Key Love: The Series (2019)

I'm giving this a high rating, because this two-episode series (less than 30 minutes) says more than many series with 12 or more episodes.

For me, the actor who plays Neung is fantastic. I hope we see him in more roles, he really is THAT good.

The story is powerful in a lot of ways. Neung has a girlfriend, he gets drunk one night with his friend Keng and they have sex. The next day they are hanging out with friends and the two of them are very awkward with one another because of what happened. In private, Neung and Keng argue and Neung claims he's not gay and storms out. Later, the two of them get together again and, after what seems to be some S&M foreplay, they spend the night together again. The next morning they are really happy and Keng gives Neung a key to his apartment.

Word gets around that the two of them are together and Neung is confronted by his good friend Tui (and two others), with Tui saying he won't be friends with someone who is gay... all three of the friends desert Neung, who goes back to the apartment, only to find an empty apartment and a note from Keng, saying he has to go to a new school, but he is leaving the apartment to Neung with the memory of the time they spent together. Neung is devastated.

Neung goes out walking near a bridge, and Tui and the other friends approach him and apologize. Tui is especially affectionate and he and Neung end up as a couple after that. The End.

I've heard some viewers resent the fact that Tui "suddenly turns gay" after he shuns Nueng. But I see it differently:
many young gay men in the closet are the first ones to turn against and make fun of other gay people, because they themselves are struggling. It's not nice in any way, but it's a process that a number of gays go through.

There is also a nice metaphorical touch, involving two fish in a tank at the apartment.

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This is a review that requires only a summary of the story because a lot depends on whether you can accept the rather illogical story.

- Neung and Keng have sex when they are drunk. (It's not even clear if it's consensual as Keng later say that he would not have done it to Neung if he had not been drunk. But it doesn't seem like Neung was raped either.)
- Neung seems unable to accept what has happened and quarrels with Keng.
- But later on, Neung looks for Keng in his room again. And they have sex AGAIN, not exactly in a very loving way.
- But Neung and Keng become very loving ... the next morning (maybe the sex did wonders??)
- It turns out that Neung has been dating a girl (who appears and denies to a friend that Neung is gay). Yeah, and also, for some reason, people are gossiping that Neung and Keng are dating (maybe someone has been stalking them???).
- Cut to Tui asking Neung if he's gay. Neung denies it, BUT Tui says that he isn't going to have any gay friends and leaves. Two other friends leave with Tui, leaving Neung alone.
- Neung goes to Keng's room, but realizes that he has left the room, leaving behind only a note. (Aren't these two people in a relationship? What reason is there for Keng to leave so abruptly?) We don't know for sure why he has to change schools AGAIN, but it may have something to do with his sexual orientation. Who knows?
- Neung is depressed, but Tui approaches him and apologizes.
- Apparently Tui's homophobia has magically disappeared after watching My Bromance, which has made him realize that he shouldn't discriminate against friends who are gay. The other two friends (the ones who leave with Tui in the earlier scene) are there too--apparently they don't have a mind of their own and simply behave like Tui.
- Cut to Neung and Tui having a strikingly similar conversation to the conversation Keng and Neung have had about the fish in the tank And ... Neung and Tui end up having sex/being a couple ... possibly with Neung's girlfriend (who never appears again) in the dark.

I understand the constraints of such a short series (more like a short film). But taking out the conversation between Neung's girlfriend and her friend and removing the two friends who come and go with Tui would have given space for more development for Keng and Tui.

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Short and relatively sweet. The premise is simple and one we've seen a thousand times before. I don't mind the lack of originality when the drama has something else that makes it special and noteworthy, but unfortunately I didn't find that here. The pacing was too fast and the editing was choppy to the point where some parts were a little confusing. That is, certain parts could have benefited from more exposition and development and other parts could have been removed entirely. I also think the creators were trying to cram too much into this short work, when it perhaps would have been more poignant had only one idea been developed, and developed more fully. The acting was average, the writing was blah, and I don't think anything new was brought to the genre. That said, it's only about 30 minutes, so if you're interested, sure, go ahead and watch it.

