That's Thai BL for You!

I have some seriously mixed feelings when it comes to this series. One part of me absolutely loved it, the other part of me wants to store this in the very back of my brain where I never have to think about it again. Golden Blood led us to another typical Thai BL with cliche moments, cringe-as-hell kisses, and awkward pauses.

Let's Dive In.

The production was so so. I was getting happy because finally a product wasn't being shoved in our faces every second, but by the 4th episode, it starts, and it goes HARD. I hate when we're taken out of the moment for the characters to talk about how good a product is. I understand you need your coins, but there is such a better way to do it, I promise. There were some weird moments like long and awkward pauses where no one was saying anything and just staring??? So that led to a weird icky feeling for me. The music was okay and the lighting was decent. One thing I loved more than anything was the stargazing setting on the water. Had to be the prettiest scenery I had ever seen (I'll also give kudos to that one carnival place Sun and Sky went to). Another thing to applaud for is the costumes. While they were just in uni clothes most of the time, their wardrobe (especially Sky) was really nice when they weren't wearing uniforms.

Let's move onto the plot. I actually was quite pleased with the story. everything flowed at a nice pace, and I liked Sun's orphan story as well as how he became a bodyguard and just his life in general. Even though I wouldn't necessarily call Sun the best bodyguard (you know, going out and getting drunk????), I still enjoyed his character. Sky was an annoying spoil brat, but obviously, they did that so he could develop into someone better.

While Gun and Boat did such a good job at creating this beautiful slow burn, when it finally came to the execution, it was terrifying. I never thought that I would ever see a god-awful kiss again (cough, cough, Tin and Can), but that's all Sun and Sky had. It was like once they kissed, all their chemistry disappeared. I'm never the type of person to really comment on the intimate moments unless they're dreadful or better than ever. This sadly falls in the dreadful lines. Their lips would just touch and we would have to sit and watch it for 2 whole seconds that felt like an eternity. I need these actors to learn how to kiss. If we're going to go for it, we might as well make it look good. For instance, Pitch and Bank actually had an amazing on-screen kiss. It was sensual and gentle which is what made it perfect. I wasn't even rooting for these two, in fact, I thought that they would've made better friends than anything. But that pond scene???? flawless. the kiss in the tent??? golden. From there, I might've caught onto their relationship and wanted to see more of them than the main couple.

Back onto the plot, I actually loved the combat scenes. They weren't super cringey or fake-looking. They actually seemed real and I enjoyed watching them. Juno and Toktang were really sweet girls, but Juno had me wanting to reach through the screen and tell her that Sun's not interested. Even if Sun wasn't into Sky, he showed clear signs of how he was not in any way into her. and she kept throwing herself at him, it was pissing me off. At least Toktang wasn't doing the most when it came to Sky.

The last thing, the ending was not at all what needed to happen. I get that Sky's dad didn't approve of them being together, but Sun up and leaving felt out of place. I don't know anybody that will stay in love with someone for over six years without contact, but okay. Let's be realistic, if some guy left, I'm not going to sit around and wait on him. But this is a BL, so everything just kind of falls in perfect accordance???

The acting wasn't all the best either. I was happy to see that Gun was given a main role and one that didn't involve being r*pe, but his acting was difficult for me to enjoy. when it came to the comedic parts, he was perfect but when it came to the emotional scene, his facial expression seemed to not convey what he was saying. Same for Tenon who played Bank. While he was the cutest thing ever, his acting felt all over the place. Sometimes it was good, other times it was terrible. Boat did an amazing job at portraying this confused and stoic dude, and he did really well with showing his emotions through his eyes. Pitch and the girls did a decent job, including the dad and the drug dude.

Overall, this wasn't the worst BL ever, and I really was intrigued. I was in love with Sun and Sky's chemistry (until the execution), but I also liked how Sky pined for Sun to confess his feelings. Pitch and Bank stole the show by the end, and the girls weren't gay-haters, so there's a bonus. This was a change of story finally in BL, but it will inevitably be forgotten once KinnPorche comes out.

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I Tried

I really tried with this series, like really tried. Of course, I was excited to start this knowing that Eui Soo would get to shine again. I had seen some comments and it seemed that everyone had mixed opinions. I went into this anyways with high expectations cause it's Eui Soo, and of course, I trust to trust him. (I've got to stop doing that). But, sadly, and for the umpteenth time in BL, I was let down. My Sweet Dear was a beautiful setting with the most uninteresting plot and gorgeous leads.

Let's Dive In.

I was so conflicted on whether I should state that I completed this series or dropped it. But, it's a little bit of both? I'll go ahead and say I completed it, but I'm just putting it out there that I only made it to episode 6, and did some skipping and watch like the first 5 minutes of episode 8. I'm being so literal when I say that I fell asleep every single episode. Crap moved at such a slow pace that it felt like we were stuck in molasses or something. For the first 4 episodes, nothing goes anywhere, literally, nothing happens. I usually give the first episode a chance, since I usually don't like first episodes, but even after that, I'm just mouth-drooling bored.

I'm not even gonna lie, I really don't remember anything. I was so uninterested that my pet peeve of missing dialogue flew out of the window. I could care less what they were saying or what they were trying to accomplish. I got bits and pieces out of the slits of my eyelids while they began to close. From what I can remember, Eui Soo's character is some new guy in town that is trying to run the other lead out of business, but through something, they end up working together and falling in love? I'm sorry, I really didn't have the mental capacity to keep up with (or even care at that matter) with the plot. Eui Soo's good looks could only go so far (and man, what that dude is just so beautiful).

If this were a girl/guy story, I think it could've worked better. In my honest opinion, I don't believe this was the right role for Chan Hyung. His supposed "in-love" with Jung Woo is so unbelievable and pretty non-existent. He just doesn't pass that vibe. He tries, but it doesn't work, which isn't his fault, this was just not the role for him.

Overall, There's not much I can say because I was either half asleep or just started not caring. I can't believe I'm giving this series such a low rating, but I truly could not get into this series for the life of me. If I'm 6 episodes into the 8 that it has and still can not find any appeal, there's a problem. I feel so bad for not liking this more than I feel like I should've, but god, it was just so boring. there was no chemistry, and to be completely honest, I didn't love Eui Soo's character (besides his ridiculously beautiful stature and windswept hair).

Ratings:

Story: 6 (I feel like this is pushing it. I want to go for more of a 5, and maybe slightly less since I don't remember much of anything at all, but I'm giving 3 stars alone for just me not paying attention all the way, and the three others go towards the slight cheesy tropes that I can't help but love).

Acting: 7.5 (This feels kind of low, but I kind of was too bored to really pay attention to the acting. I didn't like Chan Hyung all that much, but Eui Soo was decent. I'm giving the majority of the stars to the supporting characters cause I thought they were good, and kind of gave me some sense of relief. Another star goes to Eui Soo's smile alone).

Music: 3.5 (Wasn't distracting, but wasn't noticeably good either).

Rewatch Value: 1 (I set all my RV to 1 cause I need to keep watching, not rewatching, but there isn't a slight chance that I'll ever even come back to this series. Maybe if I feel bad for not actually finishing it, but honestly, I won't).

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So Stinky Cute That I Can Look Over Sea's Acting...

What started off rough for me ended up being a very entertaining watch that I'm glad I gave a chance to. This series is not perfect, nor will it be one of the more memorable GMMTV series, but, I enjoyed it while watching, and that's all that matters.

Let's Dive In.

Starting off, the story is this interesting concept of a country boy who loves art falling for a city boy who loves music. His dream is to become an idol, but while doing so, he falls for the country boy, and of course, the rule is that they can't date. The story/plot is so intriguing and cute that you can't not just love it. Keen plays the incredibly extroverted Moo who's adamant on showing his love for Kang. Kang is super helpful and stoic, but he gets around to being open eventually. Again, the story is so adorable and there are so many precious moments that I was able to look over some of the glaring problems in this, like Sea's acting.

