Unpopularopinionbydemand

Can't Get Into It

It's been about a month since the series ended and I still can't get myself to watch the last two episodes, and I think I'm done trying. I really sat my ass through this series because I really do hate dropping, but also forcing myself to watch something I don't like rather than to sit and watch something I do like is torture to myself. Never Let Me Go fails in a lot of spots for me, except for how gorgeous these actors are.

Let's Dive In.

One reason that the series was so hard for me to get into was that the initial plot just doesn't make sense. Why hire a fisherman who's amateur at being a bodyguard to protect a highly important person? Especially after the fisherman's father failed to protect the important boy's dad? Just why? I think this would've worked out better had Palm just been on a scholarship to attend the same school as Nuengdiao and they became friends to then become lovers. Maybe then I could've finished this. But I can't because nothing about this situation adds up. Either that or Palm should've been an older gentleman who was a bodyguard in his past coming back into the job to help out his dad.

I've said this in FUTS, and I'm saying it here too: something about Pond's acting never settles right with me. I will say he was at least slightly better here than in FUTS, but I can never believe his acting. It sounds like he's reading the lines off the paper instead of acting them. Someone on Reddit said his acting reminds them of a last-minute put-together high school play and I couldn't have said it better myself. And I'll probably get crap for this too, but for some reason, I can't play into Pond's chemistry with Phuwin. It's just not there, at all. They do being physical very well, but besides that, I don't feel the chemistry between them in their acting. Pond gives off "I'm straight" vibes like crazy, and while I'm not trying to assume his sexuality or anything, that's just how it comes off.

I would've stayed for Chimon and Perth, cause I was decently enjoying their side story, but it's still not enough. I'll just wait to see them in their series once it airs. The fighting sequences made me squeal with laughter, because what in the everloving fuck was that. The make-up department at least did the bruising and cuts well.

Ratings;

Story: 5/10 - Chimon and Perth's story is entertaining. Some parts of Neungdiao's story is intriguing (like his uncle trying to kill him), but I can't get over that his mother thought it was a good idea to hire a fisherman with no bodyguard experience to protect her highly targeted child, which is why this series will never do it for me. I think they even teased it in one episode, which I'm glad they acknowledged that it was dumb, but still.

Acting: 7.5/10 - I'm mostly giving this score to Perth, Chimon, and Phuwin. I think there are some parts Phuwin lacked a bit for me, but it still wasn't bad. Pond's acting is once again, mediocre if not worse than that.

Music: 5/10 - Didn't pay attention to it. So it wasn't distracting. Good.

Recommendation value: 4/10 - As I said, it might've just been me that felt this way, but there are much better stories out there to watch than this one.

Just a little bit of a rant, but I don't think Pond and Phuwin were the right pair for this series in general. I think having switched up some important plot points would've made it better, but in order to have made this series as good as it could've been with just the original story, they should've found a pairing that was older, or at least a person a lot older to play Palm's role. Someone like Joss or Earth or White or Pod or Gawin or Tul (even though he's not with GMMTV, just trying to throw out some actors that would've done this role well), anyone who seems a lot more mature than Pond was able to portray. Phuwin is fine in Nuengdiao's role, but I'm thinking Khaotung or Pawin, someone who might've been able to handle a more dramatic role.

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Confused and Not Having Fun

I told myself this year that I would stop forcing myself to continue shows that don’t resonate with me in the slightest, and Melody of Secrets is exactly that kind of series. It’s confusing, perplexing, and having to constantly rewatch scenes just to figure out what on earth is happening is not fun. A solid -1/10 experience for me.

Let’s Dive In.

I wanted to like this because I genuinely enjoy ForceBook as a duo, but this was exhausting. If you love theorizing, interpreting, and piecing together a puzzle where nothing is immediately clear, this might be your show. For me, though, I need a plot that makes sense, preferably sooner rather than later. Surrealism and mystery are fine, but they still need internal logic, and this series simply doesn’t have it.

The editing is especially rough. One moment we’re in one location, the next we’ve jumped somewhere else entirely. Characters change clothes and then revert back in the very next scene. It’s disorienting in a way that feels careless rather than intentional, and I don’t have the patience to keep rewinding just to understand basic continuity.

ForceBook also feel oddly forced here. The chemistry isn’t landing, everything feels a bit awkward, and Force is once again stuck in the “stoic man with one facial expression” role. I found myself watching just for the sake of finishing, and I’ve decided I’m not doing another year of regret-watching.

Ratings:

Story: 3/10 - Far too disorienting, and I don’t enjoy being confused for confusion’s sake. Also, why didn’t they cast actual teenagers for the younger versions? I’m sorry, but you cannot convince me that Force, Book, or Junior pass as teens.

Acting: 7/10 - Not terrible, but not impressive either. No one truly stood out.

Music: 5/10 - Honestly? I don’t remember it.

Recommendation Value: 2/10 - Maybe if your love for ForceBook is unshakable, or if you’re craving unnecessary complications in your life. For me, I do not (and yes, thank you Force for taking your shirt off several times, but that alone cannot keep me here).

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Well Done !

I'm assuming this series is from the same production company as Pit Babe, seeing as though there were familiar faces, and of course, the brilliant BTS at the end of each episode. But this company (Change, I'm presuming the name is?) once again, hit the nail on the head.

Let's Dive In.

Like I spoke about in Pit Babe, this production has money, and they know how to use it well. Some very beautiful locations and settings, great wardrobe options for all the characters, and really well-thought-out cinematography. They go all the way for their series, and it definitely does not go unnoticed.

Moving onto the actual plot, they executed the story so well, and it's seriously why I love this production company so much. They don't do the unnecessary long stares or dragged-out conversations or irrelevant side plots. They stick to the story, going from point A to point B, and everything that we see in the series happens for a reason. The conversations are all what they need to be, and the story flows with little to no unnecessary bumps.

