Only Friends (2023)

Crazy, but Fun

Like the title of this review, Only Friends was crazy, but fun. There's a LOT of drama, but that's the whole point of the show. If you're looking for a gentle, sweet, kiss-on-the-cheek drama, check out 2gether or something like that. This show is NOT for the people wanting the innocent first love story. This show is meant for the people that want the drama that comes with boys that are capital M - messy!

Story:
I gave the storyline an 9.0 instead of a 10.0 because there were so many misunderstandings. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good misunderstanding, but it felt like there was a point where the only drama for every couple was the a misunderstanding arc. Use it once or twice, but don't keep reusing it in the same fashion for every couple. Communication is key!
I will say, the ending was pretty good and the way that the characters reacted to things was fairly understandable/reasonable for their characterization. This is to say that the reactions may not have been reasonable in a modern IRL setting for an everyday person, but for the characters and their stories, the reactions and motives were fairly on point.

Acting:
First/Khaotung were amazing as always. Their chemistry is OUTSTANDING. I loved them in The Eclipse and I loved them here. They were messy messy, but they were real in a way that I appreciate. Sand stayed firm in his boundaries and Ray learned how to see himself through Sand's eyes leading him to loving himself more than he had in the past.

Give it a go if you're looking for a far more mature series (and you're not afraid of a little mess.)

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Sin dal primo trailer non avevo grandi aspettative perché la storia a mio parere non sembrava avere tanto senso per questo l’ho semplicemente nominata “serie in cui si cornificano a vicenda”. In realtà se dovessi descrivere la trama di Only Friends direi quest’ultima frase, non saprei spiegarla in nessun'altra maniera, è tutto così incasinato e complicato per riuscire a spiegare che tipo di serie sia.
La mia opinione non è risultata cambiata quando ho visto il secondo trailer, semplicemente sono rimasta scioccata, ero senza fiato perchè non mi aspettavo di vedere quello che ho visto.
In ogni caso sarò sincera dicendo che il tipo di trama che troviamo proposta qui è una di quelle che evito perchè sono incasinate e sinceramente vado molto più per un amore puro e sincero, non amo i tradimenti e sono rancorosa quindi non sopporterei questo tipo di trama, ma alla fine l’ho vista lo stesso per due motivi:
1. so che se ne sarebbe parlato tanto e volevo provare l’esperienza che amo di più, ossia il vedere video e opinioni delle persone su una serie mentre questa è in onda;
2. questo è il punto determinante. IL CAST. Inutile fare, se mi avessero proposto un altro cast molto probabilmente non l’avrei mai iniziata perchè questo è veramente ottimo, spettacolare, se fossero stati altri attori non mi sarebbe interessato. Per non parlare della presenza dei miei amati First e Khao.
Quindi ci pensai un pò e mi dissi vabbè proviamoci.
Adesso come adesso posso dire che la serie in sè mi è piaciuta sin dall’inizio per il suo vibes, è fresco e pungente, mi piace.
Però inutile dire che la storia è un fottuto casino, non amo dover parlare di persona o coppia in persona o coppia ma con questa serie è l’unico metodo, tanto so che farò mischi assurdi.

