I might have found a new favorite

So, as one might expect, my reviews tend to be extremely subjective. I've noticed that some things that irk me in one series, I don't mind so much in another -and the other way around. Therefore, even though I've read other reviews with some complaints, I just dfc.
I loved this.
There's very few series that get a physical reaction out of me (as in, laughing, getting flustered, etc etc), but this one did it. I had so much fun watching this.

(the very long list of) what I liked:

- Main couple. Shut the hell up with the "They're annoying", "They're silly", yeah they are but who cares? Their dynamic is just so cute. And their storyline isn't that common, either - how many couples start off with one of them already knowing the other likes them? I found that so interesting. And, as I've said, the "I'll sweep you off your feet" premise is very promising, if done in a respectful manner (obviously). I think Gi Seop did that quite well (the tattoo was unhinged though lmao). Gi Seop is a goofball all around, completely clueless, people pleaser to the point of it actually coming back to bite him in the ass, and Jinwoo is methodical, withdrawn, and reserved. I just love this dynamic, and the character evolution it allows (Gi Seop learning to say no and find what motivates him, and Jinwoo becoming more relaxed and open).
- The music is great, honestly. The emotional scenes were often highlighted by the tracks playing in the background, and it really enhanced the feeling they were trying to convey.
- It's just funny! I'm so annoyed at silly characters in other series but idk what's with this one that really got me. Maybe I do like slapstick comedy after all (now that I think about it, I love the Marx brothers and the Blues Brothers and those are both quite slapstick-y lmao), in this case I didn't mind it at all.
- I liked the girl and Jinwoo's friendship a lot :) I'm all for that kind of pairing (kind of like Hashimoto and Aoki from My Love Mix-Up), and I also wouldn't have minded if they had actually liked each other at some point.
- The secondary couple is interesting. The "I'm too poor" argument I've seen in other pieces of media and it always intrigues me, it's such a fascinating premise - the pride, the angst, just aghh. Yeah. They balanced out the MC's corniness lmao

Some things to note? I guess?

- I don't really know why Gi Seop cared so much about Jinwoo liking him right off the bat. I get that he's not used to people not being attracted to him, but it felt very extreme how he was changing his legal name and getting a tattoo to impress this random guy who (allegedly) doesn't even like him?? Idk
- Similarly to that, I wasn't a fan of his "clueless womanizer" persona at the beginning of the story. Like yeah, he's a people pleaser, but doesn't he see what's wrong with his approach to dating? Not even when confronted with twenty-something angry girls? He should have realized that he was being a jerk, even if he didn't mean to. Not being attracted to someone shouldn't mean you treat them worse. Have some respect.
- This is just my personal taste, but the secondary couple was exhausting to watch at some points. The back and forth was too much. Like you kissed in middle school, now you're beating the shit out of each other (why? idk), now you're fine and going on a date, now he's mad, now we're all crying, just kidding it's fine we're going on another date. I guess it's more realistic but damn, I think *I* might need a therapist after watching them
- I saw many people complaining about Jinwoo going on a date with the girl but I didn't mind it, in fact I would've preferred if he was portrayed as bi. We're seriously lacking on that front in BLs, I think I've seen like two bi protagonists (actually bi, not that "I like girls and only one guy, you" bullshit) total.

But yeah, none of these things bothered me that much. If anything, this was the best series I've watched these past months, it has the best first kiss scene ever in a BL right after the one in Bad Buddy, and I'm in love. That's all Your Honor.

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I am so incredibly lost it's not even funny

Maybe I missed something, or the series is supposed to be this way, but I've never been so confused while watching a series. I genuinely had no fucking clue what was going on for like 80% of the runtime. I like taking notes while watching series, and for this one I wrote down "what is going on" like twenty times. I'm not even kidding.

The thing is, this is a SHORT series. So much so that I finished ep 5 and thought there were still a few more to come. Only today did I realize that it is, in fact, over. Which means that the confusion I felt at the beginning doesn't feel justified. At all.

Firstly, it's impossible for me to guess what the relationship between the two main leads is. Are they family friends? Family? Old friends who fell apart? Literally no idea. Between this and the constant flashbacks to their interactions in the past (which aren't explained either), I was a mess trying to put together a coherent storyline to follow. There's so much angst between them, and you as the audience don't know why that is. There's also a messy af dad in there somewhere, God knows why or how or anything, and I literally didn't care because I just met this man an episode ago?? Idk I'm still mad.

The last episode was the only one I felt like I understood some things. The drama was ok and understandable, and the tension between them when he kicked him out of the apartment was well built. The last kiss with the plausible deniability (closing his eyes so they can both pretend it never happened) was sad but also well done.