Sea's acting in this was extremely rough. People in the comments tried telling me, "It gets better the more you watch" but it's the exact same until the end. I understand he's a new actor, but geez, I don't think I've seen this much below-mediocre acting from someone in a GMMTV series in a minute. If this series wasn't so stinking cute, and Keen's acting wasn't so good, I would've dropped a long time ago. He had his good moments, but most of them were bad. He doesn't know how to show expression on his face, so it's just a blank stare for the majority of his scenes. He needs so much work before he moves on to the next series, and I mean a lot. Keen carried their ship until the end (also, wouldn't mind seeing him paired with someone else..) But speaking in terms of Moo and Kang's relationship, I think it was adorable. They had so many scenes where they were just being passionate and open, and they really delivered some beautiful moments. I like the subtle things they did while Moo was an idol (blank letters, Kang dressing as a mascot, private messages, etc..), and I'm not a "ride on my motorcycle and hold me" trope fan, but these two made it extremely endearing, I loved it. Overall, their relationship was cute, they had decent enough kisses, and by the end, I appreciated their romance.

Moving onto the side couple, honestly, I went in being so obsessed with them, but left feeling anti-climatic, Their relationship is a perfect build-up: best friends, dance partners, subtle hints that they have feelings for one another. Just so many reasons that I absolutely adored them, but they have minimal setup after Yos confesses. It's like the writers wanted to keep the angst and not do anything about it until the very last episode. Overall though, they were perfect in the beginning, but their ending could've played out a lot better (dating earlier, Tae realizing his feelings earlier, etc...).

Some of the casting felt a little...weird? What was stopping them from casting Shone and Peth closer to Sea, Keen, Aun and Ashi's age? Something just felt out of sorts with Shone's character having feelings for Kang. I realize they're supposed to be the same age in college, but it just doesn't work. You can obviously tell they are two very different ages, so it's hard to believe the story. Same with Kang supposedly being two years older than Moo's character (I thought he had dropped out of high school until the 6th episode).

Obviously, this is a series about trainees becoming idols, but oh gosh, the dancing was probably the hardest to sit through. It's not that bad, but so many mistakes and not-in-sync moments that made me cringe. Also, a little annoying that when Moo sang (and I actually cared to listen and not skip over it) his live voice sounded completely different than the OST that would play immediately after (assuming that he also sang that as well).

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - really entertaining, extremely cute. So good that I'm able to look over some of the glaring mistakes/problems with it.

Acting: 7/10 - Sea's need so much improvement before I decide to watch a SeaKeen series again. It's only tolerable to sit through because this series is literal fluff, but if they were to have a more heavy-hitting drama, there's no way I could've sat through his acting. I hope he gets better in the future. Besides that, Keen did an excellent job and he played his character incredibly well. Aun needs more recognition in GMMTV and he did really well in this, same as Ashi.

Music: 6.5/10 - when I wasn't skipping over it, it sounded decent enough.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - super light-hearted, a giant puddle of fluff. It's hard not to enjoy this one, it's literally so sweet. It's a good starter BL for people getting into the genre.

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Mid as F**k

So Wedding Plan isn't the worst Mame's series that she's created (cough couch Tharntype), but because she's the screenwriter AND director, I can see why this still doesn't work for me. One of the many problems I have with this series is the overwhelming amount of miscommunication; it's so bad that if you told me a 10-year-old girl wrote the plot, I'd believe you.

Let's Dive In.

So Wedding Plan is about a wedding coordinator falling for one of his clients even though that client is supposedly getting married. But of course, and just like Mame, the client is secretly in love with the coordinator after one measly little encounter (actually, did they even talk to one another at Sky and Prapai's wedding?).

You can tell from the get-go that Lom and Yiwa's "wedding" seems pretty fake, and then we get that confirmation sometime soon after that. Okay great, Lom and Yiwa are only getting married to please their families and instead are delving into their own relationships outside of the fake one they've created. Good. But why the fuck did we wait until nearly the last episode to notify Nuea of the plan? Here he is having these internal battles with thinking that he's fallen in love with an about-to-be-married man, crying and going through a depressive period when all Lom had to do was open his mouth and tell him it was fake. This plot aggravated me to a point of no return. And then when Lom does tell Nuea, there's simply no repercussions of the whirlwind he's created. He's damaged the relationship between Yiwa and her girlfriend, he's caused Nuea a multitude of sadness and misery that he didn't have to go through, along with the countless other characters that had to reap what he sowed. It's so tiring and so dull to watch that I can't wrap myself around the fact that there are people out there who would rate this a 10 out of 10.

Out first Mame GL couple! Not bad, but not good. Mame has a tendency to make female characters the worst possible people in the entire world, so this was definitely an upgrade. But then she goes and makes Yiwa look like a terrible person for ditching her own wedding, but you know, a female can't always be good. Of course, you go throughout the series feeling absolutely terrible for Marine whose having to put up with this dreadful scheme. If I were Yiwa and I saw how depressive my actions were making the love of my life feel, then I would've cut that shit off immediately. But I wouldn't have gone with the plan in the first place, so *shrugs*. Overall, I thought they were pretty cute. I like that in the end they run off to London to get married. I'll be honest though, the kissing was really cringey to watch. It was like Yiwa was giving it her all and Marine was just there.

Another reason I'm not a huge fan is because of the chemistry between our main leads. It gets to a point where it building and building and I'm enjoying the ride, until it's just ruined by a non-consensual kiss. Not that it wasn't lowkey ruined before that when you think about the fact that a soon-to-be-married man is hardcore flirting with somebody who's not his soon-to-be-wife. But there's a certain point in the series, and I'm not sure at which point, but somewhere in the mix of it, you can feel their chemistry just deteriorate. The only scene between them that I really liked (disregarding the beginning when they meet cause I also liked that) was the bed scene when Lom is crying in Nuea's arms because he loves him that much. I really did like that. And of course, they had no problem in the kissing and NC department, which is one of Mame's only benefits, so I'll give them that.

By the end of the series, it feels like we did a whole 360 to where we began. There wasn't a feeling of a true ending, and so many things went unsaid and undone. Like Lom needs to sit down with his mother and actually tell her about Nuea and not her just accept that he'll find somebody else. Definitely a sit down with Yiwa and her mother. Just so many things. I know there's a special episode, but there's no way I have the patience to even sit through it.

Ratings:

Story: 5.5/10 - Elongated the telling of Nuea for no reason. Difficulty in finding the reason why. The main leads are okay, but they won't be memorable after this review. For most of my watch, I was speeding through -- so.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Good. Pak (Nuea) did the best, Sunny (Lom) ehh, not so much besides that one scene I really liked (and he looks incredible with his shirt off, so I'll raise the score a little). Everyone else was decent.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it so that is also good. Not distracting.

Recommendation Value: 4/10 - SO many better BL series out. So many better ones that I can't even count them all. But for a pretty lighthearted watch and some, I'll be honest, great NC scenes, sure, knock yourself out.

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This was Wasted Opportunity

If there is one word to describe the special ep, then it's "meh". I think it was cute for what it's worth, but there was a LOT of wasted potentials. For one, What if instead of them reacknowledging how much they love each other every five words or so, we got to see them be vulnerable with each other, so vulnerable that they take it to the next level and shiggidy-shang-bang-bang for the first time? Imagine, boyfriends who have been together forever whose stopping point is a damn kiss on the cheek. ??? I think Prince and Fah kissed once and maybe Duao and Kluen did in one of their umpteenth cheek kisses. But this was just cheese on top of cheese which is fine if that's what you watched it for. I wish things would've gotten spicy because nothing happens and it's them just being on the beach and splashing water at each other while eating fried chicken.

