Fish Upon the Sky (2021)

Much, much better than I expected

Sometimes, something just defies your expectations and this series did that for me.

Because, being honest, this is another BL series set in a university with white shirts and black trousers and grown adults acting like they never heard of sex; and fundraising fairs and camping out visiting impoverished areas; and medical students and engineering students and freshmen with ties; and scooters and high end cars and huge houses that you would swear should have at least four bedrooms, but only seem to have one or two; and let's not forget the male character with darker skin (because colourism) with the high pitched voice and the limp wrists who ships the ML's.

This is, almost beat for beat, the same plot as every other Thai BL. All the stereotypes are here, all the clichés and tropes are here.

Except.....there's some differences.

The attitude of one of the MLs to the toxic and dangerous behaviour of the shippers, their page and their 'fans' is refreshing. Pi bluntly declares he feels unsafe with the way Mork keeps encouraging said behaviour in his attempts to woo Pi. And well he should, because these 'fans' not only butt into Pi's life, but drag his brother, his mother and his father into it and even threaten to invade his home to take pictures of his bedroom!

At one point, someone starts filming them without permission, and posting it online. At another, someone else has clearly been stalking them because pictures get posted of Pi standing on the balcony of his house.

This series comes down hard, and not even subtly, on the invasive and toxic social media culture that seems to permeate much of the world nowadays.

Pi breaks my heart several times during this series. He's a truly sweet, kind and caring young man who does not deserve the bullying. I can't help feeling that Mork should have opened his mouth and stood up for Pi a lot earlier. I also think that if Mork had given Pi that umbrella, then maybe things would have proceeded differently as well.

Differently, but for the better? Who knows? ::shrug::

I also liked the fact that Mork has pictures of Pi on his phone before his 'makeover' and that he liked him just as he was before Duen and his friends got involved. It would have been so refreshing to see Pi stay that way, but gain confidence as his relationship with Mork grew and let that confidence make him more attractive, rather than going for the 'ditch the glasses, get ride of the braces, fix the hair' kind of makeover that was used.

I really liked Bam. I thought she was cute and bubbly and fun and supportive of Mork....and then they had to ruin it with the stunt she pulled at Mork's birthday party. Why? Just why? It completely ruined her character for me. For god's sake, please stop doing this!

I also liked Muang Nan. Whilst it was clear he didn't like Pi the way Pi wanted him to, he wasn't cruel about it and he kept subtly pushing Pi towards Mork. He also had some good advice for Mork, which Mork should have taken. The cheeky reference to Mix's series 'Tale of a Thousand Stars' was amusing.

This even gave me pause when it came to my favourite pairing. A lot of times, in BL, I'll find myself preferring the secondary couple over the main couple, but here I found myself cheering for both of them. Duen is a great brother and a genuinely funny and likable character. His character grew over the course of the twelve episodes and I loved his fourth-wall breaking.

Meen is a complete cinnamon roll without, thank goodness, the childishness that often goes along with that kind of character in Thai BL He's a bit child-like, but not childish. He stands up for himself and tells Duen exactly what he thinks and feels and doesn't let Duen get away with shit. I approve.

The acting in this is good, especially by Pond, Phuwin and Neo. The editing is also good. The daft sound effects are still there, but are considerably toned down (thank goodness) and the product placement is still very obvious but also toned down considerably.

The only negative, really, is the scene with Duen dressed up as what I assume to be his idea of an Indian holy man. I didn't notice it until someone from that culture pointed it out and talked about how uncomfortable it made them, and I can completely understand why. it was only a brief scene, but it shouldn't have been there.

Also (and this is not a negative) I was confused by the ending. It supposedly takes place 2 years later, but how had Meen not seen Duen and Pi's room at this point? And have Pi and Mork just been abstaining from sex this whole time? It was just....baffling. Although the scene itself was very funny.

I really enjoyed this series overall, and I'm happy to recommend it and, since I'm re-watching it whilst I'm typing up this review, I state without hesitation that it has high re-watch value too.

Lire davantage

Worth it for the cast chemistry

I think Fish Upon the Sky is an easily digestible BL to get through because of the cast chemistry. Both Phuwin/Pond and Neo/Louis pairings look great together and are played wonderfully. And because all four of these characters are completely different, the pairings almost feel like you're watching two completely different shows when the stories aren't interconnecting (which they rarely do for majority of the show). That's probably why Duean and Meen's stories were told with a different aspect ratio but that honestly came off as an afterthought during editing. Some of those shots were an eyesore. But despite that, I still enjoyed their storyline a lot. I actually liked it more than the main plot.

