Unpopularopinionbydemand
watching BL in the corner of my room
This review may contain spoilers
Almost Had It
Paint with Love was so close to being something so endearing and worthwhile, except, it throws itself under the bus after a good handful of episodes. This entire thing was just a roller coaster ride and one that you desperately wanted to get off of after the first drop. Some characters were likable until they continued to repeat their same mistakes and others were just such a nuisance that I continued to skip their scenes. It felt like we got somewhere, and then in the next episode, we'd take 20 steps back. The inconsistency and the lack thereof cause a shift in the overall mood of the series, and it sways you from wanting to finish versus trying to finish.
Let's Dive In.
I was happy to see a new BL that didn't follow down the usual paths we see. No uni students, no overplayed tropes, no bitter ex-girlfriend, no top/bottom slews, The characters were mature, career-driven, had the compacity to live like adults and work like one too. and I was excited. The overall mood and feel of the series was different too; a good type of difference, one that I was willing to accept. Singto plays Maze, this very stern workaholic serious about his company. A work inquiry requires him to hire an artist, Phap, who is the complete opposite of Maze. He's easy-going, laid-back, does what he wants, not what he needs. Their dynamics clash, causing drifts over and over again, until eventually, they realize how much they really do need each other.
Let's start off with what I really liked out of this series: I liked everyone's compatibility in the office. I never really disliked the scenes that consist of everyone. They were the funnier parts, the parts where I could tell the cast outside of their characters, got along very well.
Maze and Phap's intimate moments were handled very well. I liked how I didn't have to sit through chaste kisses, or awkward touching, it was genuinely a joy to watch. I enjoyed how the camera focused on their expressions, taking a moment right before they kissed to collectively draw in how much they wanted to touch each other. Excellent job.
Weirdly enough, I think I liked the dynamic of Kuea and Elle way more than I did with Tharn and Nueng. We didn't see too much of a build-up with them, similar to Tharn and Nueng, but watching Kuea being a shy mess around Elle was precious. When he finally does confess his feelings, I caught myself smiling. A good job indeed.
The wardrobe department did an excellent job, including the set designers. My favorite setting was Phap's house. You can see how detailed they were at making sure each thing matched his personality perfectly. The suits on Singto looked so nice, the outfits on the female characters were also a good touch. A big clap for those parts of the crew. Something I don't usually shout out, but the title sequence was gorgeous. Instead of skipping it, I found myself watching it each time. Someone really added their arm and leg into that thing. Really nice.
Moving on to what I wasn't so fond of: Obviously, Maze and Phap. I felt no chemistry whatsoever. I felt two characters who continued to bicker and bicker, which led them nowhere. When they do kiss for the first time, while a beautiful moment, it didn't bring anything out of me. No excitement, no butterflies, no nothing. it didn't feel like we were building up to anything, there was no climax during that kiss, there was no meaning behind it. Phap's sudden liking to Maze felt forced. Where did it come from? and What caused you to like him? Was it his nasty demeanor? His constant criticizing? I will say that it gets better by a couple of last episodes, but it's disappointing that it takes that long to get there. I wish the screenwriters would've done more. I think the connection between Singto and Tae wasn't really there. Whether that was because they were brand new to each other or not, we'll never know, but everything felt oddly one-sided. Like Tae would give it his all, and then in the next episode, it would only be Singto giving it his all. I think a better connection between them could've created a better form for their characters as well. On top of that, I didn't like how argumentive their entire relationship was. It's cute at the beginning, but by the end, it's tiresome. It felt like they would say one thing, and in the next moment, they're insulting each other. This happens multiple times and caused me to use the skip button more frequently.
Moving onto my next argument; the acting. I think my favorite was by far Tae. He did an amazing job at playing Phap. His charismatic side, his charming side, his dark side, all of it was so well. I loved how he was able to do such a good job of expressing himself. Singto, on the other hand, didn't feel as authentic. I want to blame it on the screenwriters, but part of me knows that's not the problem. Singto does a great job at expressing his emotions through his voice, but his face and eyes tell a different story. I don't know, I just could never really believe what he was playing. Instead, I kept seeing Singto and not Maze.
Tharn and Nueng were cute but that was it. They had no time for a build-up. So when they get together, you're just like, "awe, cute" but that's it. Nueng was a weird character for sure. I didn't like how he treated Phap, and I won't take the, "I-was-doing-this-for-you-so-that-the-guy-you-like-can-realize-his-feelings-for-you" crap. He was mean, the way he treated Tharn wasn't all that good either, but whatever. I've only seen Yoon in Y-destiny and Close Friend (cause I literally can't sit through YYY) and from what I've seen, he's not terrible, but could definitely use some work. He was used here as a pretty face, a "BL" celebrity, if you will. with some more work, he could definitely be better.
Ratings:
Story: 7.5 - Not as strong as it could've been. Some good points, but it's all taken over by the other not-so-good stuff.
Acting: 8 - Tae takes more than half this score. some others I liked were Yacht, Elle, Kuea, Sprite, and Nae. Singto and Yoon were probably the weaker links.
Music: 7 - Seemingly enjoyable to listen to. I liked watching the title sequence, which is where half this score is coming from.
Rewatch Value: 1 - Got to move on. This series was also incredibly long, with some parts being extremely boring, so there's no chance I'll rewatch.