But like... that's it? I feel like this didn't have a plot at all, and not in a good way. I'd also like to add that that first kiss was so underwhelming it actually made me laugh. It's not that it was awkward -which it was, but first kisses tend to be awkward-, it's that neither of them moved or did anything other that just stand there with their faces pressed against each other's.

So, yeah. Kind of a meh series. It's not necessarily problematic, that's why it's not getting less than a 5, but I wouldn't watch it again.

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I'm sorry

I'm going to be the one making the rating go down lol, because I've been scrolling for a while and all I can see are 10-star reviews.

To start with what I liked:
- Acting? Good. It immerses you in the story, it doesn't feel forced, nor scripted, and the chemistry is there (for all the characters). I love Lili especially, she really gave off younger sister vibes.
- Cinematography is also clean and curated, good color grading, and generally visually appealing work. I liked that.
- I guess the main couple has a lot of cute moments, you can really see the affection and love they have for each other, the way they would die for each other if needed. Their bond was apparent and strong.

The elephant in the room:
This is just plain incest. Let me compare it to Stay With Me, which also had some incest-y tones to it: there, the two guys meet as teenagers, not knowing they are related. They become friends, maybe something more, then find out they're stepbrothers. So technically they're related, but haven't grown up together, and don't see each other as brothers. Even though that's still a questionable premise, it isn't as scandalous as this one in Unknown. Yuan has been *raised* by Qian since he was a child, and sees him as a hero (and older brother). Qian acts like a brother and father figure to both Lili and Yuan as they're growing up. I could see Yuan maybe developing feelings for Qian as some sort of unhealthy coping mechanism, but in NO way would that make it acceptable for Qian to reciprocate those feelings. He is YEARS older than Yuan, has treated him like a sibling since childhood, has protected him from abuse and poverty. He should know better. He is an adult, his prefrontal cortex is fully developed, and he knows (should know) right from wrong.
The fact that they're not biologically related doesn't mean anything. That would make it okay for adopted siblings to engage in intimate relationships. They were raised as such, and therefore it's incest. Point blank. Yuan needs therapy and so does Qian - and maybe Yuan should have stayed in the US. Maybe some distance from Qian would have made him come to his senses. If they had been ANY other thing - neighbors, childhood friends, family friends, coworkers- I would have been okay with it. Hell, as I've said, even stepbrothers can get a pass if the series is good (and they didn't grow up together). But this is just not it. I'm surprised by the lack of shock they received from the people around them. What makes it worse is having seen Qian with Yuan and Lili as literal children, which makes me kind of queasy because they change their actors to younger ones but not Qian's. So I couldn't stop picturing that poor teenage boy falling in love with his adult sibling.
I say this as someone who has adopted cousins. Not biologically related is still related. That's all there is to it. There might be chemistry, there might be love, but it's still weird as fuck.

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I liked it

Gaya Sa Pelikula is a good BL, I think, because it manages to show that it cares about gay people and their experiences, their stories. This isn't a series for a female, straight audience to thirst after and swoon, but rather the story of two people who could exist irl and have very real issues. It wants to send a message, and I appreciate it for that.

The acting is great. The two main actors are incredible together, they both show such vulnerabilty and emotion that I almost cried a couple of times. They make you feel for both of their characters. It also felt very natural when they were together, their interactions as a couple were relaxed and seemed improvised (idk if they were though). I'd also like to point out that the actor who plays Vlad has such beautiful, expressive eyes. That's it that's the tweet.
The secondary characters are good as well! Anna especially is my favorite, she's supportive and amazing but also has her own problems that she's dealing with. And the sister.. well she's quite messy tbh but she's funny regardless.
The music is on point. I'm adding a few of these songs to my playlist. The one for the dancing-in-the-living-room scene? Loved it
This series has an overall chill, cozy feeling about it - it's simple, it's natural, and most importantly it's real. Karl's fear is real. I liked that.

The reason why I'm giving it a 7 is one I'm happy to have seen other people bring up - the preachy-ness. This series wants to send a message, yes, but I think it's quite clumsy when doing so. There's no subliminal messaging, no subtext, no 'show-don't-tell' (not in general, at least). They don't let the audience come to those conclusions themselves - they force-feed them to you in case you didn't catch them. Vlad in particular got on my nerves at the beginning lmao, like "I don't want to be the plot device that triggers someone else's sexuality crisis" what is this?? Who talks like that?? I've said he sounds a little bit like a Twitter essayist and I stand by that.

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What even is going on rn

I have to give kudos to this series for being the first one to have a scene so disgusting I teared up lmao - but more on that later.
I'm tired so let's just get into it.

