SunsetxVibes: Uncut Version (2024)

Judge by your own successes and errors

The Thai actor Mos Panuwat Sopradit in his acting debut and the Thai-American singer ISBANKY (Bank Mondop Heamtan), in his first leading role, gave us in 2022 a series that from its premise raised a question: Can love be born from hate?
To answer this question, in this romantic comedy-drama with an LGBTIQ+ theme, its creators, the director and screenwriter Puwadon Naosopa and the writer Boy Mitpracha Outtaros, tell a story whose narrative arc describes how the protagonists begin as declared enemies or adversaries, only to discover gradually a deeper connection that transcends the initial animosity.
Taking a common pretext in romantic films and series in which the initial enmity between the protagonists leads them to an enviable love story, 'Big Dragon' presents us with Mangkorn (Mos) and Yai (ISBANKY), two young people who appear to be opposite poles and end up attracted by a chemistry produced throughout the series.
What began as a natural dislike between the two little by little leads to romance, which is complicated because, first of all, because the series is set in a society in which even today, in the 21st century, it is illegal to marriage between people of the same sex or in which members of the LGBTIQ+ community are equally discriminated against due to the impossibility of starting a family, adopting a child or changing their name and new identity after undergoing sex change, and other injustices that are not suffered by the heterosexual people.
In this context, which we cannot ignore, Mangkorn and Yai live, separately and in different ways, the process of accepting homosexuality, denying that they like a person of the same sex, stating that what happened between them was motivated by alcohol and drugs, asking friends for guidance, looking for women as a way to confirm heterosexuality, or even getting into fist fights.
On the other hand, Mangkorn's father pressures his son to marry his friend's daughter, and Yai suffers family pressure with a dead mother and an absent father for work reasons and now in a new love relationship to which the protagonist objects.
Despite social pressures, jealousy, the presence of a new love interest who will try to come between the two, the need to separate due to student issues, Mangkorn and Yai will reach a happy port after starting a journey that will lead them to experience a true individual transformation after falling in love.
I first saw 'Big Dragon' and was interested to see what else Puwadon Naosopa had done or would do in the future. That was a highly produced, incredible, but ultimately conventional series. However, his muse about things was a curious thread that persisted.
In 2023, Mos and Bank starred in one of the 'Y Journey (Stay Like A Local') stories, specifically episode 5, titled 'Let's Say a Lover', in which they represent one of the six young couples that lead the viewer on a trip to various tourist attractions in the eastern region of Thailand.
Both would also act in 'Club Friday Season 15: Moments & Memories', but with Bank as a supporting actor.
Surely someone is wondering if I am reviewing the 'Big Dragon' series here or remembering the filmography of these actors. And no, those are not my goals.
My purpose is to introduce the interested reader to 'SunsetxVibes', a series that brings us back to the MosBank ship in a romantic comedy-drama that shines with its own light in the BL universe like the name of the company where the protagonists work.
On this occasion, Puwadon Naosopa, who wrote the script and directed the actors in 'Big Dragon', convened a team of writers, composed of, in addition to himself, his colleague Somchai Tidsanawoot, known for writing 'Lovely Writer', 'Hidden Agenda', 'I Feel You Linger in the Air', and newcomers Nunt Thongngamkham and Baifern Ataya Sawatdee, to adapt the web novel "Sunsetxvibes", by Rosesarin, and place, in the competitive business world, this suggestive variation of the theme of two young people who meet by chance one night and the next day discover that one of them, Sun (Mos), is the newly appointed director of a large fine jewelry company, and the other, Salin (Bank) is his new employee.
