rhidawn

"I rebel; therefore we exist"

So glad I finally got around to seeing this. It was sooooo good.

Acting:

Holy shit that was filled with some great performances. Just so good all around. Everyone was cast perfectly for their role. No notes, just so damn good. BRAVO

Writing:

This was such a damn good story. I think there was more potential with the soul/body-connection thing, but regardless this was still so well written. I loved it through and through. I only wish there was more. I want to know where they end up and if White’s parents pull strings for him and if that would cause a rift between the group and supporters. I’m just so curious and hungry for mooooreee. I like that every decision felt necessary and made sense. I also really liked that it didn’t feel like the truth was dragged out too long; it made sense that it was revealed when it was.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry was so solid. I loved how Gun and Off flawlessly portrayed the chemistry between White and Sean while also being able to show the animosity between Black and Sean. SO GOOD. This was a fantastic romance. I loved their growth and journey. The kissing was superb, good job out there boys.

Side Couple:

I really loved them. The connection they had with art and rebellion was lovely. I also adored how they acted out the nude drawing scene, it was so well done and intimate and vulnerable and it really said everything about them in such a short amount of time.

Production/Cinematography:

The production was fantastic. They did such a good job with everything from the fights to the shooting locations. I enjoyed the cinematography as well. They did everything right for an action drama.

Music/SFX:

I enjoyed most of the music except for a couple of your typical drama corny songs in there. But overall, it was good. SFX were great.

THIS WAS SO FUN I LOVED IT SO MUCH

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- These parents suck big time
- Well that was a quick decision there, buddy
- Wait, so this gang is made up of law, art, and poli sci students who take learning seriously LMAO
- *Three hundred sixty-five degrees. Burning down the house*
- Why tf does graffiti have a gun???
- *Presses play on Nude by Radiohead*
- Bros are getting vulnerable
- So bro definitely shot pops
- That shit was intimate
- A KISSSS AHHHHH
- Sex brought bro back to life LMAO
- SPEAK THE TRUTH HE DESERVES IT
- Lieutenant Dan lmao
- *Back to Black*
- I knew Todd was slimy
- Gram such a good guy
- Black is a wild dog fr
- YAY the truth is out in the air
- Bro is so angsty
- Noooo my poor Yok doesn’t deserve all this
- Awe the people help the people
- I like how pops hasn’t shown himself at all

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Such pretty dumb boys

Lack of communication trope will kill me one of these days I swear.

Acting:

It was pretty solid. I could feel the loning and the hurt and the love. Nothing overly noteworthy, but nothing bad. Solid performances all around with what they were given for a stroy/characters.

Writing:

I feel like there could have been a better way to tell this story. It felt oddly rushed at times and drawn out at others. Not my favorite way to put all of the tropes in this story together. And the ending scene was SUCH a weird thing to end on… Like I have NO IDEA why they chose to add that in.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

These two beautiful men had pretty decent chemistry. Nothing crazy in this story, but there’s something there. This is an okay romance, it could have been executed better, though. The kissing was alright, though I do wish we had more of them when the characters were happy rather than when they were upset.

Music/SFX:

Pretty typical corny romance music and solid SFX.

This was a cute little watch. Nothing too heavy and full of lovely actors/actresses.

Now, for some highlight from my notes:

- They are so prettyyyyy
- So cold, this one
- Damn everybody wants a piece of that Dao
- Bro needs to learn how to express himself in words properly fr
- We could just… Say what we’re feeling for once
- We could just… Explain
- We could just… not do nothing
- I’d kick Phoon’s ass for pulling this shit fr why are we going along with everything
- Everyone is so desperate in this show relax
- Phoon is actually lowkey a bit of a dick unfortunately, Kluen is a coward and a dumbass, Dao is just a mess but keeps getting blamed for everything for some reason lmao
- Hand delivering an invitation to your wedding to your ex at their place of work alongside your fiance is CRAZY work
- Very odd ending scene there

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Love is a battlefield, fr

Do I love and adore dubcon? Not really. Do I pray for an infidelity trope? Absolutely not. But I love good story and this was a pretty damn good story.

Acting:

WOW. Everyone was absolutely amazing in this. Everything just felt so real. It was a pretty raw story that called for some seriously deep emotions and everyone delivered on that tenfold. I was blown away in general. No flaws to be found here in the acting. Just BRAVO.

Writing:

This was painfully real. Like, damn. With the exception of the over-the-top drama trope inclusions like the dubcon intro, the crash, and the attempted mugging, of course. The basic concept to this plot was just so well put together. I’m so surprised I ended up loving this. I honestly expected to hate everyone and call it a day, but this was very well written and executed. There were a couple little things besides the obvious drama tropes that were a bit iffy, but overall I really enjoyed this as a story.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry between these two dudes is SO GOOOD. They are amazing, 10/10. This was a surprisingly fantastic romance story. I don’t typically love a realistic fiction type romance (I love a wild tale) but this was very satisfying. The kissing was superb through and through. Loved it, they are fantastic at portraying love and desperation through kissing. BRAVO.

Music/SFX:

Some serious corny drama music in here. Not my favorite, but I can’t complain too much as it is a drama after all. SFX were good throughout.

