OMG!!! I was expecting so much from this one because of all the through-the-roof high rating and rave reviews about perfection and best BL/best Asian drama etc. and not going to lie it delivered almost that in the first 3 episodes but WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE LATTER HALF??? I'm honestly a bit much pissed off and mad at the way things unfolded after episode 3 and the way things ended.

This story to be absolutely fair is not a wholly new one. We have seen this childhood-best -friends-falling-apart-and-reuniting-later-down-the-line-and-discovering-their-love narrative enough to not be too surprised but still this series could have done so much more with this and I almost believed it could nail it with the first episodes and was so hooked and excited about it.

I will give a run down of each episode and where they might have effed up so as to have a closure with my disappointments with this series because I need one badly-

EP 1: The first episode was near perfect for a pilot episode that sets the stage for the rest of the story to unfold. It gives a nice back story to the characters who had been childhood besties but fall apart unfortunately and ghost each other for many years. This gave me flash backs to one time I fought with a good friend of mine and we ghosted each other for years. I have to admit one thing though that the whole reunion of Teh and Oh felt a little early in terms of a series as I was expecting them to slowly come to terms with each other through bittersweet developments. It would have brought me to devastation if they reunited in that beach towards last of the first half of the series or later. But since it felt a little abrupt, I couldn't connect as much because I felt connected with the child version of theirs and then suddenly they are all grown up and saying sorry to each other and crying. Also after that emotional reunion at the beach, the very next scene about the whole friend group just chilling in the beach felt a little misplaced.

EP 2-I don't have much to say about the second episode apart from that it was cute and paved the way for the rest of the story. I specifically liked the scene where Teh helps Oh to find out if Bas really likes him. That was true bestie goals:). Honestly I would have also liked it this way. The last part where they just sit in the river boat few seats apart looking in the opposite direction and afterwards how they address though rather loosely where their friendship stands was so artistically beautiful.

EP 3- This episode was my favourite. In this episode, their true feelings for each other surfaces and their story seems to come full circle and the fact that this one is not the last episode with the sunset scene as the closing scene is killing me. We come to know of the near toxic obsession of Teh for Oh and it only becomes more obvious in the forth episode.

EP 4- This is when all of it goes downhill and becomes a bit much real for me. So Teh is saying that he wants to be just friends after kissing Oh underwater in one of the most beautiful kissing scenes ever? Quoting Oh aew:"Do friends do that"??? I get that Teh is not ready, is a teenager, is going through a lot of confusion and his obsession for Oh isn't helping it as well but could he not have talked about it with Oh or for that matter anyone in the family? I know it can be hard to talk with family or friends about this sensitive of an issue but I believe they would have understood from what I knew of the characters or at least made it easier for Teh by letting himself out and free finally. I think I also need to cut Teh some slack because I know myself being an Asian what it is like being an LGBTQIA+ person and born into a conservative Asian family. But I also feel like since he was suffering so much and by holding it inside him it made it impossible and painful to watch which was clearly the case towards the end of the episode. It is one thing to make a cute scarpbook about Chinese idioms to help your boyfriend (there I said it!) get into uni and another to throw away your and your family's entire future, dreams and expectations over reserving him a seat there. It was nothing but painful and hurtful to watch the mom feeling helpless and questioning what befell her bright son. The crying scenes in this seemed comically exaggerated after having stupidly relinquished for his so called friend Oh. It was cringey when the next thing was them childishly fighting about this great sacrifice over IG stories (so gen Z but so out of place) . And I couldnt even watch at that point when Oh drops this great sacrifice of Teh which was expected and it makes it only funny(sorry). Oh needed to come to Teh's house at once and not wanting to see Teh sad was not a reason at all wtf?Teh crying over his cut out Chinese mastery book seems like something that can be fixed by rebuying it at the bookstore? I can't even imagine the pain Teh must have felt though because I know what getting into a good uni means to an Asian family and here too in this story an uni becomes a major make-or-break. The only thing I liked in this episode was the bra scene which is something so less portrayed in cinema so kudos for that. However this scene should have been given more importance with Oh seeing some flashbacks to his childhood or something.

EP 5- This episode did not do justice to the story of Teh and Oh and the ending seemed half baked. The ending closure felt constricted and short. The issues that Teh was facing weren't addressed well enough. Talking to his brother was not much of a help. I felt like Teh deserved to be helped with whatever he was going through and there was never a proper explanation for everything. I wanted Oh to come to Teh and have a conversation about everything which never really happened and the whole accepting himself was not seen. I wanted Bas who was so comfortable with his sexuality to help Teh in those rough times or at least give him some advice. I wanted Teh's friends who knew something was up to come help their hurting pal. I wanted Teh's mother to know the truth about her son and hopefully accept him. Teh deserved a healthy coming out.

In the whole story, I approve of Bas the most. He is sensible, smart and understanding. He is comfortable in his own skin and is not afraid to hold the hands of his boyfriend in public. He says out loud what he honestly feels about someone and is so wholesome. BAS DESERVES ALL THE LOVE IN THIS WORLD!

Overall, I don't dislike this series and am not mad about it and honestly would recommend it highly because of great performances, enchanting cinematography and addressing of certain important topics. When I was watching it, I got deja vu to the movie Call me by your Name due to the way it was shot and directed. Like Call me by your name which is also highly regarded and artistically beautiful but has its own set of flaws, ITSAY remains a worthy watch provided one doesn't hold too much expectations and know their priorities well.