What I liked

- The acting is fine, it didn't take me out of the story for the most part. I think the main leads have decent chemistry, and the other couples (kind of) as well. It's watchable, enjoyable at times, super cute at others, you get what I mean. Kind of a rollercoaster, but not bad overall.
- You add domestic scenes to a series, you got me. Nothing else to add. It was so cute
- I like that they chose somewhat morally grey characters for this series, seeing how literally everyone had issues with internalized homophobia, violence or both. It's a bold choice, and I respect the team for that. And also, the emotional turmoil Tae Yi was going through after his brother's su*cide was an interesting premise.
- Some of the physical comedy is really well done. This series has some hilarious moments, I admit that
- The girl? Loved her. She was amazing and called her brother out for being a fucking idiot. She deserved better though, Tae Yi treated her like absolute shit and she was so nice.

What I didn't like

- First off, don't come for me with the "He's dealing with internalized homophobia, ofc he's going to be toxic" or even the "The show doesn't frame it as a good thing", because I've seen enough of it on TikTok and I'm so tired. I'm not mad about the main love interest (and every other man in the damn series) having this issue. Toxicity can be portrayed well on-screen, and it doesn't have to make a show worse. In this case, though, it's just handled terribly. I'm sorry, but where are the consequences?? Like at all?? Tae Yi does some God-awful things (if I need to name one, touching Seo Heon under his shirt while aggressively asking if that's what he likes, while saying he's not into it and that he's not a *girl* - I'm dedicating a separate bullet point to this one), and he doesn't really pay for them. In my humble opinion, he should have gotten his shit rocked more than once. The "bully" tries to rile Tae Yi up by essentially assaulting Seo Heon without his consent, and all he says is "I'm sorry"???? Yeah man I'm not buying it.
- Okay now THIS FUCKING SCENE. I. Am. Fuming. Maybe I'm just a crybaby lol but I had never been so appalled by a scene in a supposed romcom. Literally made my hairs stand on end. Like, the fear in Seo Heon's eyes?? Terrifying. I hated Tae Yi so much for that, and I didn't really get over it. What's worse is, the show tries to make you forget about it like ten minutes later?? As if he hadn't done THAT at all??? Like no, I'm not rooting for them to get back together, this man has slammed MC against a wall multiple times, bruised his wrist, screamed in his face, given him the cold shoulder - and now the shirt thing? Yeah no. Some scenes in previous episodes were cute but this man needs (more) therapy and a restraining order filed against him.
- Just. Every man is a red flag in this series. The bully IS a bully, and a hardcore one at that. He fucking kicks Doyoon until he bleeds, for God's sake!! And let's not forget the fake flirting and sexual harassment he put Seo Heon through just to get back at Tae Yi. He was fucking awful and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
- The ending is just a mess. They rush to give the characters a happy ending when they don't deserve it, and it wouldn't have come naturally like that. It feels so forced. And the reveal? Like okay, the brothers were involved with each other, but why does that make Seo Heon break up with Tae Yi?? IN THE LAST EPISODE??? Do you see what I mean? There's no way that could've been done well in the span of one single (and the last) episode.

I am disappointed, especially because I really liked a couple of the episodes in this one. I'll be rewatching those because they were the cutest, most entertaining shit I've seen in months. But the rest? A mess.

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I... am speechless

I just finished this and not gonna lie, I am in shambles. What the hell was this and why did no-one warn me?? I was expecting it to be all cute and simple, Our Dating Sim-style, a nice little watch for the weekend before starting uni again, and here I am, 1AM and crying over a videogame character. That's just great.
I wasn't expecting it to be good at all - I initially watchlisted it because I watched Boys Planet and Woongki (the guy who plays Kyung Hoon) was in it and I loved him. But oh my God I got so invested, I actually watched five episodes one after the other in one go.

Things I liked (a lot):
- Acting. It was AMAZING- the two main leads have a lot of emotional scenes, and they handled them perfectly. Their acting was so natural it didn't take me out of the story at all. The rest of the characters were pretty one-dimensional, but I liked their performances as well. Woongki is so cute with those glasses, I hope he stars in more series.
- Story. It's bizarre as fuck, you don't see it coming at all (as I mentioned already), you think you're signing up for a cutesy romance series and you end up having an existential crisis. The videogame premise is super interesting, virtually not like anything I've ever seen before, and it adds a lot of stakes and pressure to the situation. You also start not knowing what tf is going on (why is he talking to that dude, are they friends? Why is he in this game? etc), and eventually (kind of) figure it out. My interpretation of the weird-ass ending was that he'd k*lled himself and he'd been in a sort of limbo while he was playing the game, and that dude was Death and was giving him a second chance to fall in love and be happy. I liked that. Hell, I'm not one to enjoy stress, but between this and The Bear it seems like I might like it more than I thought.
- Romance. It's slow, it's cute, and seeing Yeowoon grow to love Tae Myung was so entertaining - his little smile towards the end whenever they were together made me so happy. Them getting together and it not being that big of a deal was actually kind of refreshing, like I kept waiting for a big confession scene but before I knew it they were breaking up lol