While the panicked gay vs confident gay trope never gets old, the forced conflict trope does. Pi/Mork just couldn't get their act together until the very end because of issues that I wasn't buying. Pi was hung up on Mueang Nan for way too long for merely existing. Nan never showed as much interest in Pi as Mork did, or interacted with him as much as Mork had; yet, Pi was still rejecting Mork because he couldn't get over Nan. If Pi was meant to spend so long having feelings for Mueang Nan, I wish the dilemma would have been written in a more believable way. His obsession with Mueang Nan was creepy if not completely nonsensical.

Duean and Meen's development was written with a lot more nuance. Duean starts off as a jerk but as the episodes go on, he becomes gradually more tolerable. I loved their slow burn romance that always seemed to hit the right checkpoints. Duean becomes a better person and Meen learns to not be a pushover. They really bettered themselves because of each other. It's unfortunate that Neo was forced to play him so off balance with the rest of the cast. Duean is a 4th wall-breaking character so he never gets a chance to be really vulnerable during a scene that had potential to be really emotional. Every time he apologizes to Meen, it feels goofy and it lacks the drama that Pi/Mork's journey had.

And Pi/Mork's relationship feels very rewarding in the final episode. I LOOOOOVE how natural Phuwin/Pond look onscreen together as a couple. Other dramas should take notes; Pi and Mork kissed more than once. It's crazy that I am genuinely astonished by more than one kiss in a Thai BL episode.

Fish Upon the Sky is not a must-watch but it is far from unwatchable.

Lire davantage

Such a cute thai bl series!

This is so cute to watch tho! Mork and Pi are so cute together even tho some people don't really kinda like them as a couple. This series is not flopping and not good nor bad, it just giving us happy vibes when watching this XD.... although there are some cringe moment for me, ain't gonna lie but it still good to watch. The story definitely kinda cliché... I don't know I still want this to watch hahahahah... Not the best series so far but a good one to watch to if you just wanted to watch some light and sweet bl drama.

The ost definitely a banger hahahahahah I'm literally Loving it the english one and the thai

Acting: hmmmmm it's not that bad but 8.5/10 for me

The rewatch value for me is 5.5/10

Lire davantage

Dramatic, 0 chemistry

This series is overrated. Too dramatic and cringe sound effects. Also, there is no chemistry between Mork and Pi. The romantic scene brings no feeling to me at all. Like watching a boring and cringe drama. The story line seems to be weird and dreaded. The only interesting part is Meen and Duwen. I feel some chemistry between them, better than those main characters. This series is more like a comedy than bl... Plus, too many not really funny scenes make it so cringed. Not worth watching compared to other series even though i really like Mork and Pi as good actors. Worst and disappointing.

Lire davantage

Fish Upon the Sky

For a comedy drama, I laughed a lot and thought that this lighthearted drama was a fun escape on Friday mornings when it aired for me. It was nice to have something lighthearted to watch that wasn't so intense like A Thousand Stars. That drama had me crying at some points, so this drama made me laugh and kept things lighthearted indead.

I think Phuwin is still quite young and developing his acting skills. He wasn't bad, but still needs a little polishing. And I would say the same for Pond. I think this was his first series and he also needs a little more work. However, it wasn't bad to the point that it was distracting or anything. Not like the acting in Lovesick. (Does anyone remember that one? It was good at the time for what it was, but the acting was very spotty).

I know this is a comedy, but I do always question plotlines where everyone turns gay. It just seems improbable to me that all 3 brothers, and two brothers are gay, and that two sets of brothers fall for each other's brother. That kind of silliness is well plain silly. lol. I would have much liked to have some diversity. Again, I get that it's a comedy so that's probably why it was written this way.

My favorite scene, and one that I still remember vividly, was when they went to the cadaver lab at night and the lights turned on and off and their positions changed.

I hope they get another drama together and that they continue to hone in their acting skills. Very promising actors for sure!

Lire davantage

"As for me, you are a fish upon the sky too"

That's the most memorable line of this refreshing series.
To start off, this series is really great in terms of educational purposes. Be it regarding LGBT, mental health, basic knowledge, etc, it reaches to educate others on certain topics while keeping the storyline, which is something not many BLs can do.
The plot is really good on its own. The way the series is directed also allows viewers to have a breather when the main couple has an argument. However nearing the last 2 episodes, it's like someone deflated the good tire and it turned out to be slightly boring, which was quite a turn off.
The cast is amazing! The power of 00s and onwards. :)
OSTs are not really vibe-able to other than Mix's.
Rewatch value, I wouldn't watch it again just because it's not really the show that captivates me a lot.