The only thing I can really take away from this episode is that Prince is the sweetest and most understanding boyfriend toward his very busy doctor boyfriend. It's sweet to see him take the time and reassure Fah that everything is okay. I also liked seeing Prince and Duao having scenes together and watching Fah glare daggers at Kluen.

Personally, I enjoyed SIYH a lot more than SIMM, so I thought the proposal was cute, but a little performative seeing as Thailand doesn't allow same-sex marriages so then you go, "No this can't even happen so what's the point?"

Overall, I'll give it a 5. It's GMMTV so I honestly shouldn't have expected more, but I was hoping for at least a heated make-out or something more seeing as it's something boyfriends who have been in a relationship for a while would do.

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Why Do I Not Feel Much?

I'll be upfront and say I watched this on 2x fast forward speed because I was having an incredibly difficult time watching this series and being able to stay awake. Not only that, but for some reason, I had the most perplexing problem with getting through this show. Not because it was bad, I think this series was quite good, but maybe because it felt too draggy? Maybe the plot isn't for me? Maybe because I think too realistically in the sense that he's trying to date a ghost and how far are you going to get with someone who's not human? Because I saw the inevitable coming? I don't know, I really don't, especially since I think this series was put together authentically and with care, something I don't see commonly in BLs (Thai BLs at least).

Let's Dive In.

Something In My Room is a supernatural BL about a dude who moves into a new house with his mother, and finds that a ghost dude is living there! A complex plot later, their happy and in love until reality smacks them on the ass. Again, The way this show was put together was insanely pleasant to experience. I love foreshadowing, I love plots that are complex and intrigue me to find out what happens next. And this show did just that. I wanted to understand Phob and his situation, I wanted to know more about Phat's father and his mother's life, I wanted to find out what was going on with Nuan and her sketchy ways, I wanted to understand Dream and every little detail about her, I wanted to know more about Luck and his very odd familial situation, I wanted to see how Phob died and how he was going to inevitably have to move on, and there's another handful to add on. It was all fun, and those were the parts that I enjoyed the most.

But sadly, I was spoiled about the ending, and while from the get-go you can guess what's going to happen between a ghost and his lover boy, it's still no fun to be spoiled. If anything, I would've loved to be wrong about my initial thoughts, but instead, I learned what it was before I even got to settle well into the series. I don't care to know whether a series is going to be a happy ending or not, I want to go in with my mind open and just watch, no matter the ending. Even finding out it's a happy ending kind of burst my bubble, it's just not fun. And that's probably the reason why it took me forever to get through this thing until I decided that enough was enough, and I just sped watch through the last 7 episodes. I've already gotten spoiled on other series that I was looking forward to, but now, I might put it on the back burner until I feel like watching it. The fun of something is ruined when you know how things will go; because that's the point of watching, we want to learn what happens next, and that hopeful happily ever after. Oh well, I'm over it, and at least I got to see the other parts of this series that made it exciting.

The production did their thing in this series. It is by far my favorite part of watching this show. The change in tone when something scary or bad is about to happen/happening, the music scores, the lighting, and the cinematography, it was so all well put together. I'm not usually a fan of first episodes, but this one was probably the best episode out of them all. It catches your attention, and then you're dying to watch, I just loved it.

Again, the lack of me wanting to get through this series was the real problem. I think the plots and conflicts and whatnot were great, but the romance was lacking. Phat is a little skeptical of Phob at first, they develop a somewhat friendship, Phob sneaks into his dream to recite some lines, they kiss, and then it's like all of a sudden, they're in love and dating. I didn't get that build-up or that connection, Other than a few shy look aways from Phat, there was nothing for me to pine over. So yes, their love scene is amazing (who knew Nut could kiss like that after My Oxygen..???), their kisses were off the chain, but I'm watching it with no emotion radiating from any part of my body. I think the ending can somewhat make you feel bad that they have to go their separate ways, but all in all, throughout the series, their romance was just not cutting it.

Another great aspect was the acting. Nut did a complete 180 with his character here who's a lot more memorable than whatever-his-name-was-that-Nut-played-in-My-Oxygen was. That just goes to show that directing is a very important part of the show, and the director here knew what the hell they were doing (I'll give some leeway cause Nut's character in MO was more brooding and vampirish, but still Nut did a way better job here). He did so good that I'm honestly dying to see him again! It also doesn't hurt that Nut looks like he stepped out of the 100-top-hottest-Thai-Men catalog. Everyone else did great, I think Phat was a little weak at times, but it wasn't too much of a burden, Nuan and the monk dude were good, Dream and Luck were good, and the dad was decent. Overall, there were little to no problems in this department.

I feel like Dream was set up to be this big and all-power woman, and then they just did nothing with her? Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I was watching this in ff mode, but she kind of just fell off the wagon. She with through some stuff with Luck, and helped the boys talk to the dead, but what else about her? I wanted more from her, other than her being a pretty good actor, her storyline was the most mysterious, which made me want to know more about her so bad. I don't know how I feel about Luck and his alien situation. It felt erratic yet oddly piqued my interest, but I think we could've done without it. And yes this series is about a ghost but let's not add in another unworldly situation.

The ending was fine I guess. It was beautiful to see Phat go back to the house at his older age, the voice-over was incredible, and it was cute to literally see them walking off together forever. So I'm not too mad, (BUT SPOILERS STILL SUCK!)

Ratings:

Story: 9 - Love everything about it. I think some things could've been cleaned up better, but the story was the best part of this.

Acting: 8.5 - Great acting, and very surprised at how excellent Nut was. Plan could use more work, but he was still good. Nothing to say about the others cause they did fine.

Music: 9 - Absolutely loved it, not necessarily the OST, cause it was kind of kiddish and annoying at times, but the scoring overall in this series was superb. It made the scenes 10x times more intense and whoever was over picking the music did the best job out of anyone that was a part of the crew.

Rewatch value: 1.5 - Ehh, probably not.

The suggested overall rating is a 7, and I think that fits perfectly with this series. Not a 7 because it was bad or anything, but this wasn't really my cup of tea from the get-go. However, because of the excellent production team and the great acting, it was bearable, and the outcome wasn't so bad. Spoilers suck, and I'll always be a little sassy because of it, but it didn't ruin too much for me to want to completely drop this series (which I thought about doing a few times). I think if you're interested in the very limited amount of supernatural BL that are available, then go for it. If you missed Nut from MO and you want to watch him do an excellent job here then go for it.

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Please Give This Series a Chance

I'll be the anomaly here when I say I absolutely loved First Love Again. I was surprised at the number of negative reviews and comments, even to see the show's overall rating is below an 8, hell, even sitting close to below a 7. Sure, this series had its issues and the half-assed title poster doesn't help, but I could probably label this as one of my favorite BLs so far this year, and maybe even overall in the Korean BL department.

Let's Dive In.

For one, I love reincarnation BLs, and it's not something we always see (I'm pretty sure the last one I can remember is UWMA), so going into this, I was so excited. The synopsis is a man whose fated love (as a woman) continuously dies in each life he lives, and during his third life, he is destined to find her again, except, he's utterly shocked to find out his past love is reincarnated as a man. He goes through the understanding of this, and by the end, it's happily ever after. My favorite part was watching as Yeon Seok takes into realization that his fated love is a man. Watching the inevitable was great, and sure his initial reaction wasn't the best, but bit by bit, you see these small details in which he starts to care for Ha Yeon, and it's really stellar.

Some things I didn't like: Parts of the story were pretty unnecessary, like Ha Yeon getting mad and Yeon Soek after he finds out he's his past love. Sure, he's worried that Yeon Seok only likes that the past him was a woman, but it's so out of the blue behavior that it throws you off. And it wasn't so clever to add in conflict in the very last episode which was only about thirty minutes long. It would've been totally fine for them to just continue on being happy.

