FKA REY
Paris
What's the point?
I hadn't planned to watch this series, but when I saw the good ratings I wanted to give it a try.Alas, the script is non-existent. The characters are flat and have no depth. It's supposed to be a light comedy, but only the lightness is there without the comedy, and the sound effects weigh it down. I'm not interested, so I'm giving up.
GMM has a hard time producing inventive series these days. The Thai BL industry in general has a similar problem. The Koreans are doing much better!
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Very bad at the beginning, much better afterwards but an unexceptional ending
It gets off to a very bad start: messy, excessive, directionless and, frankly, not very well acted (these actors generally have trouble with intense scenes). I almost gave up.Then the story takes a step backwards, and the story becomes more interesting. The whole is much more coherent and we begin to understand. There's a desire to get away from the traditional Manichean schema, and this complexity is welcome. Karma plays its part, which is logical for a Thai series.
But the last episode ruins it a little. The aftermath should be more developed and - without wishing to spoil anything - the very end is rushed through with more questions than answers. I'm okay with an open ending, but this one's just too confusing.
In short, this could have been a great show; in the end, it's just okay.
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A pleasant series to watch but with some imperfections
What's striking about this series is that, although it's tempting to compare it to KinnPorsh, it's the exact opposite. Here, the writers focus more on the police and fantasy plot than on the love affair between the two heroes. The references to Buddhist mythology are appreciable, and the storyline is well-crafted.The story is followed with interest, without excessive length. It works. But this series has one big problem: the acting, which really isn't up to scratch. And the further we get into the episodes, the worse it gets. The ending, though interesting and less Manichean than might have been expected, is spoiled by it. Too bad!
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A series that lacks finesse
It starts with stories about rally cars. There are big cars, espionage and mysteries. In short, it gets off to a pretty good start.But all of a sudden, this omegaverse story takes over. First of all, not everyone is familiar with it. Some explanation would have been appreciated. The problem is that the story becomes chaotic: there's a permanent lack of coherence, the dialogue is poor and our car races come and go without us really understanding how. Theoretically, there are a lot of theatrical coups, but they're so predictable that they're not. The last episode is absolutely grotesque.
The acting gets worse and worse as the series scatters off in all directions.
The innumerable sex scenes and permanent good morals are not enough to save this series.
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What a lovely series!
Like the main character, we're drawn into this life-size video game story. We follow the story intensely, wishing that fiction could become reality. We also note that just because you think you're doing it right doesn't mean you're doing it right - an interesting theme.As is often the case with Korean BLs, and unlike Thai BLs, we're not drowned out by countless long, maudlin scenes. Instead, the series cuts to the chase, keeping us captivated.
The actors are convincing. It's well filmed.
Worth seeing.
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A very realistic description of the gay scene... unfortunately!
Having experienced the gay scene from the inside, I can tell you that it's unfortunately just like in the show: everyone sleeps with everyone else, fidelity is a dirty word, friendship is a concept, alcohol flows freely and drugs are all too easy to come by.The series can't be faulted for its desire for hyperrealism, and in that sense it succeeds. But we're not here to watch a documentary, and Only Friends doesn't have the stature of an Oscar-winning film, so a little levity would have been welcome. The characters are in 100% toxic mode at all times, and we'd have appreciated it if this had been softened by a bit of a bitchy moment. I was expecting to watch this series all smiles with a glass of wine in hand and found myself sighing and thinking "someone get them a psychologist!".
Apart from Sand and, to a lesser extent, Nick, the characters are not really likeable: Mew is falsely candid and rather bland, Top is infuriatingly "I want to control everything", Rey is ultra-toxic, Boston is the epitome of the well-built bitch who doesn't give a damn about anything, Nick is touching but goes too far in his actions. Then there's poor Sand, in whom I kind of saw myself.
As for the acting, Neo and Mark are excellent. As for the others, it depends on the moment.
In conclusion, I'd say it's a good series, but if you have to compare it to Friendzone, which is in the same style, Only Friends is worse.
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A story that could have been really interesting but GMM falls into its eternal flaws
The basic idea was good: class struggles, privileges for the rich, debt management, inequality. A romance between a rich teenager and a poor one is interesting. Alas, as soon as the romance begins (in a totally unexplained way, by the way), we plunge into a rather inconsistent high-school crush, very poorly served by rather average acting. For once, the age difference between the actors and their characters isn't too much of a handicap.The rare moments of action aren't enough to save the series from the banality into which it's sinking. It's not a bad show to watch, but its lack of originality leads straight into a predictable tedium.
When I stopped wanting to know what was going to happen next, I told myself I'd better give up.
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The umpteenth failure for MAME
MAME, after banalizing sexual violence in all her novels (Love By Chance, TharnType, Don't Say No, ...) sets out to romanticize arranged marriages. The idea that a fake marriage between a gay man and a lesbian is an easy way to get rid of a conservative family is false. What will the spouses do at family reunions or when it's time to talk about children? Their partners at heart will be relegated to the shadows. We can deal with this subject, but we can't do it lightly. What legitimacy does MAME, a heterosexual woman, have to deal with a subject that concerns the LGBT community, of which she obviously knows nothing? We're on the verge of cultural appropriation.In addition to the above-mentioned subject, the series has another problem: the characters have zero consistency, and the acting suffers greatly as a result. The female couple are so naive as to verge on indigestion. Nuea is an extraordinary boring. Lom is cowardly and manipulative.
I have no intention of spoiling the ending; all I can say is that it's predictable. Lom's attitude towards Yiwa is not very fair.
When I started watching this series and discovered that MAME was behind it, I almost stopped. I should have.
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It started out so well!