Moving onto the relationships, Sailub and Pon once again, hit it out of the park. They played complete 180s to their characters in Pit Babe, and they still were able to execute perfect chemistry. They take their NC scenes to a completely different level, one that I don't feel like I see often. it's obviously well acted out, and the actors are comfortable enough with one another to execute such amazing scenes. But even with the jaw-dropping sex scenes, my utmost favorite part of the series is Oab holding Wan accountable for his actions and them having an open and honest conversation before getting back together. Lots of time the plot can be lost for a quick resolution between two characters, but the writers ensure to the audience that it's going to take much more than that, and that makes me happy. They had great comedic timing, the kisses were next level, and I'm waiting patiently for their next series together.

Metas and JJ's relationship was another one that surprised me. I didn't think that I would hate it, but I also didn't think I'd end up loving it as much as I do. At first, Metas' ways of trying to attract JJ are all sorts of wrong, and it starts to feel completely dis-genuine until you see how much he changes because of JJ. I also like the fact that JJ actually did physical therapy and wasn't just sitting around doing nothing (like a certain other series called physical therapy *cough* *cough*). Some of his work seemed a bit much (like stretching Metas the way he did or helping him pee by holding his you-know-what), but overall, this was great. Again, really great chemistry, they also had a very nicely done NC scene, although not nearly as explicit, but still very romantic.

The dynamic between the friends was all great and well, especially between Wan and JJ. Personally, I think Kluea should've been more reprimanded for trying to kiss Wan while he was "unconscious", especially even when Oab saw him trying to kiss Wan. But that's my only gripe about the series. Other than that, there was great comedic timing, really nice, heartfelt conversations, and so much incredibly looking food that will make you immediately hungry (also loved the play to Oab's character being kind of like Gordon Ramsay and his competition being similar to the real competition "Hell's Kitchen").

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - it's very nicely done, and completely flows naturally without any complications. Even the part of the story with Oab dealing with his ex-girlfriend is played out incredibly.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Great, GREAT acting. All the characters were actually crying when they needed to, and they delivered great lines honestly, everyone in this did a superb job.

Music: 7.5/10 - I actually really liked the theme song!

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - There's a story to be told here, and they did that excellently. It's really hard not to like this series considering the amazing acting, the great writing, and the perfect production value. Also, if that's not enough, the men in this are beautiful and they're shirtless for a perfect amount of time.

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MSP 2.0

This series tried so hard to be MSP 2.0 that it didn't feel like an adaptation at all. Instead, it felt like they were using every tactic possible that worked in MSP (My School President) and decided to give this a different title but it's still basically the same series. In my eyes, My Love Mix Up the Thai version was not taken seriously as a new adaption of the Japanese manga/series like it should've been.

Let's Dive In.

Had I been discussing the first 8 episodes of this series, I would've told you it was an amazing, jaw-dropping, brilliant series. Except, they went on for 4 more episodes and it completely plummeted on its face after that. What could've been a really neat and tidy 8 episode series was stretched to fill that usual GMMTV 12-ep series, but in reality, it should've just stayed 8 episodes. Once they get together, it's nothing but weird added-on tension, some stuff from the side couple, and a couple of kisses. That's it. I hated when I could tell that I was falling out of love with this series, but once episode 9 hit, I was done. I heavily debated dropping this, but the only thing that kept me going was Half and Mudmee.

Let's actually talk about those two for a second. I LOVED Half and Mudmee, so much so to the point where I could give two flying fucks about Atom and Kong. Half and Mudmee stole the show for me, I loved them to pieces, they were just so first-love-coded and I adored their dynamic. The only time they start to decline for me is closer to the end when we get a fake kiss from them. Oh gosh, why why why? It will never not draw me out of a series when you can obviously tell they're fake kissing. Why not just... kiss? Pahn (Mudmee) did an incredible job in her role, Chokun (Half) was pretty mediocre and a times just downright bad, but it's not so bad to where you can't watch, sometimes it's just a bit cringe.

Moving onto Atom and Kong, again LOVED them in the beginning, not so much a fan of them by the end. They were the slow burn that I yearned for, but the series dragged their story for far too long. After a certain point, I just don't care anymore. Kong's birthday, them going to visit college, etc, all of it, for some reason, was such a snooze-fest for me. I just needed to see them be happy and in love. The end. and then on top of that, they exude so much of Gun and Tin from MSP that it's hard to differentiate their characters from there and here. I think it's good at the beginning, but the more you watch, the more their personalities are similar. Maybe not Gemini's characters so much, but Fourth felt like he was playing the same person. I think getting them out of high school roles will help better push them away from those similarities, but it's hard not to see them. Also, let's discuss those kissing scenes, because they were actually horrendous, all of them. We've seen them do a great job in MSP, so I'm not sure why it was so stale and dead-fish like here. I'm going to assume it has something to do with the director, but holy hell, those were hard to sit through. And then on top of that, their chemistry was just not chemistry-ing like it usually does. Maybe there were too many long stares, or some weird aspect that made it feel kinda awkward, but something didn't click here. Overall, I wasn't as satisfied with these two as I'd like to be, but oh well?

Moving onto production, this was caked and marinated in product placements, so much so that it starts not even feeling like a genuine series, which is why this adaptation doesn't feel like an adaption at all. Same with the MSP band coming to play, same with Atom and Kong busting out in song. This series is too much garnered towards G4 than the actual series itself that it just feels like they played in our faces. I'm so disappointed with the series as a whole, and from now on, if GMMTV is going to adapt something, they need to stray away from making it feel so advertisement-heavy and more so for the actual storytelling.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - It's so good in the beginning and then it falls straight on its face. Quite literally you can stop watching at episode 8 and get the gist of the story. After that, they start playing in our faces.

Acting: 8.5/10 - I think both Gemini and Fourth did as best as they could with the direction and script they were given. Pahn did a good job and so did Chokun, although he was for sure their weakest link.

Music: 5/10 - them busting out in song took me away from the story cause they're no fucking singing in the manga/series (correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure there's not).

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - at the end of the day, this series is pretty light-hearted and fluffy, so I'd definitely recommend in the, "take your brain to ease-town" way. Also, if you're a fan of G4 then of course, this is for you.

