The Eclipse (2022)

Prometeu nada, mas entregou tudo e mais um pouco

Não iniciei esse BL com muita empolgação... Os atores principais já eram conhecidos, o casal secundário também atuou junto em Fish upon the sky, e a novidade era ver Khaotung e First juntos, ambos vinham de outros ships, mas provaram que tem química até com uma porta hehehe.

Sobre o roteiro: me prendeu do início ao fim! Eu percebia a crítica ao sistema educacional (que parecia tão exagerada...), até que me toquei que o buraco era mais embaixo, e a crítica na verdade era ao governo como um todo, numa época em que a Tailândia estava passando por uma luta absurda para que os direitos LGBTQIAP+ fossem respeitados, não poderiam ser por acaso essas críticas, isso me agradou muito.
Outro ponto que me deixou bem encantada foi a construção dos dois casais. Ayan chegou com péssimas intenções, ele queria destruir a escola e vingar seu tio morto, baseado apenas em suas suposições, mas não foi possível não amar o jeito debochado e cpnfiante dele. Ao encontrar Akk, seu mundo entrou em parafuso, pois eles eram totalmente opostos, e Akk estava numa posição de superioridade como monitor. Foi aí que o diretor fez a mágica. Akk era um menino do interior, de uma família humilde, e tudo o que queria era deixar seus pais orgulhosos dele. Ao perceber os próprios sentimentos, ele se magoou consigo mesmo, pois imaginou ser o motivo da tristeza de seus pais, se aceitar foi a coisa mais difícil que ele já fez, o mundo inteiro dele entrou em parafuso, o olhar dele transmitia uma dor profunda por não ter ajuda, não poder pedir ajuda, e a única pessoa a quem ele poderia se voltar, era o rebelde que pretendia desencaminhá-lo, em quem ele não confiava. Ayan, apesar das motivações erradas para ir à escola, ele foi um gentlerman com Akk. Ele acolheu, ouviu, abraçou, não forçou, foi o apoio que Akk precisava. Ele também soube reconhecer seu erro quando houve o plow twist do professor, foi magnânimo.
O casal secundário também teve um lindo desenvolvimento. Thuapu entendia sua sexualidade, mas tinha medo da incompreensão do mundo, e preferia esconder seu amor por Khanlong para protegê-lo de tudo, do preconceito, da maldade dos outros, Khanlong por sua vez, também demorou a aceitar seus sentimentos, mas quando o fez foi da forma mais bela possível. A química entre esses casais foi surreal. Aliás, cada ator e atriz se encaixou tão bem no personagem, que a química entre todo o elenco foi perfeita, mas entre Ayan e Akk foi demais, eles não precisavam de palavras, as expressões deles, os olhares, era muito surreal de perfeito.

Também fui surpreendida por duas coisas: inicialmente pensei que a Professora Sani fosse uma vilã, e ela me surpreendeu da melhor maneira, mesmo sendo errado shipei ela com Wat hehehe. Também achei que Namo podia ser o vilão, e os vilões na verdade eram os mocinhos, fiquei passada. O outro plow twist foi o do relacionamento do Prof. Dika com o tio de Ayan, eu jamais desconfiaria disso, tendo em vista que ele corroborava com a história contada pela escola de que ele traiu a escola e foi para a concorrência. Os pais de Ayan e Akk merecem todo o amor do mundo.

A atuação pra mim foi uma das melhores que já vi em séries BL, a cinematografia, a fotografia eram surreais de lindas. A ost é encantadora, o a ambiente escolar, mas não o clichê de sempre, foi a cereja do bolo.

Com certeza verei essa série mais vezes, pra mim foi uma das melhores de 2022 e eu panfletarei ela até sempre.

Lire davantage

2 solid couples, this is how you do a BL!!

I believe many of us have long moved past the phase of watching high school shows, but you have to trust me on this one – Eclipse is a masterpiece. Although the trailer came off as mediocre when GMMTV first unveiled it, the plot is anything but tired.

The BL is solid. The storyline is solid. I can’t ask for much more.