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Recomiendo enfervorecidamente esta mini-mini serie de dos capítulos porque cuenta un montón de cosas, bien contadas, y te deja con ganas de más.

Esta historia de amores adolescentes, primeras experiencias, autoaceptación de la homosexualidad, noviazgos que comienzan y terminan abruptamente y el miedo a que los demás conozcan tus secretos te llegará al corazón... porque tod@s, en mayor o menor medida, hemos tenido vivencias parecidas. Hatsawatchon Wongsrisai (Neung) tiene una de las más emotivas actuaciones, al final del primer episodio, que te conmoverán. Y el giro del personaje de Puwanart Runapnain (Tui) en el segundo episodio te sacará una sonrisa y dejará buen sabor de boca... estos personajes se merecen un final amable aunque no sepas qué ocurrirá el día de mañana.

La dirección, puesta en escena, interpretaciones y guión es tan buena como suele acostumbrar Nicchi Chaianun en sus trabajos (My Bromance, NightTime, The Rain Stories etc.). Nada que objetar. También es destacable la banda sonora: la canción es preciosa y encaja como un guante. Una de mis favoritas en el género esta temporada.

En resumen: te gustará si te gusta el género BL. Si no te gusta el género BL te gustará porque su tema es universal y está bien narrado. La pena que sólo dure dos episodios porque te aseguro que querrás conocer más cosas de estos personajes.

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Only thanks to MDL user 'Synchonicity' I got to know what was it written in the note Keng left for Neung. And without reading their review, I hardly think I would be able to summarize what this "story" was about.

I agree Mon Hatsawatchon was good. Only find it funny that Tui comes to "rescue" Neung from depression on the bridge, wearing PornHub t-shirt, saying he just watched 'My Bromance' and now understands, LOL. Mon Hatsawatchon then appeared in 'My Bromance 2'.

Cannot give this that high a rating as it cannot compare to full drama series, the boys in front of the camera did their best, but it went on so quick it looked kinda ridiculous in the end. Still, I think I can rate this at least as well as 'My Bromance', LOL.

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Real demais para ser um BL

Apesar de ser uma micro série, com apenas dois episódios curtíssimos, baixa produção e atores iniciantes, a história é tão real que chega a doer. Geralmente um BL não me toca tanto, por se tratar de histórias ilusórias, mas nessa tem muito da realidade. O título é uma referência à chave do quarto que Teng entrega a Neung.
A história é sobre dois amigos na adolescência, uma fase que já é confusa por si só, em meio a descoberta da sexualidade e se sentindo atraídos um pelo outro, até que cedem ao desejo. A frase: "Você acha que vale a pena? Se mantivermos o relacionamento em segredo em troca da felicidade?" parece poética mas é muito cruel! Nessa frase eles externam que para poderem ser felizes juntos, é preciso manter o relacionamento em segredo, pois a partir do momento em que esse segredo for revelado ambos irão sofrer com o preconceito e a rejeição, inclusive Teng já vinha transferido de uma outra outra escola por esse motivo. Eles tinham razão, no momento em que o assunto surgiu, mesmo que sendo apenas uma suposição, os amigos se voltaram contra Neung, o que fez Teng ir embora, justamente para que os boatos sobre Neung acabassem. E olha que surpresa, o amigo mais homofóbico, o que teve a reação mais preconceituosa e violenta, na verdade tinha interesse em Neung, e prontamente ocupou a vaga de Teng no coração do amigo (isso diz muito sobre pessoas muito homofóbicas). Não tem uma ost marcante, mas é coerente com a série, e eu recomendo sim, gosto de ver o Mon (Neung) e o Oak (Tui) trabalhando juntos, hoje eles já melhoraram muito a atuação e fizeram diversos trabalhos juntos.

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