2
4
RoseQ
Procrastination Zone
Foreshadowing was done so masterfully!
I held off on writing this review, mostly because this was my introduction to Asian dramas, Thai dramas and BL dramas in general. I didn't really have any expectations going into this, so I wanted to give myself time to watch some other series and get a good point of reference when it came to the review. Having said that, I think this was an amazing introduction into the BL world for me.
The storyline is nice, there are however some shortcomings and there are certain things that were left open or without an explanation - like the motivation behind the inside man. I thought of almost everyone else except him, but I still don't know why he decided to betray the main family. Also the family relevations about Porsche (and Chay) was a bit too much and completely unnecessary. It could have been and it should have been done differently.
I love how much though was put into the side characters as well. I was ready to just remember everyone by bodyguard 1, bodyguard 2, friend 1... There are a lot of side characters and I think it's amazing how I had no troubles knowing exactly who is who, how they are, picking up some of their traits. That takes a lot of work and dedication, so kudos for that. The chemistry (and not just romantic) between the actors was great, they all did an amazing job portraying emotions, often only through their expressions. And I think saying the visuals of everyone were on point is an underrated statement. OST was amazing as well!
Another absolutely brilliant thing was the foreshadowing - there were a lot of little hints about what is happening or what was going to happen throughout the series, but I feel like I didn't fully register all of them as I watched the series. It was only when things actually happened that I was like "oooh, so that's what that comments ment!". This is also why I rewatched the whole thing pretty much right after I finished it. I really wanted to see how many such details I missed.
We get to see 4 couples in the series: Kinn & Porsche, Vegas & Pete, Kim & Porchay, and Time & Tay.
Time & Tay: they are Kinn's friends who are already a couple when the series starts. All I am going to say is that Tay deserves so much better. At first, I wasn't really sure if their actions and comments are meant as a joke or are we supposed to take them seriously, but episode 12 cleared all of my doubts. The two probably got the least screen time between all the couples, but they slayed it.
Kim & Porchay: This is one pairing that I found really interesting. Porchay is probably the most innocent person in this whole series, while Kim seems like someone who could rule the world with very little effort. Kim is the youngest and doesn't live with his family, he is an artist, but at the same time, he knows much more about what is really going on than Kinn. So the duality of his character was quite interesting to watch, especially in comparison with Porchay who was delighted to meet his favourite singer. I do really feel for Porchay though, he was practically abandoned by his brother (even if Porsche was trying to ensure a better future for his brother) and was left in a very vulnerable position. Their relationship is kept to a bare minimum, but it was one that really stuck with me.
Vegas & Pete: from the first interaction show in the series, it was foreshadowed that the two will be together. I do think their relationship does begin very problematically, including what precedes it, but at the same time, I just cannot hate Vegas. He grew up in a very messed up household and was taught to obey his father. I think that true Vegas comes out when he is taking care of someone, which is shown in his interactions with Macau and later with Pete. I do think he finds it hard to completely leave behind what was engrained into him by his father. Pete does appear as a very superficial character at first, he is fun and silly, and that's it. But as the story progresses, we get to see a lot more of his personality. He is wise, strategical, caring, supportive. I think this is what makes him a great match for Vegas who needs someone who will show him love, who will love him for who he is as a person, who can see through his shell.
Kinn & Porsche: they are the main couple. Their relationship was quite messy at times and it lacked communication when it was the most important. Kinn as a character does seem very cold and ruthless at first, but after hearing him talk about his life, we do get to see a different side to him. As he and Porsche get closer, we do get to see his caring side more. Porsche is... wild. I don't really know how else to describe him, but I think he is perfectly imperfect. He gets himself into trouble constantly, is kind of clumsy, noisy and is good at messing things up. I feel like this is what makes his character so human, so realistic. I was amazed by how much a single expression from Porsche (Apo) could tell us about his feelings. The amount of raw emotions put into some of the scenes left me speechless.
I do have to make a comment on questionable consent. There are a quite a few spicy scenes in the series which were done really beautifully. I urge you to check the BTS where the actors talk about them. It's very refreshing to see such mature outlook on NC scenes. But back to the consent - both Kinn & Porsche's and Vegas & Pete's first time are a bit problematic for different reasons. I really appreciate that we got to see that Porsche and Pete were wary of what has happened afterward. I think it's important that such issues are addressed, because it shows that what has happened was not necessarily completely consensual, which can lead to trauma.
