Mystery or Farce?

I can't decide whether this is a detective series or a farce.

The series can roughly be divided into 3 main cases. It is highly unusual for a detective series to suddenly do away with the (initial) detective altogether halfway through, but this is what happens in the third part of the series (Episodes 9-12). And I don't mean that the detective disappears as part of the plot. I mean that he basically disappears from the plot.

Some people have suggested just appreciating Episodes 1 to 8 (the first two cases with the detective Lin Mo) alone. This is worth thinking about, so let's first consider the first two cases.

The first case is somewhat draggy, and since most viewers are not expecting to watch a supernatural series and will assume that the seemingly supernatural elements will be explained away, it is fairly easy to guess that some of the characters claiming to have encountered supernatural occurrences are conspiring to commit crimes. Although the exact details may be a bit more unpredictable, the revelations of the crimes are not going to be altogether awe-inspiring. Furthermore, the revelations of the truth don't always tally with the characters' behaviors when they are with those in cahoots with them (for example, a character who is supposed to have staged a car accident seems truly surprised that the car has gone out of control).

The second case is a flashback to Lin Mo's past. Having a flashback itself is fine, though in preparing the audience for the flashback, the the earlier episodes make certain references to Lin Mo's past that may confuse the viewer, making it seem like they have missed an earlier series or some episodes. Maybe cleverer editing would have made things better.

The twist in the second story doesn't really make sense (actually it is not much of a twist, the ending of the first story basically gives the ending of the second story away). Sure, the real villain by be really cunning, but how on earth did she manage to get the manpower and resources to pull off everything? Certainly her beauty alone isn't enough.

Also, while the second story takes place earlier in time, the female cop, Sasha, seems like a much more capable cop in the story. In contrast, in the first story, she seems rather incompetent as a cop despite having more experience. The characterization does not really make sense even if the focus is on Lin Mo's ability in cracking the cases.

Next, we inevitably have to consider the third story. After spending 8 episodes showing Lin Mo's prowess in solving mysteries from Episodes 1-8, he basically disappears in Episodes 9-12. I do not really buy into the idea of treating it as a separate story because it is meant to take place in the same fictional world after the first case of the series has ended. The series also actually quite heavily emphasizes this too, with Sasha going for a briefing about a group of missing youngsters who happen to be the children of very influential people. And as though we need to be reminded of the drastic change, the voice-over in the opening credits changes from Lin Mo to Koji who announces that it's still the same series but everything is going to be different (yeah, I know). It's either a bad attempt at pretending that the change is deliberate or a bold attempt to do something different with the detective genre.

As a mystery story, like the first story, it is a little obvious from early on that the ghost elements in the third must have been staged because this is not a supernatural-themed series (despite Lin Mo's apparent ability to see ghosts who do not tell him anything important anyway). In fact, the ghost element doesn't even seem to be taken very seriously. There is some fun in the third story, but the twists are rather weak. Furthermore, the tremors from the sudden disappearance of Lin Mo in the story continues all the way to the end: even till the last episode, I was wondering if Lin Mo would be woven back into the plot.

There may well be a hint that the first two stories take place in a game world, but this wouldn't really make sense although we see Lin Mo playing a game at the end of Episode 8 that is mentioned towards the end of the final episode. (This actually only makes the series more perplexing: why harp on the fact that there is some tenuous link between the characters in Episode 1 to 8 and in Episodes 9 to 12?) Furthermore, the multiple flashbacks to Lin Mo's childhood in Episodes 1-8 and the reference to the Q symbol at the end of Episode 8 heavily suggest that the third story is going to be about the case involving how Lin Mo's mother is killed. Unfortunately, this is simply dropped. One may suspect that there is some attempt to intrigue viewers in preparation for a possible sequel, but is the sequel going to feature Detective Lin Mo or Detective Koji? In fact, are they detectives or gamers?

In fact, the series ends up being rather farcical. The third story comes complete with an "awards ceremony" for the best actors in the staged events because, well, this really wealthy detective kid has insane amounts of money to splurge on staging events at the scale of making a movie just to trap a criminal. To add on to the possibly unintentional farce, even though Koji manages to solve the case that he is entrusted to by the dying mother of a gamer who has disappeared, he ends up consoling her with photoshopped photos of her dead son by pretending that he is still alive. (Hey, maybe you could have done that from the start?)

