Reviews

Wow. This was INSANE. As a writer, I cried because it felt so accurate. I felt the pain of having characters who don't want to listen, when it feels like they are acting of their own accord. As a reader, I was feeling ALL THE FEELS because what reader hasn't imagined meeting their fave characters in real life and falling in love??? And as a hopeless romantic, I was completely enthralled by the chemistry and love shared between the leads. It was such a treat to watch! And on top of all of this, it avoided all of my least favorite technical tropes in story-telling and stayed well within the rules they created in the world-building, while also continuing to shock me and break my heart over and over again. I will be watching this one again soon. What an incredible show!!

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I came across this movie by chance last year. It left me speechless. This movie really changed something about me as a person.

On the surface, it may seem as though this is another,  regular teen movie, but I want to try to convince you that it is so much MORE.
This film had me in tears at how incredibly moving and how stunningly beautiful it was and then again in tears of laughter at the pet chicken the lead characters decided to adopt. This film definitely stands out amongst other big studio Filipino films in it's indie-like feel. The heart that this film has is palpable and the extended conversations between Caloy and Mika let us delve deeper into their head-space and the complicated thoughts and emotions that they are trying to deal with.  Its a film that feels real and deals with things that so many of us are going through or have had to go through at some point in our lives.

This film is beautiful, hilarious, inspiring and very well made and I really can't recommend it enough !

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This film was an interesting homage to a wonderful manga series.  I thought most of the components were wonderful--the casting was good, the cinematography was gorgeous, and music was lovely, and the CGI was above par for an anime film.  Al and Ed were pretty much on point the whole time, and that is incredibly important.  And, can I mention they had the perfect Hughes?  He looks so much like Hughes!!  I was so pleased!!

There was only one snag... the writing.

Or I should say, the choice of what to include and not include in the film.

Overall, they made a lot of tweaks to the storyline to fit the story into two hours.  When I saw they were making a film of FMA, I wholly expected the film to cover the bare beginning of the story--maybe through Shou Tucker and perhaps as far as Laboratory 5.  For some reason, they chose to deviate vastly from these expectations.  While the actual meat of it wasn't badly executed, the alterations to the timeline damaged the impact of the story greatly, and took away a lot of the things which makes FMA such a good story to begin with.

I, overall, would recommend this to fans who are very familiar with FMA and not bothered by the idea of the story grazing over a lot of important plot points and character development, but if you want to bring someone into FMA this would be a terrible film to show them.  Stick with the manga or the FMAB anime for that.  But for a fan just wanting to scratch a FMA itch without rewatching or rereading a MASSIVE story?  This would definitely do the trick.

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The description is sparse, but I honestly think that it's all you need to know before you watch the drama. It's best to get to know the characters as you watch, because it's how I appreciated Jiyoung and Byuksoo and how human and relatable they felt. Their personalities are polar opposities - Byuksoo can't go without companionship, while Jiyoung prefers to be left alone no matter what the situation. I was wondering how they'd be thrown together and it turned out to be one of my favorite scenes.

They both grow and learn from each other, which the show managed to showcase so well in such little time and while I wish the ending was more fleshed out, I still think it's perfect for their story.  Watch if you like heartfelt stories, a cute romance, and an even cuter cat.

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I did not expect that from a Filipino movie. I'm a Filipino but I'm sorry to say that when it comes to thriller and suspense movies, usually the stories are kinda predictable. But this one was different, the suspense was really building and have few twists that will make you a bit confused on who is really the killer. Impressed with that casts, even though a lot of them are still new to the industry they have acted really well. Surprising & a bit refreshing Filipino movie. Hope they will make more movies like this.
If you're a fan of suspense & thriller genres then you should definitely watch this. :)

