be lesbian for a long time. They fucked up Pan's whole character. Also, I just wish Apo and Waii got together after Waii broke up with Fay. It fed into the stereotype that bisexual guys are indecisive and unfaithful. You can explore your emotions and sexuality without betraying people. But I like how Waii lost both Apo (for a year) and Fay in the end. The show has a lot of homophobic elements but none of the characters actually call homophobic behavior out. When Puth called Kluay and Achi bride and groom, no one corrected him. During the homophobic bullying scene, the only retort the main characters had was, "Mind your own business!" Weak.

Apo and Waii have good chemistry. Visually, the show is set but unfortunately everything else is simply sub-par. The story is nothing special and Apo and Waii never seemed to be the main couple. The acting is far from perfect although there is significant improvement towards the last few episodes. The acting is fine with comedic and playful scenes but it's the emotionally charged scenes that usually need work, for example Kan's outburst and crying into Apo's chest and the homophobic bullying scene - they were extraordinarily fake. The exceptions are probably Apo's goodbye with Waii, Fay and Waii's confrontation, and also the Coach's crying scene - all of them happen towards the end. I think most of the problem lies in the script and the direction - the entire show is very cringey most of the time. For example, the director uses very cliche ways to get their faces close together for that awkward (TM) stare of accidental desire. There are so many close ups featuring Waii and Apo's throats, swallowing saliva to convey nervousness or whatever. Waii and Apo's first "kiss" was super cringey (as were all other kisses). And then in an even more ridiculous fashion, he assaulted Apo (sexually) to find out if gay sex is better, or he was just repressed. Just WTF. It was never addressed afterwards. Truth be told, I fast forward many scenes because they were just that bad. While I liked the ending, the director deprived us of the final kiss between Apo and Waii. Why?

Most characters are extremely unlikable, at least in the first half of the show. Honestly I think Apo was the only reason I kept on. Waii was a selfish, unreasonable asshole with a grudge and mommy issues. But for all the build up and frustration we get from watching Waii being childish, Waii and Kan's make up scene was extremely lackluster. Pan is a disaster of a character, her bullying Fah wasn't funny or endearing. Wan was a complete bitch at the start. Fay was annoyingly sweet but at least her scenes are consistently good.

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Bold but not quite impactful

Realism and Representation: Compared to other GMMTV titles, I must say this one really feels like LGBTQ people are actually one of their targeted demographics. There are no "wife" jokes/comments. There is a variety of gay characters, none of them stereotypes. Most of them are also older, not university or high school students, which meant their stories aren't about coming out or confusion about their sexuality. There is a gay couple in their 60s. Sam and Earth are in a long term relationship, dealing with infidelity. Stud is a confident player who knows what he wants. It's refreshing to see this sort of portrayal - he's going after sex, not a relationship (most of the time anyway). He also says if Boyo is a gay man, she'd be a top because she slept with her ex and her housemate - which is false because being promiscuous, sex-positive, or having a high libido has nothing to do with someone's preferred role, gender or sex. There is mention of open relationships and threesomes. Pun and her husband are basically in an open relationship. There is homophobia and misogyny in Tor's rap because he's humiliating Good Job by 1. questioning his sexuality and 2. suggesting he's a bottom. This is in line of Tor's asshole character, as well as rap culture being highly homophobic and misogynistic.

Story: it doesn't really have a plot. It's more like a slice of life and how characters interact with each other and react to different events. A more mature show with relatable stories, it never delves deep but instead touches on a number of things, including objectification, slut shaming, jealousy, parents divorcing, sex, gays having to prove themselves, depression, revenge, (attempted) rape, abortion, etc. Cheating and its aftermath are the most prominent and persistent theme throughout the show. These are all big topics, so kudos to the writers for being bold. While entertaining, for some reason, it doesn't have much emotional impact. It doesn't make me cry. I'm not especially invested any of the characters, even Earth and Sam's relationship, perhaps because they didn't have much chemistry, and they got sabotaged so soon.

Characters: they're all flawed but likable characters. They make mistakes but they try to be better. The mistakes and decisions they make are reasonable, ones many people make. They fight and make up. In other words, they feel real. By the end of the series, I really feel like each of them matured.

Acting: everyone gave solid performances although crying scenes in the beginning aren't convincing at all. Singto is a little rigid in certain scenes as good-natured Earth but his vengeful Earth is awesome. He makes self-sabotage look cool. I must also say the most emotional scene of the series has to be when Sam and Earth make up at the end. That scene is very well done, kudos to Nat and Singto.

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I'm sorry but I can't accept this bullshit.

I'm extremely surprised at how popular this series is. I only managed to finish the first 3 episodes because I skipped over the repetitive hazing rituals. They were hard to watch not only because is it boring, it is also highly unrealistic for a small group of seniors to publicly haze an entire cohort of freshmen without interference from their peers, seniors, university staff, and even parents. And the rationale behind the hazing is to train freshmen to stand up for themselves and learn discipline and respect? Don't play sappy music over this explanation. It's an insult to my intelligence. This is not the military and it sure as hell is not a military school. This is as insane as the marry your rapist tropes in early Yaoi. How do they expect their audience suspend their disbelief to this level? The writers should read up on the consequences of hazing because what they are doing is romanticize hazing, which they understand because of the disclaimer before the show starts. On top of this, we are expected to believe Kong and Arthit fall for each other?

