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Loin d'être un chef-d'œuvre
Sotus n’est pas une mauvaise série BL. Loin de là. Cependant, je n’arrive pas à comprendre l’engouement qui l’entoure étant donné que ce n’est pas non plus un chef-d’œuvre.Si j’avais aimé le concept de bizutage dans la première saison, cette fois, cette pratique est mise en second plan. Deux ans se sont écoulés depuis le début de la relation entre Kong (Singto Prachaya) et Arthit (Krist Perawat) et maintenant, Arthit a rejoint le marché du travail. Ce changement a ses points forts, mais l’histoire au cours des premiers épisodes est redondante. Il se fait utiliser par un employé plus ancien, il n’a presque aucun lien avec son petit ami… bref, ce n'est pas mal au début, sauf qu’on s’ennuie rapidement. Du moins, selon mes goûts.
La relation entre Kong et Arthit n’a pas évolué d’un poil. Il y a une puissante atmosphère de malaise qui plane au-dessus de leur tête. Chaque fois qu’ils sont seuls, leurs dialogues sont platoniques, sans intérêt. Oui, ils sont parfois drôles, mais ces moments sont si rares que c’est impossible de s’attacher. Pas de câlins, pas de bisous, pas d’affection. On dirait un jeune couple encore gêné dans ses débuts, pourtant, après deux ans, les choses devraient être différentes! Je n’ai ressenti aucune chimie avant l’arrivée de l’épisode huit. D’ailleurs, qui n’a jamais vu une photo de son beau-père après tant de temps? Arthit ne connait même pas le nom de l’entreprise familiale de Kong. Heureusement que vers la fin, ça s’est amélioré.
Je vais peut-être me faire juger, mais j’ai trouvé le personnage de Kong TRÈS ennuyant. Soyons honnête, si l’acteur qui l’interprète n’était pas le très aimé Singto, est-ce que les fans l’aimeraient autant? Il n’a aucun trait de caractère original, aucune personnalité. Oui, c’est un bon gars. Et alors? Qu’est-ce qu’il y a d’autre? Arthit, de son côté, est très bien développé même si souvent, ses choix font grimacer. Il ne connait pas la signification du mot « communication ».
J’ai vraiment aimé l’histoire de Tew (Oaujun Korn) et Day (Fiat Patchata). Même si on ne les voit pas beaucoup, j’ai trouvé que c’était un ajout intéressant, car le personnage de Day est unique. Tout au long, l’on se demande ce qui s’est passé pour qu’il déteste à ce point les initiations. Je m’attendais à une explication poignante, originale, mais finalement, c’était d’une grande banalité. Quelle déception ! J’ai l’impression que ce duo a été mis de côté et finalement, ils n’ont aucun dénouement.
Mon « couple » favori a été celui de Yong (Guy Sivakorn) et Nai (Nammon Krittanai). J’ai trouvé leur développement très intéressant et Nai est le personnage auquel je me suis le plus attaché. J’ai aimé sa curiosité et sa façon de toucher à tout ce qu’il voit. Encore une fois, ils n’ont eu aucune fin et les spectateurs restent dans le néant quant à leur relation.
C’est quoi l’idée de développer des romances secondaires qu’ils ne finalisent pas ?! Même dans l’épisode de Our Skyy, on n’entend plus parler d’eux. C’est tellement décevant.
Bref, ce n’est pas mauvais comme série, mais pas génial. Je suis loin de regretter de l’avoir regardée. Est-ce que ça mérite d’être considéré comme un incontournable? Je ne crois pas.
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After years of being together, we got a glimpse of the life of Arthit and Kongpob, but the more i see the more i question if they really love each other - almost no intimacy, and a couple who doesnt really know each other. Signs of an unhealthy closeted gay guys' relationship. Yes I went there. The fact that it always feels like Kongpob is chasing after Arthit just hurts me. I wouldnt want to stay in that kind of relationship. These 2 are so intent on keeping with their narrative that THEY ARE NOT GAY so we dont do intimacy - is forgivable in SOTUS, but here, it is just too tiring to watch.
The show also introduced a lot of new characters while the rest of the old cast were left to be extras - a lot of useless annoying characters especially that super annoying unremorseful HR staff that should have been fired the moment she leaked those photos . That old accounting lady, as much as i hate her character, should be whiplashing almost everyone in that company.
Cannot rewatch it even if you pay me. Im still giving it a 7 overall just because Krist and Singto are amazing actors. Otherwise dont waste your time.
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Tew and Dae are a nice addition, but I'm not sure what to say regarding Yong and Nai. It is unclear if they are just developing a bromance or a real BL, and their story has no development. They should have developed M and May's relationship more or explored Prae and her girlfriend.
SOTUS S is a nice sequel to SOTUS, so if you enjoyed Kong and Arthit in the first season, you surely will enjoy this one since it has a more fluff.