Things I'm on the fence about:
- That being said, the story can be a little bit confusing at times. Maybe I'm just slow lol, but it seemed like there were some loose ends? Like that A or B choice he had to make at the hospital, after failing to choose between his grandma and Yeowoon - the second one. I don't remember what it was, but he had a time limit, and I don't think he actually chose anything? And then: at the end, Yeowoon is in his room and finds the pen and wants to save him, but I don't really get what he actually did? Did he save Tae Myung? Was that why he was revived? I'm guessing that version of the story got deleted, and that's why he wasn't in absolute shambles when Tae Myung called him at the end, so what was that for? Idk, the ending had me crying and everything but I was also a bit lost.
- The AGE GAP. Was that really necessary? Just have him be 20, you can be depressed at 20 (trust me, I know). No need for him to be a DECADE older than his counterpart. I GUESS he's 19 in the videogame, but mentally he's still 29, and he treats Yeowoon like a kid. That was funny at first, when they were becoming friends, but later on it felt weird as shit. I didn't really like that.
- I guess some of the charactarizations were also confusing at times, like for example: is Yeowoon a sad, lonely loser or is he a star of the track team with a ton of followers and brand deals raining on him? Is Tae Myung a bad boy who intimidates all the bullies or is he a nice guy that never uses violence? I never understood why they were so scared of him.
- That's more of a nitpick, but the breakup almost at the end wasn't necessary. You just hurt Yeowoon more than was needed and you shoot yourself in the foot in the process. Great.

Conclusion: amazing, showstopping, never seen before. Would absolutely recommend. I'm now contemplating how sad and meaningless my life is, which. Great.

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An 8 for the sheer rewatchability of it all

This was so cute. Also, were they hinting at a sequel with the best friend and the mystery (potential?) love interest? That was random if they weren't.

I couldn't stand the music, I'm sorry, every time that lady started singing I just wanted to scream. Idk why, it's the first time I find the music so distracting and jarring. I don't think I've ever rated the music so low.

The acting was ok! I liked it. The two main leads were great onscreen together, you could feel the tension - especially at the beginning. The guy playing Dong Wook also had such expressive eyes, they were so beautiful. I think I commented on one of the episodes that he reminds me of a deer, and I stand by that. They're both so pretty.

The story was a little bit over the place. With only eight episodes, each no longer than 20 minutes, they should've stuck to a simpler storyline, without so much drama and turns (as I've said countless times: go the Our Dating Sim route!! Have barely any plot and embrace it!! It can be done well!). The start was too slow, and the ending felt too rushed, like they wanted to finish things up neatly and it just didn't work. There was also a LOT of misunderstandings and miscommunication throughout the series, and it was so frustrating to watch. And they were SO dramatic ('Get out of my house or I'll kill you'? Bro? Please chill, I beg you).

Ugh. I had such a good time watching, though. The good episodes were really good (and the bad were just... annoying I guess? Not bad enough to drag the score down too much). I'd rewatch this series, it's funny and entertaining overall. And I'll always be a sucker for short series, like 8 20 minute-long episodes? Yes please, I'll watch it all in a single evening.

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Really really enjoyable - but had some 'wtf' moments

I started watching this one back in October, left it on-hold for three months, and finally finished it. Lessgo

The good

- Aoki is an adorable protagonist. He's quite quirky, and the actor who plays him can border on too over-the-top sometimes, but he's so cute and sells it amazingly well. His performance is very funny and animated, I really liked it. He's also incredibly kind, and thoughtful (almost paranoic lol), and always looks out for others over his own well-being. He treats women with RESPECT (love him for that), he's hard working, upbeat and so likeable overall. I want to be friends with him so bad
- Hashimoto is also a godsend. What a great friend oh my god, I love her, I'm obsessed - she was always encouraging Aoki, while dealing with her own feelings, and was super nice to everyone without being a pushover (honestly, those slaps had me fucking dying. She's a queen).
- In that same vein, Aoki and Hashimoto's friendship is everything I want in this life. They are so relatable, add me to their groupchat please.
- Hashimoto and Aida's relationship - I am obsessed. At one point I liked them more than the main couple, can you believe that? It's just so natural and banter-y and they tease each other so much and it's so fun to watch.
- Aoki in a dress and a wig. Need I say more? Bro was looking drop-dead gorgeous

