The Eclipse (2022)

So Good~

VERY SLIGHT SPOILERS

Basically: 10
If you're in the mood for a bit of a more serious high school romance focused more on healing and growing with cute banter and fun tension, then this is definitely right up your alley~ If you're looking for something more supernatural or paranormal, then this might not be the thing for you~ Also, if you're going through some things involving depression or grief, I'd wait a bit on this, because ooooooooh boy~

Story: 10
I went into this super excited for the premise, and, while it wasn't as supernatural as I originally expected, there were still a few plot twists that threw me for a LOOP, which was awesome lmao~ I wouldn't say it's groundbreaking, but the use of mental health and the importance of grief, not to mention how our idols aren't always what we think or should actually like, is such an interesting take in a show about high schoolers. There were points that literally had me hitting the pause button to take a moment, and it was because of both the need to squeal at the chemistry and the need to take a breath from all of the emotions. Props to the actors~

Acting/Cast: 10
They're so fucking good lmao I don't know how else to say it. Like, the main actors who play Ay and Akk are some of my favorites that have been cast as side characters for years, so for them to star in something together as the leads, you can bet I was going to support them all else be damned. But they were BRILLANT. The way Ay expressed his grief and Akk's expression as he worked through his feelings about literally everything? Ugh. 10/10

Music: 9
The OST is good, of course, and the background music is also perfectly place. I usually rank the music based on how often I wanna add all of the song to my playlist, and this one only had the opening (sang by the actor who played Ay) that really caught my attention, but that's a personal preference and not at all reflected in the way the background music literally made me anxious in the right spots and scream in happiness in others~

Rewatch Value: 10
This is a biased rating because I love the main couple and have already watched it a second time by the time I decided to start this review, so there's that lol I think is one of those dramas that you notice more the more times you watch it, so I definitely think the rewatch value is hiiiiiigh with this one~

Overall: 10
I thought this show was a pleasant surprise. There wasn't any toxic female characters, no toxic friends, the side couple was cute and showed more than just a handful of times, and there was even more on a friend that didn't necessarily have a romantic partner, so it felt very rounded out and involved. Plus, if nothing else, the CHEMISTRY between the ACTORS UGH. I loved it~

Lire davantage

Great portration of emotions and natural character development

This series was awesome regarding two main things:
1. Character development - natural nad not rushed. The best example was Akk. I think I have never seen better character development than this. Really masterpiece.
2. Emotions - Akk/First showed emotions as genuinely as he could. If you would look just in his eyes - they will tell you everything. One of the best emotions delivery I have seen.

For these two reasons I will watch it again. Chemistry between the two main characters was great. Support couple was great too.

I disliked the amount of protests and course story.

Oh, yes and i really liked the underwater kiss :D.

Lire davantage

Gostei, com algumas ressalvas

Eu nem lembro por que comecei esse BL, acho que nem tinha visto nada de divulgação e tudo mais. Só vi as pessoas comentando e decidi assistir, sem expectativa nenhuma pra falar a verdade.

O primeiro episódio não me agradou, mas ainda assim decidi continuar e não me arrependo. Foi muito bom assistir The Eclipse.

Importante dizer que provavelmente o que me cativou mais no início da história foi o personagem Ayan - quem não gostava de ver ele militando por qualquer motivo? hahah - mas falando sério, eu achava bem legal a dinâmica do personagem na trama.

O romance de The Eclipse para mim foi o grande destaque desse BL. Foi bem desenvolvido, saudável, o casal teve muita química e o impacto que Akk e Ayan tiveram na vida um do outro é perceptível no decorrer da narrativa. Um dos melhores casais de BL sim!! Além disso, o casal secundário foi fofinho demais também.

Quanto à história do BL: na minha opinião o plot da escola poderia ter sido melhor desenvolvido. Em muitos momentos, a trama só se baseava naquilo que foi nos apresentado no primeiro episódio: a maldição e os protestos dos alunos. Como se a história estivesse andando em círculos.