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Dislike: Arthit acting. He hides his feelings even now. Kongpob cares for him while he doesn't do much. He loves Kong but always pushes him away. Story is nothing.
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Season 1 was start of everything: getting to know each other, the plunge into unfamiliar territory, fight for control, and adapting to new environment. Emotions were in full high with passion and excitement. Season 2 explore main couple's relationship while throwing in new challenges in another unfamiliar ground, their interactions and influence on each other. I appreciate how they stayed away from triangle romance cliche. While there are plenty of other interesting characters and additional cute couples, Kongpob x Arthit overshadows all. Especially Arthit's character developed sweetness and charm since dating Kongpob; such change & progress in a character is always fun to watch. Again, there are so many more possible events that can effect their relationship that I wish to see more!
Main & support casts, director, editors, and writer... I thank you! Please bring it back with Season 3. ^^
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We have the setup where they establish who the characters are. We can tell who is going to end up with who because it is hinted at. Then there's the conflict: the overused, one-sided crush. I say overused not just because I see it in too many shows, but because that was the whole premise of the first season. There's no point in concluding a story if you're just going to bring back the same exact conflict again. This is practically the main conflict between most couples other than Kongpob and Arthit.
Now, I'd hoped that their conflict would be the most interesting since they're the centre of the story, but that's not the case. They don't even have a main conflict. It's just a bunch of small misunderstandings that eventually lead to the climax of the story — the classic "falling out" (another cliché). And wouldn't you know, the use of small misunderstandings is also an overdone concept in the romance genre.
The first season wasn't perfect. It had too many unnecessary flashback sequences, music that felt misplaced at times, scenes of silent staring that lasted too long, etc. However, whatever it lacked in these areas, it made up for through the story. The story felt real and relatable, yet not too much so that it was no longer enjoyable. It taught the importance of friendships and collaboration. It showed personal growth in many of the characters. But this season, rather than bringing something new to the plate, it played it safe and did the same thing. And because of that, it did not have the original impact the story of the first season had. I feel they simply rode the coattails of the previous season's success because they knew the majority of fans would watch no matter what.
Another thing is, everything was predictable. I knew exactly what would happen long before it did. Literally. I wrote this entire review after watching only the first episode and was able to predict everything. Anything after this sentence was added after more episodes came out.
So, I have one correction to make. Kongpob and Arthit had a main conflict (not wanting others to know of their relationship) which was sort of the root of many of their misunderstandings. However, it was also an overused conflict that they even briefly used in the previous season.
Now, I realize that many fans of the show may hate this review. That's why I want to make it clear that I love this show as well. There are many things I loved about this season! However, I'm not going to write a biased, unhelpful review. I want to critique this show properly. I truly believe the plot was too clichéd. Yes, I still enjoyed it, but this is the biggest thing the show could've improved on. The best thing this season had was the "cute moments" between couples. However, a cute couple should never be enough. It's easy to make a couple look cute. But without a good, cohesive plot to carry that couple, it's not a story but rather a few scenes placed in chronological order.
I would like to state one final time… I loved watching this season. I even gave it a good rating. I just couldn't rate it as highly as I did with the previous season and everything I've said so far is the reason why. This isn't me hating on the show. I'm simply critiquing it as a fan.
Well, now that I've gotten the story out of the way, I'll quickly go over the other categories. The acting and cast were all amazing but I think there were too many characters. The music was great. Especially songs sung by the characters. As for the rewatch value, well, I definitely will be watching again multiple times.
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A lot has been already said about the second season and I agree with most of it. I loved the story and I can completely understand the fear of coming out at, especially at a workplace. I could feel Arthit's internal struggle, but at the same time, my heart bled for Kongpob. You can see the love in his eyes and I have no idea how no one noticed sooner (even in season 1). Singto brought so much warmth to his character and was an amazing contrast to Krist's portrayal of Arthit (which was also very well done).The only issue I have with the story is that their relationship hasn't really progressed in the 2 years we haven't seen them. Arthit still shied away from any physical contact with Kongbop, even when they were alone at home. As mentioned, I understand his internal struggle, but 2 years is quite a long gestation period for their love to blossom, wouldn't you say? Cudos to Kongpob for having such perseverance.
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A markedly improved sequel, but has the main couple been together for 2 years or 2 weeks?
