Standard College BL

Not much to recommend this. No real chemistry or affection between the leads. I don't see them together at all - no idea why Jin agreed to be Bbomb's boyfriend, and Bbomb is not a good boyfriend, jealous and withdrawing, so why stay? I don't get it.

Bbomb has a longstanding crush on Jin, but doesn't act on it, and then becomes arrogant that Jin will like him when he does start to pursue him. Then after Jin agrees, Bbomb is insecure about every friend and interaction Jin has. Which I guess makes sense since there's no real reason that Jin likes Bbomb, he just sort of accepted being his boyfriend.

The friends had potential but were completely wasted. They have no lives of their own, are just there to serve the leads. I mean they are literally in the plot just to get the leads together.

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Frustrating

It's a nostalgic look back at high school in 2002 rural Thailand. Sappy melodrama with gay kids. I like the nostalgic way it's filmed, the actors are mostly fine (Nut's brother is not as good).

Nut and Phob like each other secretly but do not communicate well, and when Phob has to move away he doesn't tell Nut why, he's just suddenly gone. They both have crushes on each other but refuse to tell each other. Phob especially barely speaks, and Nut reacts appropriately but then feels guilty later when he finds out the real reasons.

This is trying to be so much more than it is able. Not well enough written or acted. Pales in comparison to similar-setting ITSAY. None of this feels natural except the cinematography, not the conversations in person or in writing. First 5 episodes are very slow moving, but then the last 3 episodes nothing happens, almost literally nothing. And then it was over - I kept waiting for the next episode but it was over? Weird. So basically there are 5 episodes with plot and then 3 episodes without plot and the end.

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Memory

This show is about memory, and the repetitions the show allows, with the flashbacks being not for us but for them, they are remembering, and even then in the end we get deeper memories pulled out. It's a beautiful show, well acted, beautifully filmed. Short, but just on top of its story, beginning breakup to end 2nd chance.

It starts with Fumiya breaking up with Ritsu, who runs out has an accident and loses memory. Fumiya then decides to let them fall back in love again, rather than explain the relationship and breakup. Ritsu is suspicious of the attention, but Fumiya clearly is falling back in love, and having trouble with the setup he set up. He's seeing original Ritsu when they first got together again and is having trouble not being with him. First Fumiya's flashbacks give him a chance not just to remember the good times, but to regret what has been lost, to feel like the new situation isn't quite right at all.

And we end with Ristu getting his memories back, including the earliest one of Fumiya, before their official first meeting.

Great use of flashbacks to really show how memory is part of love.

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