To be fair, Lin Mo does make an interesting detective character. A lot of work is done to form the foundation of further development, but he suddenly disappears from the story. He is like a walking forensics lab that churns out instant results. The ability to sniff and identify the trace of anything with a smell is a sort of unique superpowerish trait even though it is quite unbelievable (given that it is said that he has "trained" himself to smell things so well). We can certainly evaluate the first two stories with Lin Mo on their own merit, but it remains that the series feels really incomplete whether we ignore Episodes 9-12 or not. A sequel with Lin Mo as the main detective may still be watchable, but I don't know if that is ever going to happen.

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Lacklustre despite the sparks here and there

I will probably remember this as the BL series that somehow managed to find and squeeze in a whole lot of good looking guys (many look even better than the two main characters) while paying many of them scant attention. The theme song and the music in the series are also rather nice.

But what about the story? This is where it gets hard to comment. It's not all-out bad at all. In fact, the "legal brothers-not-related-by-blood fall in love" concept, which My Bromance made popular years ago, gets a more satisfying treatment here than in this year's sequel to My Bromance.

Unfortunately, the main plot is not developed very well. At first, I was ok with the somewhat confusing feelings of the characters and the rather slow pacing since I could appreciate the uncertainty and insecurities of the characters. Prab's mother and Chol's father get married, making them brothers legally. Chol also has a crush on Khun, so I can see how he is confused about his own feelings as they change and he realizes that he isn't really in love with Khun. On the other hand, Prab slowly realizes that he is attracted to Chol and gets jealous of Khun.

About halfway through the series, I think both Prab and Chol clearly realize how they feel for each other. This is where I thought that the story would be worked into something more interesting. Instead, the plot goes haywire. If the story thus far already has been on the draggy side, it now becomes erratic. Despite knowing that he is not really in love with Khun but likes Prab, Chol somehow still manages to feel jealous when Khun is with another guy. Prab also seems to vacillate between being honest with himself about his feelings and being in denial. So the story goes on with a lot of unnecessarily trivial and when there seems to be development, it gets undone haphazardly.

The most forgiving thing I can say is that the portrayal of Prab and Chol quite accurately portrays the uncertainties and insecurities of teenagers (late teens) coming to terms with their own romantic feelings, and their lack of experience accounts for their behavior. However, when I think about how the series, Love Sick, manages to portray teenagers' uncertainties without sacrificing plot development. I find that things ultimately don't add up in Brothers.

This is a shame, given that the people behind the series are actually good at creating the right atmosphere and making the characters' relationships sweet and cute. When the material is good, the series is much more satisfying. This is the case with the side couple, Khun and Kaow, who I think should have been the main couple instead. They are really adorable in the series. Their story would have been even better with more on their character backgrounds and emotional struggles. If Prab and Chol had been the side couple with way fewer scenes instead, the lack of development in the relationship would have been more acceptable.

There are other side couples or potential couples, which can be rather pointless except that they perhaps satisfy viewers by putting good looking guys into potentially romantic relationships. But this is rather meaningless, especially when it pushes the series towards the portrayal of taboos like the romance between a teacher and a student, something which the series is clearly unwilling to address with any depth.

It's 2021, and BL dramas have gone beyond stories about high school boys in uniform. Such stories will always have a place in BL, but the bar is now much higher and this series barely touches it.

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Not amongst the best BL series in 2022-2023

If this had been released together with Until We Meet Again back in 2019 or in 2020, it would have been more highly rated. Unfortunately, the series feels a little dated because BL series have largely moved on. I am certainly not saying that a series has to keep up with whatever is fashionable. However, the series does not seem to be able to avoid some of the weaknesses of BL scripts a few years ago.

The use of multiple couples without a proper focus on the side couples is one thing that could have been avoided. Despite the presence of Win and Team as a couple in 2019's Until We Meet Again, it managed to focus on Dean and Pharm and the storyline was strong. However, the Win/Team storyline in Between US is not only weaker but also diluted by unnecessary digressions to side couples.

I find myself more intrigued by the story of one of the side couples (Tul and Wan) more than the main couple even though the duo have not even become a couple as of Episode 11. Sometimes, I even find myself enjoying the scenes of friendship (Team, Pharm and Manow) and brotherly love (Win, Wan and Wiew) more than the scenes with Win and Team.