I got into SOTUS because of SOTUS S. The prequel's plot didn't sound very interesting to me. The prequel of SOTUS S, simply titled SOTUS, is about two boys developing feeling for each other with the backdrop being that one is hazed by the other under a sus hazing system. SOTUS is a lot more than just that of course, and you can see my thoughts on it in my review for it. SOTUS S' premise however, sounded too good to be true. A BL drama that focuses on a stable gay couple balancing their commitment to work, school and each other? With that legendary premise in mind, I watched SOTUS in preparation for SOTUS S.SOTUS S requires viewing of SOTUS, this sequel series takes place two years after the original. Arthit (Krist) and Kongpob (Singto) have yes, been together for two years! Kongpob is now a head hazer, and Arthit is about to start his first job at Ocean Electric Company. In the workplace, Arthit shows off a more reserved, shy side of himself and it's nice to see. Krist's acting again doesn't disappoint and he pulls off the fresh newbie role very well. What he goes through is entirely relatable for anyone entering a first job. Krist's character gets involved with a new cast of coworkers and they're all very fun and likable. The coworkers, despite being nice, still give the image of being unapproachable at first (either with reason or through Arthit's own framing of them as such) and it's such a minor thing that's done so well. Arthit's friends from university however, don't play a huge role in SOTUS S. While I did miss Arthit's friends, it just didn't make sense for them to show up as much as they did before. Not seeing Prem and Bright brighten (pun unintended) the screen anymore is a loss, but the workplace drama that their absence makes room for is really the highlight of SOTUS S.
Arthit (and eventually Kongpob's coworkers) are great. They're entertaining, and they give Ocean Electric a personality that the university doesn't have. Earth is quite frankly, the best. She's Arthit's coworker who starts off abrasive only to soften up as the show progresses. The other standout coworkers are Tod who recently returned from his studies abroad and is a total dudebro. There's Cherry who is an effeminate, openly gay character and is just hilarious all around. There's also Somoh who is the loud office lady with the annoying voice, and Durian who serves the office gossip to Cherry and Somoh. They're all very good at livening up the show and making you laugh. The coworkers all work as supporting characters in the sense that show up often and are each woven into the show's plot or a subplot. This is an improvement over the prequel where you'd wait for some characters to be of importance somehow only for the show to end and they barely got any focus. I did notice however, that Earth did have a plotline that seemed to be dropped but it was much less glaring than Waad's in season one since she doesn't disappear and instead simply gets a new plotline involving another coworker.
For Kongpob's plotline, we return to the SOTUS hazing system. It's sucks to say it, but it's not a surprise: the hazing plot is not very good. Singto's Kongpob isn't very believable as a hazer, and neither are his friends who now also take the role of hazers. It's also sad to see that they're perpetuating the system that they were under, and hated, in the original. In SOTUS S, the hazing is framed as "nicer", and in some moments it definitely is, but there are a couple of scenes where the hazing still shines out as cruel but the show pretends that it isn't by putting an upbeat rock track over it and having the seniors smile and laugh instead of sneer and chuckle at the juniors. Anyway, there's not much to be said here because much of the hazing plot is quite literally a retread of the original's hazing plot, right down to a new character who's defiant of the hazing like Kongpob previously was. The retreading goes right down to M still fawning over May a whole two years later. The character that defies the hazing system this time around is named Day, and he interacts with Tew as the older tries to understand why he's so averse to participating in the hazing. Tew and Day are one of SOTUS S' new subcouples. Thankfully, Kongpob's hazing plot comes to an end soon enough and he takes an internship at Arthit's workplace, Ocean Electric Company and this is where the show picks up. As with Arthit's university friends, Kongpob's take a similar backseat to introduce more characters.
Alongside Tew and Day being a new couple, there's also Nai and Yong. Nai is an intern that joins alongside Kongpob as an intern at Ocean Electric Company. Yong is already an employee at OEC and mentors Nai. Now that I've gotten to talking about Nai and Yong, I think it's important to talk about Arthit and Kongpob. For a couple that's supposed to have been together for two years, Arthit and Kongpob don't really act like it. I'm sorry. Yong and Nai have a lot more chemistry and feel like they're simply being themselves whenever they interact. They are so believable as a couple or even just as two guys that enjoy being around each other all the time. I can't say the same for Arthit and Kongpob. In the earlier episodes especially, the main couple is awkward, stiff and barely affectionate with each other. Arthit isn't a fan of PDA or excessive affection in general in-universe, but the awkward stiffness extends to even phone calls between the two and them seeing each other off to work. With Arthit and Kongpob being in a vacuum of sorts in the show's prequel, it wasn't as obvious, but it's really highlighted now with Nai and Yong acting as a contrast to them. Arthit and Kongpob's awkwardness in part does have to do with the show's plot and what they're going through but there are still times such as, again, them seeing each other off to work or the phone call, where their relationship feels unnatural and stiff. This stiffness isn't helped by the fact that some of the conflict that the main couple goes through, feels like something that could and should have been resolved earlier in their relationship with the appropriate lessons learned. SOTUS S at times treats its main couple as though they've only been together for two weeks as opposed to two years and it really stands out. Arthit and Kongpob do get genuinely sweet and tender moments, but I couldn't help but prefer Nai and Yong over them.