Incominciando da colui che sin dall’inizio mi è sembrato colui che fosse più marcato, quasi come fosse il singolo protagonista, ossia Mew.
Dico che sembra come il vero protagonista perché alla fine tutto rimanda a lui, tutto gira intorno a lui.
Sin dall’inizio l’ho amato veramente tanto, insieme a Sand, ma a una certa mi è sceso veramente in basso; partendo proprio dall’inizio non ero sicura che Top potesse essere un buon ragazzo e di sua parte ho amato come Mew sia stato attento nel verificare se Top potesse essere serio o meno. Insieme li ho anche amati ma non tantissimo, mi hanno dato fastidio varie cose ma la cosa che più mi ha sfracassato le palle è stato quando Mew ha chiesto a Top di smetterla di fare uso di droghe e Top ha deciso che doveva essere ricompensato sennò non faceva come Mew aveva detto. Lì inutile dire il nervoso che mi è salito, Mew te lo dice per il tuo bene e te pensi solo a un modo per obbligarlo ad andare a letto con te! Ho odiato questa cosa ed il fatto che Mew veramente lo abbia “ricompensato”. Non mi è piaciuto.
Un’altra cosa che ho odiato è stato assolutamente quando Top si è arrabbiato vedendo il video del bacio tra Mew e Ray. Dico io allora sei coglione perché mo vabbè che Boston è un altro coglione di merda ma cazzo, te l’ha pure detto che l’accaduto era di due anni prima, che ti arrabbi a fare! Lì scioccata perchè veramente si è solo avuta la conferma che usciva con Mew solo perchè era vergine e voleva farlo con uno vergine, quindi quando ha avuto il dubbio del fatto che Mew gli abbia mentito o meno gli ha dato fastidio.
Il vero problema è che se ami Mew e sei serio con lui, a te non dovrebbe fregare più di tanto di una cosa di due anni prima, manco fosse di quel momento; e la cosa ancora più assurda è che si è sentito così superiore da farlo con Boston per la rabbia. Inutile fare che ci sono rimasta di merda, questo è tradimento a tutti gli effetti e sinceramente per me Mew non l’avrebbe dovuto neanche perdonare.
Ho amato come Mew abbia fatto sapere a Top che il tradimento non era più un segreto, è stato fantastico.
Poi sinceramente Mew mi è caduto parecchio in basso.
Mi aspettavo una bella vendetta, non lui che si facesse trasportare da tutto e diventare una persona che non è, ma alla fine non gliene do una colpa perchè lui è la vittima.
Innanzitutto non mi è piaciuto come abbia fatto la mossa di andare a provarci con quello per prendere il video dalla sua chiavetta ma bho allo stesso tempo ho amato come abbia usato saggiamente questa cosa contro Boston. Proprio il fatto di presentarsi a casa sua, parlarne col padre come se fosse un progetto di recitazione facendo cagare sotto Boston, ho adorato poi soprattutto la maturità del dirgli che anche se si è procurato quel video, lui non è una merda come Boston e non gioca sporco. Amato.
Poi di lì è caduto in tutti i sensi e se in un primo momento ne ero incazzata, poi ne sono stata triste perchè l'ho capito. Top è pur sempre stato il suo primo amore, è ovvio che vedendosi cornuto avrà pensato a cose come “Non sono abbastanza?" “Sono noioso?” e altro ancora. Per questo l’unica cosa che è finito a fare è stato cercare di non sembrare noioso per fargli vedere cosa si è perso, però nel tentativo di cercare di riaverlo.
Ha iniziato a fumare, bere, fare festa, lo stile è cambiato, ma soprattutto il suo atteggiamento, e poi ha deciso che bha avrebbe dovuto amare l’unica persona che veramente c’è sempre stata per lui e lo ama, Ray. Lì scioccata che stesse realmente succedendo, non volevo succedesse anche perchè finalmente le cose tra Ray e Sand stavano andando bene. In questa maniera sarebbe stato rovinato tutto.
Poi sinceramente non mi piaceva l’idea di Mew che utilizzava Ray per cercare di ingelosire Top e Ray di sua parte che se prima era indeciso sui suoi sentimenti, adesso lo sarebbe stato ancora di più. Non mi sembrava giusto per entrambi.
Che poi Cheum disse che era colpa di Ray se Mew era andato a finire così ma sarò sincera e dirò che non è così. Per l’amor del cielo, Mew ha voluto tutto questo e l’ha chiesto a Ray, dimmi te che cosa avrebbe mai dovuto fare Ray che lui in primis è un fottuto alcolista, chi è alcolista come può fermare gli altri dal bere, non sa fermare se stesso e pretendi fermasse Mew. Ma poi anche se fosse, Mew è adulto e può decidere per sé quindi se decide di farlo, lo faccia. Che sbaglia lo sappiamo bene tutti ma da come sta messo mentalmente meglio che l’abbia capito col tempo.
Però veramente Mew mi era sceso un botto, anche se ne ero veramente triste, mi è stra dispiaciuto per lui, si vedeva che aveva amato e amava Top con tutto se stesso, sennò non sarebbe finito in quel modo.
Inutile dire che ho amato quando ha buttato in piscina sia Boston che Top ahahah.
Sinceramente sono una persona rancorosa e odio veramente tanto il tradimento, se fossi stata in Mew manco morta avrei perdonato Top. So quanto è orribile e ingiusto il tradimento, per questo ho sperato tanto che Mew non lo perdonasse ma che ci vuoi fare, Mew è ultra innamorato di Top, avrà resistito un pò eccetera ma si sapeva che alla fine avrebbe ceduto e la cosa che veramente ho odiato è che dopo tutta la madonna di cose successe hanno deciso di mettermi in mezzo pure quel bastardo di Boeing. Lo odio con tutta me stessa insieme a Boston e un pochetto meno Top.
Sinceramente non ci voleva pure tutto sto casino con lui, ha dato solo estremo fastidio.
Alla fine Mew e Top saranno pure tornati insieme ma bho io non sono ancora riuscita a perdonare completamente Top, si vede che è dispiaciuto come non mai e che si è estremamente pentito ma allo stesso tempo per me il tradimento è la peggio cosa.
Però diciamo che ho alleggerito un po ' il cuore sulla cosa per il fatto di vedere finalmente Mew più felice. Cosa che però non è ritornata alla normalità è il suo atteggiamento, si vede che è maturato dalla questione ma data la sporcizia di situazione avrei preferito non succedesse nulla così che rimanesse com’era, ha passato veramente tanto senza meritarsi tutta quella merda.

Per quanto riguarda Ray e Sand, la cosa è tanta.
Una cosa è certa, questa coppia è l’unica che mi ha fatto provare i maggiori sentimenti in assoluto. Sin dall’inizio ho pianto valangate di lacrime per loro, sia di felicità che di tristezza.
Inutile dire che Sand è stato il mio personaggio preferito in assoluto per tutta la serie. Amore mio purtroppo ne ha passate tante.
Sia Sand che Ray sono persone che in amore ci mettono tutto il cuore ma mentre Sand si fa facilmente trascinare, Ray finge di essere trascinato, per esattezza è trascinato dai suoi sentimenti contrastanti che lo fanno stare bene con Sand ma appena vede o sente Mew subito scatta la scintilla per il suo vecchio amore.
Ray è un personaggio molto delicato e purtroppo non è stato quasi mai trattato bene dalle persone, vuole solo un pò di compagnia e soprattutto vuole essere amato.
Purtroppo è così pieno di problemi e gli è stato difficile rendersi conto di se stesso e capirsi, si sarebbe dovuto impegnare sul capire i suoi sentimenti per non far soffrire Sand, eppure coglione com’è non ha fatto nulla neanche quando si è messo con Mew, dato che pretendeva lo stesso di essere geloso di Sand. Infatti io l’avevo sempre cercato di capire ma lì proprio ho detto basta e ho pensato che fosse veramente il momento di decidere perché l’amore non è una scelta e non puoi pretendere di amare due persone contemporaneamente, credi veramente che questo sarà accettato da loro?!
Il suo è stato un comportamento decisamente egoista ed è stato pure il primo a parlare con Sand dicendo che nei momenti passati assieme era veramente felice.
Quindi non volevo proprio capire cosa lo fermasse, era troppo legato ai vecchi sentimenti per lasciarli andare e aggiungerne di nuovi.
Sand è stato trattato veramente male da Ray, inutile dire i pianti che mi sono fatta; una delle scene che più mi ha fatto piangere è quella finale dell’episodio 5 in cui Sand dice: con questa scena piansi veramente tanto perchè si vedeva quanto Sand avesse messo tanto amore in Ray e quanto avesse sperato per il meglio.
Per quanto riguarda di quando Sand è riuscito a convincere Ray a fare riabilitazione, quel periodo iniziale è stato doloroso, ho amato la recitazione di First e Khao nelle scene in cui litigavano e nella scena di riappacificazione dal litigio, purtroppo è vero che Sand non avesse veramente preso quei soldi ma la scena così sembrava quindi ho sentito proprio nel profondo la sensazione di Ray. Si sarà sentito tradito, usato, una scusante e tutti i sentimenti per lui si erano annullati, erano falsi. Quindi capisco benissimo perchè si sia lasciato andare e abbia urlato tutto fuori, questo lo ha anche aiutato a comprendersi meglio e una volta saputa la verità è stato tutto così bello nel vedere lui che correva da Sand per dirgli che senza di lui non può vivere ecc.
Che poi loro due sono stati un roller coaster per tutta la serie perché ogni episodio andava da dio per poi finire male con loro, ero felice e poi mi ritrovavo a piangere e gli ultimi episodi sono stati quelli più decisivi però devo dire di aver trovato un atteggiamento diverso.
Con l’arrivo di Boeing signor pulce fastidiosa anche da Sand, ho trovato che la cosa fosse tornata all’inizio ma inversa; Sand indeciso sui suoi sentimenti mentre Ray era lì super forte. Ho decisamente amato Ray ma purtroppo per me è stato un pò troppo crudele con Sand nella scena della piscina perché mio dio quei pochi minuti sono stati lo stress in persona, assurdi, ero scioccata.
Però cazzo quanto mi sono piaciuti loro, la coppia che più ho amato di questa serie e l’unica che speravo con tutta me stessa finisse assieme.
NON MI PUBBLICA TUTTA LA RECENSIONE PERCHè DICE CHE è TROPPO LUNGA, QUINDI NE HO PUBBLICATA UN'ALTRA