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Ehhhh..

I was exceptionally excited going into this just because I was going to be able to watch my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BL ACTOR, Fluke. From his previous work in the My Bromance movie and UWMA, I was sure that Fluke's acting would once again be stellar (in which I wasn't wrong) but one actor can't carry the entire show.

Let's dive in.

Production - 8/10: For the most part, it was fine. It was similar to that of the movie, and I did really enjoy the movie so nothing wrong there. Would've liked to see fewer long awkward pauses when nothing was happening because that creates cringe, and that's no fun. Also, looked like some of the scenes were filmed in real-time, like the school setting at the beginning and end. Fun to see some off-guard high schoolers staring directly at the camera (lol). I think what I loved most from the production is the soundtrack. Loved the intensity and the desperation in the tone of the instrumentals. Also, the message at the end was purely beautiful and sent off good vibes for the after-effect of finishing the series.

Story - 7/10: Not a fan of incest, whether that be blood-related or by law, it still really fucking weird and gross. I guess technically, Bank and Golf are no longer brothers since their parents divorced, but still, the feeling is there (not to mention they said "we are brothers" like a hundred and five times). This one didn't feel too brotherly, so I give it props for trying to leap off that ship. I had understood the side stories pretty well and enjoyed them for the most part (more than I did the main couple, I'll give you that), the only thing I had a problem with was keeping up with all the couples and their names.

Acting - 7/10: FLUKE CARRIES HALF THIS SCORE, but honestly the acting in this was really good. Besides Fluke, other really good actors were Nuea's actor, Maykah's actor, Arm's actor, and Golf's actor. The ones that weren't very good were those two wannabe Kpop dudes. Anyone else not listed was in the category of being good enough.

T/W - EMETOPHOBIA!!!!!!!!! (skip to couples)

Other - the behind scene at the end of episode 9, DID ANYONE NOTICE HOW NEUA'S ACTOR WAS ACTUALLY PUKING. Like he would drink this concoction and then look like he was spewing it out and then he puked some more???? would've LOVED a warning or something because honestly it really scarred me. Also, IDK if that was the motive to make him puke on his own, or maybe he accidentally did because whatever they gave him was disgusting, but I was severely worried about the actor and hope he's okay and hopes that someone was taking care of him after that.

Couples

Golf and Bank: 4/10

Yeah wasn't feeling it. Their chemistry in the movie was much better in my opinion. I have no idea what happened between now and then, but I can tell you that something was WAY off. For one, THEY WERE BROTHERS, STEP-BROTHERS OR NOT, IT'S STILL WRONG (technically they're not step-brothers anymore (if I was watching correctly)), second, the entire, "haha-I-was-dead-but-actually-I'm-not" plot was something between the words of neat and what the actual fuck, but I don't know which to pick. For one, I liked the way Bank had reacted to seeing Golf alive for the first time since his "death". It was realistic, the agony, the realization, the heartbreak, it was all there and all real (might just be because Fluke is an incredible actor and can perform any sad scene with excellence). I think the only reason that this couple didn't work for me after like episode 2 was because of how obviously awkward it was between the two of them. I can't be the only one who felt it right?? I get it though, someone you thought was dead is now very much alive, and it's not that easy to just get over it, but I'm still trying to figure out whether that cringe awkward feeling I kept getting was because of the actors and how that didn't have any chemistry or whether it was because of the long-ass view of the actors' face and the long-ass moment where nothing was being said. but something just felt so off with this couple. It got a little better closer to the end, but If you were to ask me who I like Bank with better, I would've told you Arm. He sincerely had so much love for Bank, and the in-love expression he had on his face when he saw that his anniversary with Bank was coming up was everything to me. Even his leaving Bank cause he wanted him to be happy was so heart-wrenching to me. Overall, I give this couple a 4/10, two of those points going towards Fluke's acting, one point going towards parts of their relationship that I guess I kind of liked (Golf tickling
Bank, the anticipation of Golf and Bank meeting again, and the montage from the movie) and the other point going towards pure guilt of giving it less than a 3rd overall score.

FIRST KISS RATING: 2/10 - The build-up to the kiss was nice, but the execution failed miserably. The kiss was dry, not like dry lips, but like it was the first kiss they were giving each other EVER (if I recall correctly, I don't remember them kissing in the movie) so why not do better than a little lip-touching (yes, there is a difference between a peck, a kiss, and lip-touching). the After kiss moment was actually kind of cute, so that's where one of the points is coming from.

Neua and Tar: 6/10

I really liked how versatile Neua's actor is, from going to this bossy little kid to this young man trying to figure himself out, and trying to find the meaning that he had in this world was fantastic. I will say, the only reason this score isn't as high as it could be is that Neua is a whole child in high school while Tar is a grown-ass man. Technically, I think it was legal because Neua was 18 and a senior in high school, but still. I liked that Tar was his reason to keep living, his reason to delete all the dating apps and feel wanted. Neua's storyline was probably the most detailed than anyone else's, and he played it very well. I was actually heartbroken for Tar when he came back and realized that Neua had moved on. I was glad to see that moment of him being happy for Neua and then having that breakdown in the car. It showed that he genuinely cared and wish to have another moment with him.

FIRST KISS RATING: 9/10 - The build-up was excellent. The sexual tension that they had been playing on once Nuea had got to Tar's house was executed nicely. The kiss itself was very nice and the moment leading up to theming doing it was great.

Hungley and Maykah: 8/10

I did not expect to love this couple so much, but out of all the couples, I loved them the most. Hungley added so much necessary comedy to the series and I liked the dynamic between Maykah and him. The swim lesson scenes were so precious I can't get over the holes in Hungley's swimsuits, like why was it right on his buttcheeks??????? Anyways, I also find Maykah very attractive. His smile and eyelashes are what did it for me. He and Hungley had really good chemistry build-up. I could genuinely feel for Hungely when Maykah left. Him coming back and everything working out was very nicely done.

