Hands down, this is the best movie I've watched in a long time. In fact, the only issue I have with it is that it's too short, so sit back and enjoy my verbal spew of compliments. Oh, and before I begin: THIS IS *NOT* A TRAGEDY. I repeat, less obnoxiously, Long Time No See has a happy ending.

Story:
The story is well developed but a bit rushed since this is quite short for a movie. There are several things I could see being fleshed out better with more time, but they use the time they have well. I'd give a summary, but I probably would end up spoiling something.

Acting/Cast:
Alright, this is my favorite part. There were three scenes I watched maybe thirty times each because of how raw and real the acting was. The cast knows what they're doing. The gang boss we see the most of frequently over acts and it threw me off at first until, after a few more interactions, I realized his personality was extra, not his acting. Chisoo, our protagonist, almost pushed me to the brink of tears and I have literally never cried over a movie. The combo of Chisoo and Gitae and all the emotion the shoved into every scene didn't bother pushing me; it punted me past the sun and directly into a galaxy of ugly sobbing. And I was damn glad for it. Okay, let me not get to into this, the short version is simple: the acting is amazing. The cast is amazing.

Music:
If you watch this movie and happen to notice the music, I don't think you're watching hard enough. It took a couple run-throughs before my brain could focus on anything but the immediate action. The music that I did hear and process was good, more so because it fit and blended into scenes instead of snatching me out of them.

Rewatch Value:
I rewatch no movies. Ever. I just don't have the attention span, especially if I already know what happens. That said, I have watched this movie three times in as many days and I'm not bored yet.  In fact, every time I watch it again, I have a bit more fun (and bemoan how short it is a little harder).

Overall:
Watch this movie. Watch this movie because there is absolutely something in it that will make it a favorite of yours. I was wary at first, but it was 100% worth my money and I'd pay for it again even. The happy ending is just a bonus, because this would be my review even if it was a tragedy.

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I just noticed this was by Strongberry which means, as a die hard fan of LTNS, I had to watch it. So, this is short, but worth a watch, provided you can find it.

Story:
By far the weirdest premise I've seen moved to screen. In manga/hwa, I wouldn't be surprised by it at all, but I did manage to surprise me since it's not as cliche in this medium. That said, for all that the premise, which I am doing my best not to spoil, shocked me, it was executed well. The beginning of the short film is meant to confuse you a bit, you're meant to make some leaps and jumps and assume some things which will later be proved wrong. I like that.  I was thinking at first that this would be more serious but there's comedy and token cringe-humor spinkled heavily throughout.

Acting/Cast:
The actors did very well. I'm pretty used to short films having generally unconvincing acting, but they held their own okay. The actors weren't revolutionary or anything, the kiss scene was awkward as all get out, but, overall, I didn't actually focus on their acting at any point, which typically means it wasn't blatantly obvious that they were acting.

Music:
I remember a few (namely, two) tunes that I heavily considered Shazam-ing. Make of that what you will.
EDIT: no, I'm definitely going to go find the song at the end, it's cute. Kind of. Like amusing cute, I don't know.

Rewatch Value:
I had to watch it twice, actually. Mostly because cringe-humor is my kryptonite and I have to skip to when everything's okay, then go back and watch the awkwardness. That said, I'd give it three watches at most, and spaced out watches at that, before it's degraded too far to watch again. The premise can only really grab you once, the awkwardness can only curl you up into a ball of cringe so many times. As much as I already think realistic awkwardness might be Strongberry's forte, this is a short film, so it's not strong enough to support that weight. Nor would I expect it to be. It was a fun watch, both times. But I think I'll watch it maybe once more in the future, if that, and be done with it.

Overall:
This is a stupidly long review for a short film, I have no idea why I have so many thoughts on it so I'll be concise here: worth a watch, worth your time, but won't knock your socks off.

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A Great Series (Skip The Last Episode)

Normally I review around episode four or five, but I really wanted to let this series show me everything it had to offer first so I'm writing this after episode 11 and will come back after the finale. Dead Friend Forever is a work of art. I normally am irritated by mystery series because it frequently feels like all the answers are just being handed to you, but not only did this show not do that, it also didnt make me want to guess. I just wanted to keep watching, I wanted to see the story unfold, I was continuously entertained.

The characters are infuriating, Non included, which is what would typically make me tap out, but they also ensure the watcher has enough sympathy for Non and hatred for the rest to create a good, watchable balance. Regardless of what I thought of Non (or rather, Non's decision making skills), I was extremely invested in him getting justice. I didnt care how, I just felt in my heart of hearts that pretty much every other character should end up dead. To make a character so sympathy inducing that every other character becomes irredeemable is a feat on it's own, but to have Non's existence not end up irritating me in the long run is a miracle. This is spectacularly written. Awful people flock to a vulnerability and exploit it for all it's worth, and while each of them has their reasons, none of the reasons justify their actions.

