Close Friend (2021)

I rate the episodes separately, I also mention their names again, because the names of the episodes are not translated in the translation from M.anon. I'm not giving their episodic names because they're different from what we know and it would be confusing:

Ep.1 Pretend To Love (played by Ohm and Fluke) - the guys we know as Dean and Pharma from Unitl We Meet Again. Story not very well thought out, but I excuse it by saying that there was not enough time for it, acting is still good, great looking shapely Ohm with his long manly fingers, nostalgia ... rating 6 8 8 7

Ep. 2 Just Friend (Ja and First) - they played Leo and Fiat in TharType 2 and now they are the central pair of the newly released series Don't Say No. Despite the condemnation of this mini-story on other world servers, on the other hand, I liked the short, with exaggeration, with insight, when the nice Leo played a young man who took on some cat (a cute Fiat) he found on the street and the confusion - I liked the symbolism, just I smiled when Leo was washing Fiat's hair in the bath, so the "cat" was wearing shorts, nice music ... I'm going against the flow of reviews MDL: 10 10 10 9

Ep. 3 Willing or Not (young Nat and nine years older Max) - they are best known as Nuea and Sun from the Y-Destiny series. The story from the judo club about Softy and the Giant Godzilla ... was simply cute and even though it was more like two friends, I give it higher marks like this ... 8 9 8 8

Ep. 4 Just One Life (Yoon and Talay) as Jian and Masuk from Y-Destiny or Nott and Pun from the quirky sitcom YYY (which I also saw and didn't appeal to me, it's not listed here on GT yet). Jumping off a bridge, breaking up with a girlfriend, slightly above average for me, but nothing that put me on my ass, cute faces of both actors... rating 7 7 6 7

Ep. 5 Dear My Star (Jimmy and Tommy) as Saifah and Zon from Why RU and SaifahZon Story. The story is set in the nineties, when electronic communication was not so widespread and the boys solved it by letters and calling each other from a booth (everyone lives elsewhere - Bangkok, Chiang Mai). A great short, where for me the only thing missing was the step further from camaraderie, friendship (but the hidden gay component can be felt a hundred feet away) ... 9 9 8 9

Ep. 6 Imagine You (Kimmon and Copter) known as Mark and Kit from the series Gen Y. Virtual reality aka reality. Solid, but not necessarily the best of the six ... 7 8 7 7
​

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Varying quality but enjoyable all around

1) Pretend Lovers (Ohm/Fluke)

This one, unfortunately, felt like a half-formed thought. I was confused about the direction this was going and the ending didn’t help either. At first I thought it’s about Pierce falling out of love with Typhoon bc a chunk of the story alluded to that through music, Pierce’ lack of attention towards his bf, as well as the actual title of the story.
He even corrected Mark that Typhoon was his “brother” even though he could’ve easily told him that Typhoon was his lover.

In the end I wasn’t sure if that was really the case though bc Pierce chased Typhoon and tried to talk to him to clear the air. After Typhoon got emotional, he suggested for them to take a break but kissed him right after Typhoon said he didn’t want to break up.

Im still not sure what was going on in Pierce’ head. The start of the episode alluded to him falling out of love but the end alluded to him still being in love with Typhoon. What is going on with this direction? Lol
Is it about people realizing they need to part ways or is it about the changes in couple-dynamic when one starts a working life of an adult?

The acting was good and I’m always ecstatic when I see settings other than universities in a BL but I can’t give this more than 6 stars. The direction of the theme needed to be clearer.
6/10


2) Just Friend (Ja/First)

Well now, that was just strange. It could’ve been a cute idea but ended up being highly disturbing.
They could’ve at least added a bit of magical realism to make the audience wonder if Moojoom became an actual human being but instead the episode never missed an opportunity to remind us that Moonjoom is, in fact, an actual cat. And there was definitely some implied romantic tone to it. There’s just something very disturbing about an owner seeing their pet as a hot human being.
And the only reason a girl was introduced, was to make Ja tell her that he’d rather prefer cuddling with his cat than spending time with her.
As an asexual person, I would prefer cuddling with my cat to...almost anything lol
But this scene made me a bit uncomfortable bc it felt like Ja was refusing her bc he realized he had feelings for his pet??