I skipped forward to the last episode and saw that Kong recognizes the "values" behind the SOTUS system but wanted to change the methods, then he becomes the hazing leader the following year. My eyes did a full 360 degree rotation.

I should also point out 2 instances of homophobia within the first 3 episodes. First, Arthit displayed his homophobia by asking Kong to proclaim he is gay. Second, Kong retaliated by saying he would make Arthit his "wife." It's popular shows like this that continue to enforce heteronormativity in society. This is why straight people are still asking same sex couples, 'Who's the man, who's the woman?"

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Holy shit this is bad.

I liked Tharn the first half of episode 1 because he's a self assertive, confident, openly gay man. However, I'm forced to drop this because he proceeded to sexually assault Type 3 times over 3 episodes. It's disgusting and more so because all 3 incidents are brushed away like they were innocent pranks. The first time Type was drunk-unconscious. The second and third time he was frozen with fear. If consent ever mattered to Tharn then he should have stopped MUCH earlier the second time. And given how Type reacted to his advances, Tharn never should have attempted the third time. It doesn't matter if Type ultimately relented because he still froze up and begged Tharn to stop.

Besides, Tharn's actor is way too old to play a college freshman. Type's crying is extremely fake, so are his nightmare episodes.

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Problematic rep, unoriginal/unbelievable story, decent acting

I notice that people either love 2 Moons or hate it. I'm somewhat part of the latter group. Even

Realism and Representation: 2 Moons get a fail in this category. Pha's confrontation with the "gay is wrong!" Pring in episode 11 basically tells the audience that Pha is a straight (TM) guy who fell in love with Yo, the one man he's interested in. He also "advised" Kit earlier on that the gender of the person doesn't matter when it comes to love, which is the definition of pansexuality, but completely ignoring/erasing the existence of sexual orientations. Ming and Kit are also "suddenly awakened" straight (TM) men as if they triggered the gay-for-you mutation in each other. No, there is little evidence to suggest any of them being bisexual or pansexual given how they only find that one man (TM) attractive. Besides, none of them claimed to be. Is this shit written in the 2000s? Ming and Beam, despite being great friends, failed the heternormativity/fujoshi criteria for the show by calling Yo the wife and made jokes like "they'd have lots of children by now." Pha himself made a pregnant joke, and of course it's Yo who's pregnant. It's a wonder how Yo still manages to not come out as trans and get transferred to the Star section of the competition. Maybe the show should be called Moon and Star instead? With the exception of Yo who has never shown interest in women (or other men besides Pha), and Forth who is the best representation of an openly gay man in the series, the other gay characters are obvious stereotypes and caricatures (Angel Club) but females students in the same fan club act pretty much the same way - obnoxiously and creepily. There are no demonized female characters besides some jealous women doing normal jealous things. Transwomen are shown as matter-of-fact and are not made fun of. Lastly, there are quite a few rape jokes, depending on the translation. A translator's notes say that the word means to do sexual things forcefully to someone but not necessarily rape.

Story: What's the trope name for popular guy falling for the lonely/ostracized/quiet/insecure girl/guy? Tropes are fine IF everything else goes well. That's not what's happening here. While having two people who have "secret" crushes on each other stumble around to gain each other's affection can be fun to watch, it makes my eyes invert themselves that Pha manages to ruin every moment he had with Yo since MIDDLE SCHOOL even though he knew Yo's feelings towards him. Don't go acting all sad puppy after you purposefully misread Yo's awkward but obvious signals. Yes, he's still into you. Pha's friends claim he's struggling with his sexuality and worry too much about what others think. I don't buy that. Or at least, that's not what the audience is seeing: Pha's being extremely confident and forward with Yo with every chance he gets (even Pring can see it) and yet he follows it up with a giant step backward. In Cantonese, we call what he's doing to Yo: a bite of sugar, a bite of shit. That's the one thing I can't suspend my disbelief for this show. So if you don't want to watch the sugar and shit back-and-forth, watch the first two episodes and skip to episode 7 which is the turning point of their relationship. Afterwards, Yo transforms into a dead fish. The ultimate twist of the story is... Pha has been in love with Yo this whole time! Shock!

Characters: I'm tired of dramas trying way too hard to push the idea with someone is attractive. It's unoriginal. It's not funny. It's cringey. Let the casting do their job. Pha is absolutely obnoxious and physically aggressive but seemingly only to Yo, and without reason. The actor had that aspect nailed down. The first thing he did to Yo was to insult him of being spoiled because he's rich. Guess what? Pha is rich himself. Something doesn't add up. Was he bullying Yo (before he recognizes him) because he's immature and that's his way of showing affection, or is he rude to everyone? It's not the latter because we later know he gets along well with pretty much everyone. And it's not the former because once Pha recognizes that Yo is the Wayo from his middle/high school, and therefore worthy of affection, he acts like a normal human being. Yo looks child-like and feminine but he has a surprisingly low voice, is brash and never a push-over. I like that. But after they start dating, Yo turns into a jealous dead fish with confidence issues. He gets compliments from everyone, including Pha, in almost every episode! He also slut shames. And he's too shy to kiss Pha until the last episode? I don't like that. Fort is basically perfect personality-wise but he gets very little screen time.

