I will start by saying that the only reason i kept watching this was because of RamKing and TharaFrong. They were the only interesting couples for me.
I didn't like the main couple (DuenBohn) because i felt like they were way too childish and lacked communication. It was frustrating to watch them.
I also didn't find MekBoss interesting. i skipped most of their parts so i can't even say much because i don't remember.
RamKing deserve to be the main couple!! their chemistry was amazing and i love how Ram is a more quiet, serious and tsundere type while King is the more joyful and loud type, they just work so well together.
I loved TharaFrong a lot as well, probably because i'm a sucker for enemies to lovers kind of romance lol
They were very entertaining to watch, and hopefully their relationship will develop further in season 2.
I just hope that season 2 will show more progression of the couples, especially RamKing and TharaFrong.
(btw no hate to any of the actors!!)
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Useless story
Well, if you have never seen a bl drama, why not, you could benefit from it: almost all the standards are present, a little too much: it quickly becomes boring. However, the two heroes, the main and secondary actors had the potential to move from the standard bluette without surprise to a slightly more intense and original story about how two boys get close, court each other and become boyfriends ... Unfortunately, the scenario opted for the medium version, boring or even full of clichés. I am 40 years old and I watched bl dramas until ten years old, I read very enthusiastic reviews on this show. Well, I respect that, tastes and colors, it's unique to everyone but if you are touched by Until we meet again, Where eyes Linger or Theory of love, this show is not for you ...Cet avis était-il utile?
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At last I wish for all of them huge success ❤??
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My Engineer came out around the same time at 2Gether, and it was natural for the latter to overshadow the former. A comparison is inevitable, and My Engineer succeeded in many places where 2Gether failed.STORY
My Engineer does not offer anything unique in its premise. Its starts off with many Thai BL tropes: someone tricking another into a relationship, unrequited love, fujoshi's, and engineering students. But what it lacks in originality, it makes up with thoughtfulness and subversiveness. The main characters are well fleshed out and have their flaws, something that Thai BL shows rarely incorporates into their plots. Bohn is a spoiled playboy who thinks he can get what he wants but finds himself out of his depth when he falls with Duen, a shy, naive, but thoughtful medical student who thinks he himself is not worth it. These flaws help drive the plot, and the climax did not feel contrived and feels natural from the slow buildup that occurs throughout the series. Even the supporting characters have depth. Most of them have family members who are rooting for their ships, which is both endearing and hilarious. Despite starting off with basic BL tropes, they end up subverting many them. The Top/Bottom debate was one classic example as well as how the show handled non-consensual sex. More humorous was how the series showed how delusional shippers can be.
ACTING/CAST
The cast is solid. Cooper (Bohn) has experience with another BL, MyBromance and plays his character's bad boy personality with aplomb. Talay (King), who also stars in my other favorite BL series YYY, does a good job depicting the perceptive genius who can point out everyone else's problems but his own. Perth (Ram) slays his character by the way he stares and glances alone. Even the weaker actors manage to make their characters convincing. Poy (Duen), is the probably the greenest of them all (and apparently bombed his audition, according to the director, Lit). The actor's personality is similar to the character's--which was one of the reasons he was cast--but the boy managed to pull it off. His interactions with his costar Cooper is one of my favorite parts of the series. Ryan (Mek), had his voice dubbed because he is not a native Thai speaker, but he makes it up with his facial expressions that displayed his pinning for his co-star Boss (you also get used to the dubbing by episode 4). Speaking of Boss, kudos to actor Intouch for making their relationship on-screen believable despite the huge language barrier.
MUSIC
I enjoyed the music and the OST. The chorus of the songs addresses the theme of series: that love has no rules. The song by Merry Dancers x GOH M is my personal favorite and carries the angst that the series can bring.
REWATCH VALUE:
To me, I know that a show has a high rewatch value when I go back to watch scenes that I find hilarious or heart warming. The show had so many recurring gags, and I can name a few: Bohn's friends betting against him, the simultaneous "chai's" whenever a character asks their friends about something, the delusional fujoshis imagining something that didn't even happen, family members trying to get their ships to sail, Duen inadvertently making Bohn jealous, Tang shading Ting's face, Tang bemoaning over everyone falling in love except her. I can go on and on, but these themes and patterns makes this show worth watching again and again.