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Good acting but lacks real interesting story.

Sadly this is boring and I hate how they make it only look like a one-sideded gay mock-up. Not every gay man wants to sleep with everyone around him and all his friends. Have to say lacks story and chemistry at times. I am a big fan of all the actors and they all do amazing in acting and showing emotions, but their chemistry is off at times and I feel like the story is not going anywhere. Feels like we have seen this way too many times, and as a gay man, it is not always how it is for all of us, we all don't want to sleep with friends and lie and cheat. I respect the idea of the story but sadly comes up short on anything else. Wish the story was better the only thing it has going for it which I think is the only reason people are watching is for the intimate moments only, it is very sadly written and half the time looks like nothing is really centered for the story. Great actors but nothing else.

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A rollercoaster in the most positive way possible!

This was the very first series that got me to ACTUALLY wait impatiently for every new episode. Usually I watch one or two episodes during their “premiere” and then wait till the whole series is out but this one? Once you get into the story you’ll keep on wanting more and more and you won’t even notice when the final episode ends. Trust me.

Since there are 4 couples I want to kind of “rate” their storylines separately and then sum up everything at the end so bare with me through this long review ><

Couple no.1 - Mew x Top
Since the series basically starts off from Mew’s pov at first I kind of automatically assumed that they’ll be the “main couple” and at the beginning it was true - most of the screen time was dedicated to Mew and his personal experiences but (thankfully) it all evens up as you go through more episodes.
As for Mew - a “good boy gone bad” trope really came through with his character throughout the whole series and I’m so happy that happened. It’s like he finally got out of the nerd cage he’s trapped himself in. A truly interesting character development, despite the toxicity he served his friends because of it but I’m glad they didn’t try to make him that one angel with no flaws (cause at first that’s the vibes you’ll get from him).
As for Top - man had a true “personality glow up” and I’m here for it because it wasn’t done in that cliché way that’s supposed to play on your emotions just to make you feel bad for the “poor lost bad boy” he’s introduced as.
Together they make a really predictable yet somehow unique couple. They turned the cliche trope into a more interesting one with the whole “revenge plan” of Mew’s which shifted their storyline onto the new track. And I really like how it wasn’t only Top chasing after Mew with a big sign “I’m sorry that I slept with your friend” but also Mew having to swallow his pride in order to save the relationship once Top was about to give up on “trying”. It made it all more unique.
Acting on point, both Book and Force have a great chemistry especially for this type of a simple sweet relationship. One thing I wish for is for the scriptwriters to plan out the last two episodes a bit better since it was just too much. So many things happening at once and even more “quick answers” for the questions that formed throughout the series.
Would love to see how their relationship develops in season 2 since there’s still so much to their characters that can be told (hopefully we’ll get it soon).

Couple no.2 - Sand x Ray
Personally my favorite ship of the series but I may be biased since I’m a big fan of First and Khaotung’s acting skills. They’re one of the most talented yet still underrated actors in the industry and I’m so happy they were offered these roles because they really delivered their characters.
As for Sand - man deserves all the love from this world and is truly a walking green flag among all the red ones in this wonderful (feel the sarcasm) friend group. His character brought so much safety and comfort to the series yet still didn’t lack strong and characteristic personality - it just amazes me how well done his whole presence along with his own personal storyline was.
As for Ray - a character with so much hidden trauma it makes your heart ache. He’s basically a self-destructive, broken to the core man standing on the edge ready to push himself down the cliff and it’s all done in this raw, unfiltered way. So good and so… human. In my opinion he’s the one who makes Only Friends the series it is. There’s not a lot of characters with this type of a story and it was a fresh breeze in the BL world (or just cinematography world overall).
Together they’re like the missing pieces of one another and the development of both characters is so damn satisfying. Sand rescuing Ray from the self-destructive wheel he’s been living in and Ray teaching Sand that you can’t fix everyone is the most intense thing you’ll see in the series since it influences all the other couples.
And as I said - SO glad they chose First and Khaotung for these roles. Not only their chemistry and acting skills are a great match for this series but also their level of awareness of the characters they’re playing… While watching “behind the scenes” and different interviews of Only Friends you’ll find out how many of their scenes were improvised (for example: the iconic “cigarette kiss/smoke kiss”? Khaotung’s idea!) and it makes everything even more impressive.
Some things I wish for to be developed deeper in season 2: Sand & his father, Ray’s trauma & how he’s copying with it, building their relationship while healing and IF the healing is successful.