The 18+ rating on the series is justified. Not because of action / violence scenes, not even because of the NC scenes. The characters are extremely complex, there is a certain level of maturity needed to really understand everything. And many people, even when they are 18+, are not capable of that.
The storyline is nice, there are however some shortcomings and there are certain things that were left open or without an explanation - like the motivation behind the inside man. I thought of almost everyone else except him, but I still don't know why he decided to betray the main family. Also the family relevations about Porsche (and Chay) was a bit too much and completely unnecessary. It could have been and it should have been done differently.
I love how much though was put into the side characters as well. I was ready to just remember everyone by bodyguard 1, bodyguard 2, friend 1... There are a lot of side characters and I think it's amazing how I had no troubles knowing exactly who is who, how they are, picking up some of their traits. That takes a lot of work and dedication, so kudos for that. The chemistry (and not just romantic) between the actors was great, they all did an amazing job portraying emotions, often only through their expressions. And I think saying the visuals of everyone were on point is an underrated statement. OST was amazing as well!
Another absolutely brilliant thing was the foreshadowing - there were a lot of little hints about what is happening or what was going to happen throughout the series, but I feel like I didn't fully register all of them as I watched the series. It was only when things actually happened that I was like "oooh, so that's what that comments ment!". This is also why I rewatched the whole thing pretty much right after I finished it. I really wanted to see how many such details I missed.
We get to see 4 couples in the series: Kinn & Porsche, Vegas & Pete, Kim & Porchay, and Time & Tay.
Time & Tay: they are Kinn's friends who are already a couple when the series starts. All I am going to say is that Tay deserves so much better. At first, I wasn't really sure if their actions and comments are meant as a joke or are we supposed to take them seriously, but episode 12 cleared all of my doubts. The two probably got the least screen time between all the couples, but they slayed it.
Kim & Porchay: This is one pairing that I found really interesting. Porchay is probably the most innocent person in this whole series, while Kim seems like someone who could rule the world with very little effort. Kim is the youngest and doesn't live with his family, he is an artist, but at the same time, he knows much more about what is really going on than Kinn. So the duality of his character was quite interesting to watch, especially in comparison with Porchay who was delighted to meet his favourite singer. I do really feel for Porchay though, he was practically abandoned by his brother (even if Porsche was trying to ensure a better future for his brother) and was left in a very vulnerable position. Their relationship is kept to a bare minimum, but it was one that really stuck with me.
Vegas & Pete: from the first interaction show in the series, it was foreshadowed that the two will be together. I do think their relationship does begin very problematically, including what precedes it, but at the same time, I just cannot hate Vegas. He grew up in a very messed up household and was taught to obey his father. I think that true Vegas comes out when he is taking care of someone, which is shown in his interactions with Macau and later with Pete. I do think he finds it hard to completely leave behind what was engrained into him by his father. Pete does appear as a very superficial character at first, he is fun and silly, and that's it. But as the story progresses, we get to see a lot more of his personality. He is wise, strategical, caring, supportive. I think this is what makes him a great match for Vegas who needs someone who will show him love, who will love him for who he is as a person, who can see through his shell.
Kinn & Porsche: they are the main couple. Their relationship was quite messy at times and it lacked communication when it was the most important. Kinn as a character does seem very cold and ruthless at first, but after hearing him talk about his life, we do get to see a different side to him. As he and Porsche get closer, we do get to see his caring side more. Porsche is... wild. I don't really know how else to describe him, but I think he is perfectly imperfect. He gets himself into trouble constantly, is kind of clumsy, noisy and is good at messing things up. I feel like this is what makes his character so human, so realistic. I was amazed by how much a single expression from Porsche (Apo) could tell us about his feelings. The amount of raw emotions put into some of the scenes left me speechless.
I do have to make a comment on questionable consent. There are a quite a few spicy scenes in the series which were done really beautifully. I urge you to check the BTS where the actors talk about them. It's very refreshing to see such mature outlook on NC scenes. But back to the consent - both Kinn & Porsche's and Vegas & Pete's first time are a bit problematic for different reasons. I really appreciate that we got to see that Porsche and Pete were wary of what has happened afterward. I think it's important that such issues are addressed, because it shows that what has happened was not necessarily completely consensual, which can lead to trauma.
The 18+ rating on the series is justified. Not because of action / violence scenes, not even because of the NC scenes. The characters are extremely complex, there is a certain level of maturity needed to really understand everything. And many people, even when they are 18+, are not capable of that.
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