FIRST KISS RATING: 5/10 - WAS NOT IT. I'm so sad about how they went about having Hungley and Maykah have their first kiss. One, it was so abrupt (literally some weird as camera cut), second, Hungley was drunk, and although he initiated the first gesture of wanting to have sex, it still felt wrong. Also, the kiss itself was weird, it looked like Maykah had kissed his chin and not his lips. Their sex scene was probably the most visible out of the two that occurred. We see Hungley visibly pleased by whatever Maykah was doing in his no-no square.

OTHER COUPLES: I can't remember the trainee dudes' names, but I know that I didn't like them, like literally at all. Their entire "thing" was off, but that was mostly due to their very bad build-up and very little screen time. That's what happens when you have too many couples in one series. I did feel bad for the one dude that was with his manager so he could get to where he wanted to be, and I also liked how the other dude tried to save him from the manager. With some more moments and maybe better actors, this could've been a decent couple. The other two random couples were so, well, very random. They really just threw them together at the very end, and said, "here ya go". We really didn't need those two couples, and it would've been better off without them.

RECOMMEND? yes, to anyone that loves Fluke and wants to see more of him, and if they were looking for just a small little series to watch that wasn't too heartbreaking and had its cute moments.

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Warm and Cutesy

Cat For Cash sat third from the bottom of my GMMTV 2025 anticipation list. As the formula goes with GMMTV series, this felt like hitting the jackpot in the beginning, then fell short by the end.

Let's Dive In.

This was a refreshing lane change for FirstKhaotung. Most of what they've brought in the past is brooding and hurt, and while there is a smidge of that here, it's mostly smiles and giggles and talking cat. Of course, as with any FirstKhaotung series, they do perfectly fine and perfectly brilliant in the chemistry department. The yearn was nicely top with a tad bit of jealously and angst, and it's the peak of the series.

Satang felt perfectly cast. I can't believe they'd somewhat give us WinnySatang in this after their split. Sigh, and I could've really use a series of Winny in glasses.

Great looked phenomenal here. He was fine in his role, but "blah, blah, blah, proper names, place name, backstory stuff."

What surprised me most was how nicely the episodic structure worked, especially early on. With such a simple premise, I wondered how they would stretch the material, but the show handled it better than expected. It still dragged in places, just not in the way I initially feared.

Overall: fluffy (literally), cutesy, and Great-in-glasses. The formula to a perfectly fine BL series. I will probably forget that I watched this a year from now, but it brought me enough satisfaction in the end.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Cute ! I don't care for cats, and this show didn't change my mind on that, lol. I think the talking part was a bit cringe, but nothing terrible.

Acting: 8.5/10 - FirstKhaotung don't have the capacity to do bad. Satang stole the show for me. Great looked GREAT.

Music: 5/10 - Was fine, didn't distract.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - ehhh. It's a skip honestly. Unless you're a big fan of FK or want something nice and fluffy.

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Flawed, but I Oddly Enjoy...?

Maybe I'm the anomaly here (to my surprise) to see this series was not taken well by the vast majority of watchers. Surprisingly, I think I liked it? Now, did I like it in the sense that it's going to make top 10 of 2026? Highly unlikely. But I enjoyed it in a "this is sloppy and stupid, omg, I love it" kind of way. Now, it wasn't nearly as brazen and racy as the first season was, in which case diminishes the brand of Only Friends being the daring, everybody-kisses-everybody series, but in some peculiar turn of events, this worked for me.

Let's Dive In.

I liked that each of our leading couples had their own dynamic. I enjoyed Arnold and Tua's story the most, but that's because I'm a friends-to-lovers buff, otherwise that crown would've gone to the brilliant AouBoom. Truly so nice seeing them like this. We go a slight taste of this darker, more erotic theme of them in Perfect10Liners, and here, we get to see a much more complex attitude from them. Executed very nicely by the way. Joss and Gawin, for the love of straight, it's hard for me to play into their roles, only completely shadowed by my love of their trope. It also feel like they were playing racier versions of their own selves, at least for Joss that's the vibes I got. But I won't complain too hard, I got too see shirtless Joss, so *shrugs*.

And I can't forget the lovely Mix and Earth, of course. Not my favorite roles I've seen them in, but they do chemistry well. I'm not a fan of exes-to-lovers as much as I'd like to be, also way too much cat and mouse chasing for my own liking, but I still appreciated seeing them on my screen again doing something much somber and risqué. Mix being slightly evil in the beginning was also nice to see.

I think where this series slightly suffers is it's cowardice way of almost-kisses or totally eradicating the reason why people loved the first season: everybody was kissing everybody! It makes no sense that Jack and Raffy don't kiss, it makes no sense that Dean and Pod's character don't kiss, it don't make sense that Tua and Boston don't kiss, and don't even get me started on Pete and Rome. Urgh. If this was the real season one flare, Pete would've been riding the fuck out of Rome's dick with a dejected Raffy looking from a distance.

I also think it got slightly boring. Also those random confessional scene were... a choice!

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - mostly entertaining. They should've really gone for it, but oh well.

Acting: 9/10 - good! I think Boom and Mix are the stand outs for me.

Music: 4/10 - I've been noticing more English music in GMMTV productions, and I don't know it's starting to pinch a nerve.

Recommendation Value: 6.5/10 - Maybe? There a story here, and it's fun for the most part. Don't knock it till you try it kind of ordeal.

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Dropped...Sorta

So I made it to episode 7 of this throwback series, reminding me of all of what we had in 2016, mixed with a little HIStory 2: CTL. And to be completely honest, I don't hate this, not like the usual BLs that I drop specifically because I hate them, with this one, it's just very very -- boring. With so many characters, side couples, and plots, it's hard to keep up. And then on top of that, this is languid pace, not only the romances but just the plot in general. How much longer am I to wait for Sprite to tell them he's not Zee? How much longer until the inevitable with First hating SPrite because he didn't tell him? Or let me guess, Zee comes back First is weirded out by him not being in love with him all of a sudden? Classic. Classic and overdone.