Outra coisa que achei meio aleatória foi o tal protesto dos alunos, que parecia se basear apenas no "não queremos usar uniforme". Com vários e vários episódios batendo nessa tecla, teve uma hora que ficou bem entediante.

Então o que eu penso sobre o enredo desse BL é que ele traz questões bem legais a serem discutidas, só não foi tão bem executado. De toda forma, até que conseguiu me fazer pensar bastante enquanto assitia, o que já é alguma coisa.

Quanto à atuação do elenco, achei boa no geral, com exceção de alguns personagens. Não acho que a cinematografia tenha algo de extraordinário (o que não é um problema, já que essa não parece ser a intenção) principalmente por ter sempre o mesmo cenário da escola.

Agora, queria destacar a belíssima OST "Over The Moon", cantada por Khaotung. Que música linda! A letra dela expressa totalmente o relacionamento dos protagonistas. Uma das melhores OST's de BL que conheço.

Enfim, The Eclipse foi um BL bem legal de acompanhar, e que de certa forma é um pouco diferente dos BL's tailandeses que estamos acostumados.

Lire davantage

Wow!!!

This show really smacked me in the face, I was not expecting this level of drama or this level of greatness!

I thought I had this show all figured out, but those plot twists actually got me. I love KhaoFirst. I actually came here to cleanse myself from their ANGST over in Only Friends. I'm glad I didn't know about this show until now because I needed it! 😂 It made me laugh, cry, smile, and.... RAGE.

Let's go!
Me vs Thua

This guy deserved Boston, not Khan.

I'm not proud of anything Thua did. He can kick rocks tbh. If he knew all of that he should've taken the time to understand and talk to Akk directly. It's hard for me to care about Thua's outburst and plotting when the audience has seen Akk's realization and struggles. I don't support him being made a villain. Yes what he did was so wrong, but they're literally supposed to be high schoolers. It's even easier at that age to be groomed and manipulated. He was basically brainwashed with cult mentality. - However Akk should have listened when he was advised by Aye to tell the truth before it was told for him. I wish he had. But Thua still sucks for what he did. He used everyone, lied, outed his "friends", and he was not even sorry.

Aye took time to confront Akk and ALSO understand. I dont think he intended to help Akk cover it up. He continued to encourage him to tell the truth. The only time he wasn't pushing it was when Akk's mental health was at risk once he realized what he'd done. Are we forgetting unaliving ourselves is a major plot point?! May Thua be perpetually single, step on a lego every day, and eat bricks for all of his meals. Yelling at this fictional character has been therapeutic. 😂

The only things keeping this from a 10/10 are:

-Thua's step dad is not fully explained or resolved. They made it seem like he was being abused and then all of a sudden it was okay?

-Why did the teacher have that picture of D and the other professor just tucked in a book? Everyone's outing everyone here too lol.

-Thua gets barely any backlash for what he did. He keeps his boo and his friends.

-Why did the main teacher puppeteering never really apologize? or stand up sooner? His toxic behavior towards Akk is swept away by him dating Aye's late uncle. Nothing changed other than people finding out.

Lire davantage

atitudes drásticas por motivações fracas

the eclipse foi uma das séries que mais aguardei o lançamento porque admiro demais o trabalho do first e do khaotung. Sabendo o quanto a gmm adora temáticas escolares com uma pitada de crítica ao sistema/sociedade coloquei as expectativas lá nas alturas.

o que aconteceu porém é que the eclipse tem um elenco com qualidade acima da proposta que traz. Não sei se por preguiça ou por comodismo mas o autor dessa história escolheu levar as coisas com a barriga várias e várias vezes, dando explicações vagas pra eventos em que a explicação é a chave de tudo. Alguns personagens reagem de maneira absurda a situações em que uma simples conversa resolveria, bem como transformam as regras básicas de qualquer colégio em uma ditadura, o que não faz o menor sentido.