It’s rare for a BL to have 2 extremely solid couples – but I was as excited to watch Akk and Ayan as I was to watch Kan and Thua. Both couples absolutely nailed it.

This is the first time I’m watching First and Khaotung being paired together, and gosh, it is worth the wait. Khaotung generally takes on roles that are ‘softer’, so watching Ayan is a breath of fresh air. Because of his personality, Ayan is always looking to push the boundaries, especially with Akk, and it’s this confidence that defines the main couple’s dynamics. Pulling Akk’s face closer to his, kissing him on the cheek – Ayan constantly taunts and challenges Akk, just to see how much he can get away with before Akk pulls away.

I never thought I would see Khaotung being a bad boy, but here we are. Did he pull it off perfectly? Oh yes, watching them really makes my heart flutter.

Neo often plays the joker, but in Eclipse, he’s serious and intense. And I’m so glad we get to see this side of him. He and Louis first appeared in Fish Upon The Sky, where their chemistry was largely forgettable. Eclipse really brought out the best in them.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/28/eclipse-2022-review-bl/

Lire davantage

There is something about this series, something special I can’t explain.

First of all. I'm VERY late writing this review but here is what I thought of the show :)

(SPOILER ALERT SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY WHOLE TEXT)

"There is something about this series, something special I can’t explain what it is but it is literally my comfort. Maybe I’m to attached to the series... Idk what to do with my life when this show ends. I want new episodes to air every friday for the next of my life. My fridays will be so empty without new episodes and there won't be a friday that i look forward to anymore :( I know that there are still 2 weeks left but I’m not ready to let go. Idk why or how but Eclipse is 24/7 in my head... Can we also appreciate Khao and First? They're so talented and literally the 2 perfect actors to play Akk and Ayan. I recommend this series to everyone who is seeing this right now."

That was my short review about The Eclipse back when I just almost finished it. The reason i'm writing this review so late? Because i was too lazy to make a mydramalist acc. I forreal made this account to rank The Eclipse high and to let yall know how AMAZING this show was. The story, as u have seen in a lot of reviews here is PERFECT, BUT 2 little things that triggered me was that they forgive Thua that fast AND Wat x teacher Sani. It was kinda weird tbh.
But for the rest, I loved that it wasn't just a normal high school drama but with an interesting, mysterious touch. The plot-twists were also very interesting and I was shocked of some. ONE OF GMMTV'S BEST WORKS. The whole aesthetic and cinematography still blows me away.
know this show is not for everyones interest but I would give it a try if I was you :)
THE ACTING. FIRST TIME THAT FIRSTKHAO PLAYED MAIN ROLES AND K1LLED IT!!! Untill this day I'm still so amazed of Khao's acting and ofcourse First too. The whole story was well balanced and it really deserved all the recognisation. The Eclipse will always be on eof my favourites and I recommend 10/10. Nothing unproblematic or weird just a healthy, cute, mysterious show. It's an all-pack with every genre. Loved it so much. (rewatched it for like 10 times already)

Lire davantage

Eclipsed mystery, shinning love

This show is phenomenal, a must watch indeed. However, i got to say i was expecting a little more on the mystery and somewhat kind-of-supernatural aspect of it.
Of couse it had great plot twist and reveals that i was not expecting, but some other things just felt rushed and not very well planned out or just thrown at us.
Good thing, however, was the acting and the cinematography of the whole thing. I had my jawdropping every now and than while experiencing and seeing the feelings of all the actors, specially the main couple, just pass by their eyes, slight expression changes and voice tones. It was trully incredible, not to mention the music; when i say that i just could not get myself to jump the opening sequence even once, i'm not lying. It was just that good.
If you like the political, revenge, enemy-to-lovers, fight-for-what's-right kind of story, this one is a good one. Just don't come for the mystery.