I’m so happy I ended up giving this series a chance. It did not disappoint whatsoever.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Ya’ll, I’m STRESSED about that #1 infidelity tag going into this, don’t piss me off
- So dub con from 2 minutes in, huh
- My poor baby just tryna get him the man of his dreams awwee
- *I'll be drunk again to feel a little love*
- This is TOXIC TOXIC
- JEEEESUS
- Awwee honey nooo that’s so awful
- NEIGHBORRRRRRSSS????????????
- This is MESSY MESSY
- We really dove right in no pretext, huh
- I already hate it here
- Don’t piss me off
- AHHHHHHHHHH MESSYY TOXIICCC
- Emotional staring contest
- *And I know that he knows I’m unfaithful and it kills him inside to know that I am happy with some other guy*
- *Hey jealousyyyy*
- *Johnny's daddy was takin' him fishin'. when he was eight years old*
- They are so cute, but this is SO MESSYY
- That is pretty tough pill to swallow but you also cheated so like…
- Baby is passive-aggressive posting lmao
- He’s not gonna do it, he’s a coward
- JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJUST BREAK UP YA’LL ARE A MESS
- Boy is a MESS
- Keep. Your. Word.
- COWARD, YOU ARE A COWARD
- *Baby really hurt me, crying in the taxi. He don't wanna know me. Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm. Says it was poison*
- Actions speak louder than words, brother
- Obligatory guitar serenade
- Manipulative little shit saying I love you like that
- BRO YOU GOTTA BERAK THINGS OFF OFFICIALLY WITH GIRLY
- I’ve got a bad feeling about this
- CALL BABY RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME
- CLEAR THIS UP
- CLEAR IT UP
- GO
- JUST SAY WHAT HAPPENED. WHY ARE WE NOT BLURTING OUT THE TRUTH SO DUMB
- Just. Explain. What. Happened.
- Okay, you got me, there are tears
- Alright, fine. You’re getting a playlist
- Ahh yes, a car crash. Classic.
- Someone literally anyone tell Mark what happened or I’m gonna snap
- That hurt me and Vee fr
- Wait, no… This hurts jesus christ
- I’M GONNA FUCKING LOSE IT TELL HIM OH MY GOD
- I get it, I drove a ‘98 little green Rav 4 in high school and college with a rusted frame that only passed inspection because I knew the auto shop owner personally
- Who is this tall dark and disgusting
- Ya’ll are NOT in the same weight class tho so…
- Bros gonna get Ko’d so quick
- Again, not the same weight class … Like not even close
- Bro thinks he’s Mignon
- How does one fuck up Som Tum tho lmao
- Mark the minxxx
- Lucky you didn't show up 15-30 minutes later, you would’ve gotten quite the show
- Bro is an engineering student, not an aspiring philosopher. Like, relax, he’ll do fine. Also, they both got into the same engineering program
- This went from a drama to a DRAMA real quick lmao
- This better be 30 minutes of fluff for this last episode
- Just tell him you have a job that isn’t odd
- A RIIIING YESSSSSS
- Not the after credits roleplay lmaooo

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Not NEARLY as bad as I had been prepared for

Ya’ll had my expectations underground going into this, but it wasn’t bad.

Acting:

Pretty solid, we love a Force and a Book. They did their thing here. Not their best performances, but I still think they did a good job with the characters they were given to portray. There were a couple of scenes where I didn’t get as much from Book as I would have liked, though. The supporting cast was pretty good, all around. We ADORE a Jimmy moment. What a guy, 10/10 character and actor.

Writing:

So… I don’t like harem situations, but even I didn’t hate how they did it here. It was done pretty well, keeping you just frustrated enough to keep you on edge while offering plenty of interaction between the main couple to keep the frustration at bay, while also keeping you frustrated about the main couple. The whole mystery plot was truly horrendous, but I saw a spoiler on who it was before starting the show, so watching it was more funny and embarrassing than anything. The last couple of episodes definitely felt like a different show, but I still enjoyed them. The final conflict needed to be dragged out muuuch longer, though. I needed yearning, I needed longing, I needed “are you somewhere out there looking at the same moon” to make me enjoy the reunion. It was a fun little mindless watch in my opinion. Nothing big to say, but still entertaining as a story.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

These boyysss of course they can play childhood friends they lived it. Love them forever and always. Childhood friends to lovers is a tried and true trope, so at its core, this works well as a romance. Now… there was a whole lot more than just that trope here so I can’t say everything worked great. But overall, it was an alrigh romance. The kissing was cute and loving, nothing was off. Thumbs up to the boys.

Music/SFX:

Music was good. I liked the song they wrote for it too. SFX were fine, didn’t notice anything off.

I’m glad I didn’t listen to all those super negative reviews and watched this for myself.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- I’ve heard nothing but TERRIBLE things, let’s get into it lmao
- BOOK MY LOVE
- Moms and grandmas everywhere hate to see a Thai drama coming fr
- FORCE MY LOVE
- Marriage, 2 cats, 1 dog, house by the water, condo in the city, talk of adoption
- My film student heart goes out to my film student
- Ugh, here comes the harem. I hate a harem frfr but here we gooo
- I’m already mad for no reason
- Everybody wants a piece of that Theo
- Phupha got some audacity to him I don’t like it
- I was spoiled on who it is so now I’m just more mad lmao
- This is gonna be an hours-long lesson in frustration when bro could have just told Akk he’s interested in him
- I would’ve run far away after this guy told me he knew everything about me but okay
- Akk and fam so cute
- I hate it here
- I’m pissed knowing who Enchante is shit is dumb don’t piss me off, little Theo
- JIIIMMYYYYYYYY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE THE LIGHT IN MY DARKEST DAYS
- All these boys embarrassing themselves left and right
- EEE was that REAL?? Did they KISS???
- So art boy knows the capital T TRUTH and he’s just enjoying the show here
- Sorry, bro. Didn’t mean for our lips to touch when we munched on that bread together. On a completely different note, what are we?
- NOT THE SAUSAGE POCKY GAME RIGHT AFTER THE BREAD INCIDENT
- It WASN’T a dream EEEEEE
- What if we held hands in the cooler teehee
- Playing your divorced parents’ their wedding video is WILD
- Sun 100000/10 best boy around
- I needed a longer period of separation shown before the reunion
- Is this the proposal that leads to the vice versa wedding cameo teehee

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A Ride I Barely Survived

My first C drama and I was a bit taken aback by the dubbing thing… Can’t say I’m a fan of that aspect.

Acting:
Pretty good, a couple of noteworthy scenes where things got serious. Definitely more scenes where the acting was lacking, though. But not egregiously so.