Lire davantage

Fish Upon the Sky is one of my favourite series in 2021. I love the story, cast, music and everything about this series. Phuwin potrayed his character well like when he has crush on Nan or his worry about his relationship with Mork which is true because since his childhood he got bullied and got stalked by those fujoshis and people insulted him just because they don't like Pi to be with Mork plus he doesn't have any friends to talk/share with(it's not even his mistake he just doesn't want to change himself) they judge him by his looks. ( I think he doesn't look that bad in those glasses, he looks cute).

I love Meen and Duean interaction, Meen is sooo... Cute the way he says "duean" ♥♥♥ and the Ost he sang is really good. One of favourite scene in this series is when Duean comes to Mork/Meens home, after knowing that Mark is Meens borther, Duean completely changes his attitude towards Mork .

I like the words/dialogues Mork said to Pi. I like all episodes except final episode where some images of Pi are posted on internet by Bam. (Its just my opinion)
But overall It is really good...... I am gonna watch the series again today

Lire davantage

Typical. But funny and enjoyable

I expected FUTS to be rather mediocre but ended up positively surprised. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering but it was better than the average Thai BL. The story was a typical university-setting but with some nice and surprisingly enjoyable moments.

I liked Pi a lot. He was a well-written and well-acted character (Phuwin did a great job). He had depth and his concerns and anxieties were legitimate and believable. His insecurities had a reason to be and the way he explained them made sense. As someone who was bullied in school I could definitely relate. Mork on the other hand didn’t have as much depth and was written as a rather typically perfect fantasy-boyfriend. I wish they’d given him some palpable faults but alas, haha. I still liked him though. All in all, their story wasn’t anything special but I still enjoyed it a lot.

For me, the show absolutely nailed the comedy. The comedic timing was great and the series had a lot of lovable characters (Duean and his crazy gang of friends!) I savored every second Duean was on screen and especially his screen time with Pi. Their brotherly shenanigans and relationship was great! It felt very natural and their family actually seemed like a real family. When the eldest brother came home and they had dinner and afterwards talked in their room. I loved those scenes. Oh and how could I forget Meen? Such a breath of fresh air! He had a unique personality that meshed well with Dueans. He was cute but bold, seemed a little shy but also confident. Truly a wonderful character!

I can’t say much about Pi and Morks relationship bc it wasn’t really anything special. It was cute but the drama was predictable in a way. What I did like was the fact that Mork wasn’t the only one trying to kiss Pi. Pi openly expressed his desire to kiss Mork too and that was so nice! I’m a little tired of all these “typical uke/mia” characters who never want to kiss their partners, even after they’ve been together for years lol.
I want to say that the show did surprise me when it decided to put some serious drama into episode 8. Usually you see Thai BL overburdening their last two episodes with all the crazy drama and ruining the pacing in the process ;)
I was actually excited to seem them correctly build up the drama and let it have time to resolve itself in a natural, non-forced way. What I didn’t expect though, was that they straight up ruined it by introducing another big (and unnecessary) drama in the last 35 minutes of the final episode lol It was a very strange move bc that specific conflict didn’t make sense and needed to be resolved pretty forcefully, not giving it enough time to ebb down naturally.
Not to mention that I really thought we were slowly getting past the trend of villainizing female characters in BL but I guess not -_-

I was also pretty annoyed by the inclusion of super crazy fujoshis/fudanshis. They weren’t really necessary for the story and were mainly used as comedic relief in a story that already has plenty of good comedy (come on, we have Duean and the gang!) Not to mention that I personally didn’t really find their scenes that funny. At this point Fujoshi and femme gay or trans people have become a synonym for a personality trait. I hope this changes soon.

Lire davantage

definitely fun, a little off the rails

This show is very funny, and sometimes I don't think it's necessarily funny in the way it's meant to be; it just is. The plot is a little all over the place at certain times, and some of the plot twists are vaguely disappointing, but the humor and actors are largely able to redeem the show, if only so I could giggle at the train wreck they were creating for themselves.

Overall, it's a cute show with a good cast. The plot is different from what I expected, especially initially, but does seem like it's trying too hard at times which leads to more serious moments having no impact. Additionally, I think the plot assumes a lot of development without actually developing the plot. It just hopes its done its job without actually doing it.