Lire davantage

The story captured me from the beginning

This BL series has gotten some bad reviews. I thought it was brilliant. Its message was perhaps lost in the way the story unfolded. That is too bad because its message and meaning is quite significant. For sure, this story twists and turns in sometimes strange ways and does not smoothly transition from beginning to end. But if you understand the intent behind it, it is quite an impactful and moving story. Remember, this is yet another never-ending Thai BL about high school boys. But with this one, I took the time to see it from the perspective of a Thai teenage boy. And guess what? It is messy, uneven, illogical, immature, and chaotic. Just like a teenage boy IS. This was one of the few times that I thought these endless school BLs finally captured the essence of a teenage boy. Silly, impressionable, vulnerable, passionately committed, searching for truth, making mistakes, failing, and falling deeply and hard in love. Have we forgotten?

Lire davantage

I'm happy again

It's been hard y'all. It's been very difficult to watch every current BL, but this time they got it right. I'm finally feeling ACTUALLY happy about a drama. The casting is perfect, of course it helps. The boys were great, It was well directed, the story was amazing and had plot twists I didn't see coming. It's the first time in a while I watched something weekly and anxiously and I didn't wanna it to end. The chemistry between First and Khaotung is unbelievable. The development of First's character, Akk, is so well done. I always love Neo and seeing him in a serious part was nice too. Also, I really like him with Louis, they make a great couple. AJ surprised me too, now I like him more. I almost cried so many times, it got really emotional and sad but it's because it shows reality in an important way.

Lire davantage

A curse? What curse?

The story in itself is promising but the execution is a bit messy.
Three episodes in and there are pieces of the plot I wished were more installed and others I wished we'd discover later in the story to keep things fresh and make us feel like everything is planned out.
I'd have enjoyed the idea of a very present threat, of a curse every student believes in, to create a real tense and heavy atmosphere. As for Dika, I'd have liked it better if he was introduced a bit later, thus making Ayan look even more mysterious since we don't know his true motives.

A lot of things are put out there and it creates a bit of a messy development: the curse is mentioned but it's hard to know if students strongly believe in it or only think of it as a kind of joke or unrealistic threat, Ayan's uncle has come into the picture thus revealing Ayan's presence in Suppalo, Khan and Thua's relationship is unclear too since they both give each other the cold shoulder but at the same time, they seem to care about each other... and how can a powerful and elite school like Suppalo feel threatened by three students who aren't even that rebellious (they're only shown once or twice with casual clothes in school and end up complying with the rules even though they dislike it!)?
I think the further we go in the story, the more everything comes into place but it's a bit of a shame that the title of the series and its premise feel like it's just a mere detail of the story.

Of course, I do enjoy the "cat and mouse game" between Akk and Ayan. One teases the other, consequently, the other gets flustered... it's cute and quite well-executed (though it drags on for a long time). Akk and Ayan's actors have nice facial expressions and lively eyes.
I think Khan and Thua's relationship evolves nicely too (that scene when they're sleeping next to each other and Khan's owning up to his feelings...absolutely adorable!). It's a good thing that they've changed the dynamics they had in Fish upon the Sky, this way, it doesn't bring a sense of deja-vu.
Dika's story is, in my opinion, what is the most interesting aspect of the plot, and I found myself looking forward to knowing more about it while the curse is just a plot device that is not well used (at least at the beginning of the drama, the "mystery" behind the curse unfolds later and gets clearer).

Some dialogues and some scenes feel a bit stiff, nothing too cringy but there are silences that drag on weirdly between two sentences or the way the dialogues are delivered is not very natural with some actors.

No matter my criticisms, I've not dropped this series and it was a rather pleasant drama to watch!

Lire davantage

Masterpiece... if the story was fleshed more

I really loved this show. It was so fantastic. The cast chemistry was so good and the characterisations were absolutely brilliant probably some of the best characters in a BL.

The characters were probably the best part of the show. I was amazed with the detail put into each character's personality and background and how that directly carried through into their actions. For example, Akk comes from a humble upbringing and every action he does goes to trying to make his parents proud. We see it from Ayan who begins to conform to the system because his boyfriend and we slowly begin to see him lose his steadfast values. The characters also beautifully develop as the show progresses and we see the effect each one has on the other.

The one thing I am impressed in the show is that the queer identity was really well told. I feel that a lot of BLs are written from the perspective of two straight guys who turn gay for each other, so it was nice to follow Akk's storyline. We saw him struggling with his sexual identity and and how difficult it was for him and the work that was required. It felt massively realistic and authentic.