Writing:

EEEEEK bro… If this is a heavily adapted version, keep that original novel AWAY from me. This was rough. Didn’t love that gangrape set-up by Chi Cheng, then he like changed entirely as a person? Idk, felt like poor writing. First 10 episodes were decent. I love a good snake situation. Except that it’s 2025 and we’re still writing bl plots where the only relevant female character is painted as super evil when she’s really just a classist bitch while the ML is over here committing actual crimes that would put him in federal prison and also send him to the void at the QuinDecim… Like it’s fiction so whatever, I’ll get over it and probably will enjoy the story anyway. But, I did write a 12-page paper and had to do a presentation on this topic so it’s real hard to ignore now. Episodes 11-12 were mostly painful to watch as it was essentially just a dub-con plot with some fluff in there. Then the next like 9 episodes had me CRASHING out. Then the next 2 were a bit better than those. Then the last episode had me asking WHERE IS MY DIET DR KELP. I needed something more. Why is that side couple getting a passionate smooch but my main boys gave us a lil snuggle? Don’t piss me offfff.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

It was alright, definitely there. Most likely couldn’t live up to their full potential bc of censorship in writing/filming/editing. Not the best I’ve seen but not even close to the worst. This story as a romance is… Eh? Idk man, it’s fine ig? Ish? Kissing was okay at best. Maybe censorship again..? But I didn’t get passion and love from the kisses as much as I like to see in a romance. Again, not the worst by far. Didn’t care for the second couple that much. Didn’t feel much chemistry, didn’t like their romance story, and obv that made me not even bother to care about their kissing.

NC Scenes:

Obviously censorship plays a role. I think they could have gone a different route, maybe an artsy one? Something was missing and it wasn’t the lack of more explicit content, it was more like a sensuality and passion to the scene. Doesn’t help that the story was just dub-con plot either.

Music/SFX:

That FUCKASS RINGTONE dawg. In my nightmares every night on repeeeeeat. Hilarious as hell that it was playing nonstop for the frist 10 episodes and then just disappears though lol. Music though? Banger after banger, my guy. SFX besides the fuckass ringtone was okay for the most part but there were a couple questionable choices there.

Overall, it was a lot to take in… Love a snek, love a Zi Yu, love a Tian Xu Ning. But like, it feels like the a lot of ya’ll played a trick on me with your 9-10 star ratings…

Highlights from my EIGHT pages of notes:

- I went into this pretty blind but I did have some assumptions and I can promise you that none of them had to do with snakes
- End those fuckass dark denim with white stitching onesies asap PLEASE.
- I really think they made lil man’s (he’s 9 inches taller than me lmao) character a bit too straight. That shit would’ve been clocked and dumped pretty fast by me and every other queer person I know.
- Mommy said my girlfriend has to come with me on my business trip. I have to listen to mommy bc daddy has my snakes and instead of going to retrieve them and dealing with the whole situation once and for all I’m going to continue acting like this.
- Every last one of em are pissing me off istg.
- Sneks topping all the charts lmao everyone wants them fr.
- Wdym meeeean I’m not even halfway through this series yet???
- Uhhh.. How would that make my boy want to sleep with slitherin..? What in the hell is happening anymore..??
- Alright, I can’t take it anymore.. WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE THE SAME RINGTONEEEE
- This shit make me want nicotine soooooo bad.. impulse control slowly dropping below 0.. casual relapse approaching in 3.. 2.. 1..
- Istg everyone just pisssssing me offff if I were baby I would kill everyone around me and then myself at this point
- Imma have nightmares featuring that fuckass ringtone
- Does Guo own one single shirt or 10 of the same shirt?
- Congrats on the sex you guys really good work out there.
- Lmao baby got bent in half. Never seen a bl drama address the morning after desire for pain medication and a donut pillow before lmao.
- FUCK Guo once again for setting that up just for them to have an “I’m the most unbothered look how nonchalant I am” contest like what was the point. Guo always gotta be doing something pointless that isn’t his business.
- Bro I’m WHEEZING who tf is this muscle tank homie who just whipped out of nowhere to one-strike ko that fuckass Wang Shaun ahahahaaaaaa.
- Jesus Christ… Mama dying fr now?
- This is so messsyyyyyyaaahhhh
- OOOOh brother I’d be in a jail cell if that man was acting like that around me oooh brotherrrrrrr
- “Don’t wait up for me” is genuinely one of the dumbest things you could tell your partner in this situation…
- OKAY hahahahha so my boy wearing sneaker and walking on a rug so why we adding crisp click clack footprint SFX lmaooo
- Gonna toss it out there, that’s not boxing…
- JUST FUCKING TALK WHAT ARE WE DOINGG
- Why he keep giving away insanely priced art pieces for free..??
- WHY is Guo spending his birthday with the Wang bros????????????????
- “Ayo, hand me the aux. Let’s get this party started” *presses play on Hello by Lionel Richie* Or Adele, both fit quite well tbh
- Why the fuck did it take this long for him to say that to Wang Shaun?? You only say it AFTER finding out he didn’t cheat? Cheating and pretending to cheat are both fucking awful? What the fuck is this story I can’t tell if I’m too stable or unstable for this shit man
- Ya’ll got mad cash why you drinking Budweiser all the damn time?
- Just noticed the truly shocking fact that the second half of this show is devoid of that fuckass ringtone lmao
- Why is this the third episode where the plot revolves around coercing someone to have sex before they are ready/want to?
- Why do all of these characters act irrationally when they should act rationally and rationally when they should definitely be acting irrationally..?
- “I brought you a gift” *child appears* “oh cute, where is he from!” lmao not the reaction I would have had if my partner whipped up at dinner time with a child I’ve never seen before hahaha
- ahahahahaha I’m dying what is this show anymoreeee
Sit down I want to talk to you about something *she disagrees* “stop talking” ahh yes, a grown ass man
- Go back to selling sugar figurines..? You’ve got mad resume now and you’re names not in the mud so you definitely don’t have to be a street vendor lmao
- Ahahaha bro really hit em with a “you’re adopted” ahahahahaaaa
- Whats the sitch with the sneks where my noodle boys at
- A $140,000 price reduction?????????? Even in a buyer’s market that would NEVER happen
- Episode 23 jail visit definitely top 3 if not #1 best acted scene in this show
- What do you mean there’s only 30 minutes to wrap this up in the last episode????
- Why are there water guns? Why is the FUCK are the Wang brothers here?? Wjhat the fuuuck
Am I high..? What the fuck is this? Where is my touching reunion? Where’s the intimate moment where they realize that they’re going to be okay? Where is the look into each other’s eyes where they finally can take a breath knowing that everything is over and they can rebuild? Where is my passionate kiss? WHERE IS MY DIET DR KELP What the fuck am I watching?