durante vários episódios eu senti que o autor só queria criticar e criticar sem ter um embasamento. Parece que o único objetivo ali era enfiar pautas sociais goela abaixo sem se importar de verdade com a lógica. Alunos reclamando do uniforme como se em pelo menos 90% das escolas do mundo todos não precisassem usar também (e nem só por questão de beleza mas por segurança, além de que acredito ser só uma desculpa pra se vestirem como fossem numa balada), reclamando por não poderem usar celular durante as aulas (o que também não é permitido em milhares de escolas por motivos óbvios), reclamando das supostas "regras rígidas e antiquadas" que eu, sinceramente, não percebi quais eram até porque não existem.

o plot twist com o professor foi algo mal desenvolvido e colocado ali no meio de repente, a situação do tio do ayan também é usada como background em alguns momentos que não têm nada a ver, personagens como a diretora agem e falam de maneira escrachada só pra tentar enfatizar quem é o vilão já que se não for assim dificilmente vamos ter argumento pra odiar alguém ali. Quanto à maldição, é na verdade hilário como todos aqueles adolescentes e professores sempre tão movidos pela racionalidade realmente cogitam eventos sobrenaturais num colégio e tentam relacionar eles a um eclipse (mais uma das coisas sem sentido pra lista)

gosto de pensar que esse é só o primeiro de muitos passos que os firstkhao vão dar juntos e que os próximos trabalhos serão infinitamente melhores, eles merecem um enredo tão bom quanto possível

Lire davantage

El drama de llevar uniforme

La premisa de la serie me pareció bastante buena desde el evento de GMMTV en que la anunciaron; pero la ejecución...

De todos los motivos que hay para protestar sobre cómo se lleva la escuela/instituto: educación rígida y desfasada, ausencia de pensamiento crítico, homofobia manifiesta... eligen protestar por los uniformes (y lo del móvil que, realmente, usa todo el mundo todo el tiempo junto con ordenadores y otras tecnologías). Y de eso hacen toda la trama y todo el drama durante la serie: tres chavales que quieren vestir con su ropa del domingo y montan manifestaciones al respecto que, supuestamente, secunda todo Tailandia gracias a las redes sociales.

Vamos con la maldición. Cuando empecé la serie me esperaba algo de misterio al nivel del coche sin conductor que intenta atropellar a los manifestantes; no obstante, el resto de cosas de la maldición se nota A LEGUAS que son causadas por una "mano negra" que de misteriosa tiene poco. ¿Qué fenómeno paranormal ligado al eclipse va a quitar todos los carteles de un colegio? ¿O a hacer una pancarta? Un poco de sentido común. Y un poco de eclipses también, que durante toda la serie hay ¿dos?

La actuación es sublime y creo que todos los actores hacen un trabajo estupendo, pero los personajes... El prefecto que quiere seguir sus sueños con una trama de bastante relleno y un rollo extraño con la profesora. El personaje que, de repente, no es como todos creíamos (e, irónicamente, termina siendo el más consecuente) pero que recibe cero repercusiones sobre su comportamiento (en serio, yo creía que el capítulo 11 lo habían cortado de forma extraña, no lo entiendo). Los protagonistas que, sinceramente, no tengo ni idea de por qué acaban juntos... Que se supone que Aye va al colegio a resolver "EL MISTERIO" de su familia y le dura medio capítulo; después sólo acaba llevando sudadera en escenas aleatorias (no entiendo por qué hay escenas en las que lleva el uniforme y otras que se rebela) y tonteando con Akk. Como he leído en otros comentarios, yo tampoco entiendo cómo terminan gustándose porque no tiene mucho sentido (gustándose y, en el caso de Aye, renunciando a todos sus valores y lucha porque... patata)

Y, por supuesto, el montón de tramas que quedan simplemente para encogerse de hombros: alegatos sobre Salud Mental que se pasan de puntillas (con una idea sobre la Depresión que queda muy pobremente desarrollada), dinámicas familiares complejas que no se abordan nunca jamás, el hecho de ser becado en un colegio de élite, la homofobia que tiene el 90% de alumnos del colegio y su directora que jamás se aborda, por qué Dika y su pareja (no recuerdo el nombre del personaje ahora mismo y estoy perezosa para buscarlo) no se van a un buen sindicato y denuncian al colegio por discriminación...

En definitiva, prometía mucho, pero al final ha sido un poco "meh". Es una pena.