If I'm going to be completely honest, the show did fall a bit flat in the story department. I thought the way the major conflicts - Dika's death and mysteries of the trouble makers was neglected throughout a significant part of the show where some of the romance and character storylines stretched out too much. The story resolutions were also a bit weak. The Dika's death and Eclipse storylines were somewhat surprising but didn't give the full satisfaction it should have given especially with how I felt like there was too many easy resolutions in this show. Firstly the short film decoy felt very weak to me and after the way Thua going to all this trouble to keep the curse up and vented his frustrations would agree to do the short film felt unusual. The resolutions felt very easy and minimised the seriousness of the conflicts that had depicted.

Overall it's a really good watch with a bit of a few weak storylines. I definitely recommend this to everyone watch it though and I hope to see more BLs like this.

Lire davantage

Oh to have a love like theirs<3

This might as well be the best series GMMTV has produced in 2022. I just simply LOVE IT!

The acting was MWUA (especially First's and Khaotung's), the chemistry between characters was MWUA, the plot twist (you know which one, I don't wanna spoil) wasn't a plot twist for me because I already suspected it but gah dayum I loved it, the betrayal and how fast they all forgave him made me SO mad, etc

Altogether, I loved it!
I finished it some time ago so I can't be sure, but I think I never had anything bad to say about the show? It was all just my cup of tea and just how I like it!
If you like: romance, couple whose love is indescribable, a story of young teens discovering themselves and accepting who they are, amazing acting, a new comfort series... THE ECLIPSE is the right series for you

All I have to say is, sit or lay down and ENJOY!

Lire davantage

Wonderful from start to finish!

I loved this story (and I do mean actual STORY not just a basic romance with no plot to back it up)! The acting was incredible and the relationships showed development so the actors had chemistry and a believable love. The emotions were spot on. The families, the school, the friendships were all well done. Good acting and dialogue and plot with twists and turns that made it enjoyable, interesting, and lovable. I don't pay as much attention to the music unless I found it amazing or distracting. The songs were good, and one in particular stood out to me as really good, but overall the songs weren't the strength of the show. Honestly the incredible story and acting was just so wonderful that I would recommend this to anyone. It's got some heart-wrenching moments, some truly romantic moments, a little comedy, and even a mystery to be solved. The main couple weren't the only amazing parts, each supporting character was so believable. As far as relationships go, another wow. Not only were the relationships portrayed well, but they showed real partnerships, experiencing hardships and overcoming them together in a very practical and realistic way. This is what all BLs should aspire to be.

Lire davantage

Always be surrounded by positive people

What a good representation of a society full of lies, judgment, "perfection", secrets, hate, sacrifice, and LOVE. I put a 10/10 because I felt connected with the main character sharing all their emotion from pain to joy. no one I repeat got the capacity to judge you because nobody is perfect .what others got the courage to expose that you are hiding because you are frustrated don't put that frustration on others is not fair. we are talking about human rights but who are we to criticize people? each of us should learn to love and appreciate ourselves and not wait for someone to tell us what we want. look yourself at the mirror and love your reflection. love is love gender has nothing to do with it. your personality, your effort, your courage, and many other things should define you. stop caring about how others think about you. like someone said "leave the table when respect is not longer served" know your worth stop pleasing others and start pleasing yourself. be focused to love yourself, treating yourself first, and healing every wound before thinking about the people that love you for who you are, keep those who are putting the same amount of effort as you do, and finally keep close sincere people even if the truth hurt.

Lire davantage

Another missable series from the GMMTV stable

How do half-baked screenplays even reach the production floor? With limited queer content (ones not behind a paywall) available for viewing I still shouldn't have to lower my expectations to enjoy a show. Massive gaps in the storytelling, extremely poor editing, unaddressed inappropriate relationship depictions and awful pacing. The music is sub-par as is the colour grading, cinematography. The last three episodes were cloying.
The few pluses to this car-crash of a show would be some of the actors who played the students and professors.
If you haven't watched this series yet, I would recommend giving it a miss.

Lire davantage