Acting: everyone gave a pretty solid performance despite the script they have to work with. There are a lot of awkward pauses when it comes to Yo. I'm not sure if we're supposed to find them endearing. Yo and Pha's vacant stares of longing are pretty funny at the beginning but Yo has this vacant expression (without the longing) for 3/4 of the series. Is he trying to mask his feelings? But after they practically got together, Yo's still pretty uncomfortable with Pha. Compare that with how open he is with Ming, or even when he first clashed with Pha. He was a lot more emotive. I know he has some confidence issues but he got with the love of his life! How is he not over the moon? What is the director going for? On the other hand Pha's completely, openly smitten. The talent show is realistic because it's very cringey. Yo's performance is nice but I prefer the song he played in the piano room. I like the actors - they were the only thing keeping me going. Since they're not in the next season, there's absolutely no reason to continue watching.

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Best Thai drama I've seen. Happy ending.

Realism and Representation: no stereotypes, caricatures, heteronormativity, or demonized female characters. Thun is gay and he talked about how excluded he feels when his guy friends talk about girls. He struggled to accept himself. He had an emotional coming out scene with his mom, which was well acted. Everyone else is accepting, which is cool.

Story: it's not uncommon to have dramas about straight romances across the living and dead realms but there aren't many supernatural BL dramas. This is a supernatural university romance, and based on traditional death culture at that, which is something I've never seen before. It's honestly very creative and interesting. Even if it doesn't have gay romance I'd watch it and I recommend everyone to do the same. It's also interesting for me to see how similar Thai culture is about death compared to my own culture (Hong Kong) and it turns out it's EXACTLY the same, even the part about carrying the incense to transport the spirit and praying to the earth god to let the spirit stay. Anyway, even though the beginning is a little slow, I'm truely impressed with the story, which is not something I say lightly. It's a solid 10/10, the best Thai drama I'm seen, not kidding. Great twist and foreshadowing, great coming out scenes, sweet romance scenes, fascinating mysteries, AND a happy ending?... It's got it all. I thought the only way for this to end was for it to be bittersweet but I'm glad the writers decided against that. There are some beats where the pacing is a bit slow but in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty negligible.

Characters: the leads make a cute couple. Even though they might argue, Thun's friends care deeply about him. Thun's mom is accepting. Plai is also a great character.

Acting: pretty decent. Although there is some awkwardness, the important emotional scenes are very much on point. Kudos to the young actors!

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Easy to watch, quick to finish. Happy ending.

I love it.

Realism and Representation: no stereotypes, caricatures, or heteronormativity. Gitae calls Chisoo hyung, not oppa as straight people would think. Both of them are established gay characters. Chisoo got bullied for being a gay orphan and his adoptive father is also homophobic. Conversely, Gitae's sister is completely supportive.

Story: interesting premise, a breath of fresh air for this genre. It has done surprisingly great with blending assassins with a fluffy, cute romance. What I don't find believable is that Chisoo's adoptive father would rather kill Chisoo and lose his best assassin than to accept him as gay. I mean, if he can't accept Chisoo, can't he just keep him at arm's length but still use him against his enemies? Also, why are there no guns? I'm very happy that they have a happy ending. I feel like there is a lot of potential to expand on their story.

Characters: there are only 5 major characters. Chisoo's "father" looks similar in age to Chisoo. Chisoo looks at least 30. Don't tell me "father" adopted him at age 10. To be honest, Gitae's physique really doesn't suggest his expertise in hand to hand combat (he bested Chisoo in melee).

Acting: everyone gave a solid performance, although Chisoo's crying scenes aren't convincing at all. The sex scenes are very sweet and tender. They're both really clumsy with each other the first time they made out it's hilarious. The fights are pretty well choreographed. Chisoo's called the Flying Dagger but never once threw a dagger.

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Must Watch

There are concepts meant to be educational that they didn't explain well, such as Hurata's question about who's the girl in a gay relationship, but overall it's a great series. There are a lot of plot devices that are unrealistic and transparent to see but it's comedy. The acting is extremely over the top in some instances but I guess that's Japanese comedy for you and it's effective. Otherwise, the acting is superb. The characters are great because they're not stereotypical at all, which I think is great for mainstream Japanese audiences. They are shown positively. There is variety. The women aren't demonized. While this is a feel-good drama, it still touches on negative gay experiences, such as homophobia. I'd say it strikes a good balance for what it's trying to achieve. In the end there are 4 really capable gay/bisexual men in that company branch. Extremely high rewatch value. Great movie sequel too!

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