Firsts acting as a cat was very cringey. It takes very high skill level to believably portray an animal. First simply wasn’t up to the challenge. Either him or the director thought that it’d probably be enough to “act cute” to succeessfully portray a cat but it’s not. None of his moves felt “cat-like”. He rather came across as a spoiled child instead of a cat. And what was with the decision to mix his human language with some random meows?? Why couldn’t he just speak human language, when he was perceived as human and meow when he was perceived as a cat? So strange.
2/10


3) Willing or Not (Max/Nat)

Nothing special but enjoyable nonetheless. It barely had any story and heavily relied on the chemistry between Max and Nat and some humor sprinkled in between. But It worked for me bc the chemistry was strong and I did enjoy the comic-like humor. I’m a fan of Max and Nats goofy acting style.
7/10

4) Just One Life (Yoon/Talay)

This is probably my favorite episode. It was light-hearted and heart-warming and I liked the colors in this one. The story was simple but executed very nicely. The ending might’ve felt a little rushed but not overly so. The tone reminded me just a little of yyy, just less crazy. The chemistry was there and I like Yoon and Talays unique acting style!
9/10


5) Dear My Star (Jimmy/Tommy)

Had the best pacing out of all the stories. As a 90ies kid I loved all the nostalgic feelings it brought back. Very well executed, very atmospheric. I wouldn’t call Jimmy and Tommy the best of actors but they did a decent job and overall I really liked it.
9/10

6). Imagine You. (Kim/Cop)

An unusual premise with some light yet unexplained sci-fi elements.
It was an intriguing plot and the unexplained elements didn’t really bother me.
I was positively surprised with Copters acting in this short! I always felt like he was a little too wooden in 2Moons and Gen Y but in this one he did a pretty good job!
8/10

Overall I really liked this anthology and that’s mainly bc the themes and tones of these stories were so different from the usual BL stuff that we get. It was short but very refreshing. I hope the BL industry decided to expand more into such different settings and premises

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It's good for MV, but as a story it needs improvement

Ep 1. OhmFluke
This episode might be better if the duration longer. There're too many questions inside my head when watching this since this episode feels so rushed. But since this is for MV, then I think it's ok. Just ok tho.

Ep 2. JaFirst
Honestly this is the most weird episode of all 6 episodes. Maybe cz this episode feels like taken from a cat's point of view.

Ep 3. MaxNat
While the 2 first episode feels weird and incomplete, this episode is much better in my opinion. The story line is complete and the interaction between two main role is clear. I can't find a hole from this episode's story and the comedic effect is good.

Ep 4. YoonLay
The cinematography for episode 4 is good. It's beautiful, but again, the story feels rushed since the two main role already know each other from the start. Their status isn't really clear, but the development in relationship is very rushed. But again, this is for MV, so ... okay.

Ep 5. JimmyTommy/Mii2
From all 6 episodes, episode 5 is my most favorite. Well, maybe I am biased since I like Mii2. But, this episode is the one which can make me feel like watching a 14 minutes short movie. I am satisfied with the outcome, but craving for more. All the elements in this episode, the story, the song, cinematography, mood, even the background music really bring me to 90s era. It's so nostalgic and I am really touched by it. The production team did great with the 90s details, and Mii2 did great portraying high schooler in those era.

Ep 6. KimCop
I don't really know about VR, so I am really confused while watching this episode. It's kinda weird, confusing, and feel rushed for me eventhough KimCop did a great job to portray Jedi and Ray.

Overall, as an MV, it's okay.
But, if you want to watch the episode with a decent, complete story line, then I recommend episode 5 and episode 3. It's worth watching, especially episode 5.

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Go in with zero expectations and you may be pleasantly surprised

*Episode 1 - Ohm & Fluke*

I'm on the roll going through Fluke's filmography and having just finished My Bromance 2 before starting on Close Friends, I can safely say to production houses, "If you have a script that is horrible or a non-existence plot, give it to Fluke and he will save it from being a total disaster."

Not that I wish him yet another thin script. He deserves much better. Someone give him a good script, please!

[SPOILERS]
In this story, Fluke and Ohm play a pair of lovers. Typhoon (Fluke) is still in college while Pierce (Ohm) works as a music producer. He gets a huge opportunity to produce a song for a popular singer. To prove his capabilities, he spends most of his time at work and starts to neglect Typhoon. He forgot their 3rd anniversary, upsetting Typhoon who then wondered if Pierce still loved him.

I guess the episode wanted to deliver the message, that even though we may feel that the love has changed, it doesn't mean that it no longer exists. It still does, in a different form.

[END SPOILERS]

The plot is quite thin to be honest, but what can we expect when the episode is only 20 mins long? At least the message behind the story sort of resonated with me.

Fluke did a great job in the limited time and plot he was given, as usual. In every scene we see a different vibe and facial expressions: joy, anger, disappointment, hurt, fear and disbelief.

The song for this episode was quite easy on the ear too and that one liner summed up the message of this episode.

*Episode 2 - First & Ja*

I've only seen them in TharnType 2 and had really bad impression of this pairing (fault of the script, not the actors).

Their story here is really weird.