Couple no.3 - Boston x Nick
The most “whatwhyhow” couple in the series. Both want something completely different and end up in this weird (but somehow so close to the real life) type of a relationship which can’t lead to anything good. The Romeo and Juliet but drunk version of the 21st century.
As for Boston - I didn’t like him from the very start and I still stand by that (which honestly only proves how GOOD was the acting and the whole “concept” for this character) Man needs to talk to a sex therapist and work through his desires and narcissistic personality and I don’t say this because I hate him, cause I don’t. I don't LIKE him but not HATE him if it makes sense.. I just think that he should in the first place focus on himself but in a different way than he’s used to - work on your problems, figure out why are you hurting the ones you love and just overall notice that sometimes it’s you who’s the problem (even if you don’t mean to be the problem). That’s why his character is so real. Cause how many Bostons do we know? I can name a couple and I’m sure you can do that too. Sad reality but I’m glad they decided not to give him the “happy ending” for this season since it only adds humanity to it. Let’s normalize characters who need a bit more time than 2-3 episodes to heal/fix their issues.
As for Nick - the hopeless romantic who fell for the wrong guy and missed on the right one (yes, I’m talking about the green-flag-Dan). But who's to blame? It’s not like we can control our heart, right? Honestly even though he’s done some messed up things for love and caused a BIT of trouble (chaos even) I still can’t hate him. He’s just the type of person who needs to be loved and cared for just as much as they need to breathe in order to survive and his character in my opinion is so underrated. He started off as that “creepy stalker” and went through the “lovelorn boy” era just to end up as “finally ready to love myself” and I couldn’t be more happy to see him choose himself over the destructive love he was stuck in for a very long time. This is one of the most unexpected yet precious character developments I’ve seen.
I wouldn’t mark their story as any “unhappy ending” but it’s not the happy one either. Would love to see more of them and I’ll look out for season 2 mostly for these two. Hopefully we’ll get to see these two happy together some day in the future!

Couple no.4 - Namchueam x April
I have so many regrets regarding this couple. I was really hoping for them to be in the same group as other “main couples” but they didn’t do these two justice. It’s like they were in the series just to keep the plot running when there was a need for some push or “gender equality” cause they only focused on the male couples completely ignoring Chueam and Pril…
As for Chueam - she took the role of the real “caretaker” of the friend group and I feel like if it wasn’t for her they would have split their ways a long long time ago. She strikes me as that one lively, out-going but a bit silly friend that we all have and love and I’m sad they didn’t give her more chances to show herself or at least have her own storyline that isn’t based on what’s going on with the main couples…
As for Pril - girl really got like 5 minutes of the screen time for 12 full episodes. HOW?
This couple had so much potential. They could show them more especially after Ray’s iconic drunk expose of his friends’ secrets at Mew’s bday party but they literally cut off their thread after Chueam admitted to “not understanding” April’s indie movies. Why not give them an actual storyline? Well, maybe in the future GMM will notice what they’re sleeping on.

One more thing I really want to mention is the OST choices and visuals Only Friends is serving left and right. I’m a sucker for any good soundtrack especially when it comes to series kept in that old-vintage-cigarette smoke-raw-unfiltered-vibe. And this definitely passed as one of the best eye and ear pleasing series (similar to Not Me so if you’ve watched this one you’ll know what I’m talking about).
Camera work is amazing, acting is so on point, script is well-written (a bit rushed since they had to fit all that in only 12 episodes but still did a good job), OST matches the scenes, every character is unique in its own way yet they make a perfect mix together… Deserves 10 stars cause I honestly cannot name any similar (storywise) series/movie to this one. And since episode 12 ends by introducing a whole new character I hope we’ll get another season soon.

So happy I was able to watch this while it was coming out :)

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A series ruined by toxic fans, nonsensical theories and the directors themselves

A SWEET BEGINNING: Everyone was looking forward to Only Friends. It was something new. GMMTV usually aren't brave in doing sex scenes, we usually don't even get those scenes, rather they left the spicy stuff to smaller studios like Be On Cloud (KinnPorsche) or DomundiTV (Cutie Pie, Bed Friend). But this time they allowed a new writer and talented directors to add something different. This „difference“ was evident in the first minute of the trailer. We were in complete shock! A sex scene in which everything was seen and heard? With actors who hadn't been shipped before? This new thing paid off; in just a few days, the trailer received a million views. We had everything we always wanted. Messy relationships, intrigue, cheating. The filmmakers told us we could theorize. So we did and it was fun.

It started in August. We were all excited. With each new episode came new theories and discussions. I was involved in them, and I loved talking to other fans on social media. The second episode came out, then the third one. The theories already seemed more insane. Every character was suddenly turning into an evil mastermind who "controlled" a group of normal college students. Probably the fans were watching too many horror and thriller movies. However, I still found it interesting.

TOXIC FANS AND CONTROVERSIES: Then came the turning point. The characters were made into manipulators. Fandoms fought each other on Twitter. "Your ship can't act!" - "No, your ship can't act!" It was a living hell. The directors watched it and cut some scenes, for example, because of the nonsensical hate on Top. I've never seen such unprofessional behavior. The show is supposed to have a SCRIPT, it‘s not suppose be guided by fans! They basically ruined the entire show because of these toxic opinions. I know Only Friends was supposed to be messy, but this much?

There were pointless arguments, the actress who portrayed Cheum had to apologize for making fun of a character, Force and Book were getting hate because of the characters they portrayed, everyone made Top out to be a manipulator and sociopath even though he had changed and really loved Mew...