To be fair, the story of Win and Team has potential to be more moving than it is. Win is one of three brothers who never feels like anything is really meant to be his and avoids commitment because of his fear of losing someone he treasures. However, he cannot stop himself from falling deeply in love with Team. On the other hand, Team has been living with guilt ever since a friend of his drowned while they were swimming together as children. A more compelling script could have been created with these ideas. There are some fairly good scenes, such as when Win saves Team from drowning, revealing how important Team is to him as he reprimands Team for swimming by himself. Yet, trajectory of the plot isn't very clear and instead of actual development, we often just see each half of the couple vacillate between realizing that he loves the other person and being in some sort of denial. We don't quite see how their attraction to each other intensifies over time or how each increasingly needs the presence of the other. The story simply goes like: they have a fling, somehow each is very much in love with the other, but oh . . . neither dares to show it because of the fear that the other person just wants a friend with benefits.

Without a strong plot, one might rather just rewatch 2021's Between Us (not an actual series but a few short episodes of random scenes with Win and Team). At least that didn't feel too draggy and there's a focus on Win and Team.

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Consider this series underrated even at the current 8.4 MDL rating

My impressions may not be accurate, but it feels like not that many people out there are raving about this series. Or at least there should be more people raving about it.

Amongst all the BL series, censored and uncensored, that I have watched over the years, this is one of the few transcends the boundaries of typical BL series and is deeply moving. Although I watched the uncut version, which has longer episodes, the series feels much longer in a good way. The plot and character development are done impressively well.

The bulk of the series is set in the 1920s, which facilitates the treatment of issues like homophobia and the subjugation of women in society. There are LGBTQ characters, but the series does not give the impression that it is including lesbian and queer characters as a token act of inclusivity, to generate hype or as a means of creating humor. Even relatively minor characters are presented with nuance. Impressively, the series even broaches potentially controversial issue of reproductive rights, with one female character deciding to get an abortion when she finds herself pregnant after a traumatic incident of marital rape. One may also appreciate the added layer of complexity when the issue of class differences enter the relationships that are already taboo due to sexual orientation.

If I have to specify a flaw in the series, it is that the story is incomplete. We see Jom traveling from 2023 to the 1920s and meeting Yai. However, it is hinted (actually quite directly shown, especially at the end of the uncut version after the closing credits) that Yai has a previous incarnation before the 1920s. A monk they meet also say that the two of them are destined to meet each other. Unfortunately, at the end of the uncut version, we catch a glimpse of Jom traveling to the unspecified era before the 1920s (assuming he's not dreaming or anything). This also means that Yai will inevitably be separated from Jom in two of the lifetimes. There is obviously a Season 2 tease, and I hope Season 2 gets made.

The seemingly happy ending of the current season leaves one feeling a little perplexed because it is unexplained. How does Yai turn up in the house where Jom is? Has he traveled to the future (impossible since the belongings he left behind suggest that he does not meet Jom again in his lifetime)? Is he a ghost? Is he a reincarnation of Yai (but how would his reincarnation know about Jom)? In the end, the saddening truth we know is that after Jom disappears from the 1920s (and returns to 2023 involuntarily), Yai spends the rest of his life pinning for Jom.

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The Story

At a young age, Tantawan gains a magic that allows her to call out to the person she loves and let the person teleport to her. That's also how the romance between her and Peng starts. Flashforward 15 years: Peng is now a doctor and Tantawan seems to have nothing to do but devote her life to taking care of Peng. However, Peng has become a doctor thoroughly dedicated to his work ever since an incident in which he caused a patient to die because he was in a hurry to meet Tantawan. He still loves Tantawan, but seldom expresses his affections and hardly has time for her.

After a car accident, Tantawan falls in love with a young houseman who treats her reassuringly though she loses her memory of the accident for some time and is puzzled by why she has romantic feelings for the young houseman, Chalan. However, she still loves Peng, and a love triangle ensues.

Besides the romance plot, there is also the revenge subplot in which a grieving brother wants to kill Tantawan because she is the driver causing the accident that leads to the death of his sister.

