femslashedtires
usa
Watchable and cute, but seriously lacking in storyline.
I already know I wasn't the target audience for this show (high school romance is *not* my jam), so I wanted to really give it a fair shot before reviewing. But honestly? I think my review might have been more positive if I stopped after the first few episodes! While the design of this show is absolutely adorable, with lots of bright colors and space themes, the characters are completely empty and lessons learned are... pretty questionable. I'm also disappointed with GMMTV's continuous fumbling of disabled characters across several shows. This was not the best of efforts, and with several other GLs airing and upcoming... I don't feel like forcing myself across the finish line.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
This story is abysmal. I'll start with the major problems and work down to the nitpicks. Most importantly: the characters lack personality. While Ongsa and Aylin are can scrape by on a cartoonish, stylized choice, Sun and Luna are disappointingly one dimensional. Ongsa, Chareon and Tinh have more chemistry and repartee than any of the couples. Sun is supposedly popular, but 8 episodes in, I don't even know her friends names and she seems to ditch them without question. There doesn't seem to be any depth to any of the relationships--romantic, friendship, or familial.
My second largest issue is the treatment of Aylin, who is portrayed to have autism or some similar neurodivergence. Don't get me wrong: Aylin is leaps and bounds ahead of Penneung from Home School, so I'm grateful for that. But the way she is portrayed as "Luna's project" as someone to change and push into a social creature is just offensive. Half the times the Alien allegory works really well, and have the times it feels like a serious infantilization of an already infantilized group.
As for the nitpicks... I don't like how the show handled Ongsa's self-confidence issues. I understand shows need sponsorships, but to suggest the solution to Ongsa's feelings of "being ugly and unworthy" is to put on some L'Oreal LipstickTM and all the school will fall over you is some seriously anti-feminist drivel. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against femme lesbians... but Ongsa is Not! Or at least she is not portrayed that way until exactly the moment she strives to feel worthy of a girl. I don't think Sun's approach is appropriate either, and hate how her jealous prevents her from hyping up her hot girlfriend.
ACTING:
It was fine. Milk is wonderful at physical comedy and slightly less compelling with the more emotional beats. Love was very cute, but watching Home School simultaneously made it very clear how little she has to work with here. I am not at all a fan of View or her shaky attempts at cripping up, but I know I'm in the minority here. I don't really feel anyone else has enough to work with to properly judge their skills. About the best I can say is that everyone created a very cohesive, heightened, cutesy high school universe, which was nice. They matched energy levels very well, which made scenes fun and bright.
On another note, I wish they'd given this show to more age appropriate actors. While they did a valiant job of making a 27 year old look like a young high schooler, it simply didn't always work. The extreme youth and innocence of the script really worked against the actors here.
PRODUCTION:
All that said, it was enjoyable to watch. While the cinematography was frequently extra slow and drawn out, the set designs and costume choices created a beautiful and bright world. I really enjoyed the way they stylized the youth of these characters and exaggerated their interests to really fill the space. The design of the bedrooms went a long way to filling in the absent personalities of the characters. I, of course, have to take my hats off to the costume crew working over time to make these grown adult women look like they could possibly be in high school--an effect that works way more often than I expected.
INTIMACY:
I haven't watched anything with MilkLove before, and seeing the hype around this pair.... I was expecting more? There's decent chemistry. It's not unwatchable or unbelievable. But I feel like the sound and lighting cues are doing a LOT of the heavy lifting in the romance here. I'm not sure what happened, or if it's just an effect of Ongsa's shyness? They were particularly compelling to me, as a romance.
In all, it's pretty much what I expected from a GMMTV high school romance. They definitely have their audience that enjoys this concept, and I'm glad those people are getting fed. But it does feel like a waste of their talents and time to put out such a shaky end product. I would really like to see GL push harder to develop some truly complex characters and more interesting plots.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
This story is abysmal. I'll start with the major problems and work down to the nitpicks. Most importantly: the characters lack personality. While Ongsa and Aylin are can scrape by on a cartoonish, stylized choice, Sun and Luna are disappointingly one dimensional. Ongsa, Chareon and Tinh have more chemistry and repartee than any of the couples. Sun is supposedly popular, but 8 episodes in, I don't even know her friends names and she seems to ditch them without question. There doesn't seem to be any depth to any of the relationships--romantic, friendship, or familial.
My second largest issue is the treatment of Aylin, who is portrayed to have autism or some similar neurodivergence. Don't get me wrong: Aylin is leaps and bounds ahead of Penneung from Home School, so I'm grateful for that. But the way she is portrayed as "Luna's project" as someone to change and push into a social creature is just offensive. Half the times the Alien allegory works really well, and have the times it feels like a serious infantilization of an already infantilized group.
As for the nitpicks... I don't like how the show handled Ongsa's self-confidence issues. I understand shows need sponsorships, but to suggest the solution to Ongsa's feelings of "being ugly and unworthy" is to put on some L'Oreal LipstickTM and all the school will fall over you is some seriously anti-feminist drivel. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against femme lesbians... but Ongsa is Not! Or at least she is not portrayed that way until exactly the moment she strives to feel worthy of a girl. I don't think Sun's approach is appropriate either, and hate how her jealous prevents her from hyping up her hot girlfriend.
ACTING:
It was fine. Milk is wonderful at physical comedy and slightly less compelling with the more emotional beats. Love was very cute, but watching Home School simultaneously made it very clear how little she has to work with here. I am not at all a fan of View or her shaky attempts at cripping up, but I know I'm in the minority here. I don't really feel anyone else has enough to work with to properly judge their skills. About the best I can say is that everyone created a very cohesive, heightened, cutesy high school universe, which was nice. They matched energy levels very well, which made scenes fun and bright.
On another note, I wish they'd given this show to more age appropriate actors. While they did a valiant job of making a 27 year old look like a young high schooler, it simply didn't always work. The extreme youth and innocence of the script really worked against the actors here.
PRODUCTION:
All that said, it was enjoyable to watch. While the cinematography was frequently extra slow and drawn out, the set designs and costume choices created a beautiful and bright world. I really enjoyed the way they stylized the youth of these characters and exaggerated their interests to really fill the space. The design of the bedrooms went a long way to filling in the absent personalities of the characters. I, of course, have to take my hats off to the costume crew working over time to make these grown adult women look like they could possibly be in high school--an effect that works way more often than I expected.
INTIMACY:
I haven't watched anything with MilkLove before, and seeing the hype around this pair.... I was expecting more? There's decent chemistry. It's not unwatchable or unbelievable. But I feel like the sound and lighting cues are doing a LOT of the heavy lifting in the romance here. I'm not sure what happened, or if it's just an effect of Ongsa's shyness? They were particularly compelling to me, as a romance.
In all, it's pretty much what I expected from a GMMTV high school romance. They definitely have their audience that enjoys this concept, and I'm glad those people are getting fed. But it does feel like a waste of their talents and time to put out such a shaky end product. I would really like to see GL push harder to develop some truly complex characters and more interesting plots.
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