Let's Dive In.

I was originally really excited about this, one, because the men in this series are drop-dead gorgeous, and two, I like Twins Switch story tropes. It reminded me a lot of my love for Not Me when it came out, and even though this plot looked a lot more frivolous than NM, it still brought on a little nostalgia, so why not? Episodes 1-3 were probably the best episodes. It sets up the plot nicely without dragging on the start of the conflict, and we see Sprite navigating the ins and
outs of volleyball and his team. It's good. But by then, it was just so draggy. The hospital scenes, the scene of his taekwondo, the useless dialogue, all over it went on for wayyyy too long. Even by episode 7, when we finally get a kiss, I just decide to drop because I see the future, and I don't like it. The reason I say I kind of dropped is because I still skimmed through some of the episodes and watched the very last one, but I say dropped because I might've skimmed too much (lol).

Overall, falls short of delivering a compelling narrative or meaningful character development. Everyone felt one-dimensional, while the plots were cliche and lacking. It's way too predictable, following tired tropes without offering any fresh new perspectives (besides the twin switch). In addition to all of this, the pacing is uneven and way too freaking tedious, leading to massive amounts of boredom and being disengaged from the story. So, yeah, I guess I kind of hated it.


ratings:

Story: 5/10 - was such a good build-up to the conflict, and even had some special gems, but overall, it's just too boring.

Acting: 7.5/10 - Everyone was pretty new, but from what I could see, most of it was decent. There were a couple of characters whose acting was mediocre at best, but it wasn't unwatchable. Frame was definitely the best actor.

Music: 6/10 - wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 3/10 - Honestly, it's not a one just cause I would definitely recommend looking at these beautiful creatures, because goddamn. Otherwise, save your time.

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BL Block Perhaps..?

I think I might be slipping back into my unfortunate BL Block, because I have found zero interest in this BL, which is very rare for me when it comes to a Japanese BL, but good Lord, I don't think I can do it anymore.

Let's Dive In.

I want to also start this off by saying: I genuinely see nothing wrong with anything that this show has to offer. I think the first two-three episodes were my favorite, and then after that, it just bored the fuck out of me. I'm not sure when it went all wrong, but it took me less than two hours to watch the first four episodes, then took me two days to watch the fifth, then a week to watch the sixth until I was forcing myself to sit and watch the rest. I can't do that anymore.

I will say, this series was hyped a lot, honestly a lot more hype than I'm used to hearing when it comes to JBLs, so I had high hopes for this, but inevitably, this is where I'm at with this series.

Ratings:

Story: 6/10 - good until it wasn't. Started boring me to no end. Main characters were cute though,

Acting: 8/10 - really good, great job for Kenshin (Haruki) for real.

Music: 5/10 - didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - I can understand why people liked this, loved it even, but for some reason, the plot, the mess with the character's dad, the overall ominous feeling just did not do it for me.

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Kinda What Everyone Else is Saying ... Boring

I really so badly wanted to like this series. Was one of the only reasons because Pavel was in this? Yes, but so what? But after multiple attempts all ending in failure, I'm going to have to finally call this series quits. I tried so many times to really get myself into this series, but it's just so hard. On top of this being molasses-slow, there are just so many sub-plots besides the already boring main one that is so uninteresting, I'd rather watch paint dry. Coffee Melody was sadly a miss, and for anyone who was able to make it through, I give you my undying love.

Let's Dive In.

I think the first few episodes are promising. It does a lot of character build-up which I don't mind, and we get some pretty decent moments between couples and friends. But by episode 5, I feel like I'm just treading my way through the mud. Our main couple was already going through relationship problems that just wasn't working for me, and every other chracter that wasn't them was excruciatingly tiresome. There was nothing drawing me to continue this series. I thought the other side BL couple was kind of cute, but they just weren't enough. Don't get me started on whatever Yi's sister or aunt or friend or whatever had with that one guy and that ridiculously odd trying-to-be couple in the band.

I also just don't think Pavel and Benz work for me. I think it was their fast-paced relationship. I'm more for slow-burns, but I don't mind fast relationship builds, it's just that it does nothing for these two. There's no connection, no chemistry, no yearning, no nothing. The only thing I could come to appreciate was the fact that Pavel can kiss anybody and make it look 5-star, that's it. Other than that, no. It went too quickly with no real commitment between the characters.

Ratings:

Story: 4 - very little story and even the one we got was boring. There was just so much random shit that was so unnecessary for the story. The meetings about Yi's music, the band, the het couple -- I could go on. Instead of focusing on so many other aspects, they should've focused on telling a better story for the main couple and leaving it at that. I'll give a 2 to the side BL couple that I kind of enjoyed, and another 2 only because Pavel was in it and anything less than a 4 is undeserving of him.

Acting: 7 - Not terrible. cutting it close to below mediocre, but the acting was not their biggest issue. Pavel and Benz did decent, I think Jean and the red-haired dude might have outdone everyone else, but they weren't even like show-stopping amazing, they just had an ounce of better chemistry. Janjao was good too. Everyone else was forgettable, and Beam who played Sekram was so god awful I'm almost postive they grabbed him off the corner of the bus stop.

Music: 5 - Didn't pay any attention to it. Wasn't distracting, so there's a point.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Fuck no.

Overall, I think I'm just more upset at how this series has done nothing for Pavel. With all he went through, I was hoping this was really going to shine through and we'd get to see him being amazing and beautiful, but instead, he was just beautiful. I don't think I liked this role for him, not saying that he can only play a bad boy, but this role was just weird. He just smiled and talked. That's really the only way I can describe his character. We all know Pavel can do better, but this role and this production have kind of stumped his abilities. Hopefully, we'll see him in another series where he can really showcase his skills. I skipped to the last episode only to watch the side BL couple kiss (meh) and then I ended it there. Kind of disappointed this series didn't become what I wanted it to.