The Characters and Relationships

At first, I found the older Peng to be rather unlikable as he is cold to Tantawan. However, he turns out to be the best written character in the series apart from a couple of issues. The initial portrayal of Peng as someone who seems cold towards Tantanwan is a good thing, as we can easily understand how Tantawan may feel neglected. But the reason behind the change from his youthful self and older self is explained: as a houseman, he hurriedly gives the wrong treatment to a patient as he has a date with Tantawan, causing him to die. The deep sense of guilt causes him to resolve to be a serious doctor who spends most of his time working and learning more. His love for Tantawan is soon shown when he tries to shield her from the truth that she is the driver who has caused a girl to die. However, it is unconvincing that he would so quickly be interested in Paebii after he breaks up with Tantawan though it is Paebii that causes him to realize that he should balance his dedication to his work and his love life.

Tantawan, on the other hand, vacillates between being a rather irritating character and being one that we can sympathize with. At her worst, she seems ditzy, unreasonable, or too emotional. At other times, she is a good natured person. In yet other moments, she turns into a melodramatic comic character.

Overall, I found myself more interested in the side characters' relationships: 1. the houseman, Liwan, and his relationship with an older nurse, Tikka; 2. the houseman, Dao, and his friendship (or possibly more) with Tantawan's brother; and 3. the friendship between the people in the Emergency Department. Even the vengeful Taai is a more interesting character than the most important character, Tantawan.

Strengths and Weaknesses
Like the character of Tantawan, the drama is inconsistent. Sometimes it is lighthearted comedy. But it can suddenly become a drama about life and loss that leaves you with a heavy heart. Then it can also morph into a love story. The series can be rather good in its individual bits, but the bits don't seem to be particularly well-mixed. It kills off an ambulance driver's grandmother for no compelling reason except perhaps as a device to move the plot forward. The death of Dao in the second last episode is also unnecessary drama that I can't appreciate. In the end, I find that the series aspires to be more than it can possibly be but ends up being less as a result.

The ending of the love triangle has also got a number of viewers upset because Peng's love for Tantawan is steadfast and deep, but Tantawan chooses Chalan in the end. Personally, I think both Peng and Chalan truly love Tantawan, so no matter whom she chooses, it won't be satisfactory. It is just that it is especially saddening that despite the 15-year love between her and Peng, Tantawan chooses not to give their relationship another chance.

My problem isn't with who deserves Tantawan more (as some viewers put it) but with how Tantawan still seems to love Peng in the end. Based on her final lines, she seems to love Peng and doesn't want him to change for her, and yet she won't be happy with him if she doesn't change--not to mention that he has, in fact, already changed. That's still OK--if she doesn't want to continue her relationship under such circumstances, we can't really judge her for it. But she chooses to be with Chalan even though there is still someone else in her heart, which doesn't seem very fair to Chalan.

The ending is also self-contradictory: Tantawan tells Peng that the person she chooses will somehow have his teleporting magic diminished (??). Also, Tantawan is supposedly letting the magic reveal whom she really loves since she can't decide (but she seems to know what the magic will reveal as she cooks something for Chalan even before the magic reveals that Chalan is the one who still has the magical connection with her).

I guess she is ultimately not letting the magic decide, but has simply chosen not to be with the person who can't devote more time to be with her. As she says, Peng is her ambulance, but he is also everyone else's ambulance. Her decision may not be a selfish one--perhaps she loves him so much that she wants to let him go so that he can be himself (just like how Peng breaks up with her so that she can be with Chalan in the middle of the series). But again, if her love for him is so deep, I can't see how she can be with someone else and love him as much. The ending thus fails to satisfy.

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A man who is getting over a breakup (Mok) stays in a hotel where he gets drunk and is helped by a bartender (Bay).

It's a pity that this series has only four short episodes because the story has a lot of potential for development. Many aspects of the production are rather polished, which is not often the case for series with unfamiliar faces in leading roles or those that may not be expected to be hits. The cinematography and the editing is good, and the actors have done a reasonably good job. In a way, the series seems like an extended MV or short film to publicize the theme song, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

For BL fans, the scenes between Bay and Mok are nice, but there is a lack of character development especially for Bay. We know very little about his background apart from the fact that he's a bartender. As for Mok, there is some development showing his breakup with his ex-girlfriend though the cause of their breakup and the tension between him and her current boyfriend are left largely unexplained. Then there's Boston, the boss of the hotel, who seems to be secretly in love with Bay but there's little shown about his personality or his feelings.