This was an immensely fun watch. I'd watch it again right now if I was that type of human, but I'm more likely to leave it alone for some months to years to digest. The sheer amount of awful is really fun but also really, really sad.


Ugh, i just watched episode 12. Im not really sure how to rate this now. I wish theyd spread out the justice across more episodes intead of all at the end. I wish the ending wasnt open. I wish I never had to see Phee or Jin smile again. I wish New had a better ending. I wish they'd had the balls to end it decisively instead of some "did they, didn't they" bullshit. This was a 9.5 for me before episode 12, so I'll only dock two stars for this shitshow of an ending. The rest of this series was good, as far as I'm concerned, this has 11 episodes and the ending we all wanted is what happened, just off screen.

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I Hate Omegaverse and This Is My Review

I am a long time fan and then an even longer time proud hater of omegaverse. I was fresh out of bls to watch, except stuff by mame, so I was prepared to look at literally anything else. I didn't notice the omegaverse tag and was horrified when I jumped into this and it came up. It's my least favorite trope-- it's almost always used to make a plot go from (possibly) interesting to outright horseshit. My personal saying after nearly a decade of being an ABO fiction reader was: once every five years, there is a cold day in hell, and an actually good ABO fic is born.

All that to say: I now stretch that over to series as well with great prejudice because, despite how much I actively wanted to hate this

OMFG ITS SO GOOD WTFFFF
And damn did I wanna be a hater, I was so, so excited for it but...the ABO is not in my face-- normally I'm cringing every time someone says Alpha or some shit but the ABO is like a background element. WHICH IS THE BEST WAY FOR IT TO BE. There's so little bs here I had time to forget the ABO entirely some episodes. This part of the review is literally just for others like me: I see you, I feel your pain, and stand in solidarity with you because if you start watching this, you will finish it. It's hot, good plot, nice conflict, no misunderstanding bs storyline, characters just ask what they wanna know. (And even with the one misunderstanding plotline, it's set up right-- you can pick a side instead of everyone just being immature, annoying, and wrong.) I should also mention that it doesn't seem to be cut-and-dry bog-standard omegaverse rules, so that helps.

Anyway, if you enjoy whump there's a lovely, modest dusting of it in here which is enough, I guess. I was constantly grinning in anticipation of one of the characters having a bad time. And when that character wasnt, a different, equally whump-tastic character WAS. Perfection. I won't spoil anything so I'll just say this: the peak whump you'll end up hoping for will be satisfied ?????? (Please do remember that I described it as a moderate dusting of whump and don't get too excited though, there will be at least two moments where you beg a character to stand up or at least consider growing a spine/self-respect.) I'm having the bestest time though, friend, you gotta go watch it and get caught up.

Also, sidenote: I didn't think American culture affected me that much, but when bro sent 8 texts in a row in a single minute? I won't lie, it really threw me off. No bearing on the review or my rating, I just noticed myself counting how many messages he was gonna send lol.

I had a short period of being interested in racing/NASCAR a long time ago, so I thought I'd probably end up skipping most of the racing scenes (I just watched Love in the Air and skipped every single one there. Or at least every one in the seven episodes I got through.) I skipped the first race and then there was always some gimmick or plot point that made every following race interesting. This script is so offensively good bro, I'm trying to explain that as clearly as possible. A lot of times, I have to give BL a bellcurve to stand it up against other genres, but this is just good. It's just a good story with good acting and good pacing. It's a satisfying watch, nothing dragged out for too long (especially the dramatic scenes omfl, looking at you wabi sabi. So refreshing to not look at a character for ten straight seconds of nothing)

I had to do a stroke test a few times because I couldn't tell if the translations suddenly made no sense for a few lines or if I'd lost the ability to read. Luckily, it was the first. Unluckily, it was the first. Sometimes you're gonna miss stuff because the words on screen could mean anything at all except a coherent sentence.

Cute side couple is cute and doesn't make me wish they were the main couple but also doesn't bore me. Ads are as aggressive as usual so if you dislike that, good luck, but I just find them funny so I didn't factor them into my rating. Everyone in the series is an adult and acts like it and it is so damn refreshing. There are issues in it that I'm actually torn on!! Issues complex enough to not have an immediate and obvious right answer! Heaven really is on earth sometimes.