The 'wtf'

- Ida's character is kind of... all over the place. He's not connected to his emotions at all, which is *fine* (he could be ace, for all we know), but the way he leads Aoki on at the beginning is not nice. If you're not sure about how you feel about a person, don't date them to see if you find out - that's so cruel, even if you don't intend it to be. I think him and Aoki needed to communicate more, they are very different and that causes multiple misunderstandings throughout the series (the hand-touching, for example).
- Them breaking up in the last episode was just not it. Or, at least, if you want me to ship them and want them together. From what I saw, Aoki was way too paranoid in their relationship and Ida was too nonchalant, there was a gap there and they weren't seeing each other's perspectives. I agree with Aoki that they weren't even dating, he was right to be upset about that - as I've mentioned, you do not date people just because you 'might' like them.
- They forgave the homophobic teacher way too fast. I'm not a violent person, so the way his drunk ass would have gone flying into the river or the nearest dumpster if I were there is kind of out of character for me. But oh well. Have fun drowning I guess

There's some amazing episodes in this series. The first two were incredible, so so funny, definitely a must watch. The rest are kind of a gamble. Who would've thought that the relationship would be my least favorite aspect of the series?

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How have I not watched this sooner??

So. I might be in love.
This is my first time watching a reality TV series from Korea, and while it's vastly different from the ones I'm used to (mainly Drag Race, Big Brother and Love Island), my God is it entertaining to watch.

Above all, I think the cast is absolutely perfect. They are so loveable and genuine and they look like they enjoy spending time together. They're also so different and unique and bring different talents to the table, which I enjoyed when watching them perform. They're sincere in their emotions, care for each other, and earnestly try to do better not only as individuals, but as a group - I really appreciated that.
The music is GREAT. Man, I've never been a kpop stan, but I'll be adding a lot of these songs to my playlist lol. And the choreos are super intense and engaging, and the camera work during the performances really adds to the dynamism that they exude.
Lastly, I had so. Much. Fun. I've laughed a lot watching this series, and that NEVER happens. Shows like Drag Race never hit the spot for me, that type of humor is not my style at all - but it wasn't the case here. The reactions were great. Maybe they were a little bit over the top at times, but hey, that's reality TV for ya. I'll be quoting 'You're a BIRD' and 'Take me home tonight- gimme gimme' for the rest of my life, thanks.

I've seen other reviewers mention the production company, the voting system and the editing. Being relatively new to this genre of reality TV, I honestly cannot speak on this because I didn't even know Mnet existed until like a week ago. The voting system didn't really bother me, to be honest. At first I thought it was going to be excessively unfair to the G team, but it ended up being quite balanced in the end. I have to admit, though, that some trainees were eliminated when they shouldn't have been (I'll never get over Jay nor Haruto I'm sorry), and others stayed around for an astonishingly long time (Takuto was super cute, but let's be honest, what did he even excel at?? How the hell did he get through the first round?).
The editing I did notice. The repetition and constant replays were a little bit annoying at times, and I get that they were trying to get everyone's reactions, but maybe it's not needed to hear the same fucking audio bit back to back like five times?? And I also didn't like how they left out a LOT of performances. One of the trainees called them out on this in one of the songs and honestly, I felt so bad for him (and others). Imagine working so hard and then finding out that you're not even onscreen for three fourths of the episode. I think this could be solved by either 1) reducing the number of trainees at the beginning, so that everyone can be onscreen, or 2) having longer episodes / more episodes.

But yeah. This was a great watch. I'll be watching 103227 edits of the series for the next three months, if anyone's looking for me. I'm hoping for a season 2 but idk if it's ever gonna happen.

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My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined

First off, I want to preface this by saying that I had (kind of) high expectations for this series - I've seen it recommended EVERYWHERE. And then I watched Only Friends and FirstKhaotung were amazing in it and I just got more excited to watch this one.
It didn't, unfortunately, live up to what I was imagining (or hoping for). Here are my thoughts:

- The story (which was kind of the main selling point for this series) is incredibly weak and flimsy. They do a great job the first episodes at pulling you in and making you wonder what the hell is going on at the school: why is the principal so strict? Why do they run the school like an authoritarian regime? What is the curse and what does it entail? What does 'The eclipse' mean? Who is Ayan? ---- These are all great questions. Having watched the entire thing, though, I can confidently say that the answers to all of them are so frustratingly simple it actually hurts my soul. The curse wasn't a curse, it was fabricated (obviously). The eclipse is just there for the aesthetics. The school is strict because they are old, repressed and angry. Ayan is a sad kid with uncle issues. That's it.
The protests against the school's leadership are so unimportant and have so little effect it's almost funny. We are TOLD (not shown) that they are a big deal and it's impacting the school's reputation, but throughout the series we only see the same three guys weakly yelling dumb shit and holding up signs. Honestly, they couldn't have found less threatening people to be the face of a student revolution. Also, why only THREE? Did GMMTV run out of extras to cast? Do gays with signs pose such a threat in this fictional universe??
- Unlikeable characters. As it turns out, Akk was the one behind the curse. You're telling me he was trying to harm students into silence by dropping flower pots on them and setting things on fire?? Are we supposed to be okay with this?? Same with Thua - but I'll talk about him later on. Akk doesn't end up publicly owning up to what he's done, and he doesn't suffer the consequences of his actions. What he did is only discovered when Thua outs him in front of everyone, and even then Akk's friends save his sorry ass. Akk also turns a blind eye to Ayan's actions (when he knows he's stirring the pot and instigating the protests), while being incredibly strict with the rest of the students and essentially being a massive tool.
- And now onto Thua. OKAY. I am MAD about this one. See, by episode 10 he was my favorite character. He was nice, and shy, but was concerned about the rest of the students and saw the flaws in the system, and tried to distance himself from it. His scenes with Khan were also adorable. And THEN they felt the need for some drama, and of course they had to ruin the only good character in the fucking show. Of course. Turns out he's also doing shit to scare everyone into obedience, and was responsible for the more extreme acts directed against the trio leading the protests. He also randomly outs Akk and Ayan to the entire school and board of professors?? Because that's needed I guess??? This was not it. This is character assassination and oh my God, do I dislike it--oh. Now everything's okay and no one remembers and Khan forgives him and they're together? Nice! I guess I'll forget everything he did then!

In conclusion: I am so tired of this. They could have done better. First and Khaotung's chemistry is so much better than this. This is a problem I see with a lot of Thai BLs, they try to innovate and have more dramatic storylines but forget to actually develop said storylines and live up to the hype they themselves create. It's disappointing, honestly.

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I see the Romance, but not the Dangerous

This was.... okay. Let's get into it:

The good:

- I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, Guy and Nawa SAVED this series for me. They were so entertaining, the chemistry was off the charts, and I was invested every time they were on-screen. I loved them. Their kiss??? Are you kidding me??? I think their romance was believable, they never really lost their banter but grew to tolerate, then like each other. I'm sold.
- Sailom and Kanghan have some genuinely adorable moments together. They're at their best when they're hanging out and just having fun.
- The first few episodes were good. Like, actually good. They were so different to other GMMTV series: they were gritty, darker and more bold in showing the reality of bullying. It really got under my skin - which means it was done well. I wanted to punch Kanghan so badly. It felt appropiate for the title 'Dangerous Romance', and even though I don't really like watching people get abused and bullied, it was realistic for the characters and the situations they were in.
- I also loved the (new?) trope of the bully getting his ass handed to him by the person being bullied. It was so funny, and clever, and it made me love Sailom so much. They tell us that he's smart, but those scenes show it as well. It made me see him as a resourceful, cunning and assertive person.
- Honorable mention to my boy Auto, he's made me laugh multiple times - love him as well.

The bad:

- The story just loses its steam after a few episodes - there's no other way to describe it. Once Sailom and Kanghan become friends, it's less about the bullying and more about their romance and secondary plot points. Which I would not mind if they had done it properly - instead, they redeemed Kanghan in, like, the THIRD episode, through a sad montage, and had Sailom forgive him almost immediately. They trusted each other SO FAST. This was the guy who a week ago was forcing you to kiss your friend and recording it!! Why do you trust him?? Why does HE trust you??? Kanghan never really faced the consequences of what he did, which was messed up. He didn't 'make a mistake', he harassed poorer students while being aware of his privilege and accused someone of being a p*dophile so that they would lose their job as a tutor. This is not something that can (nor should) be forgiven that quickly.
- About Kanghan and Sailom's relationship: it's just not giving Romance. They looked like friends with benefits to me. They have such a strong chemistry as friends, but the actors look a little bit uncomfortable when doing physically intimate scenes together. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things. Also, it's kind of toxic - Kanghan drops Sailom multiple times throughout the series, and shuts himself off completely without communicating. He fires Sailom knowing that he's financially dependent on him and that he'll have to resort to being an escort. He distances himself immediately after telling him he trusts him. I would be VERY insecure in that relationship.
- Potential? teacher-student romance?? Am I delirious or were they going for it?? Idk, I'm not a fan of this dynamic at all.
- Some plot elements were genuinely ridiculous, and clearly only there to create drama artificially. Why did the brother go to jail? (the boss' fingerprints were on the gun!! He was not wearing gloves!! Did the police not see that they did not match Saifah's???) Why did Name take so long to confess? Why did the boss start shooting at Sailom and Kanghan at the hospital instead of threatening to kill the dad so that they would go away? Why did he go in himself, instead of having someone disposable go in his place?
- The dad was redeemed too fast. I didn't care for him - he was an asshole for 90% of the series, and then I'm supposed to believe that he's a great guy who's turned his life around to be better for his son. I'm sorry, I don't.