Despite the flaws, the series is watchable. This is BL but we are not looking at a pair who is already a couple. The hints of growing attraction are rather cliched at times (e.g. a drunk Mok falling on Bay), but the interactions between them are sweet, particularly in a scene where Bay takes Mok to a rabbit house to make him smile. Some might be disappointed that there isn't even a kissing scene, but I think this is fine given that the series ends at a point when they are just becoming a couple. In fact, I would say, kissing scenes would have been the easier way out to show attraction and intimacy. The director has instead opted for longing gazes and hand-holding. The hand-holding at the end is adorable as it turns into "pinky holding", reminiscent of a scene in the first episode where Bay extends his Pinky to Mok.

I don't find the ending ambiguous or "open" as some have commented. Mok realizes that Bay has misunderstood that he has made up with his ex-girlfriend and clears the air with Bay (which shows that he knows that Bay likes him and that he wants Bay to know that he has not made up with his ex). Although Mok leaves the hotel (hey, he has a life beyond staying at the hotel!), it's clear that the two main characters are becoming a couple. Bay's sweet smile upon receiving Mok's message when Mok is on his way home is telling.

The entire series is not much longer than one episode of many other BL series, and if they maintain the quality, I can only imagine how much more the production team can do with say 8 or 12 regular episodes of 45 minutes each. As it is, it fares way better than a series like I am Your King Season 2, which can be frustratingly confusing.

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Occasionally nice cinematography, weak story

The idea of using mathematical references in relation to the love between the main characters is interesting though I must admit to being a little lost.

There isn't that much of a story here though. Sine and Tan are two good friends who are in love with each other but neither dares to express his love. Since this is a relatively short and lighthearted BL series, there is probably only one reasonable way for the story to proceed, which is that they eventually express their love for each other and end up as a couple. Unfortunately, this trajectory seems to be dragged out a little too long. This is a complaint I rarely have (usually the complaint is that some episodes suddenly become ridiculously short, like in Cupid Coach), but I suspect that the story has been extended needlessly for the sake of product placements.

The characters' behaviors after they become aware of each other's feelings are a little inexplicable. They could have just kissed and lived happily ever after. Instead, some conflicts are added in a little haphazardly: despite having no romantic feelings whatsoever for Lin, Tan behaves affectionately towards her for a moment and Sine sees it. There are nicely filmed scenes (especially in the last couple of episodes), but the cinematography doesn't make up for the weak story.

I think the filming ran into problems halfway, so the intended product could have been significantly better. It's not "better not touch it" sort of bad, however. I guess this is something I don't really mind watching though I'm not really bowled over by it.

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Surprisingly nice

Review After Watching Episodes 1-12
Having watched a few series with just too many characters, I was a little wary when I read that that there are four couples in this series. But after Why R U and 2gether, I wanted some BL fix, so I started on this one.

Some flaws of having so many couples in 14 episodes may still be seen in this series, but I think the editors have done their best to make the scenes flow and largely succeeded even though sometimes I find that a scene can be cut into too many smaller parts to bring in the other couples' stories.

The beginning of the first episode almost made me stop watching. It is, in my opinion, the worst part of the series so far, with Bohn as the campus prom king with hordes of screaming female fans. It's an overly used BL trope but not something unbearable. What I didn't like was the posing and all--yeah, I know he's supposed to be hot af, but it does nothing for the story (especially given that Bohn doesn't have a good reputation apart from his good looks).

But the series soon proves to be more interesting once Bohn sees Duen sleeping on a bench. No time in wasted in showing that Bohn takes an immediate interest in Duen. Yet, despite having Bohn and Duen as the main couple, soon it is the other characters' relationships that become more interesting, and I wonder if any of the couples should have been the main couple instead:

1. There is Mek and Boss. Despite the poor dubbing of Mek's lines (the actor doesn't speak Thai), Mek is the character I feel the most for quite early in the series. He's secretly in love with Boss who seems to do nothing but hit on girls in front of Mek and even gets Mek to help him. But Boss is not an irritating character--despite seeming frivolous, it's clear that he does feel a sense of inferiority because no girl seems interested in him (until Fon comes along, but she neglects him too). When it turns out that he has been secretly in love with Mek too, the twist is somewhat unbelievable, but who has the heart to complain about this if we can see Mek finding happiness? This is my favorite couple in the series.