Yeon Soek's initial behavior to finding out his fated love was a man is a bit much. He's too hostile and mean, and it just doesn't look good on his character. However, this is forgiven since he goes through an immense amount of character growth; from a bossy and privileged man to a guy who opens up to his reality and learns to soften his core and let people in while learning to let go of the past. It's beautiful.

I say don't judge a book by its cover cause the title poster is so ridiculous. It makes this drama look like it was surviving off a 2 dollar budget and filmed in a garage. It's not like that at all. They had a huge budget, with luxurious setting locations, and a very expensive-looking wardrobe. The scenery, lighting, color grading, and cinematography were also gorgeous, and FLA's problem was never the budget or anything to do with production. Whoever made that poster needs to resign. Sure don't judge a book by its cover, but if it looks like it was made by a first-grader, then you can go in at least a little bit judgey.

The inevitable happened again, and this BL was just way too fucking short. If this were to have a decent run time, I swear to you, this would've been the series of the year. Sadly, they fall under about 20ish minutes for only 6 episodes, which doesn't give them enough time to really tell the story as authentically as they can, which is why some parts feel rushed. God, when will Korea cut the freaking extremely short BLs??

What I adored: I really loved our leads. Again, I love seeing those small moments when Yeon Seok was falling for Ha Yeon little by little. I think in some aspects, it can feel like their relationship was rushed, but when you've been in love with the same soul for centuries, that it's understandable. The best part about their relationship is when they are together, and just their small domestic moments that get my heart fluttering.

The acting is really good, especially from our main lead. He put on a very strong performance, one that I don't see all that much in Korean BL. Sure, anyone can look sad or happy or in love, but this dude just gots it. During his more sentimental scenes, you could tell in his posture, the way he walked, the look in his eyes, it was all so superb. I would love to see him again in literally anything. His love interest couldn't hold up to his standard because he was just really good, but Chang Ha did well, especially for it being his first acting gig. Sin Bi was both gorgeous and excellent, I liked that she at times put Yeon Seok in his place, and the actress put on a fantastic performance.

I really can't complain about the side characters here. I pretty much appreciated all of them, even the third wheel/love triangle that always seemed to get in the way. Aoora was a sight to behold, and just beautiful (can't believe he's 36 hello..?!) His character was the comic relief that the series needed.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Really loved the entire concept. I loved watching everything twist and how it all played out. There weren't any unnecessary filler moments, and not a single character felt irrelevant. The connection between the main pairing could've been stronger so I'll take a star and a half off.

Acting: 9.5 - Everyone did a fantastic job, but Jin Gun threw them all out of first place. God, I do really hope to see him again. There was room for improvement for the others, but nevertheless, it was still amazing.

Music: 8 - I liked the somber music during the sad scenes, it really added to the moment.

Rewatch Value: 3 - definitely could see myself rewatching this. it was pretty short and cute (however, my Viki subscription is about to end so... not anytime soon)

Even though I think this series could use some maintenance, one being a longer run time, it still was really freaking good. So good, that I'm looking past my usual rating criteria to give this series a 10. Sure, not everything was perfect, but if a series leaves a lasting impression on me, it means something. I highly recommend this series. Please don't pay attention to the ratings and the reviews, just go into this with a clear mind and enjoy yourself.

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This Could've Been So Cool

I'm so frustrated to see such a unique BL (Korean BL at that) go to such waste. Kissable Lips had so much potential to be THAT BL, and yet it falls off the wagon so fast and so brutally. I can't even really say I didn't like this, I more so am just so disappointed for the way it was executed and how anybody on the crew of KL could think this was okay.

Let's Dive In.

Kissable Lips is a K-BL about a vampire who finds a pure-blooded who can potentially save his life and turn him human as long as the mortal falls in love with him. When the mortal does, incidentally, the vampire reciprocates those feelings, and because of that, he's too scared to take the human's blood in the fear that he'll kill him. Great plot right? Just with this small synopsis, you can get a feel for how incredibly wonderful this story could be, and I remember reading it and being stoked to watch. But sadly, this series suffers from the common, "Korean gays get no time" -- the new phrase I'm calling it.

What needs serious help: With less than 12 minutes for only 8 episodes, this series chokes on its own plot. While I can believe the stakes Junho has to make in order to get Minhyun to fall in love with him, the romance is so hard to believe -- cause it seems to happen in the span of a few minutes -- in the series' world, maybe a couple of days. And while I too fell in love with Jiwoong at first sight, it's hard to believe MInhyun is so ready to potentially die for him at the drop of a hat. It's so important to build chemistry cause without it, you have no series, especially a BL series where the romance is the most important part. If anything, I would've liked them to take the majority of the time they had to build this relationship rather than anything else. Even showing a montage of maybe a few days/weeks going by while they connect would've been a better choice to show than what we got. And Jiwoong and Seobin didn't do a bad job with what they had to work with (they didn't even have a chaste kiss, it was spot on), but when it's not much, you have to look past the parched romance to really not mind the rest of the story.

Speaking of the rest of the story, it was a lot to add for a series that had no time for outside commentary. Like how Junho and Dohyun's story was scattered all over the place, and if you weren't paying attention with the right focus, you would be completely lost. It wasn't developed enough, there were so many flashbacks with little to no meaning, and you make connections, but I'd rather it just be outright explained. Not to mention that Dohyun's actor looked like he didn't want to be there. The delivery of his lines were so bland and uninteresting. They could've cut his parts and I still would've enjoyed the story.

What I liked: I liked the plot since it was unique and not something I'd ever seen. Vampire boy falls in love with human boy. Please, I would take that any day. But I just hate that it doesn't work due to the insignificant time frame. I didn't even mind the ending in which I would've complained about any other day, but seeing as this is a fantasy BL with vampires, I was understanding of why it ended as it did. But because of the stupidly rushed plot, I wasn't even all that sad when he died. I sighed a little and went awe, but it didn't provoke any real emotion. Just imagine how significant this series could've been if we got a fully fleshed out, complex-plot, character-driven, 40 minute 12 episode series. God, It would've been so good.

The title sequence was mesmerizing. The way the lighting cascades over his face and then changes to cast a gloom over him is so addicting. Jiwoong is seriously the prettiest human being ever.

Rating:

Story: 6.5 - So much potential wasted. And for whatever reason Korea doesn't let the gays shine on screen is beyond me. It fell short and left me unattached. I'll give it somewhat of a decent rating since they did what they could.

Acting: 7.5 - Good. The leads were pretty good. Spectacular? Meh, but good enough to keep the story going. The supporting characters were also pretty much in the same category. Dohyun's actor is the only one I wasn't all that impressed with.

OST: 5 - I really don't remember the music. Like at all. Oh well.

Rewatch Value: 1 - this just made me sad and not in a good way. No chance I'm rewatching.

If someone were to ask me for a recommendation solely based on the hotness of the actor, I would then shove this show in their face. Other than that, there are way better K-BLs.

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Unfortunately too Short, But Highly Entertaining

I'll keep this review short since that's all this collectively hour-long series gave us. Tinted With You gave us the perfect story, plus a hilarious main lead and great supporting ones. To watch a love story while I also get to enjoy the beautiful scenery will always be my favorite pastime. Unfortunately, this is literally the definition of a pastime. With this extremely short series, we've got nothing to build on top of or to develop into something better. If K-BLs are going to make these things as short as they do, they might as well only make the movie aspect, and the movie aspect only.

Let's Dive In.

Tinted With You is a historical BL with a splash of fantasy as a modern Korean student gets pulled back in time through a painting and meets the Prince and his protector. let's get into what I liked: I loved the plot more than anything. As soon as I read the synopsis, I was immediately hooked. And they really pulled through. Even through the very subtle details of how Heon and Guem didn't understand phrases and words Eunho spoke, how Guem takes a liking to the feel of a notebook and the pages, Heon feeling on Eunho's buttons and being mesmerized by it. This was such a small part of the series, but such an important part, and one that made me love TWY even more.