'Sunset x Vibes' is a romance somewhere between comedy and drama. The first thing we know about Salin is the strange and recurring dream he has about a mysterious man dressed in traditional Thai clothes. This aspect, although it seems that it will be important in the series, in the first chapters they deal with it in broad strokes, since the series focuses much more on her relationship with the boy with whom she is flirting through a dating app, who does not It is another who is the owner of the company in which he has started his internship.
The acting traits that many MDL users have criticized here are actually the same aspects that make the two actors fit their roles.
However, despite its powerful cast, made up of renowned actors and actresses, the undeniable chemistry between the protagonists, the beautiful cinematography, its contemporary style, the brilliant visual effects, its majestic soundtrack, the clarity with which the story is conceived on paper, the pulse with which the direction guides her through the setting, and the way Mos and Bank defend her, as well as the beautiful love story that Yotha (Pete Wacharanon Seeduan), the friend of Salin, and Sam (Tenon Teachapat Pinrat), Sun's younger brother, both interns at the company, the series, like its predecessors, does not enjoy the approval of the public, and I fear that the cause does not exactly have to do with the audiovisual product , but with the "trauma" that 'Big Dragon' left in many BL fans, as many of the MDL users recognize.
For their part, the couple formed by Chan (Fong Bovorn Kongnawdee) and Juldis (JJ Rathasat Butwong) provide us with fun antics to relieve tension. Maybe there is another couple, lesbian in that case.
Someone could tell me that the problem lies in the fact that they do not accept that one of the protagonists hides their identity from the other (since both boys have been knowing each other through chat for six months, but they have never seen each other), but, although the series should generate a conflict to be resolved with a consequent personal growth, in my view, the problem does not come from there, since the low ratings are observed from episode 1 itself, when the young people had not yet met personally. In other words, no one could know what would happen between them. The comments make it clear.
They have not given the series the benefit of the doubt and without thinking they have sent it to the slaughterhouse for reminding them of the disappointment that some had with 'Big Dragon', I think for not understanding its objectives.
I believe it is time to grow as we demand of our narrative heroes. It is not logical, fair or ethical to judge an audiovisual product because it reminds us of a frustration.
The series tells an explosive, mature, healthy romance. I identify with the feelings and emotions of the characters.
The romantic plot that entertains and at the same time invites debate and reflection is irresistible. 'SunsetxVibes' has captivated me for the warm atmospheres created with which the audience can identify and for making us empathize with the story, allowing us to see ourselves reflected in the protagonists.
The charisma, tenderness, attractiveness of its protagonists and its irresistible romantic plot make ''SunsetxVibes'' a charming love series made for BL fans. It doesn't break much of the mold in terms of its structure, but its characters and conflicts are unique enough to avoid falling into stereotypes.
The drama brings a full love story, without red flags, and makes the most of the proposed premise, the intellectual potential and good intentions of the team behind the camera, the cinematographic resources available to the creators and the undeniable artistic abilities of the cast.
'SunsetxVibes' surprises us with intrigue and satisfies the expectations of the most demanding audience, by allowing us to believe that love can change the course of a story, a relationship, even the universe, and allowing us to feel that magic and passion can exist even if it is in television series.
It has some sound problems that are sometimes obvious but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the series.
The story is told concisely, never strays from its focus, and is tightly edited. I've watched each episode several times and I didn't get bored at all. All in all, a better than average entry in the world of Thai BL series.
I, for the moment, say my YES for 'SunsetxVibes' and I hope, as on other occasions, that MDL allows me to return to this review to update it.