Would I recommend this series? Not really. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as memorable as I originally thought it was going to be. I'll probably forget 70% of what happened throughout. I do think that the actors should be given more roles together, maybe not as partners, but friends? Their chemistry shouldn't go to waste.

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Lighthearted and funny

Not much else to say. I'd already watched this one, but idk why I didn't post a review back then - so here it is.

I love the acting in this. It looks so natural. The chemistry is great (always important) and I was smiling ear to ear whenever the main characters interacted (even the two friends, they were so cutee). They all look like they're having a blast when they're together.
It's also quite funny - I found myself actually laughing at some scenes (which doesn't really happen), which earned this series brownie points. Gao Shi De's mom was hilarious, I love herr, how she was teasing Zhou Shu Yi for being overly formal with her.

The story is basic, though. If you really think about it, there's not much going on outside their romance. The doctor-cousin was a weird character in general, he made me uncomfortable with how touchy-feely he was with his PATIENTS (who, mind you, are significantly younger than him). He was also quite aggressive for a doctor, like he was very careless when handling injured students.
Also, I think Shu Yi went from 'I cannot fall for a man' to screaming 'I like Gao Shi De' at the top of his lungs in the span of... what? A week? Idk, it felt a little bit too fast for me. We didn't even see him feel conflicted or anything.
And finally, we should address the MC's tendency to try to drown himself - can someone ban him from going anywhere near a swimming pool?? Istg in one single episode he jumped into the pool TWICE, fully clothed, and Gao Shi De had to pull him out.

I know it looks like I didn't enjoy this much lol - but I did. It's mostly vibes, no thoughts, head empty. Just go with the flow when watching this.

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Everyone's a red flag and we're all colorblind

So. This is the perfect series if you want to have fun, not think too much, and just watch the trainwreck happen before your eyes. It's messy, it's toxic, everyone kisses everyone at some point, and there's some punching, pushing and yelling, too. Just great.
I have to say, this is so not my usual type of series to watch. To go from Cherry Blossoms After Winter to this was such a big jump it gave me whiplash, but I digress. What I mean is: even I, the utmost fluff enjoyer, had a good time watching this. I was invested all the way through.

I generally liked the couples. NickBoston takes the cake for me, the actors were a pairing I never saw coming but they have great chemistry nonetheless. Even with how toxic they were for each other, they had me actually rooting for them at one point. SandRay is also a great pairing. They're also toxic (I'm going to overuse this adjective, apologies in advance), but there's something so natural about the way they interact. April and Cheum were my absolute favorites - I love them. And TopMew I just didn't care for. After the cheating incident, Top just lost all my respect, and I lost interest in seeing them try to mend their relationship. Also, compared to the other two couples, the chemistry wasn't as strong (in my opinion), so that was also a factor.

I think the strong point of this series is its unpredictability. You never know which couples are safe, which ones are not - who's cheating on who with whom, who is whose ex, who has old unadressed feelings, etc etc. I had no idea where the plot was going for most of the series - and I think that's ok in this case. You just enjoy the drama as it comes. It's also as if they randomly chose two of the actors' names and had them make out for every episode, which was messy but entertaining. I swear, every possible combination was tried and tested (some of them multiple times). Even my boy Drake made an appearance (and got with two different people).

However, there are still aspects I wasn't entire sold on. As I said, neither Force nor Book's acting did it for me - they didn't look as into it as the other couples. I haven't seen their other series, so I cannot say if this is a problem they have in general or if it's just here. At the end, I've probably skipped (or skimmed over) most of their scenes. As for their characters, Top became irredeemable after cheating, and Mew lost himself (and also me) with his questionable bad-boy-act. I'm not saying I disapprove of the toxicity (there goes that word again), but rather how the series wanted me to like them, to ship them. How am I going to? There's no trust between them!
Anyway. I digress.
The intimacy scenes were okay. I also skimmed over them, but that's just because it's not usually what I like to watch. So, if you like them, go ahead, Only Friends has loads lol.

I recommend this series, definitely. Not one of my favorites, but it's enjoyable and keeps you on your toes.