The music is good (that generic club beat gets me bouncing in my seat) but the one sad piano track does get repetitive and can be a bit annoying by like episode 5. Everyone's eye candy in this show to the point that it's almost irritating. The side side couple is also cute, it actually took me a bit to realize they were another pair but once I did? Whoo-wee, I wasn't made about that at all, nosiree! The side side side couple is also cute but kinda unnecessary? Like I dont need them there, but I'm happy they are because I like them.... but also they're also taking up valuable story time, idk.


I was a little sad they made the plot points that should've been mysterious kinda obvious but, if you're an overthinker, you should be able to gaslight yourself into thinking you don't know what's going on. And even if you can't, it's still entertaining regardless!

You have no idea how much my pride was smarting when I bought iQiyi premium to watch an ABO show, so I hope this review also convinced you to do the same and join me in the comfortable lap of hypocrisy lmao, it's worth it (I got it for $2, I think it was a sale or newbie benefit or something¿ mighta hesitated more if it was like $10.) Anyway, long story very, very short: watch this.

EDIT: Ive finished the show now and....wow, everything in the last few episodes (maybe since 9?) Really ruined this. I thought this would be an all time fave but it just devolved into a shitshow. Some points of contention and then Im outta here:

1. Jeff can seenthe future but never uses it to help in all the dangerous situations? "Yeah guys, lets go contront traffickers who have guns but Im too scared to see if anyone dies lol" Please dont pmo

2. The amount of time wasted in Tony's house doing shit they could do very much out of Tony's house??? Like is this your home? Do you want to be caught?? LEAVE. Or leaving guns in arms reach of people who want to shoot at them. Little stupid things that are infuriating.

3. The KentaPete plot was unnecessary and wasted time they obviously needed to make the plot less awful.

4. Either give your villains knives or, if the must have guns, dont give them stiff trigger fingers and stormtrooper aim. And the MONOLOGUING, GOOD GOD JUST SHOOT. IDC WHO JUST FUCKING SHOOT. Actually make it me, get me out of here.

5. They needed more episodes or more writer rooms. Or both.

6. The easiest acceptance of someone faking their death ive ever seen.

7. The ending wasnt just rushed, it was mach speed.

8. People dying is treated more like a slight sad inconvenience than... idk someone fucking dying.

9. Way deserved better fr.

Im so annoyed because this had such potential but then it BL'd itself into oblivion. Ugh.

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Cortisol, the Series

I like this drama. Theres a lot to love and a lot of things were done well. That said, there are some things I have to get out of the way before I start praising it:

THEY'RE SO DAMN STUPID OMFG
It doesnt seem like the story is going to punish the main couple's stupidity or at least if it does, it won't be punished too harshly, but their absolute refusal to be secretive in any single way had me more anxious than interested. Doors are ALWAYS left open. But, even if the doors were closed, don't worry, they're going to have their private conversations in the downstairs lobby. But, if they don't talk there, no worries, they'll kiss at the lake with 360 degree viewing angles from a mile away. But, don't worry, if that's too subtle, they'll chase each other out of a party in full view of all the guests because one of them got jealous that the other was within a meter of a woman. It never fucking ends omfgggg. I was on the edge of my seat FROM STRESS AND STRESS ALONE. Had me pausing every two business seconds to bemoan the dumbassery. Especially for Jom because he should know better, but also for Yai because HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER. He hears about a gay couple getting killed in the morning and minutes later he's backhugging Jom in public. Every single part of my body was clenched up like "this has got to be a tragedy because they really dont value life." It blows my mind that they don't get murked six ways from sunday because they're basically waving pride flags in 19-fucking-20 like bro please I'm trying to root for you. I've spent an entire episode just begging them to go inside. Is rain so nice to kiss in?? Just go inside, please. You dont even have to go into a room or close the door-- im reasonable, I can compromise, just, please, PLEASE go inside.

Around episode 9, my stress hit a critical point and I just sort of...stopped caring about the main characters because if they don't care anout themselves, why should I? I put down the series for nearly two months because I just couldnt take more anxiety disguised as cuteness. Like every time they had a heart to heart or romantic moment, I couldnt really get into it because all I was thinking was, "the door is open, isn't it?" (AND IT ALWAYS WAS. Which would prompt the thought, "these guys really wanna die, huh?" Because they MUST. Theres no other explanation.)

Much smaller gripe, but Jom losing his shit every time he sees himself or an image of the future really started grinding my gears. I can understand once or twice, but we're like 4 - 6 incidents deep and he still goes running and yelling after the image like he isnt aware every time it happens others can hear and see him running about like a chicken without a head. Like be chill, you already know you cant interact and you've literally experienced this all before??????? stfuuuu.