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Let me start by saying that I really didn't expect to enjoy this drama as much as I did. And it's strange that I didn't grow bored with it, because nothing substantial really happens, it's all about character development, growing as a person, accepting who you are and accepting others. The fact that the main characters weren't saints, ready to forgive and forget everything was one of the main points which made me like it so much. I get the thrope of the goodie two shoes, who can't even have one evil thought and how it might be attractive, but I'm one of those people who believe that bad people should get what they deserve and that the hero should do just that, punish them for their wrong doings. I'm not talking about the criminal evil here, I'm talking about random people who do bad things, things that might not be legally wrong, but are wrong nonetheless. I've grown pretty tired of those characters that do bad and then seek redemption? They say they're sorry and it's all just peachy after that? They don't get what's coming for them and it makes me incredibly angry. Some girl comes up with disgusting ways to mess with the main female character's life because she likes the main male lead and in the end, she says she's sorry and nothing happens to her? Not on my watch! It was so refreshing to not only see Yoo Jung get revenge on people who have wronged him, it was also delightful to see Hong Seol accept him, understand him and stop being such a pushover. Now, I think it was established that Yoo Jung wasn't the typical hero and he did have his demons, none of which made me dislike him because our ways of thinking are somehow similar, but I do believe that the way he decided to get to know himself better was wise.Baek In Ho? He had moments where I'd roll my eyes because he was so thick-headed, but all in all, he was a likeable character. I understand why he felt so mad about the lead and their past together and I do condone how Yoo Jung chose to deal with the situation, but In Ho should have taken a moment to understand the other as well.Baek In Ha? Hated her from the first minute I saw her. She has no redeeming quality and seeing as what she did in the last episodes is absolutely disgusting, the way that, until the last moment, she would say that it wasn't her fault and her punishment was too lenient. As I stated before, bad people should get what they deserve.All in all, I loved the acting, I loved the leads, I loved the story and not even the open ending wasn't a turnoff.

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Just to balance out my glowing reviews of a couple other Thai series...let it be known I thought Bad Romance was bad.

The plot is a standard Thai rom com, with a lot of really absurd contrivances and a Scooby Doo sort of resolution.

I love absurd contrivances. But they have to be accompanied by three-dimensional characters, and that's where BR fails.

Interestingly, a few of the main characters became much more interesting in the subsequent prequel to BR, Together with Me. But here the heroine Yihwa just seems to be going through the motions of a rom com, with the equally uninteresting Cho.

I can see why many viewers thought the most interesting thing about this series was the side romance between male characters Knock and Korn. But this, too, falls flat compared to BL series with better scripts. The dialogue never gives us any insight into the personalities behind the squabbling. The actors playing Knock and Korn have occasional moments of chemistry, but they feel sparse. Their stiffness here is a world apart from their steamy performances in the prequel, Together with Me.

I'll admit, I skipped around a lot in this series. Life is short and I just couldn't watch every scene. There's too much bad dialogue and weak characterization.

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As a long-time reader of BL stories, and a long-time watcher of K-dramas, it was natural I would eventually discover Thai BL dramas. But this one, the first I watched, blew me away. None of the others I've seen since live up to it. (Though I do give Love Sick credit for coming closest.)

A few things distinguish it:

1. A plot focused almost entirely on gay romance. Most of the side-plots are also connected to the topic of gay romance. The straight romance side
plot about Korn's sister is the only slow bit but luckily the show doesn't spend too much time on it.

2. The extremely hot chemistry between the lead actors--who are themselves, it should be mentioned, extremely hot.

3. Another reviewer mentioned this, but it bears repeating: this series doesn't mess around with the BL cliche of "I'm not gay, I just love you." Though this series doesn't spend any time parsing  identities, there are some characters who it appears would describe themselves comfortably as gay and bisexual. This feels like a step into the twenty-first century. It also makes it easier to believe that these guys will stay together.

4. No messing around with BL cliches about semes and ukes. There are too many of these cliches to list, but the important thing is that Korn and Knock take turns pursuing and being pursued, acting tough and acting needy. And the guy on bottom wasn't necessarily who I expected.