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In Love is an Understatement

Even if for whatever reason I wanted to hate this season, I can't. With everything in me, and just like the first season, I absolutely loved it. In all of it's terrible miscommunication, cat and mouse chasing, adult-baby glory. Minato Shoji Coin Laundry Season 2 proves once again to be just the bitch.

Let's Dive In.

Now nowhere is it as perfect and seamless as the first season, with Shin and Minato getting used to each other's company, more so Minato with dating someone so young, and Shin just being -- well Shin. But this season, we get those repetitive tropes for what seems to go on the entire season. Akira is still not okay with being open and honest to Shin about his feelings, can barely look him in the eyes, and doesn't think for a second he's okay with the most minimal amount of touching. It's very annoying, it gets to be draggy, and maybe they could've stopped that by like episode 5. But sadly this drags on until the end of the series with Akira just having this weird thing about intimacy, but like in the most immature way possible. But again, because I love these characters so much I really don't mind that cat-and-mouse chase (to some extent) and Akira being a silly little goofy ball of idiocy.

No onto the amnesia storyline..really? Was it needed? No, not at all. But did I love it? Did I absolutely love seeing Akira fall apart and come to the realization that he should've had a long time ago? Did I get teary-eyed at Akira's note to Shin and then the way he paralleled back to all their moments? Did I kick my little feeties when they met again at the beach to parallel their first season ended by playing in the water? -- yes, yes I did. Nowhere was that something we needed and yes to some degree it was frustrating, but oh my god, I love them, so it was so good.

Moving onto the side couple, Asuka and Shu, I think they were cute. I wasn't head over heels for them, but I think they had their moments and then some. I especially liked the way Shu came around to his feelings for Asuka, without the weird chasing and more just a realization and acting on it. We loved to see it.

So yeah, it wasn't perfect, and to any regular fan that's not literally smitten with these characters and the plot and the overall series, then this was probably rather the most annoying and unnecessary second season to a series ever. However, because I'm NOT a regular fan, I loved this season, I loved seeing my boys again, and I'm content with what I received.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10: Akira's little voiceover at the end coming to the emotions of the episode to the forthcoming news of the laundromat is kind of everything to me. Anyways, the story itself (me trying to be as unbiased as possible) was eh. It was just pretty much a glorified season 1 but they were dating -- kind of. The side couple was a nice addition, and I think they matched perfectly with the tone and flow of the series.

Acting: 9/10: Urgh, I love Akira's acting. It's so irritating and so full of emotions. Gosh, Takuya is too good. Same with Tomoya (Asuka) who did an excellent job too. Of course, the same goes with Shin and Shu's actors too.

Music: 5.5/10: I don't pay much attention to it, but I know the intro is a little much for me.

Recommendation Value: 9/10: Honestly, no one really needs to watch it because it's pretty much that unnecessary and very repetitive, but because I loved this, it's getting a high score.

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Still Better Than SIMM

Won't lie, this was a bit of a letdown, and even possibly a bit of a disappointment, but still, it's better than whatever the hell SIMM was. I think this series focused too much on the wrong things, formulating a tedious and sometimes irrelevant story. We also focused in some parts on characters that were the very least of my worries instead of characters I'd like to hear more from. Everyone is comparing this to 1000 Stars (which lies untouched and is still credited as the best GMMTV BL in my book), and of course, it follows a similar format with the countryside and a rich guy navigating his way through rural Thailand, but I think this will be the new norm of BL -- countryside love stories.

Let's Dive In.

SIYH is about Fah, a busy doctor who gets himself in trouble, and to correct his mistake, he's led to the countryside of Thailand with his other two friends to take care of the village. There, he meets Prince, a secret Prince who works as the local teacher. There, they meet, they get closer with a few other complications, and the end. We also get other storylines that were so irrelevant to the plot and move nothing further along, which is why this series is kind of at a standstill for me.

For one, we're introduced to Yaya, the village chief's daughter, who grows a very quick crush on Fah and is all-around boy-crazy. We get an entire episode dedicated to her and being put in an arranged marriage. Bad? Yes. But do I care? No. And that's mostly due to the screenwriters making her so irritating and obnoxious that you can't care. Instead, they could've given us more Mesa, more JJ, or Prince and Fah. The same can be said for Toptap's character. Although I love him to death, he just wasn't needed. He was the very low-key jealousy that happened between Prince and Fah for just a little bit until one episode, it just felt like he disappeared, and considering that he didn't even show up until a few episodes after the first is a bit sad on TopTap's part. Same with Aun's character who was just vicious but with little story to back it up. These were the irrelevant parts I was talking about. Did it help to get our mains closer? Maybe, but there were other ways they could've done it that didn't make me want to ff.

Overall, the script could've been much cleaner and more precise. They choose a beautiful setting to shoot in and I feel like they didn't utilize it quite enough. They also had so much story to work with and they just chose all the wrong choices. The story grows boring somewhere in the middle, making it quite hard to want to watch. We get a lot of nonsense with Pince who falls randomly ill like 3-4 times and only because there was nothing else the writers could come up with. This is where I can draw similarities to 1000 Stars, but it's still its own series. I think we'll be seeing a lot more countryside-type BLs, but that doesn't mean we keep claiming them as rip-offs of 1000 Stars. It's like me calling every engineering BL a rip-off of SOTUS, but we don't do that simply because engineering BLs have become the norm, or in some way or another, the story switches it up to make it as unique as they can get it. That's what I get from SIYH, switching up a story that's probably going to continue to be overused and oversaturated give or take a few years.

Onto the romance, I was really intrigued with them in the first few episodes. Like, close to obsessed. I love the flirty/stubborn dynamic and this couple had it. Prince had very mini gay panic attacks anytime Fah did something flirtatious, but still he'd push those feelings aside to shoo the doctor away. And of course, he didn't stop trying. I talked a little about how their first kiss was very hesitant and gentle, kind of like a trial kiss, and that the others would be a lot more complex and deep, which I was right about. Now, their kiss scenes could've been better, but I've seen worse, so I'll let it pass. I think their chemistry really helped this series from being dropped, not only by me but by many. There were times when it could've been better, but for the most part, it was executed pretty well. Anytime they were on the mountain moon bathing their rocks or even when Fah visited Prince's hometown was when I knew this series was still worth watching. I think it would've even been better had they cut out most of the conflict and made this just a cute everything-is-perfect-and-nothing-can-go-wrong type plot.