[SPOILERS]
First plays a cat adopted by Ja and we see the cat taking human form in its interactions with Ja. I suspect the entire premise is to satisfy some odd fetish. I suppose the cuddling and skinship are supposed to be sweet and squeal-inducing, but I just wasn't feeling it at all. This story is not for me and the constant "meow" voice overs didn't help.

[END SPOILERS]

In terms of acting, the plot development (what plot? The plot in this episode is even thinner than in ep 1) didn't require much range from the actors so this episode left zero impression on me. It was forgettable.

*Episode 3 - Max & Nat*

Have never heard of this pairing so I watched it with no prior impressions/expectations.

[SPOILERS]
Nat plays Mini, a freshman at college, who was forced to join the Judo club for the Freshy Games. He started to train under the sole member of the club, Godzilla (Max), and developed a friendship with him. Though initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to participate in the Freshy Games to try help Godzilla fulfill his dream before he graduates from college.

[END SPOILERS]

This is a very common plot but it is once again a victim to the short-stories style of this series.

The outcome of the Freshy Games will matter to the viewers in a longer series where the efforts of the characters touched hearts, and the relationship development will matter if there had been more time to show organic progress in their feelings.

*Episode 4 - Yoon & Talay*

Another pairing I've not heard of so fresh impressions here.

[SPOILERS]
Xiao Ping (Talay) brought his friend Peem (Yoon), who was very depressed after a break-up, to a temple to overcome the supposed bad luck and karma plaguing his love life.

[END SPOILERS]

The premise is quite interesting featuring various types of superstitious practices. I also like that we are shown the friendship between the two lead instead of forcing a romantic shade to it. In the limited time they were given, I could see how Peem might have developed/realised his feelings for Xiao Ping, instead of being told to accept it "just because the script said so".

There was a proper closure to this episode, which felt like the start of something (this could be a pre-series teaser).

One complaint: The ost track for this episode was abruptly inserted into a scene. Is it a KPI to feature the song in the episode? The insertion was too jarring and spoilt the flow of that scene.

*Episode 5 - Jimmy & Tommy*

I remember this pairing from Why R U and they were quite cute together so I was quite excited to watch their episode.

[SPOILERS]
The year is 1995. High schoolers Night (Jimmy) and Mekhin (Tommy) are pen pals from different parts of Thailand - Bangkok and Chiangmai respectively. Over time, they developed a friendship with each other. One day, Mekhin made his way to Bangkok to meet up with his pen pal.

[END SPOILERS}

Setting the story back in 1995 where communication channels are slow and limited added a nostalgic and poignant layer to this story. Hand written letters in the post, house phones and payphones, cassette tapes, printed photographs, old-school hobbies like folding origami stars.

The premise won my heart from the onset.

This is a very simple story but so precious.

The only imperfection is the final line: "I'm glad to meet you, my friend".

Not because of the platonic vibes which I was perfectly happy to acccept, but because the scenes leading to this totally hinted at something more than friends, so this felt like a slap in the face.

*Episode 6 - Copter & Kimmon*

First time watching this pairing as well.

[SPOILERS]
A huge fan of Jedi (Kimmon), Ray (Copter) won a VR headset which allowed him to interact with his idol under VR. One day, he made a wish to the VR Jedi hoping that VR Jedi could appear before him in real life. And he did.

Ray had fun hanging out with VR Jedi, but meeting real life Jedi at the coffee shop made Ray realise that everything between him and VR Jedi was just an illusion.

​But VR Jedi assured him that real life Jedi would recognise him too and for sure will treat him nicely. When real life Jedi saw the VR headset, he recognised Ray as the winner of the fan competition.

[END SPOILERS]

What a fresh setting! It feels like a version 2 of Zettai Kareshi where the female lead purchased an ideal boyfriend robot.

The highlight of this story has got to be the super realistic comments Ray made that got me squealing: "(Jedi: Since I'm here with you, what do you want to do together?) If you put it that way, how can I have any good thoughts?", "(Jedi: Why don't you lie down to rest and sleep?) Who is going to be able to sleep?".

A very fun story and of all the episodes, this is the one I hope to see a full series being made out of!

*Conclusion*
For me, the episodes rank in this order:

Episode 1 - Ohm & Fluke (acting) Episode 6 - Copter & Kimmon (plot)
Episode 5 - Jimmy & Tommy
Episode 4 - Yoon & Talay
Episode 3 - Max & Nat
Episode 2 - First & Ja

I think I see why they ordered the pairings/stories this way. The hook at the start and the good stories at the end.

