The Eclipse (2022)

Poor execution of an interesting premise but good romance and chemistry

The premise of “The Eclipse” sounds interesting and it actually has a decent plot and not just another school-setting Thai BL. I was hoping it would be similar to “The Gifted” which I quite enjoyed. Unfortunately, the execution of this interesting premise did not quite meet my expectations. But the overall acting of the young cast is actually pretty good, compared to other Thai BLs I’ve seen.

For the longest time, we have a group of THREE students, who call themselves “The World Remembers”, protesting against wearing school uniforms. I guess that could be a start in fighting back unreasonable school policies and rules. However, these same three students don’t seem to do much and the uniform issue lasted way too long before the protest gained traction to attract more people. The curse is supposed to be something scary but the threats do not seem that scary at all. They just seem like pranks to me. Ayan’s goal to find out more about his uncle’s suicide is executed a little better than the protesters. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also think it’s a waste of the female teacher. She could have done more and taken a more active role, but she’s just on the sidelines for most of the drama, and not contributing much.

Ayan is the best part of this drama. He brought joy and fun, and also facilitated the changing of Akk's character. The two make a very cute couple and one of the healthier relationships I’ve seen in a Thai BL drama in a school setting. I enjoy the teasing and the opposite-attract romance. I like how they communicate and Ayan patiently waits for Akk to come to terms with his feelings. The pair not just act well individually but also have great chemistry together. There may not be sexy scenes in this drama, but there are many romantic, cute and shy moments. There are also quite a few emotional scenes by Ayan and Akk, and I like how they support each other through tough times. I also quite like the secondary romance between Thua and Khan, and it’s mainly because I find Khan to be adorable. Thua is ok but his acting is only so so. I thought there’s more to Thua’s relationship with his stepfather, but then nothing happens.

Other Random Observations:
1. We have all good and supportive parents in this drama. Wow!
2. I love the main romance but Akk giving Aye a sponge bath is a little too much and cringey.
3. I see a pattern with Thai BL - swimming pool, underwater kiss, beach and guitar.
4. Why are students (even if they are prefects) patrolling school grounds at night?
5. A rare Thai drama that I only remember 1 product placement of drinks and they are not that bad.


Completed: 12/11/2022

Lire davantage

A promising start with a lackluster end

First and Khaotung's main lead breakthrough had an intriguing arc to school settings and criticism towards control, as the story pulls you through a relatable part in youth. The dark landscape painted a picture on the pressure teens face before their next chapter in life, but there's twists and turns that make you the detective as the story progresses.

What did I like?
The dynamics for four of the characters really showcases the different perceptions in self-discovery. I think before the final two episodes, it was well developed and complex enough to differentiate between the clashing personalities. The chemistry is tender. I loved the different ways each couple expressed their young love. It feels nostalgic! The discussions of mental health is also one of the rare series where they don't sugarcoat it, but they also don't stereotype and stigmatize mental illness. The acting for the most part (especially with the main leads) is fantastic. Poignant expression coupled with the actors really getting into their characters shows how dedicated they were in bringing the characters to life. The angled cinematography to collaborate with the theme of the show was clever! I see you, camerapeople. Finally, the representation, for once, didn't feel like "insert character for comedic relief". The more feminine characters actually had purpose to the plot, and for good reason.

What did I not like?
The plot had a great stride, but it exhausted its efforts towards the end. The sound quality was not the greatest. It felt like they filtered a microphone underwater for most of the scenes. While it was okay enough to get by, the static sounds were still distracting. And, as I said before, my personal distaste for the final two episodes left me docking off my enjoyment for the series, as well. It felt like they had to rush to conclude the series (or season, if there is going to be a second season). It made me ponder my thoughts on a certain character due to how quick they brushed away a particularly important scene. There was also a part at the end that made me feel like it was a strange fanservice filler. If they had that idea somewhere in the middle it would've made a little more sense, but again, I didn't see how incorporating filler when the conclusion is on the horizon would make the ending feel more complete.

So this series could be a hit or miss for a lot of people. If you're really interested in political symbolism, low-key jabs to government control, or hell, even just the main leads, give it a watch. Support the show. I notice they had a limit with what they were working with, but it felt like a promising story where the crew really cared about representation.

