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labcat
This review may contain spoilers
Likely one of the most moving Thai BLs in 2021
Not knowing what the story is about except that the couple are separated for four years, I watched the first episode and thought that it was another story about one-sided love (which may not be a bad thing but is really hard to do well). It turns out, however, that there is more than meets the eye.
Perhaps it takes more patience than some viewers would be willing to give before they discover the merits of the series. But, for me, it was not a difficult watch at all. The scenes were shot well, and the young actor who plays the character of Nut, is quite impressive. Thus, although this isn't a fast-paced series, I found it easy to go on watching and it did not really seem all that slow.
There are many complaints about the flashbacks used in the story as well as a few praises. To be sure, it isn't really the use of flashbacks as a technique in itself that people are commenting about. Rather, it's the flashbacks to scenes that have already been shown that people are commenting about.
The flashbacks used are often effective as they show us that the story we think we know isn't the whole story. At their best, the flashbacks are moving, such as when they reveal the reasons behind Phob's behaviors and emotions.
Unfortunately, in Episodes 7 and 8, the use of flashbacks as a technique does not impress, and the flashbacks themselves may seem a little purposeless. It's almost as though a different team has done the editing and flashbacks for the last two episodes. While the flashbacks in Episodes 1 to 6 are quite smooth and do not confuse, there is potential for confusion in Episodes 7 and 8. This is unfortunate for a series that has shown more finesse that expected. After all, the story is not astonishingly good, but it is the way it is told that makes it moving and engaging in Episodes 1 to 6. Thankfully, the story doesn't take a bad turn and does end satisfactorily save for a totally unnecessary cliffhanger about a side couple (it's not like a sequel is going to be made about the side couple, right?)
Despite its flaws, The Yearbook still manages to be a notch above some other Thai BL series that overwhelm viewers with a large number of characters without showing much skill in telling a coherent story
Perhaps it takes more patience than some viewers would be willing to give before they discover the merits of the series. But, for me, it was not a difficult watch at all. The scenes were shot well, and the young actor who plays the character of Nut, is quite impressive. Thus, although this isn't a fast-paced series, I found it easy to go on watching and it did not really seem all that slow.
There are many complaints about the flashbacks used in the story as well as a few praises. To be sure, it isn't really the use of flashbacks as a technique in itself that people are commenting about. Rather, it's the flashbacks to scenes that have already been shown that people are commenting about.
The flashbacks used are often effective as they show us that the story we think we know isn't the whole story. At their best, the flashbacks are moving, such as when they reveal the reasons behind Phob's behaviors and emotions.
Unfortunately, in Episodes 7 and 8, the use of flashbacks as a technique does not impress, and the flashbacks themselves may seem a little purposeless. It's almost as though a different team has done the editing and flashbacks for the last two episodes. While the flashbacks in Episodes 1 to 6 are quite smooth and do not confuse, there is potential for confusion in Episodes 7 and 8. This is unfortunate for a series that has shown more finesse that expected. After all, the story is not astonishingly good, but it is the way it is told that makes it moving and engaging in Episodes 1 to 6. Thankfully, the story doesn't take a bad turn and does end satisfactorily save for a totally unnecessary cliffhanger about a side couple (it's not like a sequel is going to be made about the side couple, right?)
Despite its flaws, The Yearbook still manages to be a notch above some other Thai BL series that overwhelm viewers with a large number of characters without showing much skill in telling a coherent story
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