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A bit undercooked

Ya’ll had me scared when you said the last two episodes ruined the whole story but like, I’ve seen much worse.


Acting:

Offroad, Daou and Jam were lovely. They did a great job in their roles and made me happy and sad when they were supposed to. Everyone was just kind of there tbh. Maybe it’s because their characters were either meh or not fleshed out well enough, but I don’t even feel the need to note anything about the rest of the cast.

Writing:

Not the greatest story overall, but it had it’s moments. I think they could have done a lot more with this concept. My main issues were that there needed to be more time given to the whole loan shark situation before episode 6, we needed more from the side characters, and the side couple should have never existed as they were annoying and added nothing to the story. Obviously the whole kidnapping-debt thing was wild and poorly executed, but I wouldn’t say it was as bad as some of the plots I’ve seen thus far. It just needed a bit more. Loved the development of Yang and Phumjai’s relationship though, it was very cute. Love a good bi-awakening/panic situation. Love a matching pretty necklaces. Love a good Daou side profile shot. Love a good Offroad smile.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

Pretty good chemistry, they performed very well together. This definitely works as a romance. Not the romance of the century or anything, but a lovely little love story. Kissing was good and pretty realistic. Does have that little issue of odd looking cheek kisses I see in a lot of dramas but I can get over that if the actual kisses are well performed.
EDIT: I was so uncultured. So uninformed. Sniff kisses have my heart and soul. Continue forward, you lovely people and your lovely culture<3333

NC Scene:

Honestly, took me a bit by surprise here. Did not expect some convenience store hanky panky in this series. The aggressive slamming against metal shelves hurt my back a little. But it was pretty solid stuff overall. Love a good passionate “I need you right now” moment.

Music/SFX:

A couple emotional scenes with weird music choices. Overall, it was good though. SFX were fine, nothing too jarring.

This was a cute little watch. Nothing blew me away, but I enjoyed watching it.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Offroad too cute to handle
- Lmao that Brillo pads shirt
- Hold on… Are we just making slut shaming a plotpoint or… Like let a girle live, damn
- Daou got MAD side profile 10/10
- What page was bro on that the kiss blindsided him?
- Genuine question, is every character except Yang and Tammy fucking stupid?
- Tag and big bro need to be deleted from this series, they are annoying and add nothing
- Okay things are taking a bit of a turn here
- What is this attitude from Mr Stay Away From My Brother?
- Ouch lol why are we slamming into those metal shelves like that
- Yang’s little smirk after taking off Phumjai’s shirt got me giggling teehee
- They gonna get him forklift certified or…
- “You’re gonna work for us in the dirty business of inefficient warehouse management”
- T-t-tape? Who are these monsters?
- I did some calculations and in order to pay back a 1,000,000 Yuan loan (with a monthly interest rate of 2.2%) in the seemingly very short amount of time (let’s say 2 years) the evil guy is asking, you would have to be making monthly payments of like 200,000 THB to pay it off… That’s wild. Also all of my estimates and math may be suuper wrong… I’m not a finance major…
- Who just has $6,200 in cash ready to go like that?
- Girlies need to chill fr like ya’ll saw the aftermath of them passionately fucking in the store you work in like everyday lmao a tender kissing moment should not have you screaming
- Okay, maybe a bit more than tender
- How are we able to open another store? Please, explain it to me. You are not in the place to be doing all that rn
- Girly wrote their story? Lmao

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Oh my god, MY HEART (burger)

WHAT IN THE WORLD DID THEY PUT IN THIS I’LL TAKE 600 MORE

Acting:

SO GOOD what the hell. Everyone was PERFECT for their role this was WILD. They were all so goood. Maybe I’m just on a high after binging this but I was BLOWN AWAY from start to finish. There were little to no scenes where I questioned the acting, it was just so impressive. I loved everyone in this damn show. Just BRAVO.

Writing:

AHHHH this was such a good story from start to finish. I’m a SUCKER for a mostly fluffy final episode which is rare in dramas and they DELIVERED me my MEAL. I was so absolutely happy with this. The only thing that was iffy was the Lilly’s death scene, it felt a bit rushed and underdone but EVERYTHING else was SOOOO goood.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

The chemistry was INSANE. I loved it sooo much. Kant and Bison had a bit more natural chemistry overall, but Style and Fedal had me LOSING MY MIND at times. This was SUCH a good romance story, I loooved it through and through. The kissing was plentiful which I appreciate SO MUCH. So many dramas seem to want to treat kisses as a rare plot device so when I see it so naturally given and received regularly I am blown away because like that’s real as heck.

NC Scenes:

God damn, ya’ll. That first one night stand scene between Kant and Bison was INSANE so good ya’ll really went for that shit. The different positions and moans had my jaw on the FLOOR, brother. Wish we could have seen more from Fadel and Style, but there may have been boundaries and whatnot from the actors, so it’s understandable. Some of their kisses felt a bit off too, but not horrendously so.

Music/SFX:

Music was alright overall. I loved the bowling alley choices. The poppy love songs were a bit offputting, but like it is still a drama so… I think they could have done a bit better with it in my opinion. SFX were solid with the kissing sounds and gunshots and whatnot.

Production/Cinematography:

The production was AMAZING. I loved the shooting locations and the quality of every shot they took. The cinematography was also sooooo goood. The color choices and lighting really set the mood for the scenes.

“Side Couple”

Not really a side couple because they were equal, but I just have to point out how much I ADORED Fadel and Style. I LOVED THEM SO MUCH OH MY GOD. This story wouldn’t be the same without them they were so amazing I loved them ahhhhhhhh no words, just emotions and those are filled with joy.

THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WANT IN A DRAMA. I feel bad for the show I watch next because this brought me so much glee and happiness. I am content. :) Should be a 9-9.5 BUT BEST BELIEVE YOU ARE GETTING THAT 10 BABYYY.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Original Creator: William Shakespeare is so silly, but credit where credit is due ig lmao
- Looking for a hookup at the local bowling alley is a choice
- WAIT I love them
- The visuals coming from this Dunk fella are INSANE
- SHAMELESS, this one
- AHH dancing at the bowling alley eeeeeeee
- Can’t blame ya, Fadel. Not one bit
- Boy is shaammeelesssss 10/10
- AYOO not the nipple play in the middle of your tattoo parlor
- LMAO they got Grumpy to hump a stage
- Awwe a tragic gay backstory for our grumpy gills
- He really just fucked that man and then punched/kneed him in the stomach right after damn
- The level of shamelessness in which this guy lives his life is both enviable and worrisome
- This shit stressing me out fr
- I get it, poets could write entire books about those lips, composers could create symphonies about them, painters could paint timeless collections about them
- This is STRESSING me OUTTT
- THERE ARE CAMERAS AHHHHHHHHHH
- WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’m not even halfway through the story?????
- TALK TO THEM TELL THEM EVERYTHING PLEASE IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND GAY
- *Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end*
- So precious, my little rockstars
- *Well, we know I'm going away. And how I wish, I wish it weren't so. So, take this wine and drink with me. And let's delay our misery*
- FUCKKKKKKKK
- GRUMPY BABY IS CRYING NOOOO
- *Hopelessly devoted to yooooooou*
- How dare you try to hurt my boys via romantic gay wedding
- Girly been nasty since day -5
- YAAASSS get the boys TOGETHERRRRR LET’s GOOOOOOOOOO
- “Your life means as much to me as mine” CUTE
- YAASSSSS Style, My KING
- Style always got them right lines to say what a love
- I meeeean… bribery is not much against murder but okay
- *One more dawn. One more day. One day more*
- *Oh well, in five years time we could be walking round a zoo. With the sun shining down over. me and you. And there'll be love in the bodies of the elephants, too. I'll put my hand over your eyes but you'll peek through*
- *This is the first day of my life. I'm glad I didn't die before I met you*
- Five years is so much and nothing at the same time
- Making out at the planetarium so preciousss
- Baby and his burger joint and his baby
- *But, papa I’m in love with a criminal*
- YESSS GIVE EACHOTHER TATTOOOOOS
- Straight to prison, then interesting okay, let me accept that
- They’re imprisoned together??????????? Okay, let me accept that
- YAY kitchen duuuttyyyyy
- BABY DONNA DO ART WITH BABY????
- BABY GONNA FIX CARS WITH BABY????
- YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAA
- I AM LOSING IT STANDING OVATIONNNNNNNNN
- Awe he wants to buy the restaraunt doesn’t heeeeeee my babyyyyy
- This is so soothing to my sooouuulllll
- Oh my god, MY HEEEARRRTTT (burger)
- I’m gonna EXPLODE from the PRECIOUSNESSSSSSS
- Ope…
- Uhhhhh… That can’t be good
- Only 30 minutes left let’s wrap this up so we can be haaaaaaaaaaappppppppppyyyyy
- Iceeelanddddddicccc roadtriiiiiiiiipp
- Kissing under the northern lighhhtsss my preciousssssss
- MARAIGEEEEEEEE
- EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

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Soft stupid silly dudes being guys

This was so soft and comforting. No big drama, nothing too frustrating. Just a sweet little thang.

Acting:

It’s a college rom-com about a bunch of pals who are dudes being guys who like their pals who are dudes being guys, so the story doesn’t necessarily ask for too much complexity in the acting. I think everyone did a good job in their roles here, though. For sure without a doubt my favorite Pond and Phuwin series and lowkey can say the same for the Aou and Boom dynamic here. Everyone was lovable and annoying but like it was endearing enough for them to get away with their antics. Solid portrayal of college pals and their young love.

Writing:

Smooth sailing type storyline all around, which I usually don’t like, but I think it worked well because there was always so much going on. If this were a one-couple/one-character focused series, I don’t think it would have worked without a serious conflict. Love a love story starting with a meet-ugly, too. I think the characters were all unique which was also an important part in making this series work. The “wait, is this love” and “playing hard to get” tropes get a bit old, but it didn’t piss me off too much because they shifted focus in the plot often enough for me not to dwell on the frustrating bits. Nothing really stood out as ultra dumb in the plot, it was all just very soft and fun.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

My top Pond and Phuwin series, I think. They worked better here than in other series, in my opinion. The whole meet-ugly to mutual bullying to wait why do we not hate this to oh no we like this a lot to situationship to lovers worked quite well for them. Aou and Boom worked really well here, too idk why they just did. Like Aou was so annoying but also so endearing and it fit Boom’s character and they portrayed it well together. Not my favorite Winny and Satang on-screen couple, I liked their story, I just don’t think it fits them as well as MSP. This was a cute little rom-com; it worked well. The kissing hmm… Sometimes, maybe, the actors perhaps came off as a bit not entirely relaxed and comfortable with the kissing. Not Aou or Boom or Pond, but maybe everyone else a bit. I don’t want to nitpick or be ridiculous, it’s just hard not to notice, ya know. Like relax, lil guy, I promise it’s gonna be okay lmao.

Music/SFX:

Obligatory corny rom-com music, no surprises there. Obligatory goofy GMMtv rom-com SFX as well, no surprises there. The random cat meow will always confuse me, but whatever, not a big deal.

This was just fun all around. I really enjoyed it, especially after having seen the mess that was My Stand-In recently.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Phuwin with the little water fountain top pony so precious
- Pond always gotta be sporty
- Art prodigy Winny<3
- Smitten Satang, my love
- Aou, the chaotic boyfailure
- Pretty accurate representation of the walk back from a bar in college
- Mom wanted you to study medicine but you chose fine arts oof… THAT must have been a rough dinner
- How you gonna leave my boy like that
- An apology?? Check the sky for pigs, bro
- The “wait, is this love?” trope will kill me one day
- Ya’ll have both initiated and reciprocated kisses with each other lmao what are we doing
- Situationship type shit
- This was so soft I forgot to write anything else oops

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Self-sabotage and for what

Had potential with the tropes and whatnot. Definitely didn’t live up to that potential, though.