Lire davantage

Recommend, Great Chemistry/Acting, Novel Plot, BUT missing suspense

Acting: Super good. Really not complaints here. I think the main leads especially did a good job. First (as on par with Not Me) did such an incredible job conveying emotions and the struggles of the character, Akk… it really helped where the story at times was lacking. Khao, who I last saw in Tonhon Chonlatee (the worst drama ever) has totally improved and not that he wasn’t good at acting before, it is clear that with a better plot line he definitely can portray all the necessary emotions and feelings. The two together did really well and I loved the dynamic they had, especially how assertive Khao/Ayan was. As for the second couple, I didn’t feel the chemistry as much but maybe that was just me… not sure though!

Plot: It was a novel plot line, very well portraying a school with a struggling system that is incredibly harsh and in need of a progressive movement. I loved how nicely mental health issues were addressed, while a difficult piece, the plot did touch those areas well. The plot twists also were good. However, I did find myself bored at times which really saddened me because everything was laid out well for this drama: it just need more suspense or something.

Overall: for sure not the best, but still worth a watch! If you do check it out and like it I’d definitely recommend Not Me— heck even if you don’t like it, because it’s such a good drama that First (Akk) is also in!

Lire davantage

With this cast, you CAN'T SKIP IT!

My very first impression as the drama started was..."aww my babies ( fav support charecters from various dramas) are here. I absolutely love the Louis-Neo couple from Fish upon the sky. They just warm up my heart. Coming to the STORY- unlike common school/college drama, it was more of a thriller- mystery drama with the right amount of romance.
The story could have been more better in terms of suspense. And the turn of events which made the probable villian, being actually a sad victim was kind of ...not so nice. But then it wasn't bad either. But more than that, I loved the couples. I loved how Aye and Akk, being 2 people of completely different personalities and perspectives, tried to understand each other and support each other. The love story was beautiful. Kan - Thua had a similar love story like that in FUTS, but no matter what their story is...I never get bored watching them.
The entire CAST- did and incredible job.
Cinematography was good. Overall, I loved it!!

Lire davantage

A great story full of potential eclipsed by writing!

The series was not that bad but not that too good. It has nice OST, actors, chemistry, direction, and also the plotline...but the writing was not able to deliver it fully! It was lacking...I was disappointed at times, but anyways I enjoyed it cos of Akk and Aye!
Good job First, Khaotung, Neo, Louis...sorry idk other actors' names, I am just familiar with their faces!
The relationship dynamics between akk and aye as well as kan and Thua were good too! The trio's friendship was mature too...the character development was not that abrupt too, it showed guilt and a struggling arc for akk and I am glad he was not left alone...but was directed in the right direction by his peers, teacher, and Aye.

Lire davantage

was that it?

After getting The Eclipse recommended to me atleast a million times I decided to watch it, and it was much worse than I anticipated. I liked the caracters (some of them that is), Ayan and akk are engaging enough individually, but I can't really understand why they like each other to the degree they do. Thua and Kan are okay, but Thua's "twist" is the worst case of character assassination I've ever seen in my entire life because it actually came out of NOTHING. And it also just doesn't make any sense that Thua would ever out someone, when he quite literally experiences bullying every day for being queer himself. And then they just move on from it? Without Thua ever really properly apologizing, and it's just weird.
Wat and mo are like, there? But they both have very little significance to the story as a whole. They are both okay, but I feel like Mo is only there to serve the purpose of being "a suspicious person", to move attention away from Akk.
The concept around a school curse sounds cool on paper, and it works well as a theory, but I think the show would have improved drastically if there was actually existed a curse.
Ayan's motivations make sense, because he's at school mainly to find out what happened to his uncle, but it's like he forgets his own mission in the middle of the program and suddenly focuses on a lot of other things and it just seems a litt messy to me.
Also I really like Sani, but MA'AM YOU ARE A TEACHER. Like teh thing with her and wat...? very funky. I also still can't understand why she comes along to Akks's house, like hello SHE IS A TEACHER. She's not their best friend, they're not the same age at all.
On the topic of age. First and khao playing high school students when they were both 25 during filming :0
No thanks.
Overall, I didn't think it was terrible while watching it, but there was a lot that didn't make much sense and that could have been done in a much better way, considering the concept they started with in the first episode. From a citical standpoint, it's messy and weird, but it's not bad ot the degree that I'm going to hate the characters the actors too much. I know that many consider it as one of gmmtv's best shows, but it just didn't quite work for me on that level.
Msp and nlmg are definitely better and less confusing in my opinion. Watch it if you'd like, and like it if you want to, for me the great actors just couldn't save this doomed story and badly written script.