5. The absurdity of the plot with the scheming girlfriend is balanced by the emotional weight that the guys bring to these roles. They really give a convincing impersonation of people falling in love. People discovering a connection that goes deeper than just really, really hot sex.

6. Yihwa is an awesome character as the female friend who ships these two and wants them to get together. She stands in for every BL fangirl ever.

7. I love Lazy Subber's subtitles for this show so much that I've sent her fan mail. How else would I learn about the dirty sexual implications of the Thai word for smoking a cigarette?

8. Also unusual--but in a scary way--is the subplot about Farm. This story was a nod to the dangerous side of a sexual coming of age story, but the resolution was rushed. I badly want another season so we can see Farm get over his trauma and find a nice guy.

Conclusion: A show I will never forget. Also an accessible, cliche-free gateway to Asian boys' love narratives for newbies from other cultures.

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Following up my glowing review for season 1...

Story: Season 2 is when I gave up following the side stories. Too many confusing, uninteresting side characters. But Noh and Phun's story is 10/10. Season 2 takes time to go in depth as the boys figure out whether they have enough courage to commit to each other.

They both hate to let people down, and find it really difficult to contemplate breaking up with their girlfriends and defending their relationship to friends and family. But they can't escape the fact that they're really, really into each other. Even when they're on a beach vacation with their girlfriends.

Sometimes romance stories rely on weird contrived conflicts, but not this one. Even Noh and Phun's most stupid disagreements and misunderstandings make sense because of their underlying fear--the simple teenage fear of liking someone more than they like you, and the more difficult fear of being gay.

Acting: The actor who plays Phun started to grow on me in this season. Maybe he was acquiring acting skills on the job. And Captain, who plays Noh, seems to have visibly grown older by the end of the series. Both these guys just have so much sincerity and charisma, more than making up for their inexperience as actors.

They have solid chemistry on screen. Perhaps it's chemistry that comes mostly from great writing, editing and directing--these two don't have to do any intimate sex scenes like in a show like Together with Me, which would be a real test--but within this context they're completely convincing. Whether they're joking around, or Holding Hands Significantly, it's clear they want to be together. They make this show special.

Music: I still don't notice music one way or another, and don't count music in my evaluation.

Rewatch Value: I've already rewatched large portions of Phun/Noh's story, and I'll watch again when I need cheering up. The three-dimensional characters are likeable and sincere, and their relationship is refreshingly free of weird plot twists. It's easy to sympathize with their troubles and cheer for them when they find tender moments together (and they have a lot). I love a boys' love story that doesn't have too much angst--this fills the bill.

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I can't believe how few reviews there are for this distinctive show. If you focus on Noh and Phun's story, this is one of the best-written, most-likeable BL series out there.

Story: The first episode was disorganized and confusing. So many minor characters appear and disappear. Some of them will reappear several episodes later and you have no idea who they are. Throughout the series, it was hard to understand the secondary plot-lines. The only benefit of the side plots is they  help us understand the world Noh and Phun live in, a world of really rich, privileged teenagers, who don't have a lot of parental supervision. These high schoolers spend a lot of time partying and drinking--and there's even a teenage girl who lives with her boyfriend.

But forget the side-plots: Noh and Phun's relationship is the entire reason for watching, re-watching, and forever adoring this show. It's a really sweet boys' love story. It starts with a weird contrivance, but the show doesn't rely on plot devices. It quickly becomes a character-driven story about two boys coming of age. The story is told in a relatively naturalistic way (for Asian TV), and feels believable. The end of the first season did annoy me, but the second season redeemed the show, and now I can rewatch the first season with pleasure.

Acting: As far as I can gather, all the actors and actresses in this show were pretty inexperienced when they were discovered in open casting calls. None of them were familiar faces and none of them expected to be stars. Their inexperience actually makes their performances really endearing. The actor playing Noh was 17 when they filmed season 1, and he looks very young. This isn't one of those series where the high school characters are played unconvincingly by 30-year-olds. And this isn't a BL show where the guys are beefcake hunks in their twenties (like Together with Me). These guys have one foot in childhood and one in adulthood, and that just makes me care about them more as a viewer.