Acting:

So like, not horrendous, for sure. But, how did I put it? I could feel they were acting a lot of the time, ya know? Like it was watching an actor playing a character rather than watching a character played by an actor, does that make sense? So not the best acting all around. Perth and Nat did great with their scenes, though. But obviously they weren’t in much of the story.

Writing:
I struggled to love the characters. Palm was FAR too submissive and docile all around. I needed him to grow some fight or something but he stayed the same the whole time. Also, there was 0 mystery as to who the culprit was, which would be fine if anyone was doing anything about it. The conflict was a little too one-sided for too long. Like everyone involved knew who it was but for some reason didn’t do anything about it? And I understand that they wanted Chopper to have his big boy moment and everything, but the decisions they had to make for that to happen didn’t make much sense. Drama logic a little too drama logicy in here. 100% of the conflicts in the relationship between young master and Palm were caused by self-sabotage by one of those dumb asses. Self-sabotage conflicts need a certain type of story for them to be done well and this is not that type of story. I think it was trying to be too many things here.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

There’s something there. I think they worked well in the first few episodes with the whole strangers to forced proximity to maybe friendsish to pining idiots. I love a good pining idiots situation. But, I didn’t get high levels of chemistry from them as a couple. Part of that is definitely due to the fact that Palm, as a character, was far too submissive and docile all around, though. At its core, this trope is a good romance but I don’t think this particular story executed it well. The kissing was fine. The kiss scenes didn’t feel like they held much importance to the story. A little awkward but, also they’re young dudes playing young dudes so awkward is kind of the name of the game.

Music/SFX:

Interesting amount of english indie music in this. Felt a but out of place sometimes. SFX were fine, didn’t really stand out as an issue.

I think they could have done a better job with this starting with the plot and the characters. Not a bad watch, but not a very good one either.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Phuwin looking fresh looking clean
- PERTH my BELOVED
- Oooooh Pond a working man
- Mr bodyguard Unc needs to relax jesus
- Perth looking FINE as HELL in that black and white shirt
- This Ben guy is fucking weird I don’t like him
- Bro is PINING for bro who is also PINING
- It’s always the Qixi festival lmao
- My poor baby Chopper I can’t stand a Perth sad face someone make my boy smile ASAP
- Ben is such a decent guy so far but I just can’t get myself to like him
- Dumb young dudes being dumb young dudes stop being dumb young dudes
- Fighting at the local ballroom dance establishment party is wild why are we cracking bottles
- Papa bodyguard SUCKS 3/10 father
- So many people pissing me off here
- Maggie a sweetie for real boy should just fall for her frfr
- Ben moved from like a 7/10 character to a -4/10 real quick there
- I’d be mad, Palm is WAY too docile and accepting and forgiving for me
- Baby got that aura now
- Hey now, don’t you be yelling at my Chopper
- There are for sure ways out of this why are we acting like there aren’t Unc doesn’t have that much power
- Far more people have been shot in this show than I was expecting lmao
- Palm is annoying tf out of me rn
- 100% of the problems in their relationship were created by them lmao

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Fun as a copaganda romance drama, less fun as a supernatural romance drama

It was a fun copaganda show, but I’m not a huge fan of the supernatural storyline they went with.

Acting:

It was mostly solid. I think everyone did a good job in their roles. I really liked Akk as Akk, I think he did a great job along with the rest of the supporting cast. The story was a bit wild and overdramatic in its writing, but I think Billy and Babe still did a good job with their performances. I needed more impactful breakdown scenes, though.

Writing:

It was pretty good up until the end. I am not a huge fan of past life karma and all that jazz, but I do typically like reincarnation stories. I just think the story was a bit too much. Like they bit off more than they could chew with this one. I need more from a time apart followed by a reunion situation. I need there to be a devastating emotional impact shown through the writing and cinematography choices in a drama. I think Thai dramas need to take a note out of New Moon and do the changing of seasons/passing of months falling into darkness vibe for these time apart plots to really fuck you up and make the reunion feel more impactful. Idk, I needed a bit more than what the story gave and how they executed it. I enjoyed the first like 10 or so episodes though.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

Chemistry was pretty solid. I think it was better in the first half of the show, though. This was an okay romance. I think they could have executed it a bit better. The kissing was good all around.

NC Scenes:

Loved the dream sequences, gotta appreciate someone with a good imagination. The first scene was pretty darn well done. It has sensuality, desire, and intimacy. The second one felt so out of place, I lowkey may have skipped through it.

Music/SFX:

Music was fine, nothing amazing but nothing horrendous. SFX were mostly good, with a couple of exceptions like some of the footsteps were too loud and stuff like that.

Production/Cinematography:

Most of it was pretty good. However, I can’t review this without pointing out that, MAYBE just maybe, we should have designed this story to fit the level of CGI it called for. Maybe just tone it down a bit because it really do be taking me out of the story. Like I said before, they may have bitten off more than they could chew. That being said, I do appreciate that they stuck by the decision to make the story like this and use CGI, which I don’t often see in dramas. It could open up some doors and whatnot. Costumes were a bit lackluster as well. I think there were some interesting shots, some maybe a bit too peculiar for the mood of a scene, though.

It was alright. Didn’t love it, but it never turned into a hate-watch situation.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Okay, love a cold open
- It’s reeeal convenient that there are 5 of them in this little group and there are only 5 spots to fill for the special investigation force
- Wasn’t expecting this to be quite so supernatural but also it’s called The Sign so I should’ve known
- Girly read my mind with that Aokigahara comparison
- Doc is a mf snaakkee
- The visuals are givinggg
- Grandma is lowkey kinda annoying
- Giving a new meaning to going hard in the paint
- Shit’s sensual, bro
- Please stop killing EACH OTHER???? Bro WHAT do you MEAN
- “He’s dead. Please try to get over it.” Thanks, grandma. You’re a real gem
- Bro is broken fr
- Baby just waltzed his way up the hill like that 365 days later
- Not the best reunion scene out there, but not the worst

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It was missing an ingredient

It was fluffy, but pretty bland

Acting:

It was fine. Nothing amazing, nothing horrendous. Everyone was cute and I think the casting was good. The story didn’t call for any really serious acting and they are also like normal young dudes doing normal young dude stuff so it was pretty fitting.