Lire davantage

Good character and relationship development but a couple flaws with the storyline

I was looking forward to this as I am a First fan and I'm happy to see his star is on the rise. He does a very good job in this as do the rest of the cast. I'm also impressed with Khaotung. I've only ever seen him on 1000 stars before, but his character in that series was not particularly prominent. However in this series he and First shine together with great chemistry.

This series has sort of split my opinion in two, so this review will consist of two parts - what I liked and what I struggled with.

Let's start with what I liked: character development, and build-up of relationships (especially Akk and Aye's).

The relationship between Akk and Aye - Some excellent acting from First and Khaotung to portray this. They brought this relationship to life. Their interactions stood out and came across as natural, flirty, shy, playful and romantic. It's definitely the highlight of this series, and when you watch them interact you get that warm, happy, fuzzy feeling which is nice. I found myself looking forward to their moments and interactions on screen.

Character development - Akk: I liked Akk's complex character and how First portrayed him. A student from a poor rural background taken advantage of by the school with promises. There was conflict within him, torn between his loyalties and the questioning of his own actions. I didn't, however, agree with the creators idea to make him commit such violent and dangerous acts (but more on that further down). That aside, First does a great job, and you can see how his acting skills are continuously improving. He's unafraid to embody the character and comes across naturally. And finally - an actual coming out scene in a BL series for a character.

Character development - Aye: Aye's character development was also nice to see and good work from Khaotung. He underwent a transformation from a melancholic, angry young man not knowing what to do with his rage, sadness and depression, to channelling it with Akk and slowly coming to terms with himself. Like First, Khaotung also does a great job portraying his character. He is playful, flirty, daring, and quite mischievous toward Akk which is fun to watch. Interesting also to note that he is willing to compromise his beliefs and principles to protect Akk.

As always with BL there is usually a second pairing and in this series it was Neo and Louis with Thuan and Khan. Whilst I'm generally not a fan of the "token second relationship", they both did a very good job. AJ as Wat was also good, portraying the struggle between what you want, the expectations of others around you and the pressure you feel when you end up pleasing everyone else apart from yourself.

Now for what I struggled with. This was mainly elements of the underlying storyline with the school - i.e. the curse, the teachers etc. It was trying to incorporate twists and turns and surprises, however, it didn't quite work.

The "hardships" of the students were not elaborated enough for me. Also, the "world remembers" group felt a bit caricaturist. Maybe this may be a case of "lost in translation". I have read snippets of an interview where the director talked about the "rotten Thai educational system". Perhaps the hardships were more obvious to Thai fans. 

The curse - I felt there were better ways to show students being intimidated. Students could be bullied, threatened with repercussions, unfairly punished etc. They do this briefly with Aye when he is targeted by the teachers, so I don't see why this could not be done to the others as well. The whole curse thing gets a bit tedious. Someone said it represents religion in Thailand and how it's used to oppress so maybe it just got lost in translation again. Akk committing such violent acts was a over the top. I'm not saying he should've been an angel, him realising the error of his ways and changing is part of the story, but making him into a violent criminal was excessive. Releasing a hand brake to injure (if not kill) unsuspecting students? It's a tad extreme. 

Chadok & Dika - They were engaged to marry and buy a house, yet Chadok was oblivious to the fact that Dika had a nephew? It's just hard to believe. Also, if Chadok was a nice guy, why was he being so harsh to students? What was his motivation? I don't quite buy it. We saw a flashback of him being a bully in the past, and this is when the curse started apparently. But then that was not followed through to the present day. Finally he was confronted, cried, admitted to his relationship, said sorry - and that was it? It confused me.  

Thua's actions - not entirely sure about the point of his actions? To force the truth? It ruins his character and makes him look like a really crappy friend.

So, the final verdict? I enjoyed the series despite some of the issues - mainly thanks to the focus on the Akk/Aye interactions and their characters. But there were issues with the story itself.  

I'm happy that so much investment is going into BL and there has been improvement with better acting and directing. Eclipse is an example of that despite its flaws, but it would greatly benefit the series if a bit more attention was paid to the storyline. It would be a shame if the talent of these young actors gets overlooked by weaknesses in the overall storylines.

Lire davantage

My safe space <3

A poorly written plot saved by an amazing cast with great chemistry and excellent characters and development. Had this show discarded the whole curse story line and instead focused solely on how high school life, pressures and anxieties effects people mentally, it could've been god tier. The plot was just not as fully developed or interesting as the romance and it really lets the whole show down, especially in the first couple of episodes and the last two.