The acting was phenomenal to me. Jun did an extraordinary job as our main lead. He was hilarious, his expressions were always on point, and nothing ever felt out of place. I liked how stern Guem was, but because the actor is so skilled at his job, you could pay close attention to the message he hid between his eyes, his expression, the way he cared for Heon more than a protector should, the way we could hear the emotions breaking through his voice. Taejung did a phenomenal job. I'd say the only one who potentially needed more work is Hyunwoo, who didn't do terrible, but during his emotional scenes, no tears feel when you knew that was what he was going for. It's a tough act, but one that can be mastered perfectly with practice.

What needed improving: Their kiss was as chaste as chaste could get. There's nothing wrong with a little lip movement, maybe a hand here, a hand there, or even simply pulling apart and smiling at each other before we fade to black would've been nice. Instead, we had two straight dudes frozen in place until the director says cut, in which they probably move apart faster than the red sea. If we're going for a kiss, then give us a kiss! I'd rather they just stare into each other's eyes all lovey-dovey rather than a forced, half-assed kiss.

On the topic of their chemistry, where did it go? I felt it at the beginning, I felt the build-up, I felt the connection, and then it just drops after they kiss for the first time. Eunho teasing Heon on blushing was the peak for me. I was excited after that. Then we get a kiss, cool, but after that, it just disappears. It's even worse when at the very end of the series, they look like best buddies hanging out in the cafe. Their romance felt half-played. I don't even think I'd necessarily call this BL, more like two best friends that kiss occasionally. I wish that part of the story was touched better on. I think this series would've been perfect if we just got that spark.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Excellent detail-to-plot. I genuinely enjoyed the story, the adventure, the conflicts, and their resolutions. If this was a fully fleshed-out series, it could've been ground-breaking. The romance needed hefty work, so I'll take off a star and a half for that.

Acting: 9 - Nothing deters me from the story. Jun did a phenomenal job, and I really hope to see him in more projects in the future. A good story is nothing without good acting, and everyone played their part as true as possible.

Music: 6 - I didn't pay much attention to it, but I'm sure it was good. Nothing distracting or irritating, so that's excellent in my book.

Rewatch Value: 1 - no chance I'll rewatch, but I do hope to see these actors in other projects, together or not.

Overall, I recommend it. The best K-BL? No, but it's cute, and I think the story pulls most of the weight, so much of it that you don't mind the lacking romance.

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Almost Had It

Paint with Love was so close to being something so endearing and worthwhile, except, it throws itself under the bus after a good handful of episodes. This entire thing was just a roller coaster ride and one that you desperately wanted to get off of after the first drop. Some characters were likable until they continued to repeat their same mistakes and others were just such a nuisance that I continued to skip their scenes. It felt like we got somewhere, and then in the next episode, we'd take 20 steps back. The inconsistency and the lack thereof cause a shift in the overall mood of the series, and it sways you from wanting to finish versus trying to finish.

Let's Dive In.

I was happy to see a new BL that didn't follow down the usual paths we see. No uni students, no overplayed tropes, no bitter ex-girlfriend, no top/bottom slews, The characters were mature, career-driven, had the compacity to live like adults and work like one too. and I was excited. The overall mood and feel of the series was different too; a good type of difference, one that I was willing to accept. Singto plays Maze, this very stern workaholic serious about his company. A work inquiry requires him to hire an artist, Phap, who is the complete opposite of Maze. He's easy-going, laid-back, does what he wants, not what he needs. Their dynamics clash, causing drifts over and over again, until eventually, they realize how much they really do need each other.

Let's start off with what I really liked out of this series: I liked everyone's compatibility in the office. I never really disliked the scenes that consist of everyone. They were the funnier parts, the parts where I could tell the cast outside of their characters, got along very well.

Maze and Phap's intimate moments were handled very well. I liked how I didn't have to sit through chaste kisses, or awkward touching, it was genuinely a joy to watch. I enjoyed how the camera focused on their expressions, taking a moment right before they kissed to collectively draw in how much they wanted to touch each other. Excellent job.

Weirdly enough, I think I liked the dynamic of Kuea and Elle way more than I did with Tharn and Nueng. We didn't see too much of a build-up with them, similar to Tharn and Nueng, but watching Kuea being a shy mess around Elle was precious. When he finally does confess his feelings, I caught myself smiling. A good job indeed.

The wardrobe department did an excellent job, including the set designers. My favorite setting was Phap's house. You can see how detailed they were at making sure each thing matched his personality perfectly. The suits on Singto looked so nice, the outfits on the female characters were also a good touch. A big clap for those parts of the crew. Something I don't usually shout out, but the title sequence was gorgeous. Instead of skipping it, I found myself watching it each time. Someone really added their arm and leg into that thing. Really nice.

Moving on to what I wasn't so fond of: Obviously, Maze and Phap. I felt no chemistry whatsoever. I felt two characters who continued to bicker and bicker, which led them nowhere. When they do kiss for the first time, while a beautiful moment, it didn't bring anything out of me. No excitement, no butterflies, no nothing. it didn't feel like we were building up to anything, there was no climax during that kiss, there was no meaning behind it. Phap's sudden liking to Maze felt forced. Where did it come from? and What caused you to like him? Was it his nasty demeanor? His constant criticizing? I will say that it gets better by a couple of last episodes, but it's disappointing that it takes that long to get there. I wish the screenwriters would've done more. I think the connection between Singto and Tae wasn't really there. Whether that was because they were brand new to each other or not, we'll never know, but everything felt oddly one-sided. Like Tae would give it his all, and then in the next episode, it would only be Singto giving it his all. I think a better connection between them could've created a better form for their characters as well. On top of that, I didn't like how argumentive their entire relationship was. It's cute at the beginning, but by the end, it's tiresome. It felt like they would say one thing, and in the next moment, they're insulting each other. This happens multiple times and caused me to use the skip button more frequently.

Moving onto my next argument; the acting. I think my favorite was by far Tae. He did an amazing job at playing Phap. His charismatic side, his charming side, his dark side, all of it was so well. I loved how he was able to do such a good job of expressing himself. Singto, on the other hand, didn't feel as authentic. I want to blame it on the screenwriters, but part of me knows that's not the problem. Singto does a great job at expressing his emotions through his voice, but his face and eyes tell a different story. I don't know, I just could never really believe what he was playing. Instead, I kept seeing Singto and not Maze.

Tharn and Nueng were cute but that was it. They had no time for a build-up. So when they get together, you're just like, "awe, cute" but that's it. Nueng was a weird character for sure. I didn't like how he treated Phap, and I won't take the, "I-was-doing-this-for-you-so-that-the-guy-you-like-can-realize-his-feelings-for-you" crap. He was mean, the way he treated Tharn wasn't all that good either, but whatever. I've only seen Yoon in Y-destiny and Close Friend (cause I literally can't sit through YYY) and from what I've seen, he's not terrible, but could definitely use some work. He was used here as a pretty face, a "BL" celebrity, if you will. with some more work, he could definitely be better.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - Not as strong as it could've been. Some good points, but it's all taken over by the other not-so-good stuff.

Acting: 8 - Tae takes more than half this score. some others I liked were Yacht, Elle, Kuea, Sprite, and Nae. Singto and Yoon were probably the weaker links.

Music: 7 - Seemingly enjoyable to listen to. I liked watching the title sequence, which is where half this score is coming from.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Got to move on. This series was also incredibly long, with some parts being extremely boring, so there's no chance I'll rewatch.