But one romance I didn't feel the need to see was Duao and Kluen. They felt unnecessary to see each episode, (Fah calling Duao was fine, but it was the dialogue between him and Kluen that was just wasting time), especially with no progression in their love lives and seeing Duao decline Kluen's offers to kiss or do more with him even though they've been dating for a while now and it's just not ordinary for a couple like them to never progress. And if I had to hear Joong sniff Dunk's cheek one more time instead of just actually kissing it, then I don't think I could make it.

I wished we would've gotten more Mesa and JJ because they did so excellent in this. MIke never fails when it comes to being comedic, even when he's not even trying. Which is why I'm curious what his series with Krist will look like since it looks to be a bit serious. This is my first time seeing Arm in a GMMTV series (He was in Waterboyy and Our Skyy but I don't remember him at all) and he did so well. I was thinking the writers were trying to pair him and JJ up, but nothing. We couldn't get them and we couldn't get Mike and TopTap either. What a shame. The rest of the supporting characters did well. The kids were really precious in this too.

Ratings:

Story: 7 - still better the very mediocre plot that was SIMM. It had a bit more action and overall, Fah and Prince were enjoyable to watch together. I think other plots were pretty irrelevant and could've been unadded so we could get more time with the characters that mattered. I'll take 2 stars off for that and one for it sometimes going flat with no actual plot going on.

Acting - 8.5 - I think everyone did really well, especially Fah. Mark still wasn't 100% there for me. There were parts where he did excellent and other parts he lacked a lot in. Arm and Mike did really well too. Everyone else played their part well.

Music: 5 - Pretty basic and nothing extraordinary.

Rewatch Value: 3 - I could go back to watch complications of them, but not much else than that.

Excited to see this special episode next week. Hopefully, we get some loose ends tied tightly and see good progress with these characters. SIYH was a nice watch, could sometimes get a bit boring, but nonetheless, I enjoyed watching these two. I enjoyed them so much that I wouldn't mind seeing them in another BL paired together.

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ATOTS win best Our Skyy Episode (As I knew it would be)

Gosh, I was looking forward to Our Skyy 2 since it was announced, and boy was I surprised. Not really with my favorite OS2 episode (ATOTS) cause it will forever and always be a banger, but for the others, I was pleasantly surprised. I was worried that many of these would be full of wasted potential (ehh, not too far off), but honestly, it did a good job coming full circle with the previous story and the one we see in OS2. Our Skyy 2 takes us into a further developed story of some of our favorite GMMTV series couples. Looking at it from a broader spectrum, Our Skyy was actually pretty good. Just some storylines didn't work, and others were just flat-out given no second thought.

Let's Dive In.

I'll go from least favorite to the most favorite couple (which the favorite is no surprise for anyone).

8. Star In My Mind - Daonuea and Khabkluen

The 2 episodes we got of them in this was by far better than what we got in their original series. The only reason I place them last is because they still failed in a lot of places, like being way too simple in its storytelling when there were so many cool areas they could've touched on. Like, a story where they pretend to hate each other to prank their friends..? Okay, if that's the best you can think of I guess. But I did like some aspects like Kluen making the ring to give to Nuea, and their time together in the tent. And Joong and Dunk gave so much chemistry in this. It actually made me excited to watch Hidden Agenda, because hopefully, they give me more than what I received in SIMM. But like I said, it was just the worst out of all the couples in terms of story and plot. Also, Joong learned how to kiss a cheek instead of sniffing it, so that was nice. I'll give it a 6/10 overall.

7. Bad Buddy - Pat and Pran

Not including the crossover with ATOTS, the first few parts of their story were so boring that I literally tuned out and then a second later they were in Pha Pan Dao and I was like, "Huh?". I think the setup was just not very entertaining, not until you get into the actual crossover, and then I started liking their story more, which is the only reason BB isn't last. I really enjoyed Pat in this more than anything, I liked the time with Phu and the good connection they created. I just think Ohm is a fantastic actor, and he plays the role of Pat so well. I think there are some points where the feud or whatever happened with the actual actors in real life kind of crossed over a little, and some parts were pretty awkward. The ending, however, was probably the best that we got from them. The play, and the kiss on the couch as very authentically their characters, and it was a nice feeling. We also got a glimpse of Drake and Jimmy, and the iconic GL couple so that was also really cute, too bad Jimmy and Drake's characters actually never get together. I'll give it a 7/10 overall.

6. Never Let Me Go - Nuengdiao and Palm

For someone like me who dropped NLMG, I loved this so freaking much. This also just goes to show that GMMTV could make a banger historical-BL plot, so hopefully we'll get that in the near future. But seriously, I loved seeing historic Thailand since I've never seen a historical Thai series ever. I enjoyed the switch of Palm being rich and mighty while Nuengdiao was the poor slave who had to work for him. Them trying to figure out how to get back to the present was entertaining, I loved seeing Pawin again, was a little down that we don't see Chimon or Perth's characters since they were also another reason I tried finishing the series, but oh well. Phuwin and Pond's chemistry is pretty good in this too, they did a better job here than in the original series. Overall, I'll give it a 7.5/10.

5. My School President - Tinn and Gun

I was expecting to like this a lot more than I did, but I was a little disappointed at the role switch instead of building their story further. Would've much rather seen them in college thriving than see their entire story re-told with Tinn and Gun switching roles. But even with that being said, it was super cute seeing them act out the opposite role, including the side characters like Sound and Win and Tiw and Por. But we get no kiss, and some of the parts that I would've put in to be re-told weren't included, which was a bummer. But Gemini and Fourth are too cute of a pairing to put them any lower than this. They still have such good chemistry and were just perfect. I'll give it a 7.5/10 overall.