Writing:

I don’t understand the point of this story. It wasn’t a grand romance story and it also didn’t have comedic writing. To me, they should have either had a big and interesting central theme connecting all the couples stories or just focused in on one of them more with a more interesting plot with a main conflict. I don’t know, it was just too simple and realistic without a flavor of either serious conflict or real comedy. Meh.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

Chemistry was fine, they are young dudes falling in love for the frist time so it was fittingly messy and awkward. This is a mediocre romance story, just your run-of-the-mill falling-in-love plot. It started off alright with the tutor/student and guy in a shell/guy who gets him out of his shell situations, but then it fell flat. Kissing was cute and fitting to the story.

Music/SFX:

Music was alright, your normal cutesy drama music. SFX were also fine, goofy where it was called for.

Definitely not a noteworthy story. Pretty colors and cute young lads were the highlights.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Not the impending study abroad trope
- Love a cat theme
- Cute cute
- Awe, my poor baby left on read
- *Now talk it out, now talk it out*
- I don’t like this teacher guy
- Kim so real with his obsessing over dumb things and being an overbearing puppy-love-struck idiot
- Manipulative little shit, too
- Am I supposed to be rooting for this bespectacled weirdo..?
- I’m sorry, what? They’re just dating in high school, it’s not like homeboy got down on one knee? I fail to see the issue here
- I feel like the main couple has had such little screen time
- Why do I dislike these teachers being together I usually love teacher x teacher but glasses pisses me off and the other guy is a little too Mr. Nice Guy
- Shane pissin me off fr
- My poor bb boy, just eat the fucking shrimp, dude
- “If you leave, I won’t be chasing after you” BRUH
- Who in the ACTUAL fuck serves non-alcoholic beer at a party…?
- At least the dude you were dared to kiss was real cute
- Lmao hooking up with your partner is the safety of your own home has nothing to do with the reputation of your school, my guy
- There HAS to be animation schools/online starter classes to help you build a portfolio in Thailand even Youtube and a couple software programs will get you somewhere
- Ending on Valentine’s day instead of graduation was an odd choice

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Everyone in this too stupid for me

Was pretty close to dropping this a couple of times. But good acting, production, and music made me at least see it through to the end.

Acting:

Everyone in the cast put on a good performance. Emotions were expressed well throughout the story by everyone.

Story:

Yeah… this was a rough watch. No shot there are people like this irl. And if there are, keep them the hell away from me. No truly likeable character, honestly. Side characters weren’t given enough depth for me to even put them in the running. I didn’t like how the story was that they met, then there was an immediate montage where you see their relationship seemingly grow into something ambiguous, then we see them living together and being pretty lovey dovey to eachother which leads me as the viewer to believe that there is already an unspoken thing there, only to then learn that Hantae is actually just stupid then and a coward all of a sudden? Like there were three points in this show where I thought they were pretty much together already and then it was like, nope, we gotta drag this out for the rest of the show. Baram was at least like a relatable character in his annoying bs, but Hantae..? He was just genuinely annoying and dumb.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

I think there was good chemistry between the two on screen. However, it was overshadowed by the truly horrendous plot of this romance. I did not once have that strong feeling you get in a romance where I truly care whether these two ended up together or not. What in the actual was that first kiss? Like if you could call it that..? Horrendous work, my dudes. The last kiss was alright ig. Felt a bit thrown in there, though. But like, I don’t know if they cast two guys who secretly hated each other, or the writers were adverse to writing about physical affection outside of nuzzling, but something was just off about their interactions. I’m not talking about NC scenes or anything wild, just like, realistic affection between two grown ass adults.

Music/SFX:

Obviously I can’t ignore that the music was outstanding in this series. The best part of the whole thing, for sure!

I feel like the production, music, and acting were definitely wasted on this story. Wild that the top two reviews are like 9’s… ya’ll led me astray fr. Not the fluffy comfort watch I was expecting at all. But, not the worst thing I’ve watched. Not bad enough for me to drop it either, because there were a couple of positives.

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Cute and understated

Acting:

Great performances from everyone in the cast. Loved the realistic and subtle emotions; they really did a good job throughout the film.

Writing:

I could be remembering wrong because I haven’t read the manga since it was first released, but I definitely feel like they tweaked the story a but. Again, maybe it’s my memory or I’m thinking of the sequel, but I recall more mutual romantic feelings from the two. Not that it’s a bad change to make in an adaptation necessarily. Just different. Still a beautiful story. Understated, nothing grand, but not boring.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

Chemistry is there but much more realistic than your typical drama. Obviously this couldn’t really be classified as a romance by any means, but it worked for what it was. Kissing was realistic.

Music/SFX:

Music was solid throughout, fit every scene and emotion well. SFX were fine.

This was cute and well executed. I’ll have to go back and reread the manga to see the differences, but either way I enjoyed it.

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Sparkly package but the contents were lacking

The reason I wanted to start watching Thai BL dramas was because I saw a video about this series so I was really looking forward to it. Overall, not a good story for sure by any stretch of the imagination. But damn, she really do be pretty as hell.

Set/Cinematography/Costume:
It would be wild to not comment on the attention to detail and consistently stunning visuals of every piece of this show. It’s a pretty important part of a story about royalty and they nailed the hell out of it. So gorgeous. And the staircases in this show… damn babe, yes please.

Acting:
Not bad, but not outstanding. No one really shone, and no one was unbearable to watch. I do think that Zee did a good job with his expressions as his character grew throughout the show. Coming from Boom’s performance in Top Form to this was tough, especially when there were scenes where a character was having a breakdown. Like, someone get my man Boom over here to teach these boys how it’s done.