But the romance, now that is god tier! AkkAyan are so beautiful, I cannot even describe how they make me feel. Watching them week by week, I can tell you it is one of the most genuine falls in love I’ve ever seen. Their chemistry... their development... the way they saved each other. They literally healed something inside of me and I just love them so much.

Other good aspects of this show was the mental health representation ✅ It really made me feel seen, whether that be through Akk's struggles, or Ayan's anxieties. This show really felt like a safe space for me and provided comfort at the end of a tiring long week.I also really liked the character of Wat. He was really interesting and engaging to me.

Final thing for me to say is that they forgave Thua way too easily and I will never like him :)

Lire davantage

Disappointing

The premise seemed promising with a good intro and set of characters. However the plot never developed over time and it just turned out to be a big disappointment in the end.
The protesters seemed to protest like they were being suppressed like real prisoners but none of the reasons were evident in the episodes. So the protests seemed like foolish fake activisim. It was just annoying enough to not side with them at all.
The mystery around the death of Ayan's uncle was set as a back burner with Ayan not even investigating with his full heart and just loitering around Akk.
The twist in ep11 was ok enough to be called a twist but still fell short of giving any wow factor. Nobody faced any dire consequence of their action and at the end all was unicorns and 'rainbows' again. (Pun intended)
I liked how First acted with ease and he seemed a natural in the role. however i found Ayan a bit forced with the bad boy attitude.
Overall a real disappointment since the trailor seemed interesting.

Lire davantage

nice watch, even tho there is room for improvement

was one of my fave bls these days mainly bc i like the cast and the whole plot idea.


i liked Akk's and Ayan's characters and their relationship, it was generally built at a good speed and especially during the first eps Ayan's teasing and flirting was sooo good i love Khao (the actor) sm. Neo playing a more serious character was interesring too, this man has got the visuals and this series gave some good scenes with him.

the ost is so good, i immediately added it in my spotify list, Khao slayed

the plot could have been better ngl, i was really hoping there would be something supernatural with the eclipse part (i want aye's necklash so bad).

also i rlly enjoyed the whole concept of calling out the higher ups and for fighting for their right to self expression, HOWEVER as pointed by other comments the reasons (uniforms, phones) were a bit weak to take them seriously, but i didnt rlly hate it although it kept being repetitive sometimes.

it had some nice plot twists but they were thrown at us pretty fast so i kinda didnt digest them that well, like Thua making a scene and calling his friends out on one ep and the other one they are back together making a film (?)

it was a nice watch tho, i still like it and appreciate it came out with these actors.

Lire davantage

I really love it

I’ll start off with things I did not really like about this show and then move on to the positives

Cons;
1. As someone who went to a private secondary school, I was really baffled as to why school uniforms were such a huge problem within this show. Most, if not every private school, in the world requires their students to wear uniforms and it’s really not a big deal.
2. Also the whole issue with phone use was very nonsensical, for lack of a better word. Why was that even an issue to begin with? There are bigger issues within school systems that could have been touched on, especially within the private school communities.
3. I understand that Akk and Thua were main characters but it felt weird that they got no real punishments for what they did. Some of Akk’s actions were kinda criminal, but we just let it slide? I understand that he understood his wrong doings, but with actions come consequences that he did not receive.

Pros;
1. I really enjoyed Ayan and Akk’s chemistry. It felt very natural and wasn’t something that happened so instantaneously.
2. I love how there was no unnecessary fights between them as well.
3. First and Khaotung did great with portraying their roles. They really are great actors and they really knew how to express their emotions. I was actually in awe with their performances. I cannot wait to see them in Moonlight Chicken.
4. I liked the premise of the entire show. While we could have done so much more with this idea, they did not do a terrible job. There is room for improvement, but there’s no show that’s flawless.

Overall I had a GREAT time watching this show, hence my high rating. The cons were not enough to make this show bad for me at all.

Lire davantage

Honestly, though the storyline had some flaws it was executed well so it didnt matter. I ended up binging it and im so glad I did because it would have been so hard to wait every week for the new ep to drop.

The acting was great.. Khaofirst deserve another series together. Unmatched chemistry between the two actors. But very much underappreciated. I don't understand why they didn't get a bigger hype up or enough advertisement for this bl.

The sound track was also amazing, I added to my playlist which I havnt done for any other show ost. It was sung by Khao himself and though it takes some time to getting used to it was very nicely done.

You wont be disappointed. So check it out and support the actors.

Lire davantage