4. The Eclipse - Akk and Aye

This story is only not lower on the list because Khaotung and First's chemistry is literally so good that it needs to be studied. If ATOTS wasn't on this list, I would say Khaotung and First have the best chemistry I've seen in a GMMTV pairing ever. It's just that I think the story was a little boring. Them going on the trip was cute, but the plot revolving around them making a film was not my forte. Lots of empty space where they were talking about nonsense I could care less about. But also, I got to see the loves of my life, Kan and Thua, and they were just the cutest things ever, so nothing could make me mad. Also, there were some sound problems, like the music would be way louder than their voices during some scenes, and it threw me off a bit. But overall, I'll give them an 8/10, solely because First and Khaotung have such soul-crushing chemistry (ya'll saw that ending kiss too, right?).

3. A Boss and A Babe - Gun and Cher

So surprised, but I really liked their story. They worked on issues that weren't previously worked on in the series, so they were able to develop their characters more, and it came to a beautiful full circle. They also told it in a fun way cause it would've probably been boring any other way to tell it. I have nothing more to say than that it was cute, it was fun, it was entertaining, and seeing Cher try to be stern and stoic was adorable. Overall, I'll give it a 9/10.

2. Vice Versa - Puen and Talay

IDK what their actual names are and not their names when they were in the other universe, so I'll go with the names listed on MDL, so bear with me. But even with me not remembering their names, I absolutely LOVED this. Maybe because Jigsaw was the cutest in the history of cute, but I loved seeing how domestic they were. Even before Jigsaw came into play, I loved that they had designated days to do different things. One thing I'm a sucker for is domestic love, and they gave me just that. And when you add Jigsaw, they just look like the happiest little family on the earth, It also made me hope for a future series with dads as the main character, and I need that immediately. The only disappointing thing was that Jigsaw wasn't one of their accident babies while they were in another universe. I think that would've been fun to see play out. Also, Neo was THE STINKING CUTEST OH MY GOD. Overall I'll give it a 9.5/10.

1. A Tale of Thousand Stars - Tian and Phu

Is it a surprise to anybody that their story was the best? not even just my own opinion, but I legit think their story was the best told than any of the others. we develop the characters further, we also see their relationship develop, we see their communication develop, and their conflict be resolved perfectly. Wow, don't Earth and Mix make a perfect on-screen couple, I mean I don't know what it is about them, but they bring me to tears each and every time. Phu crying while prosing to Tian... yeah, I was a puddling mess. They were just gorgeous, inside and out. It was also so nice to see the village again and Tian teaching, and Yod. This was the perfect bow to tie up their already perfect story. My favorite part was definitely seeing Pat and Pran reenacting Tian and Phu's story, Ugh, it was just so good. And that ending scene? Yeah, it's forever branding on my brain. God, I love them. Overall, a 10/10 in all aspects. The only thing I wished they did was have some kind of crossover with Drake's character since he was in both series, but whatever.

Recommendation value: 8/10 - If you've seen all of the original series, then this is a really fun thing to watch. It's mostly just fluff and skinship, but I'd watch ATOTS episodes over and over again.

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...And That's Enough For Me!!

Wow, I feel like I've been dropping series like flies, but this is completely out of my realm of entertainment, and it's simply because this isn't a good story.

Let's Dive In.

Actually, there’s not much to dive into. The writing is rough, and while the story feels like it has potential, there’s nothing really driving it forward. It is like there’s enough fuel, but no engine to make it go anywhere. The acting is honestly the only thing that has kept me watching. It is not award-winning, but it is decent enough that you find yourself wanting to stick around, if only to support the cast.

Toh is far too much of a love-struck puppy who keeps throwing himself into traffic and acts surprised every time he gets hit. Toh knows what Jimmy's doing, and just, doesn't give a fuck, I guess. The romances move way too fast, and I am a yearner at heart. I need tension, build-up, and emotional payoff. This just is not delivering any of that.

I stuck around for five episodes hoping something would finally surface and give me even an ounce of what I was looking for, but, to no avail. I do believe there are people like Toh out there, people who forgive and forget, or simply ignore the hurt they receive. That kind of dynamic can be real. I just do not have the desire to keep watching it play out, or see how they'll enviably try to redeem Jimmy. But not everything is on Jimmy either. The brother is kind of awful too, in his own "I'm trying to protect my brother," way.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - Boring.

Acting: 8/10 - Decent Enough.

Music: 6/10 - Not distracting.

Recommendation Value: 1/10 - Move on!

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Pretty Darn Good

I don't have much to say cause this was one of those J-BLs that's pretty freaking good, but not great enough to be memorable. However, throughout my watch, I enjoyed myself fully. I'm starting to like these kinds of tropes with the leads in a BL falling for each other in real life, it might just become another one of those concepts that garner it an automatic watch.

Let's Dive In.

Yuki and Asami's dynamic was the cutest. You get a little bit of that bubbly seme/stoic uke trope, but not so cutthroat. I adored the way Asami treated Yuki and watching the younger slowly fall in love. My only real negative about them is that a very minor, very minuscule mishearing drove the entirety of the plot at the end. Yuki literally just could've asked Asami who he was talking about, and that would've killed off an irrelevant 3 episodes, and a couple of non-sensical crying scenes. Oh, and their kisses, minus a couple of them, were all pretty bad. But besides those two things, I really enjoyed them.

Speaking on the production itself, so many amazing and beautiful transitions happened in this that looked fantastic. Whoever was behind this definitely took their time to craft these very creative transitions, and I really enjoyed them .

Ratings:

Story: 8/1 0 - gets a little eh by the end, but most of it is good.

Acting: 9/10 - It's good! I liked Taisuke (Yuki)'s acting the most. I like seeing the difference between his actual character and the character he played in the series.

Music: 6/10 - didn't pay it any attention.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - I really like it, but like I said earlier, it's not too memorable since the ending kind of dies down the hype of this. However, I think it's a beautiful story told, so I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.

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