Again, a comparison to 2gether is inevitable because they both came out at the same time and they also had similar scenarios. The love triangle between Boss, Mek, and Fon was handled well and treated the one who lost out (which I won't spoil) with respect and without villainizing that person. The love, affection, and tension between Bohn and Duen had a natural progression that built up through the climax and resolved at the end. It made sense and felt very satisfying (without the uh, let's just say, platonic interaction in the end). It may not get the same number of views and fans as 2gther the Series, but My Engineer The Series had good execution and deserves a second season.
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My engineer is that old bl drama, full of clichés that is kind of saturated to see. It is broadcast at the same time that 2 together, which is already a cliché, you could understand the characters until they seemed to be at the same university, or were nothing so innovative.There is a positive point in the drama which is trying to develop or the same space on the screen for all couples who propose to do it, because the space on the screen does not mean to have a good development, Mekboss is a great example of that, they are as superficial as a very strange dubbing that either accompanies looking like a ghost.
Regarding the main couple, they record an endless round of provocations, excuses and a bizarre moment that they really like and are like the whole drama, but understand that he does not trust any other and never ceases to be.
The soundtrack is very bad in this drama and often spoiled the scenes.
the engineers feat doctors and administrators is not bad, just that cliché that you can watch as a passing entertainment, and for the history of very bad 2nd seasons in Thai dramas I don't have much hope.
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Surprisingly nice
Review After Watching Episodes 1-12Having watched a few series with just too many characters, I was a little wary when I read that that there are four couples in this series. But after Why R U and 2gether, I wanted some BL fix, so I started on this one.
Some flaws of having so many couples in 14 episodes may still be seen in this series, but I think the editors have done their best to make the scenes flow and largely succeeded even though sometimes I find that a scene can be cut into too many smaller parts to bring in the other couples' stories.
The beginning of the first episode almost made me stop watching. It is, in my opinion, the worst part of the series so far, with Bohn as the campus prom king with hordes of screaming female fans. It's an overly used BL trope but not something unbearable. What I didn't like was the posing and all--yeah, I know he's supposed to be hot af, but it does nothing for the story (especially given that Bohn doesn't have a good reputation apart from his good looks).
But the series soon proves to be more interesting once Bohn sees Duen sleeping on a bench. No time in wasted in showing that Bohn takes an immediate interest in Duen. Yet, despite having Bohn and Duen as the main couple, soon it is the other characters' relationships that become more interesting, and I wonder if any of the couples should have been the main couple instead:
1. There is Mek and Boss. Despite the poor dubbing of Mek's lines (the actor doesn't speak Thai), Mek is the character I feel the most for quite early in the series. He's secretly in love with Boss who seems to do nothing but hit on girls in front of Mek and even gets Mek to help him. But Boss is not an irritating character--despite seeming frivolous, it's clear that he does feel a sense of inferiority because no girl seems interested in him (until Fon comes along, but she neglects him too). When it turns out that he has been secretly in love with Mek too, the twist is somewhat unbelievable, but who has the heart to complain about this if we can see Mek finding happiness? This is my favorite couple in the series.
2. There is Ram and King, who are both interesting characters. King is outgoing and very good in his studies. Ram, the junior, on the other hand, doesn't talk much. (Perhaps he's the real mute husband.) Ram is a really tough guy (a professional boxer), a loyal friend to Duen and also emotionally vulnerable. Ram talks to his dogs (he says) while King talks to his plants, so there's perhaps a strong similarity between the two despite superficial differences. King seems to take an interest in Ram at first sight, but it could be because of Ram's looks or his unique tattoos rather than conscious romantic interest. This ship is interesting as there isn't a strong indication of budding romance from the start, but we see King being genuinely nice to Ram and Ram slowly opening up to him. Interestingly, it seems to be Ram who develops romantic feelings for King first. [Additional comment after watching the final episode: In the final episode, however, it seems that King has liked Ram for some time, but he Ram's usual reticence makes King unsure if his feelings are reciprocated.]