Ugh.
God.
Okay.

Lastly, the lack of consequence to any action (every action, really) took a lot of the tension out of this story. There's the romance between Jom and Yai for starters (I really relaxed after the father came to Jom to tell him to leave Yai alone because this is obviously set in 2028, not 1928), but it also goes for the lesbian CP, for Ming's decisions, for Fong Kaew's decisions, it's for servants speaking to masters like they're equals, it's for literally every single character. They'll do something that should have dire consequences and then they MAYBE get slapped for it. Maybe. Stern words and angry eyebrows do not build or deliver tension. The only consequences delivered are to a couple that's on screen once, for like three minutes. Very frustrating.


Now onto the good stuff:
The cinematography is beautiful, which I say as someone who does not care about cinematography or notice it unless it is insane. They did a good job making each scene very pleasing to the eye, this show is pleasant to watch. Even if you mute it, it will still grab your attention.

The music is great. It never felt unnecessary, overly loud or quiet, and more importantly, it never stole my attention from the show. A lot of times, unnecessarily sad music for shows can either irritate me or make me crack up, but each piece played fit the scene it was in.

The story is okay. I wasn't blown away by it like other reviewers, but I did enjoy the story once I released my hold on my disbelief and expectations. Without the expectation of too much realism, the story isdefinitely fun though it's not as nuanced as I'd thought it would be. I assume the book was better as shows usually have a hard time fitting a good story into 12 episodes while maintaining its quality.

Ignoring the depth of their stupidity, Yai and Jom's relationship was cute. They have great chemistry and really play off of each other well. I assume I'll enjoy the special episode more because my biggest problem with them was the time period. To the point that I did actual research on LGBT history in thailand, going as far as to find Thai resources, just to ensure I wasn't losing my mind and 1920 did indeed feel exactly what you'd expect for 1920 on LGBT issues. To put it more bluntly, neither couple would be alive, most likely, or at least out of jail, but ignoring that-- very cute couple.

I enjoyed the last couple episodes more than the first ten, the chemistry really is phenomenal and, when there's nothing else to worry about, it's positively showstopping. The music is occasionally overdramatic/mismatched but more often than not it's bangers after bangers (but in a classical sort of way.) I vivdly remember replaying a scene a few times (it was more of a transition, honestly) just for the music, so make of that what you will.

I'd definitely rewatch parts of this, but finally having finished it, it did not rock my world by a decent margin. Also, whatever accent it is that Yai has shows me the pearly gates every time he rolls an 'r' and that comprises of most of the parts I'd rewatch.



Today I learned that i cannot watch the special episode.

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I wanted this to be what it thinks it is

I so badly wanted this to be good because Grey Rainbow is one of my favorite BLs of all time. Ah, alas.

Medical misinformation abounds, but I'm not thai, so maybe procedures are different over there??? Also every single character sucks except Tua and Nuch. Like, every single one. No one is likeable, especially the main character, which is wild. He's so stupid it physically pains me, and he keeps repeating the same stupid behavior over and over and over again at the expense of a friend. Holy hell he's annoying. Every time someone dies he melts down and goes on about how it's all his fault oh no boo hoo. Like he must think he's got the final say on who lives or dies. Even in shows where the main character is an established loser, I'm hard-pressed to think of them as one, but this guy??? Prakan is a certified asshole loser.

The rules of the people being reaped are inconsistent, the rules of the reapers dont make much sense and are inconsistent. The punishments for various reaper things are arbitrary af. The concept is cool, the execution could have maybe used like one brainstorm meeting. Maybe a writers room. Maybe even just someone to say all the plot points out loud so they'd notice the holes.

The music was wild. Something literally insignificant would happen and this loud, dramatic music would play and I was confused every time because again, nothing warranted it. All of the music was loud for no reason and almost always overdramatic. This is a drama, but its was *noticeably* overdramatic. It took me out of the story quite frequently, which is rough because the story itself was already taking me out of the story. Frankly, I'm not done yet and I want to drop it, but Tua is 1. Doing better than the rest of the cast (bar Nuch) combined and 2. Is pretty. That's all I'm in it for right now. I'm not even in it for Nuch, as much as I love her, because she's in love with the largest, most prolasped asshole I have ever had the displeasure of seeing. And yes, I do mean....uh Prakans cousin, whatever his name is. The side couple is insufferable, the higherups are insufferable for both the reapers and doctors. For some reason people keep getting hit by cars??? Like car, car, building, car, car, cancer type ahh.

