This review may contain spoilers
Inter-universe body swap done quite well
I love this series in so many ways, but I also can't help feeling that it can be better.
The series starts off pretty impressively with a twist to the body swap concept as the main characters swap bodies with people in a parallel universe. There are a lot of cute references to other BL series like 2gether and intelligently self-reflexive moments that refer to BLs and film production, teasing us on whether the main couple would have a happy ending.
The main actors (Sea and Jimmy) have done a rather good job, but the decision to have Nanon and Ohm make brief appearances in the early episodes has its pros and cons. Of course, it draws in viewers because of the star power. But Nanon and Ohm have such a presence , despite the few scenes they appear in, that they not only give the same characters different vibes but also cause the viewer to have difficulty getting used to Sea and Jimmy when they basically disappear from the show.
Still, the story is good enough to get viewers to continue watching. I like the way the characters, Talay and Puen, develop as they get used to being in a parallel universe. Some ethical questions are raised about living in the bodies that belong to other souls, but I wonder why no one has an issue with making out with people whilst in other people's bodies. Perhaps this would take the story into a terrain that gets too uncomfortable and undermine the body swap concept.
While the main characters develop rather nicely, there seem to be some back-and-forth changes to their relationship. Sometimes they seem to have progressed further in their romance but soon the "progress" seems to be reversed. At some point, the story starts to fizzle out a little because the elements that make it interesting are not fully exploited. There is, for instance, more than a hint that the parallel universe that doesn't belong to the main characters, may well be better in many ways than their original universe (at least gay marriage is legalized in the parallel universe). Yet, the sense of helplessness that the characters would face (they can't really choose to return to their own world or stay) as they develop close friendships and work hard for their achievements isn't really worked on. Neither is Talay's longing for his friends and family in his original universe. There is a slight sense of sadness in the final episode that the protagonists will no longer be able to interact with the people they have come to genuinely care about in the other universe, but perhaps the struggle could have been emphasized earlier.
We are also left wondering what happens to the people in the alternative universe, particularly Nanon and Ohm's characters. (It's kind of sad that Ohm's character seems very much like the irresponsible troublemaker he was at the start. There could have been a better wrap-up for their story, but perhaps there isn't enough budget to pay Nanon and Ohm for more scenes.) Perhaps this is to bring across the point that Talay and Puen will forever be cut off from the parallel universe, but there is also a hint that when Talay dreams of the people in the other universe, it's really what is happening to them (so there's a sort of happy ending for everyone).
In the end, I think the series has a message to convey: we do not have all the power to decide what the world we live in is like, but we can try to live our lives in the best ways possible in the areas we have some control over.
The series starts off pretty impressively with a twist to the body swap concept as the main characters swap bodies with people in a parallel universe. There are a lot of cute references to other BL series like 2gether and intelligently self-reflexive moments that refer to BLs and film production, teasing us on whether the main couple would have a happy ending.
The main actors (Sea and Jimmy) have done a rather good job, but the decision to have Nanon and Ohm make brief appearances in the early episodes has its pros and cons. Of course, it draws in viewers because of the star power. But Nanon and Ohm have such a presence , despite the few scenes they appear in, that they not only give the same characters different vibes but also cause the viewer to have difficulty getting used to Sea and Jimmy when they basically disappear from the show.
Still, the story is good enough to get viewers to continue watching. I like the way the characters, Talay and Puen, develop as they get used to being in a parallel universe. Some ethical questions are raised about living in the bodies that belong to other souls, but I wonder why no one has an issue with making out with people whilst in other people's bodies. Perhaps this would take the story into a terrain that gets too uncomfortable and undermine the body swap concept.
While the main characters develop rather nicely, there seem to be some back-and-forth changes to their relationship. Sometimes they seem to have progressed further in their romance but soon the "progress" seems to be reversed. At some point, the story starts to fizzle out a little because the elements that make it interesting are not fully exploited. There is, for instance, more than a hint that the parallel universe that doesn't belong to the main characters, may well be better in many ways than their original universe (at least gay marriage is legalized in the parallel universe). Yet, the sense of helplessness that the characters would face (they can't really choose to return to their own world or stay) as they develop close friendships and work hard for their achievements isn't really worked on. Neither is Talay's longing for his friends and family in his original universe. There is a slight sense of sadness in the final episode that the protagonists will no longer be able to interact with the people they have come to genuinely care about in the other universe, but perhaps the struggle could have been emphasized earlier.
We are also left wondering what happens to the people in the alternative universe, particularly Nanon and Ohm's characters. (It's kind of sad that Ohm's character seems very much like the irresponsible troublemaker he was at the start. There could have been a better wrap-up for their story, but perhaps there isn't enough budget to pay Nanon and Ohm for more scenes.) Perhaps this is to bring across the point that Talay and Puen will forever be cut off from the parallel universe, but there is also a hint that when Talay dreams of the people in the other universe, it's really what is happening to them (so there's a sort of happy ending for everyone).
In the end, I think the series has a message to convey: we do not have all the power to decide what the world we live in is like, but we can try to live our lives in the best ways possible in the areas we have some control over.
Was this review helpful to you?