Lire davantage

My favourite thai drama (and pairing)

The series that got me into firstkhao-
It's been so long and I rewatch it every now and then. When I started it I didn't expect it to get me as much as it did and I became attached to the actors, as well as the plot which is not what I was used to in respect of bl dramas. I really enjoy seeing their backstories and watching them overcome their issues with eachother's help, whilst knowing they found eachother at the right time, exactly when they needed it. I also like how the issue of the school is a real world issue and the show is educating viewers on the issues of people just letting something like this continue when it is wrong and they should be fighting against it - no matter the situation if it may be similar to this. One of my favourite shows ever I still miss akkayan - there are not many that would be able to even get close to beating them.
Definitely recommend to others because the plotline combined with firstkhao's acting makes a very good series and if you haven't watched you are missing out. Is always the first show I mention if someone asks for bl recs.

Lire davantage

A must-watch if you want something new

I loved this series so much. It was a new, fresh storyline with great characters, subplots, and twists. I think everyone did their best with playing their characters but I have to point out a few that stood out to me: Khaotung as Chon (Tonhon Chonlatee) vs Ayan was a MASSIVEEEE difference- I almost had no faith that a role like Ayan would suit him because of how used I was so used to his Chon persona. Similarly First as Kim (The Shipper) vs Akk- how did he go from "EHHHHH???!" to perfect Student Prefect like wowwww. I also think it was nice to see Louis and Pawin doing negative roles- great change.

I'm so glad I started this series and would absolutely love to see more like this!

Lire davantage

I may be biased, but this show is also objectively excellent

This show holds a very special place in my heart. Is it perfect? No. But it does have an intrinsic understanding of what it means to be a queer teenager in a rigidly hetero-normative environment that I have rarely, if ever, seen in a drama.
Through a combination of beautiful visuals, effective editing, and absolutely stellar performances we are told a tale about suffocating, oppressive "normality" and the strict rules in place to ensure preservation of and adherence to the status quo; a delicate structure which is disrupted by the aberrant yet deeply familiar allure of queerness.
With Suppalo high school, a perfect microcosm of society at large, as its backdrop, the story explores themes of mental illness, identity, freedom, and abuse with incisiveness and care.
The way these struggles for individuality and freedom of expression are depicted may not exactly be subtle, but it is incredibly effective and analyses the complexities of these systems and issues quite thoroughly.

The highlight of the series, however, are doubtless the characters.
There is Akk, who is so terrified of himself and his wants that he fully devotes himself to being a perfect part of the system, but no matter how strictly he enforces rules on himself and others, he just can't kill the part of himself that's different, unruly, queer.
There's Ayan, who has learned to weaponise his "otherness", his queerness to great effect, but who is also genuinely vulnerable and fragile.
Thua, who tries, in vain, to survive through keeping his head down and enduring, and Khan who is endlessly torn between defending his friends and ideals, and distancing himself from them so as avoid any association between himself and queerness.
And of course Wat, Sani, and Chadok, who are all highlights in their own right.
The complicated and slowly-changing relationships between these characters are what drives this drama and what elevates it above many other entries in the genre. From the romance, to the friendship, to the power struggles, I simply cannot overstate how truly excellent it all is.

Of course there are missteps, most notably the depiction of a forced outing late in the show, which is brushed aside with barely any consequences for either its perpetrator or victims.
The plot also becomes somewhat rushed and muddled around episode 11.
All in all though, I personally find the good of the show far outweighs the bad and the ending is so wonderful it balances out most of the previous episodes' mistakes.

In short, this show is more than worth your time. I personally feel quite a deep connection to the story and have a lot of strong opinions on it as a result, but even if you watch it "only" for surface level enjoyment, there is a lot to love about this series.
If you enjoy tender slow-burn romances with flawed but lovable characters, brilliant acting, and just enough charm and humour to balance out the angst, then this show is for you.
If you like queer coming-of-age stories that show how being a teenager is actually pretty damn hard, or even if you're just looking for a fairly decent mystery with lots of gay sleuthing, then this show is also for you.

Lire davantage