Do I recommend this? Eh, kind of. If you love Singto or Tae, then yes. If you don't know who either of them are, then probably not. It's a long series to sit through, especially with some parts being slow and boring. If it were able to tackle some of the problems I bring up, then I think this would've been a very enjoyable series.

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Typical BL, but Not???

Yes, I won't try to act like this wasn't the typical engineering BL, but for some reason this felt way better than the others ones?? Nititman made this overused BL style feel more authentic and proficient. It brought along the cliché BL tropes, and some repetitive plot devices, but it was also a really nice love story that felt like you had seen it before, but with a few differences.

Let's Dive In.

This was a Thailand BL for you, the most thrown in plot devices you can think of mixed with a few side character problems and singing. Nititman felt like a mix of UMWA (y'know, without the suicide and stuff) and what My Gear and Your Gown wanted to be. It was pretty much just cuteness overload with the little slice of naughty cake and a scoop of comedy and angst to go with it. The only thing this series missed out on was character development. There was no change in anyone except feelings and that was it. Not saying that most engineering BLs do this on the regular, but it would've been a nice touch for this one.

As for production, it was decent. There were time when the lighting was nicely done and colors were used to show subtle moods and I loved it. This was another BL where I didn't see many ad placements, if any at all. The songs were actually really good and I found myself not skipping, so there's a bonus.

But no BL is perfect and this once can attest to that. Let's start with this whole "trying to get Jin and Bbomb to f*ck" situation first. I don't need to go on and on about how terrible this was, cause, you know, don't drug your friends?? At least Bbomb didn't act on those feelings much, and when Jin said no he listened, but something that Thailand BLs do and do only is take serious matters and make it laughable. Not funny?? at all??? At least U had enough sense to see that what they were doing wasn't okay, but of course, he was the anomaly in this situation so his feelings didn't matter. Moving on, The receptiveness of plot devices was astronomically pestering. How many times did Jin need to "break" his foot? How many times did someone need to be jealous of another? How many times did they need to be drunk? I mean, this list goes on, but my golly, I can't do it. I felt like I was watching the same episodes over and over again. There's no need for the repetition of these things, once is enough, and maybe had they done that, Ball and Keam could've gotten at least two more minutes of screen time.

Surprisingly, I didn't have too much of a problem with the overly-obsessive BL fans except for them posting it online. Find a life, I beg of you. And STOP WITH THIS GOD-AWFUL TROPE. It's okay, we can have a mlm love story without outsiders pinning for them. I think I didn't mind it that much cause I LOVED Aruy. He was HILARIOUS and I don't think this series would've been the same without him. (found out the same director here did Oxygen in which was even worse with Yaois, Lawd)

Onto Jin and Bbomb. While their start up was a little iffy, their execution was pretty nice. The one thing they did so good on was actually looking like they liked each other. Even with the way they laid in bed together, how Bbomb spooned Jin and even how he caressed Jin's hair when he was laying on his chest. It was the small things like that that attached me to this couple. Jom did a pretty good job, he was able to actually cry during sad scenes and his smile didn't hurt either. This was Noh's acting debut, so I'll forgive some of his very stale acting and one-and-only facial expression in the hopes that he'll do better in future projects. (But his character didn't have much of a personality other than liking Jin and being good at everything).

Let's move onto the biggest problem of the series, KEAM AND BALL. Ball was a ray of sunshine, and Keam was literally running away because he was too fucking cute. THEY NEEDED WAY MORE SCREEN TIME THAN THEY DESERVED. Ball was on maybe 4 or 5 episodes, and it felt like we were getting somewhere until nothing happens? We got a two-minute something at the very end of the final episode, but that was NOTHING. We need a second season, precisely for Keam and Ball to do literally anything.

They teased at Jay and Song a lot, and I loved their dynamic, so Imma need some more of them if we get a next season. U and Ultra seemed like they could've had something, even Singh and Jack had a little smidge of maybe something that could of happened, but they both had their own girl problems, so probably not. If anything, they had a great on-screen friendship that I really liked. Their comedic touch lightened the already lightened plot.

Overall, I honestly loved this series. Yes it was typical, yes it was cliche, but I loved every single minute of it. This is the BL that BL is all about. No actual act of importance, stupid lovey-dovey tropes, and singing. what more could I ask for? I do recommend for anyone trying to get into BL, it's an easy watch and entertaining one too.

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Absolute Perfection in its Depictions

Wow, This was not an easy watch AT ALL. That might have been why I waited almost a year now to watch it. But more than anything, this series was beautiful and disturbing, the exact mix that the audience should've felt when watching this. I will warn that it touches on heavy subjects, such as rape, PTSD, self-harm, and other things, so this really is not the series for everybody. However, for the people that are willing and able to watch this: YOU MUST. The actors James and Oat put on a marvelous performance in playing these very impactful characters in a drama that I will continue to appreciate for its truthfulness and accurate depictions of these heavy subjects.

Let's Dive in.

I wasn't too sure where we were headed at the beginning of the first episode, but it really was just a start-up of us meeting the characters and the situations that are bound to happen. The episodes to follow were where the heavier subjects are brought up, and that's when it starts to get real.

Production was something on the same level as other BL series, but it did feel different and in a good way. Some of the camera angles that were shot added so much realness to the situation happening, and the added-on effects were really nice too. the OST was beautiful, and one that I haven't really enjoyed in a while. A huge applaud goes out to the production team.

let's move onto the plot. While it's super heavy and a lot to try and soak in, it was the most accurate portrayal I've ever seen. But the subject that I want to really highlight and applaud on is the way they handled sexual assault and the aftermath.

Let's first analyze the following series that have also depicted this subject: Book and Frame from Make It Right, Techno and Kengkla from Love By Chance, and the step-brothers in HIStory 4 (there are plenty of others, but these are the ones I want to touch on). The thing that these series have in common is how they swept under the rug the importance and the impact that rape has on the victim. Especially from MIR and LBC that end up romanticizing it and turning it into something happy and comedic when it shouldn't have been taken lightly. I applaud this series for how they showed it happening (because watching it go down helps the audience to understand its severity, and leave them disturbed which is what needed to happen), and how they also dealt with the aftermath. Shin was taken to the hospital, he missed school for weeks, he was on medication, and his family was dealing with the legal side of it all. Beautiful, Perfect, and honest. This wasn't a love story. Shin and Keng don't end up falling in love and living happily ever after. Instead, Keng is put in his place, and they never end up together. Thank you, god!

The aftermath was excellent too. something as real and as vulgar as this comes with terrible side effects, such as PTSD, depression, self-harm, and etcetera. I absolutely loved the way they depicted Shin afterward. Yes, it was hard to watch, especially his self-harming and him wanting to die, but it needed to be seen and it was done in the best way it could've been.

Moving onto Bright and Pramote, who were the best friends ever. I loved the way they stuck to Shin's side, and I loved the way they explained to him how he will get better and that they will continue to be with him through this and after this. There was not a single moment that I wasn't excited to see them on screen, and I'm glad that we get a hint of something between them and the last moments when it's revealed that they end up together. Yacht and Top did an excellent job.

The acting of James and Oat is what I want to give a bigger applaud on, It's not easy playing a victim, nor is it easy playing the predator. That very tough scene to shoot between them couldn't have been easy, and I'm proud that they were able to execute it in its realness.

The only real negative thing I can say about this series is the open ending that I wasn't too mad about, but still, I questioned the reasoning behind it. This show aired two years ago, so I'm not crossing my fingers for a second season, seeing as it would've been out by now, but it would've been nice to see who was hit by the car and if they even actually died or not. In my opinion, I do believe that Shin was the one hit, only because him being hit would cause more of an emotional impact than if Keng got hit, and creators are all about getting emotions out of people. Also, I believe that Shin only thinks that Keng is there, and he's not actually. Deep down, Shin is still dealing with the hardships of his situation, and I believe that his being alone like that brought back some of that turmoil. Part of me wishes that we would've seen who was hit, but honestly, at the end of the day, I'm glad we didn't. Now it's just up to the audience and what they thought.