This has been an exercise in frustration, which js more frustrating because it could've been SO. GOOD.

Could've.

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Suprisingly Interesting, Messy, and Fun

I went in expecting this series to suck and during episode one, I thought I was right. Episode one is cutesy but also shows that it's apparently going to be a murder mystery??? It just didnt jive to me. Ive never been so glad I stuck a show out because oh my god did I get invested.

I am desperate for season two. Please make season two. Dear god the cliffhanger at the end????? Im so hype for season two!!

Okay, let's get into this:

The couples are all a mess but in different ways that were all a mix of fun and frustrating to watch. One couple is BDSM heavy and makes you root for them so hard until suddenly one part of "safe, sane, consenual" is thrown out the window.

Another couple is quite literally "omg step bro what are you doing" but with a girl thrown in for funsies. And then thrown off a building for less funsies.

The last couple is a more typical BL set up with a straight guy jerking a gay guys chain but both are muffins so you cant just root for one of them and hate the other.

I love each and every one of them. I'm aggressively invested in all of them. I've never yelled at my screen this much, but god they just make all the worst decisions and it is BRILLIANT.

The murder mystery part of the plot becomes more interesting in the later episodes when everything is so messy that its possible to forget theyre in high school (which, seriously, is this euphoria verse??? The only thing missing is drugs). I won't say more to avoid spoiling that but this series really would be a ten if they'd had 12 episodes to really flesh things out. Considering the run time, I didn't remove stars despite it needing the audience to make some leaps on their own.

This was a wildly fun watch. Im still reeling because I was actively not expecting it to be good but I had the time of my life to the point that I'm about to go rewatch it!

(And you should watch it too, it's very fun I promise okay bye)

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A Solid BL with Normal BL Pros and Cons

Great beginning/first half, good story overall. Some points of contention that took it from a 10 to a grudging 7.5:

1. Tawan liked the other doctor after literally one meeting and starting dating him after ten letters and literally nothing else (also 'letters' is way too generous-- they were notes at best.) He was way, way, waaaayyy too attached for how little they knew each other.

2. Mork knew the other doctor was cheating and lied to Tawan about it. Tbh even just keeping it to himself is fucked, but to lie?? Even when asked directly? No. I hate liars in general, despise lying plots, and I couldnt really get back to liking his character after. I still finished the series, but I really feel it the choice to lie to a friend for fear of being uncomfortable was brushed over too quickly.

3. ToyBoss was my least favorite thing in the whole show. Specifically Toy. Toy is an ass. Toy remains an ass, even after they kiss and make up or whatever. Idk, the scene where he fucks up Boss' bookshelf (books literally laying open FACEDOWN. LAYING ON THEIR SPINES DEAR LORD GIVE ME STRENGTH) got me heated. More than heated, actually. I didnt like the character to begin with, but I started skipping their scenes after that because, for me at least, it was unconscionable.

4. The barista couple side story was kinda contrived. Not the worst thing, but they didnt really do a great job showing why it needed to be that complicated besides one metaphor that very much didnt explain anything.

5. I wasnt a fan of the second obstacle in episode 9. Im aware that there must always be a second hurdle for the mains to overcome, but it felt really forced. Miscommunication is the fastest way to lose my attention, especially when everyone has smartphones and is an adult. An almost 30 year old adult.


Now for the parts I really enjoyed:

1. There were a lot of music hijinks/music based jokes that didnt just land, they destroyed me. I laughed extremely hard at the stop-start music jokes and I wish there had been more of them. Also, good music choices in general.

2. This is the first thai BL I've seen where people get hurt and their wounds are something I would give even one single shit about. Usually they just slap a papercut somewhere and freak out about it, but every time someone is injured in this series, I genuinely believe it needs a bandage. Not huge, but its one of the obligatory suspension of disbelief points I usually like the least.

3. Khai. I think his character couldve been ustilzed much better (and much earlier), but the episode in which he's pertinent was still well done.

4. The motorcycle trio. Literally best side characters in any BL ever. Period. Fight me if you disagree, Im ripped.

5. Serious conversations that delve into sexuality. It's interesting when BLs actually tackle topics related to LGBT+ anything instead of just throwing voyeuristic scenes in left and right and making everyone gay for the sake of it. I dont hate that-- here I am watching BL exclusively for the most part-- but it gets very old, very fast. Ive seen other series that delve into more sensitive topics more effectively, but it was done well here and that's really all I ask for.