3. Thara and Frong is unfortunately the ship that starts sailing the latest. I say it's unfortunate because they look really cute as a couple--cuter than Bohn and Duen as a couple, really. We don't see that much of Thara at first, but he seems affable and caring as a doctor (medical student). He's quirky in a likable way, gushing about how cute his pet lizard is (not the humongous one that almost got to Duen) when others think he is gushing about a cat or a dog. Frong is another interesting character with too little screen time. He seems like a much more pleasant person than Bohn, but it's unclear why there is deep tension between Bohn and Frong from the start. (Frong is said to have almost toppled Bohn's position as the prom king, but is that really such a big deal to either of them?) He also doesn't like Thara at first for reasons not fully explored.
I find the relationship between Bohn and Duen cute at the start. But the writers could have done a better job with Bohn. He seems perpetually upset or jealous about something, which doesn't really show the depth of his feelings for Duen. Some viewers don't like it that Duen doesn't want to be more physically intimate with Bohn, but I don't think this is the main problem for Bohn. I think there is too much focus on Bohn's proneness to jealousy (although it can be funny, like how Bohn gets jealous of Thara, who is merely Duen's cousin). A nice scene involving Bohn and Duen takes place at the end of Episode 12 when Bohn keeps trying to say sweet things to and have a romantic time with Duen but Duen seems oblivious to it. Bohn seems upset, especially when Duen falls asleep in the middle of a conversation, but he gently shifts Duen's head out of the sun and onto his shoulder. If there were more of such scenes, it would be great.
That said, the series is interesting as a sort of meta BL, making use of common BL tropes while critiquing them. The husband/wife trope is invoked, but quite explicitly dismantled, with Duen (the gentler guy) showing an interest in being the "husband" and top. The series has the guys falling in love with one another, but doesn't fail to have the characters point it out.
Additional Comments After Watching the Entire Series:
The last two episodes don't disappoint. Bohn and Duen have a misunderstanding, but they expectedly patch up. The makers of 2gether (which I do love) could have learnt something about making the final episode end a little more beautifully for the main couple. It doesn't take much to leave the audience with lingering sweetness: loving hand-holding, affectionate time alone (rather than being in crowds), a loving gesture to affirm the love.
Mek and Boss also have a happy ending this season. Thankfully--it would be too painful to see Mek ending up unhappy in Season 1.
There is promise of more to come for the other couples in Season 2. It's a good thing that there seems to be no hurry to take things further for them. But the Thara/Frong ending is a tad too much of a tease, with Thara saying to Frong, "We're brothers (P and Nong), right?" I'm pretty sure it's an innocuous remark--Thara is the senior and Frong is the junior, so they are really P and Nong in Thai since it's not like they are a couple or anything. Frong seems visibly disappointed by the remark though, so I can't wait for things to go further in Season 2.
Hopefully the success of Season 1 will lead to better budget for Season 2. I do think there isn't a need to focus on all the four couples in Season 2 though. I'm satisfied with how Bohn/Duen and Mek/Boss have ended up though I suppose the issue of parental objections may crop for for Bohn/Duen.
Despite being a terrible year with a pandemic going on, 2020 has been spoiling us with surprisingly good BL series. Let's hope the trend continues.
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While watching my rating went from 7.5 to a 3
While watching, my thoughts on what I might rate this show went from a 4 to a 7.5 the slid down and ended at a 3.Acting was strong by all. They really did a good job despite the drek they were given. Dialogue was very simple but at least had a flow to it. The weaknesses lay in the storytelling and reliance on ridiculous plot devices to keep it going. Also, the further the story got, the more distasteful some of the topics and relationship dynamics became. By Ep 10 I was pretty fed up with the writers, by Ep 12 wished it was over already. Only continued for King and Ram (one of the secondary couples) and THEIR story is why I'm giving the overall story rating a 3 instead of a 2. If seperated from the rest, I would rate their scenes a 9/10. One basic kiss per couple. PG for intimacy, PG-13 for themes.
King and Ram was the only healthy relationship, and had a very sweet progression. The only ones whose actions matched their words; were consistently thoughtful, sweet, and supportive of each other. Until Ep 14 when the writers suddenly wrote them out of character (I felt) to be dramatic and force romantic confession. These writers are so lazy and unimaginative.