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I really didn't like this

Okay. I've seen people justify the relationship portrayed in this series by linking it to BDSM practices and dom/sub roleplay. Right off the bat, I'm going to say I know very little about BDSM. But, as I understand it, it has very clear rules and sets firm boundaries in order to guarantee that both parties involved feel in control of their body and their autonomy. It uses safe words, and always respects consent.
This was not present in this series. There was no consent. Segasaki was grabbing Yoh and throwing him on the bed whenever he felt like it, without asking him if he even wanted to do that at that moment. He even ties Yoh up at one point, without consulting it first.
I'm confused about how they wanted me to feel about this couple. Should I ship them (I don't)? Should I be concerned for Yoh's safety (I was)? Should I find Segasaki's attitude attractive (I don't)?
Honestly, this was just incredibly hard to watch.
Yoh had no development at all. He's a very meek character, very soft-spoken, lets others walk all over him, and is easily influenced (or rather manipulated). He doesn't question Segasaki's possessiveness of him. He doesn't fight back when he's forbidden from seeing any other person that isn't Segasaki, be it a man or a woman, a friend or an acquaintance. He cooks for Segasaki (whatever food the latter asks for), and sleeps with him when the other feels like it. He doesn't even KNOW Segasaki likes him until the last episode or so - when Segasaki tells him directly (and Yoh thinks 'I thought I was worthless'). I'm just- this is so bad? Someone please save this man??
Yoh also never emotes. He has no emotions other than surprise, submission and slight joy (let's mention that the happiest I've seen him was when he was hanging out with his friend's husband). There's nothing else.
Segasaki is just despicable. Maybe it was intended, maybe it wasn't, but I just can't stand him. I've already said that, but he's so possessive and controlling and kind of uses Yoh like he's his personal toy. He's all over him when he's jealous of the 'editor' (which doesn't even exist), then ditches him and ignores him after a misunderstanding (and doesn't let Yoh explain anything). He tells Yoh his life is 'his', warns him not to 'run away' while on top of him and tying him up, and ends up blaming the misunderstandings they've had on Yoh (apparently he does things on purpose to confuse Segasaki and make him jealous. ...Okay).

So. I guess I didn't like this series. I actually kind of hated it. If its intention was to portray a toxic relationship, I don't think it was made clear enough. And if it was meant to represent BDSM, I think (again, not an expert) it was done poorly.

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Cute, but disappointing and kind of messy

Okay. This is going to be a chaotic review - it's 2am right now and I just watched the entire series at once.
First off: this isn't a bad series. It's entertaining, it can be funny at times, and it's visually pleasing. With that, here's what I liked and what I didn't, in further detail.

Good:

- Both actors are incredibly good looking, especially the younger one. It might seem shallow, but to me it's one of the factors that can save or kill a series. Even when I felt like dropping the series, I kept watching because of them.
- They're also decent at acting. I skipped most of the emotional scenes (more on that later), but from what I saw, they did an okay job.
- Good chemistry! Even if I had my doubts about their dynamic, their interactions as friends were really cute and engaging.

Bad:

- This is a VERY korean series. What I mean is, it has aaall the cliché scenes, the slo-mo, the cheesy music, the 20-second long stares, the awkward dialogue. With other series it doesn't bother me as much, but this one really irked me sometimes.
- The plot. It's a mess. There are time jumps, serious family trauma that it's impossible to address properly within 7 episodes, an attempt at a motivational message about passion, and goals in life (key word being 'attempt'), a crazy aunt, a jealous friend, and I'm probably forgetting stuff. As I said, it's way past my bedtime lol
- No kiss. At all. Which I wouldn't mind if they hadn't teased it SO much - they were constantly referencing the fact that they hadn't kissed yet, but were quick to add that 'they would eventually'. Guess what, they didn't. And I'm sitting here wondering if I just watched three hours and a half of a bromance. Seriously, not even 2gether did this.
- The main lead was a bully at the beginning. Point blank, end of discussion. I hated him. I tolerated him later on, because it was that or resenting him for the rest of the series. You're telling me I'm supposed to like him, after he framed a complete stranger for s*xual assault and almost got him expelled? Was it that hard to make up an excuse as to why he was on top of him? (maybe just literally telling the f-ing truth?? He TRIPPED) Also, messing with his bow and arrows and keeping his keychain and not returning it?
Idk, not even the halo effect could save his character for me. As pretty as the actor is, his character is a jerk until the end of the series.

I would re-watch their scenes together as friends. Not much else. I'm not fond of drama (especially not this kind of drama, where people are dying and there's a baby involved and just no), so I didn't particularly enjoy that. Other than that, though, the series is quite entertaining.

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