6. I really enjoyed the progression of Mork and Tawans relationship. A lot of BLs montage to try and say "hey theres totally a reason these guys fall for each other lol, you imagine what that is based on these fun gifs" but we actually get dialogue and scenes to show how their personalities mesh or where they arent such a good fit. Again, I've seen it done better, but this is a rare gem of a quality to have, so I'm not going to nitpick it.

In conclusion, definitely worth a watch, it does go a bit off the rails in the last couple episode but if I ever find a BL that doesnt, I'll probably die ofbshock anyway.

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I LOVE THIS LIKE IT IS MY FIRST BORN CHILD (WHICH IS NOT A THING I HAVE, BUT I ASSUME).

It's so cute, the music slaps so hard, the story is chefs mothereffing kiss, the only gripe I have is that I thought it was ten episodes, so I went through five stages of grief when there was no 'next episode' button after ep.8. ALL THE SAME:

REWATCH THIS YOU MISERABLE LANDLUBBER.
It's cute and nothing hurts, which is the antithesis of what I typically enjoy, but dear god is it cute and heaven help me does nothing hurt here in the best of ways. All of my pessimistic predictions were met with MORE CUTE and MORE LOVE until my shriveled soul had to just give in and enjoy the show.

I giggled at parts. Not *laughed*, not *chuckled*, I GIGGLED. Like a schoolgirl, kicking my feet and shit. This is so unfathomably cute (but not toothrottingly, I still have my pride, thank you very much) and I love it. The acting was great, the characters were all likeable, and for 8 episodes at less than 30 mins each, everything was decently fleshed out. I have no complaints. **I have no complains** it's breaking my brain, I ALWAYS complain.

Anyway watch this when some other show inevitably makes you consider the worth of continued existence.

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Watch it. Waaaaatch it, you wont regret it, I swear

Literally the best of all the BL ive watched (and remember lol). Side couples could have used more time, kinda got left behind but everyone was well fleshed-out, dynamic, and loveable. I love this. I love love love love this. I had a blast. I couldnt stop smiling. The trope that normally pisses me off didnt even get a chance before theyd cleared things up. I want to go back in time and unwatch this just so i can watch it the first time again. I teared up at the end and i deadass do not cry for a n y t h i n g. This is lovely. This is a must watch. This is my literal fucking kryptonite because i am pissing shitting crying that its over or doesnt have a second season. For once in my happily critical life, ive nothing negative to say

(Wait i lied the music choices in the first few episodes can be reaply deranged but it irons out)

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This Was Supposed To Be A Glowing Review

I am acearo but I am now also desparately in love with Man. The amount of times I said "goddamn," in response to his mannerisms cannot be counted– he exudes attractiveness, and I normally only find people pretty at best. Chot is a perfect character, I wish Chot was in every scene, but I am biased here as well as I have been ferociously interested in Bruce since Lovely Writer. Up until episode 8 or 9 this was an almost perfect series to me and I intended my review to be a dissertation on how wrong it is that the rating is 7.1. Obviously, my rating now is now far below that, so let's get into it.

Pat is uniquely irritating. He cries at the drop of a hat, is never in the wrong despite always being the problem, and generally manages to make every issue excruciating to watch. I do not like the character. I actually did at first because he had a lot of pizazz and determination, but that kinda disappeared around the halfway mark.

The storyline gets more disjointed as the show progresses and, at some point, it feels distinctly like the writers forgot their own plotlines. The coworkers (Ying especially) are gossipy, mean, and basically bully Pat and then they all chat happily at badminton?? Jen tells Jaab he'll stay away from him and then....doesn't. Like at all. Not even for one scene. Jaab tells Jen they should stay friends but last we saw them, Jaab was still 300% cooked for Jen and we get no insight as to why he suddenly decided not to go for it. Actually, speaking of JaabJen, I've never been so disappointed by a formerly interesting couple. Up through the kiss, I was invested in them. Right after the party when Jaab for some reason decides to shoot himself in both feet, I had to force myself not to skip through their following scenes right through to the end. It was just so stupid, entirely unwarranted, and woefully under-explained.

The entirety of the Jeng's dad plotline was meh. Put was.....there? I was kind of indifferent to him (I love Up, so he was at least nice to see) and the story around him and Pat, especially after he's shown caring only about Pat, then taking him for granted the moment they get together, then caring only about Pat again once they're apart. He felt more like a plot device than a character. I really want to disparge Pat more right now, but we'd be here all day.

Jeng is perfect, I have nothing bad to say. except maybe he should leave Pat and the company and just vibe at his restaurant.