It was a shitshow. It really could have been a perfect show, with great actors, but it became a toxic mix full of weird theories, arguments and hatred. And the directors didn't help either; they just added fuel to the fire.

CHARACTERS: Ahh, I loved the toxic characters that everyone hated. Boston? Love him. Boeing? Meow. Top? YES PLEASE. Every time someone was arguing about these characters, I was just sitting comfortably. Well.. Unless someone said something wrong about Top or Mew. They were my babies. Top had the best character development. And people hated him for that. They called him a manipulator. Lol. How embarrasing. In the end, he was greener than most of the characters. Sorry to break it to you. He deserved to be happy after all the episodes where he was looking like a sad puppy. I just can't argue with people who thinks he's the bad guy.. Because they are so fricking wrong about him. Every. Time. God dammit, because of this hate, they literally cut his scenes out!!!! WTF!!! Nah. I'll stop. TopMew defender till the end, my friends.

Other couples were okay. SandRay were good for each other. BostonNick were really hot together. That's all I can say to them. Toxic fans literally ruined my enjoyment for them.

OVERALL: A great series, with a lot of potential.. It's a shame what has become from this...

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GROWN, SEXY, AND MESSY!!!

From the moment that this show started, I was highly intrigued for what was to come!!!

You have Sand who is a musician and who takes a liking to the character Ray and they start to have a thing going on. Ray is what most would consider to be an alcoholic who is hung up on his feelings for Mew. Mew is a seemingly "good boy" and what you could classify as the smart type. He is dating Top. Top is a classic playboy who views Mew as a conquest but those feelings could turn into love and be a sort of redemption for his growth as a character (we will see). Top is friends with Boston but they have a history of messing around with one another. Boston is what you would call a huge red flag and his toxicity shows time and time again. He messes around regularly with Nick. Nick is a character that you would want to protect with all your heart from Boston's messy ways.

So,
Sand and Ray = bed friends
Mew and Top = boyfriends
Top and Boston = friends? with a little extra extra on the side
Boston and Nick = friends with benefits

See how all of their relationships are classified using the word "friends"

All of these characters intertwine with one another as the show progresses and the audience comes to know of a lot of shocking revelations. It's one of those shows where it's like peeling back an onion because it's so layered. Every episode you find out something new or you find out that a character actually knows this or that character or may not be as they seem and it changes the trajectory of the show immensely.

What I love the most about this show is that you can't classify any of the characters as being "good" per say. They all to me have something within them below the surface. You can kind of classify them as morally grey because they do discourage the audience from identifying them as purely evil or purely good. The characters in this show are multi-faceted and multi-layered. While they may seem inherently messy or inherently goodie two shoes, they all possess more than meets the eye and this show delves into those intricacies which is very entertaining to witness.

I'm very interested to see how the story and characters progress. I know it's going to be FILLED with drama and I am READY for it!!!

I am also highly excited to see if they will finish strong with this show that is taking the BL world by storm currently.

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It's pointless

I'm dropping this at episode 5, because I can't bring myself to watch this any further. For me it's pointless, and a waste of time.
When this aired, I had zero expectations. I thought it would lack a good story like so many other BLs out there, especially the more sexy ones, but I was pleasantly surprised, because there was some potential for an intriguing plot. The acting is incredible from First, Khaotung, Neo and Mark. Force and Book are almost unbearable to watch, because they aren't able to breathe some life into their characters. Better actors could have done a better job for sure. Well, not the whole cast can be stellar, so that's not the biggest issue here. I was hooked after episode 2, enjoyed episode 3, was bored by episode 4 and started skipping scenes, and now at episode 5 I will end my misery. This series reminds me of some German soap operas, where the couple gets together in a few episodes, they love each other, and you don't even know why, and then they get separated, and you have to watch endless episodes of family, friends, and the jealous ex-girlfriend plotting schemes to keep them separated until they get together in the 99th episode and marry in the 100th. Apparently this concept is very popular in Germany, and most likely all over the world, despite me to this day not knowing how something like this can even be considered an entertaining watch.
What is my point? I don't enjoy people plotting schemes and making their life miserable for no good reason. I don't enjoy the idea of love where you don't even understand why they are attracted to each other. They are all obsessed with someone, while having good potential partners around them. It's just shallow, damn shallow. You can't feel the character depths, which makes it hard to root for anyone here. I don't feel sorry for them, I don't want to see them happy, I'm just annoyed by their dirty little games and their stubbornness that makes them miserable human beings. It honestly feels strange to look at those characters who are played by great actors, some of them I really like, and just thinking: I don't care about your issues. I don't.
Still, I'm not surprised that this series is popular at all. Most people enjoy this kind of drama. I even think it's pretty realistic. We have more bad people than good people in this world, and when it comes to relationships, so many behave like lunatics.
But I personally feel too old to watch some guys f*cking around and being dramaqueens for no good reasons. I feel this is something for people in their mid 20s, especially for those who enjoy the NSFW content, which I normally do, but it cannot save this series.
To sum it up: I don't think it's a bad series. There sure is an audience for it. The acting (most of it), the music (!!) and how some of the dialogues are written isn't bad, some scenes are beautifully filmed too. But the characters are too shallow, their intrigues too dirty and pointless. So it's a no for me.

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A train wreck but in a good way

A hot damn messy is what this show is and I love every moment of it. These characters are very flawed and it shows how toxic friendships and relationships happen. They all need therapy. It's Like a Train Wreck, you know it's gonna crash and burn but you can't look away. The amount of
manipulation, lying, and narcissistic traits a lot of them have are mindblowing. They all put themselves makes you hang on the edge of your seat waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mew and Top whole relationship is built off a lie. Boston and Nick are messed up in the head. Sand and Ray both need to learn better ways to cope with these issues. Ray is using alcohol to mask his pain and it's destroying him. I can't help but think Mew knows his feelings but takes advantage of those feelings. He has other friends but you chose him to call. He made his voice sound a certain way when he called him, knowing Ray would melt. Sand masks how he feels and it's a reason he hates the way he does.