To maybe offset the awkward relationship energy, SOTUS S has these small university flashback scenes between Arthit and Kongpob where they're seen dating in university. These shorts show up at the end of every episode. They're short and sweet, but after a while they start to feel repetitive and make even the dialogue during the actual portion of the episode seem repetitive since the flashbacks hit on the same notes that the cute moments in the show do. Something about a reward, something about a punishment, Kongpob says something outrageous with a straightface that makes Arthit flustered and then Arthit tries to play it off, etc. The flashbacks do a bit more harm than good since seeing the "rhythm" of their relationship so clearly managed to diminish it for me somehow.
On the direction, the show has some noticebly pretty shots, mostly the night scenes. They're not screenshot and make your wallpaper shots, but it's still something that I found myself noticing this time around. The timewasting and padding problem that the prequel had is thankfully gone now. With the direction improved, I hoped that the music direction would as well, but it hasn't really. The show still has a lack of music. There's a new catchy jingle that plays (honestly a bit too much, but it's a nice piece) but the show still heavily relies on an instrumental version of its opening. The opening theme is a rock piece with a fairly generic instrumental behind it, so the appropriateness of the track in some scenes is a bit up for debate. I found it pulling me out of the show either because it felt inappropriate or because I couldn't believe that they were using it yet again.
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Holistically, SOTUS S is a marked improvement from its prequel. The workplace plot is a lot more interesting than the hazing, and the new characters at Ocean Electric lend a fun and friendly air to what could have been a boring workplace drama otherwise. The show on a whole feels more streamlined, and save for the hazing plot retread in the first couple of episodes, it's a much more fun show to experience. SOTUS unfortunately falters again with its treatment of Arthit and Kongpob. The main couple is treated as if they've simultaneously been together for two years and two weeks from the point of their behavior around each other and with some of the conflict that they find themselves in. After watching SOTUS S, you should take a look at Our Skyy episode 5 which acts as a final send off for the two. The two finally act like a real couple that's comfortable around each other and it's lovely to see.
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kinda boring
(sorry for my cracked english)as for me, the first season of sotus was a 10/10. but the second season....
i have so many questions to ask!
1. how did it happen, that even pop and arthit had been together for 2 YEARS, konpop never told his dad about it? or even showing arthit a picture of his dad, or his dad a photo of arthit? why did they met out of nowhere because of the company arthit is working for.
2. arthit sis always grumpy and never lovely or likable to kongpop. i always got a hopeless eye when i saw arthit spoke normally to his boyfriend, because he’s always complaining about kongpop. even after arthit didn’t talked to kongpop FOR WEEKS he still was like : ah yeah that’s just the way how he shows affection!”
3. even after the whole company said that it’s cute seing kongpop and arthit together, arthit STILL was such a brat and acted like konpop doesn’t mean something to him.
there are also very good aspects in the series:
1. they gave pam a girlfriend which i really appreciate because i was burning for a lesbian couple in sotus.
2. the storyline of day and tew was really good and tbh i always enjoyed more watching this couple than the main one. wish they had more screen time!
3. the music was really good! it’s all saved in my spotify, can’t get enough from the songs!
4. even to it’s a little boring, it’s really realistic expect from other bls where it’s completely accepted to turn out as gay
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After watching season1 thought and eager to watch S2, but was little disappointed. S2 was not as good as S1. I thought their relationship might change in something good and more mutual but it was the same in S2,kongpob keep chasing arthit and arthit keep hiding his feeling, i dont understand they were couples for 2-3 years,yet arthit was difficult to express his feeling. Arthit keep throwing him away from him which makes kongpob keep running after him.arthit never shares his problems with him nor he never dare to clear out their issue all he do is keep distance from KP,no discussion.why? You guys are dating you guys are couple. Why its always KP who make effort to talk to clear out misunderstanding? I think i know why KP was like that because he promised him that no matter what future holds i will be your side, and he was true to his words, thats why he keep wirking on their relationship to make it better.Plus there are so much more annoying episodes with annoying couple like tew and day. I hate those episodes. In S2 there was not much more chemistry in b/w the lead actors and focus were kinda scattered. Because i personally wanted to see our Arthit and kongpob but sadly it wasn't there as much like 1st season. There are some good supporting characters too in Arthit office,like earth, tod, dennai, p'yong, cherry.
I just feel s2 was litlle annoying seeing arthit reacting and acting strangely. They do not talk much or say arthit doesn't talk much to KP. It seems like KP loves him a lot but arthit kinda skeptical about their relationship or what. Don't know. But their relationship should be on next level. There should be some chemistry but there was not. Its not like arthit doesn't love or care for KP ,he even get jealous also, but sometimes its bit of annoying.
Yes there are hardship of their relationship but it doesn't seems like they are in relationship for 3yrs!!
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