Tbh, I had a feeling that, to maintain my high rating, I should've just stopped at episode ten because we all know how ep. 11 goes, but I chose my path because Man is not in any other BLs and I do not like him enough to subject myself to any form of not-queer media. I enjoyed how much of the office we saw and the maturity (read: this is not the right word) of the characters (bar Pat and like, all the side character coworkers). It's rare to have older characters be the focus of a BL so I really appreciated it in this series— not being in high-school, college, or fresh out of school is really a blessing for this genre.

The music was okay at first but once the waterworks kicked off (so much fucking crying is2g) it got irritating hearing the sad piano all the damn time. The acting was ok to good. I can see why people might be underwhelmed with Man's acting, I thought he was good though, provided he wasnt trying to act sad. Pat was good provided he wasnt crying or being dramatic or speaking. Chot was perfection, as was Ae and her husband.

I will probably rewatch this, but really just for Bruce and Man, so make of that what you will. Maybe worth one watch if you stop at episode 10 before the bs. 3000% worth multiple watches if you drop it around episode 8. I actually like that the episodes were long, I didnt really get bored, but I always watch everything at at least 1.5x so.

I am once again trying not to hate on Pat but dear lord he is the entire reason this show went to shit. Like even the bullshit storyline between JaabJen has nothing on how annoying Pat's character was. I hate that he was babied throughout the show; everyone can hear mean or realistic things except Pat. But Pat is the one who needs the reality check the most. I had a lot of sympathy when he was being bullied at the office but the moment it stopped he became one of the most insufferable characters I've ever had the displeasure of watching, and I've watched some real garbage. Pat's character feels like the type of person to show up to a wedding in white and then cry when they're reprimanded. Just spoiled and self-centered. My rating was actually still a reluctant 7 until episode 12, at which point Pat wore through my already hair-thin tolerance and I dropped it. What a waste of good potential. Tbh, I'd give this a 9 if Jeng didn't take Pat back. Fuck Pat fr.

Thats about it. This started great and then shot its own feet until it was just mediocre.

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Pretend This Didn't Happen :)

Despite the reviews, Tin Tem Jai is one of my absolute favorite BLs. Its comforting, calming, and just has a fenerally feel-good vibe. That said, I dont know what the hell these special episodes were meant to be. Perhaps special in that they take every good part of the main show and replace it with the least compelling NC scenes I've ever had the displeasure of skipping through.

I recommend Tim Tem Jai as a show to watch when some other messy BL is doing the absolute most. I recommend trying a coma before trying to watch these special episodes. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is truly ruined because I was so excited My Show™️ had more episodes I hadnt seen. This was so bad I had to go back to the original just to make sure I wasnt under the influence of something for liking it.

There is no plot. To make up for this, characters go to the mall, presumably to do mall things and get food. After getting food, there is nothing to do, so they get food. After they're done eating, they split off into pairs and get food. Once they've finished their food, they meet back up to have a meal. Oh wait look a sex scene (hmm, weird, does it look awkward to you too? Why am I cringing? Why is the scene so long??) Now that the sex is over, they run back to the mall to eat with their friends. Time for bed. Once they wake up, its time to eat food. I was flabbergasted.

Also, how many times do we need to recycle the, "this thing is nice" "oh you mean the thing I am looking at?" "No, i mean you hahaharharharharlmaorofl" joke????? Is four times enough? Five? Is five times not enough??? Isnt once too much?

I feel towards these episodes what reviewers felt toward the main show. I am offended that this has a higher rating because Tin Tem Jai deserves a good rating as long as you pretend whatever the hell this is never happened.

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A Perfect Ten If It Wasn't For The Friends

The story is great, the music slaps hard af. I love the main couple and their chemistry, theyre sweet as pie. But.

Their friends.

Their friends are all, and I do mean ALL, genuine awful humans. They drug Bbomb, interfere with their relationship over and over and over again. They badmouth Jin TO BBOMB and try to create issues because that's apparently supposed to make BbombJin closer?? The amount of boundaries absolutely trampled had me shaking with anger by episode ten. Its quite mild up until episode 8 or 9, and then suddenly we're shown its the entire friend group consistently ruining things. And its never addressed. This show should be called "With Friends Like These...." because I'm habing trouble believing they're actually friends at all. Everyone is allowed their privacy and to stress about whatever relationships theyre in, but when it comes to the main couple, every single side character is trying to get their fingers in the pie and it is infuriating.

Ultra was decent at first, making it seem like he understood the meaning of going to far only for him to be 100% on bored with drugging Bbomb's drink in hopes it'd make him sleep with Jin. Aim is the most unlikeable female character Ive ever come across that it being pushed as a fun, fresh mastermind. I hate all of their friends. I could barely get through episode 10 and am still trying to finish it as I write this up.