I don't know if I would watch this again, but it's got some cute moments which make it worth an initial go!

Lire davantage

Cute intro Pond Phuwin but be warned about red flags!

I enjoyed the show for the almost crack like comedic elements incorporated into it but it could have definitely dialed up on the romance. Pond and Phuwin have great chemistry which is even more apparent on their latest show 'Never Let Me Go'. Their acting has also improved significantly but event in FUTS, you could see the potential that their pairing had. There were some cute moments and overall it was a wacky ride, but there were some definite red flags as far as characters went.

Mork's character was a giant red flag to me. He stepped all over Pi's boundaries on multiple occasions with the excuse that someone like Pi needs a push to make up his mind. However well meaning his intentions were, I really drew the line when he dragged the shippers into the picture and tried to force Pi to accept his love. That really pissed me off. He never fully understood Pi's insecurities and it felt like he lacked empathy. The only reason that everything he did was acceptable is because he's hot. If he had been a regular joe, he would have been called a stalker and creep.

Don't even get me started on those damn shippers. They were the worst part of the show and it was absolutely disgusting how they felt they had the right to invade Pi's privacy to find out about his relationship with Mork. The worst thing is there was no redemption for them as the show painted them as harmless instead of the disturbed, toxic individuals they are. Considering that they were trying to show how toxic shipping culture can be, it's a disappointment that they didn't give them an ending where they were punished for their stalkerish tendencies.

Enough of the rant. Just wanted to end my review by stating, that despite it's flaws, I did enjoy watching it and would recommend it as a great introduction to Pond & Phuwin! I also really enjoyed Duean's character. He was so funny!!!

Lire davantage

Kedokteran?!

Menceritakan seorang mahasiswa kedokteran gigi bernama Pi yang culun, anti sosial, dan benar-benar tidak menarik. Dia ingin mendapatkan kisah cinta yang epic seperti di dunia dongeng, dia mempunyai ekspektasi yang tinggi tentang itu ; namun terkadang dia menyadari bahwa dirinya bukan laki-laki idaman, sampai dia bertemu dengan seseorang bernama Meuang Nan dan tertarik padanya ; ia berusaha mendekatinya - namun di saat yang sama ada mahasiswa lain bernama Mork (mahasiswa kedokteran umum) yang jatuh cinta pada Pi. Apakah Pi dapat memilih apakah dia akan mengejar Meuang Nan atau menerima cinta Mork ?. Saksikan seriesnya !. Dari segi cerita, cukup menarik ya karena menampilkan relasi cinta yang unik, yang satu mengejar dan yang satu dikejar. Orientasi series ini cukup punya kekuatan sendiri karena menampilkan main-role yang benar-benar culun dan jauh dari kata impian sampai akhirnya seiring berjalannya series dia benar-benar berubah ; selain itu, ada main couple kedua yang cukup menarik yaitu Deuan dan Meen ' keduanya punya chemistry yang bagus dan benar-benar sebuah main-couple tambahan yang mewarnai series ini. Kompisisi warna scene pada setiap episode series cenderung datar dan tidak terlalu terlihat berkarakter, namun tidak apa karena pengemasan detailnya yang menarik sudah cukup menutupi semua kekurangannya. Sangat rekomendasi untuk fans bL veteran maupun pemula.

Lire davantage

One of the most fun BL

I liked this BL drama a lot because its just hilarious and fun to watch. Even though it is an university BL drama it doesnt focus on that too much and there isn't even a real love tiangle.
I love the way Mork is so confident in loving Pi even when Pi is not even sure of his own feelings himself and feels insecure and is persistent in 'liking' Nan. He just won't give up because he just knows what he wants and knows Pi feels the same way. It creates the most hilarious, fun and adorable moments between them mostly because Pi is just so akward, insecure and stubborn.
But the most hilarious of the whole series is Duean. He has the biggest mouth and screams the loudest with the most stupid ideas which made me laugh so hard I think even the neighbours heard me. But he is still whipped by Meen the nerdy, silent, soft and sweet type. Even though Duean is so loud and a little domineering Meen doesn't let him push him over and stands his ground in being who he is. They have the sweetest confessing scene at the end maybe even more so than Mork and Pi.
So in other words this series is was sweet, fun and a little different from most university BL dramas and for me I will definitely watch it again just because I laughed so hard.

Lire davantage