2. There is Ram and King, who are both interesting characters. King is outgoing and very good in his studies. Ram, the junior, on the other hand, doesn't talk much. (Perhaps he's the real mute husband.) Ram is a really tough guy (a professional boxer), a loyal friend to Duen and also emotionally vulnerable. Ram talks to his dogs (he says) while King talks to his plants, so there's perhaps a strong similarity between the two despite superficial differences. King seems to take an interest in Ram at first sight, but it could be because of Ram's looks or his unique tattoos rather than conscious romantic interest. This ship is interesting as there isn't a strong indication of budding romance from the start, but we see King being genuinely nice to Ram and Ram slowly opening up to him. Interestingly, it seems to be Ram who develops romantic feelings for King first. [Additional comment after watching the final episode: In the final episode, however, it seems that King has liked Ram for some time, but he Ram's usual reticence makes King unsure if his feelings are reciprocated.]

3. Thara and Frong is unfortunately the ship that starts sailing the latest. I say it's unfortunate because they look really cute as a couple--cuter than Bohn and Duen as a couple, really. We don't see that much of Thara at first, but he seems affable and caring as a doctor (medical student). He's quirky in a likable way, gushing about how cute his pet lizard is (not the humongous one that almost got to Duen) when others think he is gushing about a cat or a dog. Frong is another interesting character with too little screen time. He seems like a much more pleasant person than Bohn, but it's unclear why there is deep tension between Bohn and Frong from the start. (Frong is said to have almost toppled Bohn's position as the prom king, but is that really such a big deal to either of them?) He also doesn't like Thara at first for reasons not fully explored.

I find the relationship between Bohn and Duen cute at the start. But the writers could have done a better job with Bohn. He seems perpetually upset or jealous about something, which doesn't really show the depth of his feelings for Duen. Some viewers don't like it that Duen doesn't want to be more physically intimate with Bohn, but I don't think this is the main problem for Bohn. I think there is too much focus on Bohn's proneness to jealousy (although it can be funny, like how Bohn gets jealous of Thara, who is merely Duen's cousin). A nice scene involving Bohn and Duen takes place at the end of Episode 12 when Bohn keeps trying to say sweet things to and have a romantic time with Duen but Duen seems oblivious to it. Bohn seems upset, especially when Duen falls asleep in the middle of a conversation, but he gently shifts Duen's head out of the sun and onto his shoulder. If there were more of such scenes, it would be great.

That said, the series is interesting as a sort of meta BL, making use of common BL tropes while critiquing them. The husband/wife trope is invoked, but quite explicitly dismantled, with Duen (the gentler guy) showing an interest in being the "husband" and top. The series has the guys falling in love with one another, but doesn't fail to have the characters point it out.

Additional Comments After Watching the Entire Series:
The last two episodes don't disappoint. Bohn and Duen have a misunderstanding, but they expectedly patch up. The makers of 2gether (which I do love) could have learnt something about making the final episode end a little more beautifully for the main couple. It doesn't take much to leave the audience with lingering sweetness: loving hand-holding, affectionate time alone (rather than being in crowds), a loving gesture to affirm the love.

Mek and Boss also have a happy ending this season. Thankfully--it would be too painful to see Mek ending up unhappy in Season 1.

There is promise of more to come for the other couples in Season 2. It's a good thing that there seems to be no hurry to take things further for them. But the Thara/Frong ending is a tad too much of a tease, with Thara saying to Frong, "We're brothers (P and Nong), right?" I'm pretty sure it's an innocuous remark--Thara is the senior and Frong is the junior, so they are really P and Nong in Thai since it's not like they are a couple or anything. Frong seems visibly disappointed by the remark though, so I can't wait for things to go further in Season 2.

Hopefully the success of Season 1 will lead to better budget for Season 2. I do think there isn't a need to focus on all the four couples in Season 2 though. I'm satisfied with how Bohn/Duen and Mek/Boss have ended up though I suppose the issue of parental objections may crop for for Bohn/Duen.

Despite being a terrible year with a pandemic going on, 2020 has been spoiling us with surprisingly good BL series. Let's hope the trend continues.

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Let's appreciate this series more

It seems that this is a series with very short episodes, but I watched a version with all the parts stitched together.