Overall, I guess I wouldn't really label this a BL series, just because it feels wrong to say that this was boys-love when it was something totally of the opposite. However, I do believe that any person mentally and emotionally able to watch this series should.

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Different from the Rest

I loved a lot of this and mainly for one reason: it wasn't like any Thai BL series I have ever seen before. The cinematography, the sets, even the costumes weren't necessarily how most Thai BLs are, and I had an absolute delight watching this series and being able to enjoy all that it had to offer.

Let's Dive In,

First off, kudos to the production team. This was the first-ever Thai BL series that I didn't watch and feel like I was stuck in an alternate universe where all Thai Bls took place. It was beautifully produced, there was not a point missed, and I hope other Bls will follow suit in continuing the beauty that was Grey Rainbow. While I really did enjoy this series, I hate tragedies, and this one's DEFINITELY on that list. It was such an unexpected ending, and a bit confusing. It was for sure added there as a shock factor, but it felt so out of the blue, which I guess was the point. But, the real shock factor is the fact that this was produced in 2016. If we look at other series produced in 2016 (Make It Right, Sotus, My Bromance...) These series shoot ALL of them out the water. I don't know what type of budget each show had, but Grey Rainbow was obviously given a bigger wage than the others. I just hope we can continue viewing them like this.

The other thing I was a bit puzzled about was the numbers. Now looking back, I know it was counting down the amount of time Porche had with Nuer, but the implications were a bit wonky, and all over the place. If anything, I would've like that part of the concept to be a bit more cleaned up. I think the only plot twist I liked was Ice being Porshe's imaginary friend. Now, that was something I seriously didn't see coming,

Overall, this was an excellent watch with a beautiful production crew and amazing cast. Besides the death, this series had a very different tone than the other Thailand BL series. This one was a hundred percent more gloomy, but the lightning and music and camera work and overall presence were so different than most Thai bl series. I really enjoyed the change, I think it added some flavor to this series that we don’t see with the others. I feel like this is such an underrated bl series, but I would recommend it to anyone wanting to watch something pretty tough and sad.

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Wow, What a Ride

I cannot believe Secret Crush On You is already over when I feel like it just began. What once was a cringe series I was sure I would hate to now being my favorite of 2022, I will forever and always be grateful for what this series did, brought, established, allowed, and created. Yes, this was nothing but tropes and giggles and cringe and foolishness, but it brought me utter joy just to experience it and get to love in its moment. While it might not seem at the beginning to be such a heartfelt series with a message to tell, by the end, you're swept away by the development of the characters, the lessons they learn, and the goals they achieve. I will miss seeing my children every Friday.

Let's Dive In.

Secret Crush On You was a silly little BL that at first, I wasn't taking seriously, and really only enjoyed it for what it was; a crack series with the stupidest situations, and with every corner came some character doing the most out-of-the-ordinary shit. One of the most extraordinary characters is Toh who has a massive crush on the popular guy Nuea and keeps a shrine of him at his home. Through some coincidences, Toh and Nuea get closer, and inevitably date, with Toh's gang of friends also going through their own stories. In the beginning, this is total insanity, with nothing the characters doing at all very normal or even the slightest thing that could happen in real life, but you fall in love with them anyway, and you can't help but laugh at their stupidity and their nerdiness. The reason this show just works so perfectly is that it is that slice of life mixed with utter fiction and it's the perfect blend.

The number one thing that has shocked my world to its core is the actors in this show. This series wouldn't be anything without them, and not nearly as enjoyable as it is. They are remarkable actors that played up to their roles perfectly. The thing that worked was that they all acted over-the-top and dramatic. Had one person been off, this entire show would've gone down the drain. But luckily, the director knew what he wanted and saw it in these actors. On top of that, they were the best of friends which just made their chemistry on the screen 10 times better. Not a day goes by where I don't think about how mesmerizing they are and how much I will miss them.

Each couple, while some more noticed than others, were pretty much everything I wanted. Toh and Nuea's story was none like any I've seen. They take an overused trope and turn it into a gold mine. Yes, some situations are idiotic, crossing the line of what-the-fuck, but it just makes sense for the world they live in. While Toh at the beginning was an annoying obsessive freak, they throw in some character development that spices up his story and he becomes someone who believes in himself enough to know that Nuea isn't going away and he's really his boyfriend. His problem was that he didn't think he was good enough to be anything more than someone Nuea never noticed, and it took him a while to realize that he is important, and he needed to recognize that. He understands that keeping the little things isn't important when you have the real thing, while Nuea went through his own struggles of not feeling perfect and sometimes worried that he wasn't enough for Toh. I'm telling you, this show has a way of telling these characters' stories, and this couple had plenty of moments to go off of.

With that also came Jao and Sky, their story being one of loving oneself and learning to let others love them too, and then there was Daisy and Touch's story that was criminally half-assed, and was given the very bottom of the barrel. Really my only problem with this show is that they have set up so many different characters with their own stories, but have no time to tell them, with Nuea and Toh taking up the time we could be using on developing these other plots. Daisy's story was the most mesmerizing to me. Even overwhelmed me to the point of tears when she comes out as trans. Her story with Touch is not much, some hints here and there that they both have feelings for one another, and a very half-assed ending for the both of them, but Touch's smile was enough for me not to be too mad. I wouldn't mind at all for these two to get their own series. Som and the other dude weren't given much of anything but some teasing remarks from the others, and the same goes for Kongwhan and Fon. With fewer filler moments (like them throwing in a Toh 2.0 character plot), I have no doubt that these couples couldn't have gotten the story they deserved.

Not let's talk about the moments that really meant the world to me; The gang. I can't tell you enough how much fun I've had watching them all together. I've laughed, I've cried, I've pretty much done all of the above, and I never want them to go away. The best support team there is, and I can only wish that I had my own gang of friends.

I will comment though that this show does an exceptional job at kiss and heat scenes. I liked that there was a difference between Toh and Nuea versus Jao and Sky where the latter took their time, and voiced open communication and clear understandings with Sky taking his time with Jao until he was ready to expose himself in a new light. It was slow, it was intimate and it was sensual. On the other hand, Toh and Nuea's was a lot more rough, passionate, exciting, and fast-paced. The cast has excellent chemistry, nothing ever veered off, and I do hope I see them again.

I can't believe Saint was able to produce such a heartfelt show! I'm so astonishingly proud of him, and can't wait to see what he has in store for the future! Producer Saint is the new way to go!

Ratings:

Story: 8.5 - Overall, the character development was everything. While the story could sway sometimes by being maybe too filler or maybe too repetitive in certain circumstances, I was still able to hold on and enjoy every minute of it. However, I will take a star off for that, and another half star for their poor execution of DaisyTouch, KongwhonFon, and SomWhat's-his-face.

Actings 9.5 - No complaints here! The actors knew what they were given and played them to a T! Everything was supposed to be exaggerated and maybe they were even supposed to sprout about cringe, who knows?! But all I know is that these actors did a superb job and I will miss them dearly. I will take a half star off cause there were times I wasn't paying attention to Toh and only the profuse amount of sweat that was dripping off of Seng (someone get this man some air conditioning ASAP)

OST: 8 - Weirdly addicting. I noticed myself singing it the other day and don't usually even take the time to really pay attention to stuff like that.

Rewatch value: 4.5 - I plan on watching this whenever I feel the need to. I can't go without them for too long.

I highly recommend this series, and while there are some incredible stories, really good morals, and astounding character development, I wouldn't look past that this series IS weird, so maybe take it with a grain of salt, and really just enjoy yourself.

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Expectations Weren't Just Ruined, They Were Destroyed...