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I was baited by the supernatural elements in the trailer and implied 'mature theming"

Most of us after big dragon assumed this would be moss and bank's big hit since they had established their pairing and gained a decent sized fanbase. This was not to be however since Star Hunter are a massive let down when it comes to arranging and choosing a story that makes sense and is gripping. There are so many bad choices made during production such as the 'khun dad' cringe, some horrible sound effects during the oral chair scene in ep 11 i believe it was and also the terrible character building which was down to the script not the actors.

Although moss and bank have great chemistry on social media, it was hard to see it here, except they did a great job in those last few NC scenes and the dressing room scene from an earlier episode minus some occasional blank facial expressions at the end of some cuts. I am only rating it a 7 because the actors perform well together with the terrible script they were served. Those NC scenes although good were sadly not enough to save this one and i was left skipping through many boring office scenes with the same old drama over and over stolen designs etc.

The trailer and early parts of the drama suggest some supernatural elements involving a Naga (half snake half man) but this turned out to be a past life reincarnation thing and not much to do with the actual story which was a huge disappointment since I felt baited by this only to be fed crumbs.

Moss and bank and most of the other actors need to change company because star hunter have no clue what they are doing and their dramas have all the glitter and sparkle with no substance.

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Sweet and funny

So… I’m picking up that the show doesn’t follow the book well and that’s bothering people. I have not read the book, so I’m watching without any expectations. I just stayed up until 3 am binging it and can’t wait for the next episode.
It’s a fun story. Parts of it are quite sexy, and a lot of it is just adorable. The antics have had me laughing way more than I expected. And I mean the real, big laugh that woke up my dog- not just an amused smirk. I did not expect that. There’s also a lot of playful teasing that is rather sweet. The street fight was awesome- I watched it 3 times.
Yes, it’s a little predictable. But I’m ok with knowing the destination as long as the journey to get there is entertaining. I’m still a little confused by the dream bit- sounds like that should have been played up a bit more by now.
It’s not a nail-biting cliffhanger. It IS a fun show that’s easy to watch and I am fully enjoying it.

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Halfway Mark!

Sunset x Vibes - Episode 6

Editing

The editing of this episode made things confusing. I honestly think they added those scenes from their date in the last episode to fill in time. The majority of this episode felt like a filler to me. I do not see how editing this episode to take the story back one day had any significant impact in revealing any of the characters. I think they could have just continued down the timeline. I would have preferred if the party was thrown in celebration of Salin's design winning the competition and then we would be introduced to his dad and see the interaction between his dad and Sun, who would be his boyfriend at that time. It would have also been better if towards the end of that party everyone started getting social media notifications on their phones breaking the news of the alleged plagiarism of the design. This way the plot could have been pushed forward in them investigating things which would have made a healthy episode. This is just my humble suggestion/opinion.

"Because we can" Attitude

I am a bit weary of how this series is starting to progress having watched this episode. In my last review for episode 5 I had expressed how I would be looking forward to see how they would tie in the paranormal element of the series because at that point it seemed disjointed from the rest of the series, and having watched its further introduction in this episode it still seems disjointed. I am starting to fear that this series will fall into the footsteps of "The Sign the series". The major reason why I did not rate The Sign much higher is because they did too much at the same time and neglected the romance in the series. What is happening here is that they are trying to give two series/stories in one. I call it the "Because we can Attitude"; meaning when production companies have a big budget they can sometimes try to do too much because they can. It is obvious that this series has a good enough budget to allow for waste. The cinematography of this series is very aesthetically pleasing and the settings compliment the themes (wealthy, privileged) well so the money is there; it was the same thing for The Sign; CGI was good. When production companies have these size budgets they sometimes do too much and end up accomplishing nothing or cause one part of the story to be neglected or become retarded. I see two series here:

One where a rich boy pursues his own dreams away from his dad and has to battle challenges in the workplace while having a relationship with the president of the company.
Another one where a rich boy helps to run his family's hotel chain has strange dreams that turn into nightmares and manifest into paranormal encounters. He becomes entangled with a rich president of a company through mutual business dealings and the two must face and battle the paranormal together while falling for each other.
I think it is unfair to say that "they are just following the novel" because a series and a novel are woefully different. Sometimes to get the best out of a series you have to bend the original material to fit the making of the series. A series will never be able to achieve what a novel/book can and I think this is echoed by every bibliophile, myself included, when after watching anything adopted from a book/novel they say these customary words, "The book was better." - biased thinking? Maybe so, but my point still stands. I hope they are able to pull off both stories and make them into a cohesive series. I would hate for this series to fall into the "Because we can Attitude". I am a strong believer that the bigger budget does not always make the better series. A budget is intrinsic for the production of a series but it is the script and delivery of said script that captivates audiences. I think KinnPorshe did an excellent job of not allowing their budget to lead them into doing too much.

Halfway mark in a series

On a more positive note, they did satisfy my preference for a solid foundation by the halfway mark of a series. Nothing I hate more than when a BL series is halfway through and there is neither a confession of feelings at the very least or a relationship. This is not a 30+ episode KDrama. What are we doing if halfway through there is not at the very least a confession of feelings/ an acknowledgement of feelings. When this does not happen oftentimes the last few episodes are either rushed or the finale is so packed with couple scenes that it is too much and these scenes are like fresh water - no flavour. I am happy that this series has avoided this because when we have an established couple at this point there is room for them to tackle the conflicts together without additional romantic drama and they are allowed to grow in their relationship and we as the audience get to witness the maturation of their story; and with how much this plot promises they will need the time without added romantic drama.

Second Couple

They did not get much screen time today but I am hoping that will change in the next episode. I would hate for their story to drag throughout only to be rushed near the finale, so I am rooting for them in the next episode.

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