The series is made up of several interconnected stories. The initial premise is that, in a modern-day tavern, the guests consume drinks that give them visions of ancient times. As they are transported to another world through these visions, healing takes place. Soon, however, it becomes unclear which is the real world and which is the world of the dreams or hallucinations. It is possible that both worlds are real, but the characters of the ancient world have reincarnated and finish their unfinished businesses through the tavern. It could also be that the characters resolve their modern-world problems through their access to the ancient world. Ultimately, the friendships forged are real.

My favorite stories are the first and last stories, which feature bromance done really well. The friendship between the two main characters is the thread weaving the different stories, and it is executed beautifully too. I do wish the series were longer although, as it is, it has a satisfying ending.

What we have here is a feel-good series that is also moving and never frivolous. It doesn't go thin on emotional density. Yet, like the guests of the tavern, the audience can leave with a sense of hope. This is a series that deserves more appreciation.

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Interesting but lacks development

The story is pretty interesting but there is a lack of development particularly towards the end.

The key characters (Lan, Lady Hong and Wu Ren Ai) are fleshed out pretty well with their individual back stories unraveling as the story progresses. These characters are relatable, and I did find myself caring about them quite early on, which kept me hooked early on.

Unfortunately, there seem to be invisible boundaries limiting the development of character relationships. The relationship between Lan and Lady Hong border on GL, but anyone who knows anything about China's censorship will know that it is impossible to portray directly. Yet, there is hardly enough innuendo. The closest suggestion comes towards the end with Lan losing her memory and yet is instinctively waiting for someone--a sort of plot device usually reserved for romantic relationships.

Then there is Ren Fan Sheng and Wu Ren Ai's relationship, which has very faint hints of a one-sided BL. In one scene, the usually nonchalant Ren secretly goes after a drunkard who has injured Wu. (And it is suggested that his punishment for the assailant is waaay worse than what the latter did to Ren). Then in another scene, Lan tells Wu that he has a special place in Ren's heart. But then again, the suggestions of romantic love are few and far between.

The lack of clear development for the character relationships are not a major issue though. What hurts the story more is the lack of clarification regarding the central conflict and premise: Lady Hong has the grant people's wishes but, in exchange, they have to give her their flower of lust. Lady Hong herself does not remember how she becomes someone like that until quite late in the series. All she knows is that she sustains herself by plucking the flower of lust in people and she cannot do so indefinitely--she has to pluck a white flower of lust from someone who is willing to give it up so that she can survive and make the person the next Lady Hong.

Even with the revelations that come a little too late in the story, there is a lack of resolution: an immortal who feeds on the flower of lust is the one who has given Lady Hong her power. It is said that the immortal feeds on people's desires (hence gaining energy from the flower of lust), but why on earth does she need a Lady Hong to be the proxy? The immortal appears to be the personification of cruel Fate, but it does not make the ending particularly satisfying.

There are also some major plot holes. Lan is the one with the white flower of lust, but because of her desire to save Lady Hong, her flower turns pink. Thus, the immortal offers her a potion that will erase her emotions. Yet, if she manages to erase her emotions, why would she willingly give up her flower for Lady Hong? The story is interesting, but it is unfortunate that it has not been developed fully. Perhaps there is room for a sequel, but in itself, the ending of the series isn't very satisfying.

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Implied BL with a puzzling title

I stumbled upon this mini series by chance. It's gratifying to see that implied BL series from China can still exist despite the pervasive censorship. However, I'm not sure if BL series in which the romantic elements are at best heavily implied will continue to be released. Without publicity, even viewers who do not mind the fact that the romance is implied may not get to even hear about them. Yet, publicity will likely draw unwanted attention to such series, causing them to be cancelled.

Another problem with the current censorship rules is the fact that it will almost certainly affect the production budget, particularly for shows that are low-budget to begin with. After all, not many would risk investing in productions that most likely will not be commercially successful. The form that My Sweet Professor takes reflects this problem. It looks quite clearly like a condensed version of a story with much more substantial development. The story does get told, but the depth of character development, which can help viewers immerse themselves in the story and empathize with the characters, is gone. Additionally, the creators of the series have to resort to rather choppy editing to tell the story in such a condensed manner. The scenes quite haphazardly switch from the time when Gao Yuan and Huo Shang are high schoolers to eight years after, when they are adults. Furthermore, the reason behind Huo Shang's disappearance (critical to the story) is done through the speech of another character rather than through actual flashbacks. (And the revelation isn't even quite complete or convincing.)