When the 2021 lineup came out, Enchante was at the top of my most anticipated list. I remember thinking, "Wow, GMMTV is going to give us a series where we have little to no indication of who the main lead will end up with." I was so hyped and so sad that I had to wait until 2022 to finally watch, but I was hoping it'd be worth the wait. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I try not to go into too many shows with high expectations, but with this one, I really wanted to be surprised. But all that came crashing down before the first episode could even begin.

Let's Dive In.

Enchante is a uni-set BL surrounding our main lead, Theo, who had just returned from living in France to resume his life back in Thailand. He ends up reuniting with his childhood best friend, Akk, and they are back to themselves like in the old times. While at school, Theo writes out his feelings in a book that he thinks nobody will pay attention to until he returns again to find that someone had written a response back as Enchante. With the help of his best friend, they embark on an adventure to find out who is writing back to him through the possible 4 options that claim they are Enchante. The synopsis is what sold me on the series. A bit of a mystery, a slice of puzzle-solving (or what I supposed would be puzzle-solving), some fluffy uni tropes, and an endearing romance. Sign me up! But this series was a complete letdown and in so many different ways. There is a variety of things to do with such a unique concept as Enchante, and they don't take any of them. I won't blame this series too much, since the book is supposedly the real problem, but they had all the resources to switch things up. If GMMTV wasn't so worried about making money through this pairing, this would've been a hit series, for sure.

Getting into what I didn't like: Starting from the get-go, I don't think that this was the right novel to adapt to the screen. Granted, I've never read the book, but I was spoiled head-on before the second episode could even begin (it was a bummer, but oh well) I think as a book, the revelation of (SPOILER LARGE SPOILER COMING UP) Theo himself being Enchante might've been cool, but on screen, it feels like a waste of time. I love the concept of trying to figure out who is flirting with Theo through book pages, and it's a huge blow when it's revealed; albeit surprising for sure, but not in a good way. I kind of wish GMMTV or the director would've come up with their own similar version of Enchante, with it being obviously completely different than Enchante in all aspects, but still having that surprise element of who Enchante could be, without it being the main lead himself. Cause otherwise, after Enchante is revealed, the series to me just feels like a quick money grab and a waste of time and potential.

Getting into my problem with GMMTV, they basically told us who Theo ends up with without saying a word. With the amount of publicity that Book and Force do, it's evident they would end up together. Doing shows together, lives, interviews, and whatnot, it burns your soul that GMMTV doesn't give two craps about the concept of the plot just to gain coins from this new pair. Even when it's revealed that all the potential enchantes had a motive behind pretending to be enchante, it's still just aggravating. Cause before episode one can even begin, the plot, the mystery, the stakes, and everything in-between are just useless. Even if Enchante would've been one of the four who claims to be, it wouldn't have made a difference if Akk and Theo still end up together. The entire aspect of "who Enchante is" is now just taking up airtime for something else that could've been utilized. It's a sad c plot that was supposed to be the biggest part of the series. Cause imagine how much fun it would've been to watch five guys run after Theo and each week we try to theorize who'd he end up with. Sigh, wasted potential.

The series could just be very boring and bland at times. Getting through the first 4-5 episodes is difficult, and I would most of the time, end up falling asleep. I realized that when I watched, I would have to multitask so I don't drift off, but it shouldn't be that way. They do a decent job at the build-up of the world and the story, but it takes too long. Inevitably, this series suffered from a pretty tedious storyline.

Book and Force have good chemistry until they do end up together, and then it gets exceedingly awkward and cringey. I think finding two close friends to play a couple in a series has its good benefits, but also its bad ones. I would say they are in-between; whereas, in some cases, their closeness in real life plays out perfectly when they are just friends in the series, but when they have scenes where they have to be close and intimate, you can feel that tenseness they both present (sometimes it's mostly just Book) and it can be a bit too intense to even watch. There are some times when it doesn't feel like that, for instance, during their first kiss, and some moments when they do incidentally get close, but I felt it a lot when they kissed other times, and when they become boyfriends. Talking about incidentally getting close, there are some tropes that are way overplayed -- tremendously overused -- like the getting close trope. I love a good cliche trope if used right, but after the third time, I just roll my eyes.

The conflict between Theo and Akk in the end is such poor writing. It is so unreasonable for him to get mad at Akk, and it's even more unreasonable the obstacles he goes through to try and get his parents back together. Sure, it's a sad predicament most children have to face, but god, you're in college, handle it like an adult, why don't you. It was equally aggravating to see Theo going through all of that trouble of making up Enchante just because he wanted Akk to notice him when he could've just communicated his feelings. Of course, no story if communication were real, but wow, this is what you call commitment.

I was intrigued by Tan's little crush on Natee, but it's terribly executed. It feels pretty one-sided, even at the end when Natee wants him back, it feels more like he just wanted his friend back -- which is sad in Tan's case. But at least we got to see a healthy male friendship (kind of, sort of, not really).

Me being nit-picky, but I'm tired of seeing JJ (and AJ) always playing support roles. Please, JJ would've dominated as Akk, or maybe even one of the enchantes. God, please give the twins what they deserve.

What I enjoyed: While I would've liked for one of the enchantes to be the real enchante, I'm not mad when we find out they were all kind of using Theo for their own gain. I love a little bit of mischief and vainness, (but then we found out Theo is enchante, and by then, what's the point? Like, why did he do all of those things for them knowing he was enchante..?)

Gawin. That's it. and Jimmy, cause he's a dime to look at.

The ending is the saving grace for this series. I feel like I was a bratty kid who had to sit in time-out for acting up, but then I have a realization that I am bratty and I was acting up and I can't be mad for someone sitting me in time-out. Explanation: I was pretty aggravated that what I wanted to happen in this series didn't, but seeing how adorable they were in Paris made me realize that I should just appreciate what I got. And the little proposal was cute, I wish that Akk would've said something about France having legalized same-sex marriage before proposing, but it's still really precious.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5: Horrible execution of the Enchante plot. Especially when it's pretty much useless since we see who Theo ends up with. Just a bunch of tropey stuff between the leads, some villainess side characters trying to get their way, and sweet ol' Gawin. I'll give six stars for the parts that I did find intriguing (Tan's crush on Natee, some moments between Theo and Akk, Akk's sisters, Wayo and Natee's storyline and reason for pretending to be enchante, Phupha for maybe the first few episodes,) and a half star for Gawin and Jimmy.

Acting: 7.5: No one really stood out to me as the best, and everyone was pretty much on an equal line when it came to acting. There were a few times Force and Book gave us nothing in the expressions department, with Force probably being the worst out of the pair. I'll take two stars off for Gawin, cause as much as I love him, his acting felt weird in this one compared to the stellar performance he gave us in Not Me. Another half off for them using JJ as a supporting role for the umpteenth time. #thetwinsofGMMTVdeservebetter2k22.

Music: 8 - I quite liked it. It was super soothing and perfect for the tone of the series.

Rewatch value: 1 - when hell freezes over, I will watch this again.

Sadly, Enchante could fit into the same box of My Gear and your Gown, My Oxygen, and Water Boyy -- series forgotten for the inevitable sucky-ness of itself. I don't feel like I'm alone since the views of Enchante have been the lowest I've ever seen come out of GMMTV. I feel bad for the actors, and part of me wouldn't mind seeing Book and Force again if they can be put into a series that is well developed and actually going to follow its original plot. I really do dump on this series, and it's because I had high expectations that just came crumbling down, and it fucking hurt. I think my interpretation of how this series was supposed to be was completely opposite, and that's why the entire series threw me off with each episode. If anything, there were some really good parts that I don't mention just cause I'm so upset that I kind of look past it. But part of me does think this would be a fitting BL series for someone wanting a lot of fluff and nothing too serious.

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