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This series is my guilty obsession

At this point (after 8 episodes) I want to say this: Sand got the best, but also the most heartbreaking lines.
Ep. 3 - "I'm not. I don't have the right to be upset with you. Besides, I think it's a good idea if we just stop at a one night stand like before."
Ep. 4 - "Don't ever do that to anyone. People have feelings. Stop dragging me around when you feel lonely. Or throwing me away when you don't need me. If you still want to be my friend, care about my feelings."
Ep. 5 - "It's like somebody presses pause on all my 24 hours. Next thing I know... I'm living my 25th hour. Ray's extra hour."
"I've always thought Rays is my 25th hour, my extra hour. But the truth is everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. And within Ray's 24 hours, I'm not a part of it. I'm not that special."
Ep. 8 - 1/4 "S: Good. You can finally end the secret crush. Such a waste of time, right?"
R: Can we still be friends?
S: Friends? You and I have never been friends from the get-go. We have nothing in common. Besides, I don't know why I should be friends with you.
R: But when I'm with you, I'm so damn happy." - then, why, Ray, why, didn't you choose him?
R: "Sand.
S: Let me go already." - my heart broke at this point.
3/4 "R: Stop fooling yourself, Sand. You like me. You love me. You can't walk away from me. You're mine no matter what.
S: I'm not your second option. Remember that." Finally, Sand. You finally set boundaries.
It's the first series where I can give a sincere 10 for music. It's amazing. From the opening song to the background songs (Sand-Ray).
The actors make a great job with their characters. The First-Khao chemistry is insane, like always.

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GmmTv really said, "let’s make everyone kiss everyone in this series".

This was such an amazing ride. I binged it in a day, and had such a blast, laughing and grinning ear to ear in every episode. After the last episode, I just wanted to go party like the characters did in the series a lot of times. Not gonna lie, I felt totally high after finishing it – high of laughter and fun. XD

Why is it so great though? Multiple reasons:
* Although it’s a college BL, it doesn’t focus that much on studying and some characters are also from different majors, so there’s some variety.
* The characters are toxic, yes, but it’s part of the plot, doesn’t get romanticized, and instead calls lots of toxic tropes out.
* Bi- and pansexuality are actually acknowledged, there’s no "I’m only gay for you" or "I was hetero but you turned me gay" trope.
* Instead of a love triangle, we have a heptagon.
* Two lesbian couples.
* There’s an age gap relationship.
* Everyone basically got to kiss everyone, so if you don’t happen to ship the endgame couples, chances are you’ll at least see some kinda make-out between your ships.
* Some of my favorite love tropes: "rivals to lovers" and "friends with benefits".
* Date variety: rollerblades, music shop, laser tag, bookstore, and some more. (Not the typical places.)
* There are actually switches – no extreme top/bottom stereotypes and everyone’s treated like a man.
* Wonderful chemistry between the actors, platonically, romantically and sexually. Sex scenes feel real, not acted, and the kisses are hot.
* Pretty much everyone is gay in one way or another, but there’s also a hetero couple I got butterflies for.
* No homophobia, as well as no coming-out-scenes; everyone knew already they’re gay/bi/pan/etc (well, except for one character later on) and no one minded that – every sexuality was normal and not highlighted. 
* Simply a chill series. 
* Also, finally a realistic representation of a bookworm/booknerd. 
* And the comedy isn't too forced/much, but actually funny.


~

College BL:
While the plot is based on the main friends’ graduation project, it doesn’t focus on college or studying too much, but rather shows the partying side of college life. There are also characters from different majors/classes, so you don’t have the whole cast from the same studying field. 

No homophobia or coming-outs:
A very famous trope in school BLs is the "finding oneself" by a guy flirting with them and them figuring out they’re gay/bi/etc. That's usually accompanied by homophobia, albeit most of the time it's the fear of homophobia, the fear of not being accepted or even bullied, especially by their own friends.
That's not the case here.
Not only because everyone already knows their sexuality, but even in public, no one is afraid of PDA or getting seen or whatever. Even their parents know which gender their kids mingle with and it’s never been a topic. No one hates themselves because of their sexuality either. 
Really, every sexuality is treated the same. It’s not highlighted in any way, not seen as something special, just chill. 
But at the same time, also, there’s no heteronormatism. When new characters don’t know the sexuality/interest of other characters, they ask, instead of assuming things. Or they lean in for a kiss right away, without worrying too much about it. 
So chill.

Gender equality:
Even though BL Dramas target more women than men and the audience is mostly women, the female characters in the dramas are usually treated very badly.
However, not in this series.
It might be genuinely the first Thai drama – no, the first asian drama –, where women aren’t treated like shit. They aren’t used as whiny characters, who want their exes back, or as flings one of the guys can make out with, to make their partner jealous, or just as "decoration" to fill the room, but essentially have no lines/voice and no saying in a matter. 
None of that crap here. They’re actually equal, are respected, aren’t whiny, have a voice and are likable characters. Just like with sexualities, the genders aren’t treated very different, have equal respect and it’s just chill.
Of course, since it’s a BL drama with 3 BL main couples, there aren’t that many female characters to begin with, but with what there is, it’s well done. 

Stereotypes:
Another "equality" this series does, is the way tops and bottoms in BL relationships are treated. Usually it’s unrealistic and not really the way actual gay relationships are, because, again, the target audience are women, and straight ones to that. And what is one thing straights can’t seem to accept? That every relationship is different, and when you say "love is love", it doesn’t mean queer relationships are just like hetero ones.
Heterosexual relationships are technically the only genre where top and bottom labels should be used, as you’ll rarely find a same-sex couple, where there is only one person doing everything. 
And this series finally acknowledges that.
Not entirely directly and there are still things to improve, but it is going into the right direction.
For example:
- two tops get a sex scene,
- multiple bottoms each have a make out scene,
- both the supposedly top or bottom are horny,
- and both have scenes where they lead the way.
While it’s not directly said they are switches, it’s not needed, when you can clearly see that the one who’s been more dominant, also enjoys it the other way round.
What it does, is, it’s acknowledging that they are both men.
The tops and bottoms stereotypes have gone so out of hand in the last years, that the bottoms in the relationship are completely treated like a girl. Studios make them usually shy, more feminine, more emotional, more "innocent", and all that crap. 
Again, not here. Both people in a relationship are men and are treated as such. The "tops" here are just as emotional or sometimes even more than the "bottom". A beautiful portrayal of this is SandRay. 