Do I recommend this? Eh, kind of. If you love Singto or Tae, then yes. If you don't know who either of them are, then probably not. It's a long series to sit through, especially with some parts being slow and boring. If it were able to tackle some of the problems I bring up, then I think this would've been a very enjoyable series.
Let's Dive In.
I was happy to see a new BL that didn't follow down the usual paths we see. No uni students, no overplayed tropes, no bitter ex-girlfriend, no top/bottom slews, The characters were mature, career-driven, had the compacity to live like adults and work like one too. and I was excited. The overall mood and feel of the series was different too; a good type of difference, one that I was willing to accept. Singto plays Maze, this very stern workaholic serious about his company. A work inquiry requires him to hire an artist, Phap, who is the complete opposite of Maze. He's easy-going, laid-back, does what he wants, not what he needs. Their dynamics clash, causing drifts over and over again, until eventually, they realize how much they really do need each other.
Let's start off with what I really liked out of this series: I liked everyone's compatibility in the office. I never really disliked the scenes that consist of everyone. They were the funnier parts, the parts where I could tell the cast outside of their characters, got along very well.
Maze and Phap's intimate moments were handled very well. I liked how I didn't have to sit through chaste kisses, or awkward touching, it was genuinely a joy to watch. I enjoyed how the camera focused on their expressions, taking a moment right before they kissed to collectively draw in how much they wanted to touch each other. Excellent job.
Weirdly enough, I think I liked the dynamic of Kuea and Elle way more than I did with Tharn and Nueng. We didn't see too much of a build-up with them, similar to Tharn and Nueng, but watching Kuea being a shy mess around Elle was precious. When he finally does confess his feelings, I caught myself smiling. A good job indeed.
The wardrobe department did an excellent job, including the set designers. My favorite setting was Phap's house. You can see how detailed they were at making sure each thing matched his personality perfectly. The suits on Singto looked so nice, the outfits on the female characters were also a good touch. A big clap for those parts of the crew. Something I don't usually shout out, but the title sequence was gorgeous. Instead of skipping it, I found myself watching it each time. Someone really added their arm and leg into that thing. Really nice.
Moving on to what I wasn't so fond of: Obviously, Maze and Phap. I felt no chemistry whatsoever. I felt two characters who continued to bicker and bicker, which led them nowhere. When they do kiss for the first time, while a beautiful moment, it didn't bring anything out of me. No excitement, no butterflies, no nothing. it didn't feel like we were building up to anything, there was no climax during that kiss, there was no meaning behind it. Phap's sudden liking to Maze felt forced. Where did it come from? and What caused you to like him? Was it his nasty demeanor? His constant criticizing? I will say that it gets better by a couple of last episodes, but it's disappointing that it takes that long to get there. I wish the screenwriters would've done more. I think the connection between Singto and Tae wasn't really there. Whether that was because they were brand new to each other or not, we'll never know, but everything felt oddly one-sided. Like Tae would give it his all, and then in the next episode, it would only be Singto giving it his all. I think a better connection between them could've created a better form for their characters as well. On top of that, I didn't like how argumentive their entire relationship was. It's cute at the beginning, but by the end, it's tiresome. It felt like they would say one thing, and in the next moment, they're insulting each other. This happens multiple times and caused me to use the skip button more frequently.
Moving onto my next argument; the acting. I think my favorite was by far Tae. He did an amazing job at playing Phap. His charismatic side, his charming side, his dark side, all of it was so well. I loved how he was able to do such a good job of expressing himself. Singto, on the other hand, didn't feel as authentic. I want to blame it on the screenwriters, but part of me knows that's not the problem. Singto does a great job at expressing his emotions through his voice, but his face and eyes tell a different story. I don't know, I just could never really believe what he was playing. Instead, I kept seeing Singto and not Maze.
Tharn and Nueng were cute but that was it. They had no time for a build-up. So when they get together, you're just like, "awe, cute" but that's it. Nueng was a weird character for sure. I didn't like how he treated Phap, and I won't take the, "I-was-doing-this-for-you-so-that-the-guy-you-like-can-realize-his-feelings-for-you" crap. He was mean, the way he treated Tharn wasn't all that good either, but whatever. I've only seen Yoon in Y-destiny and Close Friend (cause I literally can't sit through YYY) and from what I've seen, he's not terrible, but could definitely use some work. He was used here as a pretty face, a "BL" celebrity, if you will. with some more work, he could definitely be better.
Ratings:
Story: 7.5 - Not as strong as it could've been. Some good points, but it's all taken over by the other not-so-good stuff.
Acting: 8 - Tae takes more than half this score. some others I liked were Yacht, Elle, Kuea, Sprite, and Nae. Singto and Yoon were probably the weaker links.
Music: 7 - Seemingly enjoyable to listen to. I liked watching the title sequence, which is where half this score is coming from.
Rewatch Value: 1 - Got to move on. This series was also incredibly long, with some parts being extremely boring, so there's no chance I'll rewatch.
Do I recommend this? Eh, kind of. If you love Singto or Tae, then yes. If you don't know who either of them are, then probably not. It's a long series to sit through, especially with some parts being slow and boring. If it were able to tackle some of the problems I bring up, then I think this would've been a very enjoyable series.
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