Lots of credit goes to the director for taking these novice actors and helping them portray a variety of emotions. The actor playing Phun doesn't always convince me, but Noh--whose eyes we see the story through--is never anything less than fascinating. He makes me remember how scary it was to be 17 and dealing with teenage emotions.

Music: I don't remember anything distinctive about the music, probably because I don't care about the music in a show (unless it's super annoying).

Rewatch Value: I can't rewatch the side stories, but I'll definitely rewatch the BL edit focused on Noh and Phun. Their relationship is really well-written, especially in later episodes once they realize their attraction to each other. They react to their feelings in ways that match their personalities; and they alternately pursue and retreat from each other in totally believable ways. I particularly like that Love Sick avoids the manga cliche plotline of a smartass seme pursuing an innocent uke. Both these guys take turns being smartass and innocent. It doesn't take too many episodes for both of them to recognize their feelings, even if they aren't sure what to do.  And season 1 sets the stage for a fantastic season 2.

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Doushitemo Furetakunai is a great manga by my favorite BL author, Yoneda Kou. This movie faithfully reproduces the most serious parts of the manga. The dialogue comes straight from the manga, and the framing of shots is a very close copy of the visuals in the manga. Unfortunately, by copying the original, the director turns a visually beautiful manga into a static and dull film. Perhaps someone who hasn't read the manga as many times as I have will enjoy the artistic framing and angles. But I couldn't help wishing that the cinematography would be more dynamic, to capture just how dynamic the original manga artwork is. Film is a different medium than manga, and it needs different techniques.

A second disappointment for me was that the humor of the original work is completely missing from this adaptation. The original balances its angst with a wry, subtle sense of humor (which runs throughout even Yoneda Kou's most brutal works). The humor was, however, omitted here.

This is an example of how an adaptation can lose the spirit of the original by being overly faithful to the details. Some fans will like this faithfulness, but I found myself wishing I'd spent these 90 minutes rereading the book.

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Sorry to those people who like/love this movie but I'm soooooooooooo disappointed!!! Even though I didn't set an expectation, it still turned me down. I'm a FMA Brotherhood fan and watched that several times already so I can say that this film is slightly below mediocre as it didn't presented the right amount of surprises in each mystery. The only good things that I saw in this film are the effects, Al's body and LITTLE ENVY!!! Gosh!!! I really love his small form hihi ???? Anyway, I hope that this will be adapted into series than a movie so that the feels, shocks, surprises, etc. will be properly conveyed. ????
PS. I'm not against the Japanese casts but if they will make another movie or series, they can at least get the proper actors that will mirror the true races of the characters. ????

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Not that memorable of a story.  

A story about two kids raised to believe their siblings but fatal attraction ensues in a "hilarious" platform.  <---I don't even know if that should be funny.  However, when it comes to Japanese films, jdoramas, mangas, and animes---you always give them a pass.  I gave them a pass.

There are several variations of stories like this, most of them have ended very, very, very, very bad and I'm sure there are recommendations on them and if they aren't there.  I'll be sure to recommend them.  I guess blood relation would make a big difference though.  

In any event.  It sports hilarity, pretty poor acting (actually---really bad acting in a major motion picture) <---some of the hilarity is from the bad acting.  It's just the guys being so over the top.  I'm like none of you are Yamapi...by the way not to spoil to much but for real---that's actually some of the great scenes.

The movie stole scenes from other famous manga to live action films---look for the Easter Eggs.  I sort of spoiled one---but there are like 4-5 others.  Hence, the other points of hilarity.  I think if you didn't see these other films you wouldn't get it.

Anyway...It's not a film I would rewatch again...I'd only aim for certain scenes---like the bath scene and permission to date scene.  Then I'd call it quits.  Nothing else is memorable and the movie is rather forgettable.

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