youhadmeatzb1

I'll start this review by stating that I have not read the source material for this adaptation. So I had no real expectations going into this and wasn't really sure if it would land anywhere in the realm of relevance in my overall year of favorites. But wow, my mind is absolutely BLOWN at how incredible this series unfolded week after week. I think seriously, this is the refresh I needed from Thailand, who in my opinion has been complacent and lazy in a lot of their releases within the last few years.

Payback dedicated itself to staying true to the source material through and through. I would see people post side by sides of the manhwa and the series and they were matching almost completely. Which is a triumph of the production as a whole, from the script, to the casting, the directing, etc. It literally proves that it CAN be done, it's just a matter of is the production of it WILLING to go the extra mile.

Something else I am stoked about is that Minlee and Toptap are newcomers to the BL world and well, they knocked it out of the park. You can see the effort from their side as well. And it's not only them, but ALL of the lively mix of actors that also brought their characters to life in the best ways. It really was a top tier crew from top to bottom and no effort was wasted. They all deserve their flowers.

This series with Sun's trauma and his story of self punishment turned to revenge, only to land on the one thing that matters most -- his want to live and THRIVE. It's beautiful really, how Sun walked through more than half of this series with an expressionless face, but his eyes held the wounded heart and all the turmoil he'd been holding in. And it's not even when his tears come that you feel relief, it's in the small crumbs of a smile that Jay worked out of him one day at a time. The way it breaks over his face and it feels like the clouds parting wonderfully to let Sun SHINE. And oh, he does.

And while the story is founded around Sun's POV, the remaining story was equally heavy. The way the entertainment works in general and those that prey on newcomers and established actors alike for the sake of an opportunity... It's not an easy thing to shine the light upon, but it does force you to realize that these kinds of things DO exist and ARE happening. And I hope there's more Jay's in the world who will destroy them from the inside out.

The series was so good that it even landed a perfectly executed finale. I was hoping for a 2hr runtime and was initially disappointed that it was it was like an hour and 15mins instead. I didn't really think they could steer the ship to the end in a way that would be satisfying enough--BUT!!! Then it did? I was shocked and gob smacked. And honestly when those credits started rolling for the last time, I teared up.

What a journey! But I'm so glad to have been a part of it as a viewer because it was well worth the weekly heartaches waiting for the next episode. This series is going at the very top of my favorites list of 2026 and I don't think there will be anything else that will come along from now until the end of December that can knock it off that shelf. I hope this series, Minlee and Toptap all get their accolades for their job well done. I look forward to the special episode and also the Payback fan tour that will also be coming the states. I hope there's a date in California. *fingers crossed*

No matter what, the future is VERY bright for both of them and I'm excited to see where they go from here.