Characters:

Chakri, my day 1 fudanshi king 10/10. For a London-raised 20-something-year-old guy, Khanin was not at all defiant. Like sure, he had some brat and sass to him at times, but like I’ve met wealthy 23-year-old guys from London, and Khanin was not giving the right energy here. Charan… I would like to see a list of all the things that he was in charge of. Like how are you gonna be the head of the royal guard, lead investigator for the crown, fencing/archery coach, tutor, art professor, and I’m probably missing a few more duties. Like what are we talking about… Bodyguard who do good art is believable, and anything more is dumb.

Writing/inconsistencies:

Oof. For all that this show is beautiful, it is also dumb as hell. So many things were just so poorly planned and written. Screenwriting is partially to blame, but the main issue is the storyline itself. I genuinely could not believe that they wanted me as the viewer to give a flying fuck about that wrinkly ballsack of an old man on his deathbed. Like, did we not just finally establish a couple scenes ago that this mf is the main villain???? We’re gonna forgive him and give him a long and tender scene with Khanin, who has absolutely no reason whatsoever to care about him..??? Wild. After revealing sharkboy as the “big bad guy” you could have either had our protagonists join him or deal with his punishment and then go after the real big bad guy, which is obviously the crusty bitch king. But no.. we’re just gonna act like everything is fine. There is so much more wrong with this story I could sit here for hours analyzing it but I’ll just leave it at that.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

Wouldn’t say the chemistry was entirely captivating but it was present. As a romance it was alright, I just wish they focused in on one or two specific dynamics. Like to me, there’s the bratty guy x the stoic yet kind guy. And at the same time there is the prince x his protector. But they didn’t play into those dynamics so it was a bit all over the place and lacked the depth of flavor I enjoy in these types of romance. The kissing was alright for the most part. I think it is undeniable that episode 14 took the cake.

Side Couples:

Oookay so at first the second couple was defnitely giving that couple who unironically growl at eachother in the local hot topic, ya know? Like girl.. you did not just put on a collar with a leash in the front seat of the car on a college campus… WILD. But I gotta give it to them, I liked their story and how it translated to their NC scenes especially because it was more than a representation of intimacy, it was a telling of their struggles with abuse, the grappling with the desire for sadism and masochism birthed from trauma, and the bond that all that has created for the two characters. Loved all that but definitely was a bit odd to see as a second couple in this story. The third couple had potential to be cute but like we saw them for 5 minutes so idk why it was necessary to have them in there at all.

NC Scenes:

At least there was mood building ig? That being said, I’m not gonna sit here and lie.. Zee’s little moan in episode 14 was a pleasant little gift as I was not expecting that, good work out there my guy. I just wish we had more of that “say please” energy throughout the series in their dynamic bc that had a kick to it.

Music/SFX:

Songs with lyrics in them need to be toned down for the love of god. You’re killing me with the emotional scenes where the absence of words holds power, and then you go and add a song with these corny ass basic lyrics about “I will protect care and love for you kiss kiss under the moon” bullshit. And I get having my guy Nunew sing like sure, whatever I’ll allow it. But damn… That protest musical scene was ummmm.. a choice.. SFX were pretty good for the most part. However, in a show where most of the buildings have marble flooring, I need more crisp shoe click clacks, ya feel me?

Definitely did not blow me away, but I wouldn’t say it was even among the worst things I’ve ever seen/read. Like Idk how I see people giving this a lower rating than they gave My Stubborn.. That’s actually insane behavior. Disappointed and confused, but I can’t deny it was sparkly through and through.

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Hugs for Jun but none for Sorn or the writers

Let me preface this by saying this is my first live-action BL drama. That being said, I’ve been reading BL/queer stories for like a decade, so I am familiar with the tropes and ups/downs that come with the territory.

Acting:
Not much to say other than Oat kinda carried the acting in this series. Everyone else was either very poor or passable.

Characters:
Hugs for Jun. Therapy and a little medieval torture for Sorn. Kisses for Penny and June. Ignore Tai and high-five Champ. A lovely wife for Nu. Phut can join Sorn with the therapy and torture. And homework for those two kids who are always working at that cafe.

Writing/Inconsistencies:
I was very confused by the writing decisions in this show. First, what did they want the main dynamic between the main couple to be? Sort of childhood friends? Friend’s little brother? A sex teacher and his student? Boss and intern? It would have been stronger if they had focused more on one instead of constantly bouncing around.
The other big issue was the truly stunning number of inconsistencies. It reminds me of the scene in Phantom of the Opera where the pants are wet in one shot and then dry in the next. There were so many throughout this series, it was distracting.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:
On-screen chemistry between the main couple was pretty good. Not a very good romance story overall, though.
The kissing killed me a little. There was one natural kissing scene, and then the rest were just so odd? Like Sorn is supposed to be a master of the bedroom so why he kissin like that..? It was frantic in an inexperienced/messy way and not in a passionate/sensual “I need you right here right now” kind of way.

Side Couples;
The GL couple was a 10/10 inclusion for me. Few things in this world can compare to seeing beautiful women falling in love. The fact that there was a confession, followed by sex, followed by June staying to take care of Penny for at least another full day was so wlw I was giggling.
Champ/Tai though.. I was left asking why? There was really no chemistry and their story wasn’t interesting.

NC scenes: (still odd that this term has a different meaning than in fanfic and manga)

There are things that you can get away with in 2-d media that you can’t in 3-d outside of like, corny roleplay porn. Such as jacking it in broad daylight in the garden at your friend’s grandmother’s house while said friends are inside like 10ft feet away. Or, going to town on your bf’s booty in the stairwell of your office. These things require a disconnect from reality that you do not have in live-action dramas.
As far as the GL scene went I was so happy to see it! They really went for it. Not nearly as explicit as the MC, but still some good shit.

Music/SFX:
I swear I used some of these songs in my Canva presentations in Span 402, ya know? And the SFX was just wacky goofy and overused. There were also a couple of abrupt music changes that had me pausing the show to take a lap.

I'm quite stubborn myself when it comes to seeing a story through, even if I'm not loving it. But I have to say that without Oat I probably would have stopped watching, told myself I'm just taking a break, and then forgotten about this series.

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