We had everything we needed to make it work. A desire to show professional life for what it really is. A romance that takes its time to understand how the heroes fall in love.The problem, which took me a long time to understand, is that Pat's character is extremely toxic. At first, we feel sorry for him and his "I overthink 24/7 and have zero self-confidence" side. But as the episodes progress, we realize that he makes no effort to adapt to others. He's always running away from the slightest problem (and with him, EVERYTHING is a problem) and he can never make a decision on his own. His ex even has to give him advice about his relationship with his other ex - the last straw! Watching the last episode, you end up getting very annoyed.
Jeng isn't perfect either. His need to control everything is problematic, but we're not on the same level as Pat. All in all, Jeng is reminiscent of that friend who spends his time getting back together with his toxic ex, despite his friends' recommendations.
As for the secondary characters, most of them serve no purpose. Jaab's story is both incomprehensible and unfinished.
In short, it's hard to enjoy this series to the end because of its unlovable main character. The very successful first episodes aren't enough.
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Not unpleasant to watch but lacking in consistency
The story is quite simple but not uninteresting. The subjects are quite modern: acceptance of homosexuality, sexual violence, depression, work relationships. The actors are quite convincing.Unfortunately, these good points are not enough to erase the problems of this series:
1/ Cher's character is really irritating, especially at the beginning: talks too much to say everything that goes through his head, does too much, takes up too much space. He calms down afterwards but as we had difficulty to get attached to him at the beginning, it remains complicated to be captivated by his story. On the contrary, Gun is very bland. The contrast between the two leaves a strange impression.
2/ Most of the subjects, quite modern, are only skimmed over. We would like to know more and understand the resolutions.
3/ The love story is badly described. We don't understand how they fall in love and especially so quickly.
In summary, this series is rather pleasant to watch but will not leave an imperishable memory.
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excellent series, both intimate and realistic
The only reason I don't put 10 is because that rating is reserved for I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU & UNCONTROLLED LOVE.By the way, it has some of the vibes as ITSAY, in that the story is approached in an intimate and modest way. The scenes are beautiful, everything is projected with a light sometimes raw, sometimes poetic.
The actors are very convincing, we believe in them from beginning to end. The secondary characters are all useful to the story.
The problems are approached in a realistic way without doing too much: guilt, depression, job search, ... The life in Korea is shown without filter. We are far from the colorful world of Kpop - and somehow, it's better.
To see without hesitation.
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An interesting story whose end is unfortunately botched
What is interesting about this series is that it shows how a person tries to get on with his life by dealing with his own past traumas. We learn again that it is difficult to cut ties with our parents even when they have been and still are abusive. We also see how difficult it is to deal with harassment at work.We also see a story where FWB relationships are not incompatible with caring, which is appreciated.
The problem is that by the time all the issues need to be resolved - I'd say by the middle of episode 8 - everything is rushed and glossed over. There are no details and it seems that the only objective, all of a sudden, is to make fan service with scenes all more sweet than the others. The last episode, which is not unpleasant to watch, has not an ounce of realism. Too bad for a show that was trying to show aspects of life in a somewhat credible way.
In conclusion, this series loses an opportunity to stand out positively from other series of the same style.
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A simple story of student love well executed
I hadn't planned on watching this series, but after seeing the two main actors in Moonlight Chicken, I changed my mind. Usually I don't watch high school series because they are a bit too childish for my taste. Here, indeed, we don't have a very mature story, which is normal, but at least it is well executed.GMM is finally making an effort to stop showing us basic BLs written by straight women for straight women where homosexuality doesn't exist and the realism of LGBTQ+ lives is absent. In this series , we describe real lives, coming out, society's acceptance. Even if we remain anchored in student problems, which is quite normal, we adhere without getting bored.
Another positive point: the actors seem to have the age of their character. It's a change from all the shows where 25 years old guys play 15 years old kids. I have a special thought for MY ONLY 12% which is the exact opposite of MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT.
Plus, the acting is good. The secondary characters, although numerous, bring a little more to the story.
In conclusion, I would say that we spend a good time watching this series which is not necessarily very inventive but well executed.
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Beautiful love stories and real moments of life
The trailer didn't really make me want to see it. I was afraid of another smooth love story in chicken sauce. Within the first few minutes, when inflation and COVID-19 were discussed, I realized I was wrong. If there are indeed love stories, they are for once shown in a realistic way. It's a far cry from "I'm not gay but" and that's a good thing. We believe in it.This series is also a real social fable: we talk about social classes, money, homosexuality, abortion, traditions. Everything is treated in a sober, well-filmed way. The emotions are perceptible, without exaggeration.
The acting is of high quality. Special mention to Khao. Without spoiling you, I can just say that in the scene where he holds back from crying, we are really touched!
I wish I had the opportunity to see more shows like this one, because here we are talking about real life of real people, and we adhere! I recommend it.
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A well-run progressive series
It's quite amusing to see how GMMTV is capable of the best with courageous and modern series like The Warp Effect or Not Me as well as the worst with product placement infested mawkishness like Fish Upon The Sky and Vice Versa.Here, many important subjects are tackled with a lot of benevolence: homosexuality, consent, body acceptance, STIs, etc. We are not used to it and it's good to see a serious subject in a series that is more of a comedy. Even if it can seem a bit unrealistic at times, as if the simple fact of talking out loud about a problem with people could solve it, the good intentions are there and that is the main thing.
The actors are good in their roles. However, even if it advocates a certain diversity, the casting is still 90% "light skinned-thin body/muscular". There is still progress to be made, especially when it is one of the subjects treated.
The series is pleasant to watch. I don't know if it will be worth a second viewing. We'll see.
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