There's also an age-gap relationship (the actors aren’t that far apart, but the character should have at least 10-15 years), and while the older one was seen to take the lead and be more dominant, he wasn’t a top-stereotype, too had emotions, and they both felt equal, both were initiating things.

Oh, and another stereotype they dropped or went against, was the nerd character. While he does seem stereotypical at first (having that innocent vibe), it is actually – finally – a realistic representation of a bookworm. Yea, they might have no experience irl, but by reading a lot of books, you are quite experienced and knowledged in things.
That shows, for example, by him seeing through others more easily, details that are usually overlooked by everyone else, or when people are lying, and has more confidence with his boundaries. And he slays his villain era. 
As a bookworm myself, I cannot express how happy I am to finally get a goddamn realistic representation of us. No kidding. 

Toxicity:
By deciding against extreme stereotypes or stereotypes in general, it does already take a lot of toxicity away, at least for the relationships itself. 
However, this series is based on and revolves around the main characters being toxic, each in their own way. But the difference is that it’s not being romanticized, and the characters are called out for their behavior.
For example: consent. Even though with that much toxicity going on, every character does value consent when it comes to intimacy. There’s no sex where one is drugged (like in KinnPorsche) or where one is asleep (like in TharnType).
Especially Mew has quite a lot of scenes where he voices his boundaries and the other characters respect it without pushing or gaslighting him.
After-sex care is also a thing – no, none of the "I’ll carry you because your butt hurts", but asking if they’re okay with it being a one-night-stand or how it was. 
The toxicity in this series mostly is abut being toxic to oneself and how this impacts your relationships/surroundings. 

Comfortable actors:
The actors here are just as comfortable with intimate scenes as the ones in KinnPorsche. The kisses are hot – or cute, if the scene isn’t supposed to be hot. The sex scenes feel real and not acted. 
Maybe that’s also because the actors have acted before together in series – mostly as background characters, though – and therefore know each other quite well.
And some have acted as couples before – FirstKhao, who play SandRay, are also a couple in The Eclipse, and ForceBook (as TopMew) are also in A Boss and a Babe, so they have experience/chemistry already. I haven’t watched either of those two series, but you can see they’ve done this before. Particularly FirstKhao's chemistry slays. 

But not only the "hot" scenes are good. The actors also have wonderful chemistry with the platonic relationships they play. And romantic too, of course.

Additionally, the best way to describe this series is by saying, "everyone gets to kiss everyone". Therefore, actors don’t just stay in their bubble with that one other actor they’re playing a relationship with, but you actually get to see different actors acting together, who maybe never were seen in a scene together. Actors got to experiment and expand their chemistry. 
Also, not only actor-wise, but character-wise: chances are, that if you don’t ship the main couples and instead some random side character with an MC, it’s likely you will actually see a kiss or hook-up between them. Which is great. 
I also love this because I got disappointed in Big Dragon with the "rivals to lovers" trope, and this series kind of fulfilled it. Well, not all rivals became full-time lovers, but did have at least some kinda intimate scene. And I’m so here for it. 
Basically as if the writers said, "why let rivals fight verbally or with fists, when they could just make out with each other?" And I love them for it, lol.
Thus resulting in this series not having a love triangle, but an entire heptagon. XD

GL:
Since SOTUS had an open lesbian character, it’s becoming more common for other BL dramas to include GL as well. Although most of the time, if there is any of that, it usually is a mention of a couple with no visual "proof" – and if there are visual scenes, the two women usually seem like close friends, nothing romantic, let alone sexual. Kisses are usually on the cheek and even those are awkward (*cough* Big Dragon *cough*). Of course I’m happy we get at least *some* representation, but why are they still so shy about it in 2022+? 

When starting this series, I had no idea there even will be a lesbian character, but got surprised in the first episode when it’s confirmed the main girl has a girlfriend already, and then we actually got to see the girlfriend very soon! While they did seem a bit more distant than their BL colleagues, it was definitely better acted/directed/written than in other series. And they also got a kiss! On the lips! <3 

Before I even got used to the openness of the series, Gmmtv introduces another lesbian couple. Can you imagine?? One GL couple already is something for a BL drama, but TWO?? That was one amazing surprise.
Even better: they’re not teens, but old adults. Two moms of one of the main character, and one of them is confirmed bi. Old queer representation is also quite rare, so that’s another plus point. Love Gmmtv for doing this. <3

Hetero couple:
Yes, here too you have that "one hetero couple because they don’t want a queer-only cast" trope.
But it wasn’t actually too forced. The actors had genuine chemistry, it felt real (in a sweet sense) and it wasn't out of place. Their scenes were short, but still made an impact.
I’m quite surprised myself, but this might’ve been the first hetero couple in a queer show that I actually got butterflies for, when they hugged. 
Maybe also because they too dropped the gender stereotypes here, and it wasn’t about them being hetero, but rather just another two people in a relationship. 