What I can appreciate about the series, though, is how the leads' attraction to each other is quite obvious despite being implied rather than directly portrayed. It is clear from the start that Gao Yuan's resentment towards Huo Shang for disappearing eight years before is that of a lover who is coping with his boyfriend's unexplained disappearance. The way Huo Shang tries to approach Gao Yuan again is also clearly the behavior of someone trying to patch things up with his lover.

Unfortunately, there are many loose ends in the series. There is no real explanation of why Huo Shang does not try to look for Gao Yuan earlier. The corporate power struggle that Huo Shang is facing at work is also barely explained (it feels as though the truly censored parts of the story are not even the BL elements.) In the end, My Sweet Professor is a series that would have been much better if it had even been an eight-episode series with standard-length episodes. As a sign of how underdeveloped the story is, we do not even know why the series is entitled "My Sweet Professor".

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So adorable

The plot isn't great, but the series is exploding with cuteness without being irritating.

The supernatural element could have been used further. Because of an accident, Gu Buxia's suppressed ability to sense other-worldly beings is partially unlocked, and he only stops hearing sounds from the other world when he touches Jiang Chi. There could have been a lot more worked into the story here. Maybe each episode should be twice as long. Some of the events seem to be leading to something more exciting, but are quickly abandoned. Take for example the time when Gu Buxia is frightened by a fierce spirit in the bathroom. I thought more was going to happen, but no...

Still, there the couple is really cute. Yang I Hsuan (who plays Jiang Chi) is a surprisingly good actor and while Hong Wei Zhe (who plays Gu Buxia) seems a little unnatural at times, the role suits him very well.

The main weakness of the series is underdevelopment, which is a pity because if there were stronger development, the series would be phenomenal with such a cute couple. There is a hint of unresolved issues, making a Season 2 possible, with Jiang Chi beginning to hear the other-worldly voices and some foreshadowing of Jiang Chi's parents objecting to his relationship. I wish a Season 2 would happen.

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Starts with good potential but the development isn't always good

First of all, the time-travel premise is fun but not very well done. Why would a spirit transport Kiew to the future as a punishment? Nevertheless, there is a compelling conflict: Kiew falls in love with Bamee in 2022, but is also morally obliged to return to 1995 or his mother will die of grief, so it is going to be a poor decision whether he decides to stay in 2022 or return to 1995. (Yes, he actually does have a choice because he can return to 1995 as long as he fulfills his promise to the spirit).

Unfortunately, neither the time-travel premise nor the conflict is fully exploited. Sometimes the story veers into illogical or frivolous developments. For instance, the about-turn in the character of Bamee's stepmother is not logical at all. Then there is the time when Bamee suffers from amnesia--it's understandable that he would become cold to Kiew because he can't remember him. However, it does not make sense that his character would be so different that he would do things without thinking about the feelings of the brother he dotes on and still remembers. The beginning scene in which Kiew dreams of kissing Bamee even before he has travelled to the future where he meets Bamee is also not explained.

Overall, Past Senger isn't a totally bad BL series, but I would find it hard to come up with a strong reason to highly recommend it. If you are bored and have watched all the better BLs, why not? But there are probably more interesting things out there.

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Good at the start

If you turn this series into a graph, you will see a line going up for a short while before it plateaus until the last episode.

17-year-old (almost 18) Shin is in love with Akira, a man about ten years older. Shin is totally Akira's type, but of course, the age gap and the fact that Shin is not even 18 yet stops Akira from accepting Shin's love. Of course, there isn't really a big issue if nothing happens between them until Shin has turned 18.

Perhaps Akira's attraction to Shin is toned down drastically to avoid controversy, causing his reactions to Shin's advances to seem somewhat silly. But to avoid controversy, why not just start the story with Shin meeting Akira after he has turned 18? The age gap could hold Akira back, but there probably won't be a major ethical issue there.

Instead, the story meanders here and there, even revealing Akira's crush on his teacher when he was a high school student. The turns in the plot are largely pointless, and I think the only significant thing is Akira deciding not to be with Shin so that Shin can pursue his studies elsewhere.

Perhaps the series would have been better if it had only been 4 episodes? The characters are rather cute, but the story drags on needlessly.

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