Ep 1 & 2 were silly when setting up the story between the two leads (Bohn & Duen) & I fast-forwarded bits. But Ep 3-6 had me invested in them and the side couples, especially King and Ram, and I didn't fast-forward. There were multiple genuinely funny comedic moments that had me laughing out loud. I was feeling really positive about this show, but that started to slide in Ep 7 and things just got worse from there.
GENERAL SPOILERS BELOW:
I liked Mek but his best friend and unrequited love Boss was whiny and annoying. Wanted Mek to have a happy end but at the same time didn't care about Boss. Frong starts with completely unexplained/inexplicable deep animosity for Thara. In Ep 9 started to enjoy their interactions but their start felt like just a plot contrivance without any thought behind it.
Ep 7 started fast-forwarding small bits again. Ep 8 was ridiculous; the hot/cold dynamic between Bohn and Duen was getting really repetitive and the "plot" devices sprung up to keep that going were getting more and more stupid and annoying. Ep 9 and the relationship between the lead couple is so juvenile, immature, thoughtless, rather mean, and all for completely STUPID reasons. First it was over-reactive Jealousy, then who is the "wife" and who is the "husband" because of comments made by others. It's getting really hard to keep caring about them. I mean, they are supposedly into each other but are each offended, almost disgusted, at the thought of being "the bottom"? And all the friends feed into this and make fun of them about being the bottom? WTF???
The BL obsessed and delusional sister is so awful. It's one constant cringe whenever she's in a scene. Also every background female and their friends loudly shipping whatever guys were hanging out in front of them was rude and toxic. Normalizing that behavior, when it's none of their business and can impact people's real lives negatively, is psychologically unhealthy.
Ep 11, seriously, who is THAT scared to be kissed by their boyfriend of multiple weeks? (Bohn & Duen). The actors are doing what they can with what they are given, it's just the script making them do inane and ridiculous things.
Ep 12-14 fast-forwarded most of it. King and Ram are the only ones I kept watching.
After showing some promise of an enjoyable show at the beginning, I was really disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed with what the writers did with it. Very juvenile.
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This Drama is addicting
It might sounds weird for you guys who already watch the show, but BohnDuen is definitely my fav couples out of the 4 couples.[BohnDuen]
For this couple, their interactions are so cute, and reminds me a lot of Kongphob-Arthit interactions, but I don't like how Bohn is overly possessive with Duen. I hope in the 2nd season, Bohn would be more patient and not being a fuckin jerk who always gets jealous and make Duen angry. But honestly I don't hate Bohn, bcs he just loves Duen too much :3
[RamKing]
I love this couple so much, but I don't get why Ram would text King even if King is already in front of him. But I love how their love progresses little by little and not too rushed. I also love how King is always taking care of Ram, that day when Ram found out that his dad is cheating with his neighbor who happens to be his bestfriend, King didn't ask and waited for Ram to tell him the story when he's ready. I like them so much :)))
[FrongThara]
I love their interactions, it's not too cheesy like BohnDuen, but somehow it's so cute. Their interactions are mature, and I love how Thara loved Cupcake lololol that's some funny scene this series has to offer. Also I like Frong a lot, bcs his smile tho, it makes me scream everytime he's smiling oh my god that smile is the killer move. Somehow, I pitied Frong bcs Thara is a lot like Duen, since their cousins lololol Thara is so pure and I hope Frong is patient enough to chase after him. They deserved more screentime in the 2nd season.
[MekBoss]
I also like this couple, but, bcs Mek voice is dubbed and unfortunately didn't matched the mouth movements, it makes me kind of annoyed and failed to focus on the whole love story about this couple. They should do it like Because Of You, speaking a different language but they still could communicate well is somehow cute. Set the dubbing aside, I think their interaction is cute but sometimes it's kind of sad, but I'm glad that all ends well. I hope in the 2nd season they cast ryan again and cultivate the love story more.
Anw I'm excited for the 2nd season, and all the best for it!
