A Masterpiece

Too often, Thai dramas fall into tropes and predictable storylines. BL in particular can sometimes serve up flat stories that lack depth and drive. The characters’ actions can also seem legally dubious and morally questionable, which lessens my respect and support for them. This is not the case with I Told Sunset About You. It felt modern, refreshing, informed, emotionally mature, and rich. It is a masterpiece, probably the best drama to come out of Thailand.

Much has been said about how the production did not seem to cut corners, but in my opinion, the best choice the director made was the simple rule of “show, don’t tell.” So much of the action takes place beneath the surface. Emotions and motivations of the two leads are obvious, but not openly discussed: Teh always wanting to smell coconuts, down to smelling coconut-scented ink and literally sticking his head in one; the characters increasingly finding excuses to touch each other (though not necessarily in a sexual way); the jealousy they both try to keep hidden; the conversations they have about their other love pursuits where the body language clearly states, “I’m really into you, but don’t think I have a chance.” The unwillingness, particularly on Teh’s part, to deal with the reality of their emotions yields results that spill over from their relationship with each other into foolish and consequential decisions that negatively affect other people, but again, the cause-and-effect is shown, not explained. It’s not easy to bring out or deliver these performances, which makes the entire production all the more remarkable.

The other thing I adored about this series was its maturity. The relationships, while ridden with mistakes from characters, were healthy. While there was jealousy, there was never a lack of consent or an attempt to control the other person. There was a heart-wrenching conversation between Teh and his brother, when everything finally spilled out, that was realistic but heartwarming, and reflected what many in the queer community need to be ready for when they acknowledge who they are. In other BLs, the female characters end up being treated with scorn, as one-dimensional obstacles and nuisances. I really appreciated how Tarn was given motivations besides being love-struck, and at one point basically says that she is too busy trying to get into college to deal with being jerked around. She was dealt with as a full character who also must cope with the consequences of Teh’s actions; the show gave her dignity, which is incredibly rare in this type of drama.

The only small flaw I could find in the show was that the music timing seemed a bit overly dramatic in a few instances, but this is common in many Asian dramas and doesn’t really take away from the overall show.

This piece was extraordinary and a treasure; I hope other directors and writers take note of its success and why. An absolute standing ovation from me!

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Another Achievement for Thailand

It's taken me several days to really process I Promised You the Moon enough to write a review, but here it is.
IPYTM has a different feel than ITSAY. ITSAY is about what it is to fall in love; IPYTM talks about what it means to *stay* in love. In a way, this is good. I Promised You the Moon asks the questions, "What happens after they (literally) walk off into the sunset? What happens when their plans change? What happens when it's harder to spend time together? What happens when they move in different circles, go to different schools, want different things?" I liked this about the drama. However, given its different feel, it's unsurprising that some fans were very put off by it; when the first part and the second part are that different, friction is to be expected.

I found IPYTM's realism to be the most refreshing part of the production, and I loved what it had to say. Rather than going the shiny-happy K-Drama route, where the couple falls in love to pieces and makes all kinds of outlandish promises that are never really examined, this drama really looked at what it takes to make and be in a relationship, how it has pitfalls, and how no one is perfect - expecting rainbows is a recipe for disaster. I stand by what I've said about both parts, as well: their true power lies in the fact that you do not really *watch* the dramas, but rather, feel them. You'd never think a simple coming-of-age story would pack quite so much punch, but it's enough to bowl you over. I cried almost nonstop through the final episode. I've watched a lot of TV in my life, and no show has ever hit me quite this hard. That in itself, I think, is an achievement and a tribute to how well it was written, directed, and acted. In that respect, the ten episodes together are  just a next-level masterpiece.

While there was a lot to like, for me, there were a few issues with IPYTM that made it somewhat inferior to ITSAY:
1. Timeline. To some extent, I understand how this made things more difficult, and how the production had to work with what they were allowed. But it did create some disconnect. If they'd had two or three more episodes, the drama would have flowed much better. That would have made more room Billkin and PP Kritt to share the screen; anything they do together is magical. They have a very special trust between them that just makes for wonderful TV, no matter how they're interacting onscreen. A lot of that was sacrificed to tell the story, which was a loss.

2. Subtletly. One of the things I absolutely loved about ITSAY was its subtlety. Sometimes what Teh and Oh said with their body language and eyes was very different from the actual words they were saying. I loved how P'Boss used touch in particular to communicate their emotions, rather than saying things outright or using sexually suggestive innuendo. It wasn't about how much they were "hot" for each other; it was about how deeply they cared about each other. That was lost in the second half, largely because of the director's style.

3. How they handled Teh and Oh's first time. I'm sorry, but this is just a gripe for me. I get that sex is not the be-all and end-all of life, but your first time with someone and your first time, period, is important. I wish they'd put the first time in the first episode and let the scene in Episode 3 stand independently. It felt like they dirtied it with what Teh did in Episode 3. It wasn't about how racy it was (and really, it wasn't that racy to begin with), but how they edited things just didn't sit well with me.

4. Yes, in the end, the thing with Jai still bothers me a little. I get why they did what they did, but it was a very polarizing, emotionally-charged plot decision that created divisions where there needn't have been any. Almost any other rift would have been better (short of, you know, Teh committing crimes or something), or at the very least, Teh coming clean before he actually did anything. That said, it could have been far worse, so at least the writers had the sense to make Teh's actions very mild. Still, the deception bothered me. In a relationship, that's the hardest thing to come back from, which is what polarized fans so much. However, I *in no way* agree with how some fans reacted after episode 3. Bullying crew off Twitter, harassing the director, threatening arson, urging the actors to leave their contracts - that kind of thing is absolutely not okay. Some fans desperately needed to grow up and separate reality from fiction. It's a plot twist, not murder. Get over it.

Despite my gripes, I still really loved I Promised You the Moon. Even when the characters did things you didn't agree with, the storytelling made sense, the actions of the characters made sense, and everything worked out logically. You understood why the characters were doing what they were doing, even if you didn't agree. The series was also stunningly well-acted by everyone. I commend the director for his ability to pull out the performances he did! One of the reasons I think a lot of fans forgave Teh after the finale was simply how well Billkin played him - the character might have made some bad decisions, but the way Billkin approaches it makes it impossible, for me at least, to  hate Teh. Even when he screwed up and I was thinking, "Dude, you totally deserve this," I couldn't help feeling some empathy for him anyway. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the musical score, and the song and MV "Coming of Age" had me bawling all over again. Therefore, despite my gripes, it's a solid 9/10 for me. Not as good as ITSAY, but nonetheless a towering achievement for Thailand and Nadao.

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