Sexualities:
So, we have confirmed gays and lesbians (and heteros), but there’s more.
Bisexuality is actually a thing, and none of the tropes "I’m only gay for him" or "I was hetero but he turned me gay" exist.
There’s also a pansexual character – while it's not said explicitly, he pretty much confirms it by saying, "I’m open to all genders, appearances don’t matter to me". 
There was also a bit of hinted poly, though, again, not entirely confirmed. But one character often mentions he wouldn’t mind a threesome (I counted 4 times throughout the series) and that he can have feelings for multiple people at once.
Demisexuality also kind of was hinted, by one character pausing a make-out scene and saying they’re not ready for sex because they don’t know that person. Only when they got to know each other more, they slowly got more intimate. When that maybe-demisexual character was making out with someone else he didn’t know, he looked quite uncomfortable, compared to other people he does know. 
While it would’ve been nice if the labels had been used (like with gay and bisexuality), it’s still better than nothing and I am very happy for the diverse representation. 

Comedy:
As dramatic as a drama can be, every series will have some comedy. Some dramas have too much of it where it feels forced, others may have too little. 
Here, I found the comedy to be perfectly balanced. There weren’t really any characters who explicitly served as a comedic relief, instead, everyone got to have some funny scenes. And it was actually funny. 
Gotta add that point because most of the time I don’t really find all comedic scenes funny in dramas, even when they are technically good, but there’s always some scene I don’t like. Here, however, I don’t think there was ever a moment where I didn’t laugh. 

Generally it was a very fun series, not just during the explicitly comedic scenes.
Yes, there is drama, but it’s not overly dramatic in a sad sense. They focus more on everyday toxicity you’d find in every random person, and not make it about sexualities or genders. That doesn’t mean it’s kept overly lighthearted, because it does tackle deep issues like depression, and one character also goes to therapy because of an addiction. 
But for me, at least, it was a fun series that I could really enjoy in a positive sense and never be afraid of certain things.
For example, it’s also a meme/trend to make episode 11 in BL dramas to be full of sadness and heartbreak (because it's two straight lines), but that wasn’t the case here. The heartbreaks or sad scenes were scattered throughout the series and there wasn’t really anything "special" about ep11. 

What I didn’t like:
"Couples have to be endgame" trope. With particularly one couple (won't spoiler which one). Even though they would be better off separately, the producers feel like they couldn’t risk that much because fans would die if their OTP isn’t endgame. I personally didn’t ship them much from the beginning, and while I do see their well-developed growth character-wise, I think it would’ve been a much better lesson to let them go separate ways. 
I’m not too angry with this, because they did let one couple go their separate ways, albeit for a bit of a different reason. (Not gonna spoiler which couple.) And that was really great.
Still, though, I’m not too much of a fan of that other couple.

The crying scenes.
Some actors did a really good job with the crying scenes and I’m not annoyed by them in itself, but rather the amount of crying scenes two particular actors got. Khaotung (Ray) and Mark (Nick).
Khao already had lots of crying scenes in Tonhon Chonlatee, and, just like with Gun (another gmmtv actor), they’re kind of obsessed by his skill, so end up overusing it. At least it wasn’t in every episode and didn’t feel too forced (like Gun in Theory of Love), but maybe 1-2 crying sessions too much. (Although I'm not sure which ones should've been cut, because they are well done...) 

Overall:
Compared to everything I did like, the negative points are very minimal. Overall I enjoyed it, will now watch FMVs of my favorite couples/characters and definitely recommend it to anyone.

The entire series feels like Gmmtv simply wanted to try some new things out, without having any real "goals" or targeting a specific audience (in the BL fandom), and I really love that. It totally became my favorite series from them. I hope they do more like these or at least aren’t afraid to be more adventuresome, instead of chewing the same tropes over and over again. 

I really hope there will be a 2nd season, as it has been hinted in the last episode, but nothing confirmed yet.

-09.01.24

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A drama full of drama queens, passion, hate, spicyness and the thing with loyalty to those you love.

The trailer makes us believe that it is superficially all about sex. Even though there are many hot and sometimes explicit scenes, it's about much more than that. It's about friendship and what true friendship means. What highs and lows you experience, how you can solve problems. But it is also about true love and how human desire, which is inherent in each of us, can be a problem and a problem solver at the same time.
The acting is overall very good, only cheaum's performance can't quite keep up with the others, and yet her character is fun to watch. I also like the fact that the series doesn't have the heavy involvement of parents, which is something new in the bls I've seen so far. I especially like the theme music, finally a theme music that you do not want to skip. Even though I didn't quite understand the forshaddowing at the end of ep12, I'm hopeful and excited if there will be a second season. I'm sure they wouldn't have cast a well-known actor for the first guest if it didn't make sense.


If there is a second season, here are a few thoughts on my part:
- Can Boston really change? Will he continue to live his life as before? Will his dream of having his own art exhibition come true and will his ex-friends or Nick visit it? and what will become of Nick, will he maybe get together with his boss? I thought they were very cute.
- The storyline of top and mew seems to be told at first sight, but the newcomer aka first guest looks like a troublemaker. Will there be tension between mew and top? What will their life together look like? I think Tharntype has shown us that even an everyday life on the screen can be exciting.
- Sand and Ray. I would love to see the two of them travel around the world and sand play concerts. But it will probably be too expensive to produce. Will ray make it through his rehab? I really hope so and hopefully he will find something to do in life. It's a shame to see him so completely without a plan.

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The only "BL" that would have benefited from 18 episodes

I'm a lover of messy characters and messy storylines so this was truly the best series for me to watch.
What I liked
- the acting, like wow this cast gave it their all and I couldn't imagine any other actors playing these couples/characters
- the music, AMAZING ost by khaotung and jojo series always have good music
- the writing of ray's character and nick's character, I loved how much growth ray went through in these episodes and I love a desperate loser character like Nick who isn't naive but also a lil messed up

What I didn't like
- the pacing, Boeing's character came in WAYYYYY too late to have to really make a punch with the amount of damage he could have done, if this were 18 episodes, Boeing coming in at ep 10 would have made more sense
- production, this is personal preference and a little bit meta so I won't get too into it but yeah, stop cutting scenes based on fan's perception
- the flatness of Top's character, I feel like with how dynamic Mew is he deserved a partner that also had some depth to him but we know as much about Top as we do Cheum

Overall, I really loved this series and I hope we get a season 2

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