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I admit I may be biased, that doesn't mean it's a bad show
So this is the show that got me interested in Thai series and the first BL I've ever watched. I may be biased because of this, but I got seriously obsessed with this, so much so that I rewatched it a second time (I normally never watch anything more than once, because I lose interest in it and that would be a shame if I actually ended up liking it).The story doesn't offer anything original or new, but the way things are told and shown creates a very special atmosphere. Everything develops naturally without anything coming across as forced or strained. The actors are both good-looking and talented, which helps keeping the viewer's interest high. There are some things that were maybe a little bit exaggerated or that should have been developed further, but nothing that ruins the show. Actually some scenes are hilarious in their craziness.
The kisses were quite disappointing, but the chemistry of the actors was enough to portray the love the characters felt for each other. I really enjoyed Bohn and Duen's relationship, because it really shows how relationships aren't easy: in the beginning both have big expectations, but they soon have to face reality, which creates misunderstandings and fights (some of which exaggerated, but still not enough to ruin things).
I really appreciated the balance of screentime between the couples. Every character was necessary to the story's development and this helps keeping the storyline interesting.
The production value is not bad, but could be improved. I guess this comes down to the budget, though. The dubbing of Mek didn't bother me too much. I noticed his voice was weird, but had to read the comments to realise he was actually dubbed. Still, I don't think this ruined things for me, I've actually felt touched by his subplot, which was a good thing because the sadness of MekBoss's subplot counterbalanced the sappiness of BohnDuen's main plot, together with the storyline of the other couples.
The music really helps keeping the atmosphere alive, although I was not a fun of those Youtube-like little sounds.
Looking forward to season 2.
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Decent
I think this series started with very little expectations for most of us and I can say I was pleasantly surprised when it ended. Sure, there are many things that could have been improved:1) Poy (playing Duen) was sure cute but he is making his debut as an actor (and only 21) and it showed... he needs a bit more acting workshops to deliver some lines more efficiently and also to cry without looking like he is laughing.
2) Cooper (playing Bohn) was fine but the plot of him getting jealous every episode was a bit annoying. Yes, it showed that even the main couple was not picture perfect but how much lack of communication do you need?!
3) I read in some blog that Ryan (playing Mek) dubbed his own lines (he is Chinese studying in Thailand) because he was not confident enough to say them during shooting. If that's the case, then kudos to him for trying but it sounded a bit odd. And if he wasn't dubbing his own lines, then it was not a very good choice of dubbing actor.
4) We saw Duen's family but then the little sister disappears after she almost drowns while visiting a market and the mother and father barely appeared in the beginning and then just don't appear anymore. Sure, we got to see a lot of development between all couples, but aside from Ram and the drama of his father cheating on his mother and his funny interactions with his younger brother, a bit more family interaction could have improved the flow of the show and the background of the characters.
The series had so many good things as well:
1) Talay (playing King) and Perth (playing Ram) were a revelation, especially Talay. Both were able to portray their characters very convincingly and showed their chemistry. Talay showed us how much future of an actor he has as this is his third show (all BL characters) but playing very different roles in all 3.
2) This show actually gave all 4 couples almost equal amount of time on-screen instead of having the main couple and the others just sprinkled every now and then (like "2gether the Series" and really most GMMTV BLs).
3) I'm glad this show didn't have the typical bitchy/screaming female trying to sabotage the couple (see Pam in "2gether the Series" or the girl from "I am Your King SS2" for some examples).
4) The story had some ups and downs but it had more believable situations (compared to becoming my fake boyfriend because you made me break up with my girlfriend like Frank and Drake in the terrible "My Tee").
5) The cast had so many changes (except for MD playing Thara) but despite that, they had great chemistry and the story was not that rushed so we could actually see good progress instead of solving everything in the last few episodes.
6) This might be unpopular among some of you but I was happy with the kiss scenes we got and glad the director didn't try to force more intimate scenes. The development of the couples was just right for what we got and more just for the sake of showing some handsome actors shirtless and kissing (like most episodes of "WhyRU" for example) would have been unnecessary. And at least we got actual kiss and not pecks or high-fives, right?
Hopefully season 2 doesn't disappoint as right now our expectations are high and we get to see some more development in all the relationships, including the "bros" Thara and Frong and maybe some drama introduced by the families. Oh and where is Cupcake (Thara's pet lizard)?!