When I tell you this series would be perfect without the bullshit from their friends, I really, really mean it. Especially since their interference ONLY causes issues. It never helped even one time. Without it, this would just be a mature showing of two people realistically coming together, instead of the off the wall hijinks in most BL, and I was loving that. Was. But they stomped the life put of the good parts of the show trying to make the "friends" over-involvement cute or funny, which it still ended up being neither. It was legitimately concerning to me how many people loved their bullshit, because they never stopped doing friendship-ending type garbage. Even after they established that Bbomb and Jin probably weren't ready to go public. Its so aggressively frustrating because this series is good....without it. With it, its good for seven episodes and then strictly tolerable. Maybe not even that, because I'm considering dropping despite being on the last episode. I'm so annoyed.

Up till this point, I was crowing that it deserved so much higher of a rating, but I understand the seven. Tbh, I'd understand a six, too.
EDIT: Yet another "plan" from the "friends" i will in fact be dropping this halfway through ep ten. What a fucking waste

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Watched Again After 7 Years

I didnt remember most of the story (though i did remember most of the twists) and god, I forgot how good this movie is. I gave it a 10 in the past and Im keeping it as a 10 for my personal rating, but showing some restraint and giving it a 9 here.

If you like dark anything, watch it. If you like unequal power dynamics, ooooh my god is this for you. I love obsessive love done well and this is done spectacularly. My kingdom for this to have been a series because i could absolutely gorge myself on these two's relationship.

Mitsuo is in charge but Mitsuo is in charge so, secretly, Mitsuo is in charge. Its a lovely watch, filled to the brim with violence and grimy living... ah, I just love it!!

So worth a watch. And a rewatch for that matter, this pair is just ??. Anyway, if you watch things with your ethics or morals in mind, mayne skip, otherwise, jump in :D

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Just Stop At Episode 9

This was kinda cheesy, kinda cute up through episode 9. I wouldve recommended it up through episode 9. I liked most of the characters through episode 9. Except Saengtia, but we'll get there.

Episode 10 ruined what could of been a solid, good BL series. Patt was my absolute favorite character and the side couple was excitingly cute with good chemistry. Saengtia was there, but let's get back to positives. The music was great, I actually tracked down quite a few of the songs and playlisted them. The chemistry was *chefs kiss*, you vibe? And then Saengtia decides to start lying for literally no reason. And I do mean no fucking reason.

I hate lying plotlines because, for me, a character can rarely come back from it. I already had trouble liking Saengtia, once he started lying (and to P'Patt ffs. Why??? Patt was an angel) I went from mild dislike to outright vitriol. I dont want to watch people I don't like fall in love. Lomfon was also part of the stupid fucking storyline that wrecked this show, so despite how much I'd liked his character, episode 10 - 12 was spent just fast forwarding or straight up skipping Saengtia and Lomfon scenes.

Saengtia irks me so, so, so much. He lies, gets mad at P'Patt for being mad at him for lying, stonewalls him when he asks Saengtia to be clear about who he wants, tells Patt he doesn't like his tone to shut him up like he didnt just spend a full day frolicking about with someone EVERYONE has said likes him, kisses that same guy (fucking over his own brother in the process), gets pissed at Patt for being pissed considering he just found his boyfriend cheating, stonewalls Patt AGAIN..... such a repulsive character, I was f u m i n g throughout the last three episodes. Even before episode 10, I had no sympathy for Saengtia. A grown ass adult throwing the worlds largest tantrum because his parents divorced. Amicably. All the blame on his mom with no knowledge of anything that happened. A. Grown. Ass. Adult. And then to be so overinvolved in overthinking about his parents divorce that he ignores his soulmate for TWO YEARS????? yeah, he never deserved Patt and Patt has my sympathy for apparently deserving Saengtia. I hope he has better karma next life.
Frankly, rip Saengtia out of the story (not replace, remove. Patt can kiss the air or something) and the rating would immediately go up to an 8.

I dont even want to get into the jenkiness of the trope. Wouldve been fine and dandy, but the writers were salivating to have Saengtia fuck everything up so bad they did it themselves. If you cant follow (or at least define, damn) the rules of your trope, skip the trope. You yell a bit and get real sad and now you can hear in the rain??? Youre nearby and stressed and now youre the third wheel soul mate???? S p a r e. M e.

I loved this series so much, which is really a shame, because I hate this series. Again, stop watching after episode 9, or dont watch at all, if only for your blood pressure.

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