bimblebop

I will admit that I got baited by the Shen An and Duan Ru Xing scene from twitter (you know the one). In fact, I was so baited I went and read the original CN novel before watching the series just in case. And because I did that, it made me appreciate this show more; the novel was surprisingly concise, so the show took the source material and extrapolated on the plot in ways I really enjoyed. I liked the little details they added, and it made it more of an experience to watch.

Ironically, one of my qualms about the show is the very reason that got me into watching it: there's too many bed scenes. Now, hear me out. I'm not one of those puritanical people that become uncomfortable at the prospect of two consenting adults on screen getting it on. One thing I really love about Thailand's BL production is how unashamed they are to show these moments. This show had a lot of them! There were so many bed scenes that I absolutely adored and will probably go back to rewatch because they make me so happy. But I also don't think I'm in the wrong when I say that at certain points, it felt too drawn out and fanservice-y to the point of interrupting the flow of the story. This show is not the only one - this has simply been a trend recently. If anything this show does this better than others, but because I liked this story so much I want to demand better. Above all, I want the story I like to flow well.

While I did like that they expanded the plot from the book, some of the interjections into the plot did feel useless and functionally incomprehensible. The mushroom scene? Random backstory of Ob-aun's family asking Shan's for money, serving no purpose other than some minor friction caused by Intouch that also lead nowhere because Ob-aun didn't even really bring it up with Shan... Sin's whole deal that barely got any proper conclusion... Just some random stuff that clearly existed to fluff up the plot but felt too staged and difficult to immerse myself into.

Another issue I had is that considering how high quality the production seemed to be, not all of the actors' performances seemed up to par. I won't name names because it's not just one person and ultimately I also think the director could have spent more effort drawing out those performances from them too, but it especially stood out in scenes where one of the actors is clearly doing their best while their counterpart has an expression so ambiguous I am playing a guessing game at what emotion they're trying to express there.

All in all, it was a really sweet watch that I think could have ended up perfect had they ironed out some details. However, I am looking forward to more from these actors and production in the future because I do see the potential to evolve their future works.