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Really good watch
Since I'm patiently (or rather the opposite) waiting for season 2 to be released, I thought I'd get my thoughts out and write a review on this series. Although it isn't the best bl in the world, out of the many I've watched, it is one of my personal favourites and here's why:Firstly the series does an amazing job of balancing its four couples. I commend it a lot for this because many of the shows I've seen are barely able to handle two couples, let alone four. Developing multiple storylines that seamlessly run alongside each other and are each well thought out is hard, but My Engineer was able to do this quite well. The only couple I would say they left out a bit in terms of screentime was TharaFrong, but I guess due to the pacing of their relationships it makes sense.
Now getting into the actual couples:
- We should probably start with BohnDuen since they're the main cp. Without saying too much, they are frustratingly adorable... that's the only way I can describe them. When they first started out I just found them the cutest. The whole premise of Bohn using the flowers as an excuse to get to see Duen each morning was so sweet (also I was really surprised and happy about how quickly he accepted his feelings for a guy). However when they got together, naturally that's when the issues started. Actually, they started when they first became closer, but when they got together I guess that's when it became more ridiculous. Between Bohn's anger/jealousy issues, and Duen's adversity to affection and even words of affirmation; their relationship kind of declined for me. Of course, it's not surprising that they would disagree as they did, but after a while their actions became repetitive and against other storylines they became stagnant. Despite this. I liked their progress at the end and still find them annoyingly cute together.
- Onto MekBoss; I really liked their relationship development. I did see spoilers about them though so I knew what to expect, but it was still pleasantly surprising. Mek kind of reminded me of Third from TOL with the whole unrequited love situation, so obviously I was rooting for him and feeling his pain every time he was on screen. But in a twist his love wasn't unrequited (I still wish we'd got to see more about that because it was brushed over way too quickly after the time we spent watching Mek pine for Boss. Anyways, I loved how the series set them out, and that we go to see through Boss' actions as well as his words, that his feelings were true.
- TharaFrong. I'm conflicted. First of all I love Thara and his pet lizard cupcake; his character is so adorable. Im not going to pretend I didn't spend a lot of the season annoyed at Frong though. I just kept thinking he wasn't 'good enough' for Thara (mostly I didn't like that he was always being rude to Thara, particularly at the flower shop and the hospital), obviously though his character developed, and I sympathised with him a lot. Their ending, although unsatisfying was I think justifiable, because we didn't see enough of them for it to be as impactful if they got together. Hopefully next season their plot is developed more.
- Now onto my favourites RAMKING!! Out of all the cp's, their storyline was the best structured and written. From the time they first saw each other to the end, it all felt natural; even considering how weird it is that they hardly knew each other and ended up living together. Even when I was annoyed by them, I didn't want to miss a second of their scenes because they were all so meaningful. And just like TharaFrong, I love how their relationship extended past simply liking each other. It was touching to see King helping Ram out in his time of need, and constantly comforting him. And the way in which this care, that he thought was purely friendly, transformed into a plot for him to realise his feelings was really clever. Also can we talk about how cute that flower scene was!!! And the kiss!!! Anyways, I really enjoyed how the series set up these two characters as opposites but at the same time one in the same; they complemented each other so well.
Other than the couples, I appreciate how the series addressed some issues. For one, I was really surprised to see the whole top and bottom debate and its conclusion. I was scared it would be handled badly and then brushed away (especially with the scene where Bohn was drunk), but they addressed it well. Also, the fujoshi satire was funny in a way where I wasn't uncomfortable with the presence of those character types. And the representations of the struggles with sexuality were done better than other bl's. The actors also did an amazing job. All the emotions were portrayed well and I really felt each scene. The whole production was good as well.
The only faults I would say are that some plots, ie BohnDuen jealousy, were drawn out and got annoying at some points. Also the dubbing for Mek... the budget looked really good so I don't know why the dubbing was so distractingly bad; his acting still managed to shine through though.
Overall, I really liked My Engineer. I postponed watching it for a while because I read the title and thought it would be another engineering bl with the same plotlines and phrases; but it was a fresh series. Of course it isn't the best bl, and if you're looking for a life-changing one this isn't it. But its worthy of a 9 imo because it was well constructed, nearly completely unproblematic, greatly acted, cute and funny. Definitely a comfort show.
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