Story: 6 stars because of Eps 1, 5 & 6.
Acting: 6 stars because there wasn't awkward acting across episodes, and Fluke alone made me give it one star above passing grade for the overall cast.
Music: 5 stars because whilst the songs were catchy, they weren't utilised well to add to the emotions from a scene, sometimes even spoiling the mood (like in Ep 4). I reckon Ep 1 to be the only episode where the song was well integrated into the story.
Rewatch value: 4 stars because this series gave us Eps 1, 5 & 6.

*After-thought*
While typing up this review, something came to mind.

Fun fact: The backstory video clip for the New Jiew MV featuring EarthMix is 13mins long but it gave a full story arc and painted the characters with depth to make us care about what happened after that backstory.

So, was this series really a victim of its short-stories format, or was it just bad story writing?

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exceeded my low expectations

The average was a 7.83, but i rounded because i was feeling generous. So i am just going to breakdown what i gave each episode. It wasn't that bad, but wasn't the best thing i have ever seen. they got popular actors and smashed them together. Episode 1 got a 9 out of 10 from me; it wasn't a bad start and exceeded my low expectations, but nothing was really resolved, probably so they can milk it, as they did in the second season, which I won't watch unless the wheel says so. Episode 2 was sweet; I gave it an 8 out of 10. there wasn't any sexual tension which i am glad about because that is literally a cat, but it was adorable and sweet. Episode 3, being the worst out of all of them, got a 3.5 out of 10 from me. I don't even know what that shit was. It was so bad, it wasn't even funny. It was edited by a literal 6th grader for a project. I love the actors, but no, get that out of my face. Episode 3 was a 7 out of 10. There was no chemistry besides the running over the bridge scene. the plot sucked and there was no chemistry, but it was some how better than episode 3. Episode 5 being the best one, it got a 10 out of 10. It was really good; the acting, the plot, and the realism made me a really big fan of it. And lastly, episode 6. it was good. I gave it a 9.5 out of 10. They milked that one, I think, in season 2, but it's good because I didn't get closure. I loved the plot; they need to make that into its own drama. Uh okay. Onto my tooth, your love, because I am a pussycat and refuse to watch the manner of death. Okay bye!

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skip the first two episode, watch the other four

This is a series of six small episode featuring some very popular pairings from Thai BL. They are stand-alone episodes and only run about 15 minutes or so. Like everyone else, I'm going to just rate each episode and go from there.

EP.1 'Pretend to Love' starring Ohm Thitipat and Fluke Natouch as Pierce and Typhoon respectively. I don't know who thought this was a good idea. Pierce was an insensitive asshole and, as nice as it is to watch Fluke dial up the tears, all I wanted was for Typhoon to have more agency in his own story. I'm not sure what the writers were going for here, but they missed the mark by a mile. My Score: 3/10

EP.2 'Just Friend' starring First Chalongrat as Moo Joom (a cat, apparently) and Ja Phachara as Xin. I don't even know what to say about this. What the f*$k? sums it up pretty well. It wasn't clear at all what was going on. I have no problem with people being affectionate with their pets, but that scene in the bathroom? That went beyond "being affectionate" and into something else. I was so disappointed that this is the story they chose to give First and Ja. What a shame. It's better than the first episode, but still weird as all get out. My Score: 2/10

EP.3 'Willing or Not' starring Max Rujeerattanavorapan as Titan and Nat Uareksit as Mini. This one brought the whole series back around to good again. It was funny and charming and sweet and lovely to watch. Titan was so enthusiastic about teaching Mini judo and supporting him in the competition and Mini was all for trying to Titan save his club, albeit a bit reluctantly. My Score: 8/10

EP.4 'Just one Life' starring Lay Talay as XiaoPing and Yoon Phusanu as Peam. Continuing the rise upwards, this is another great episode. In this one, Peam has just been dumped via text and XiaoPing takes him through several rituals at a various places (a buddha statue, a maze, a mountain, a bridge) to try and change his karma and get his girlfriend back. This one is very sweet and, although I personally would have preferred Lay to act with Perth Nakhun, Yoon and he do have great chemistry and this episode is wonderful. My Score: 8/10

EP.5 'Dear My Star' starring Jimmy Karn Kritsanaphan as Night and Tommy Sittichok Pueakpoolpol as Mekhin (Mek.) I'll admit I'm biased about this one, because Jimmy and Tommy have had my heart ever since 'Why R U?' and I am on tenterhooks waiting for 'Middleman's Love'. I also love the fact this is set in 1995. For someone who was a teenager in the '90's, this was a heartwarming trip down memory lane. Night and Mek having to call each other over the landline and not having any privacy because there was only one in the house and it was out in the hallway or lounge where everyone could get to it....yeah, I felt that. This episode is what pushed the rating from a 5 or 6 to an 8 for me. My Score: 9/10

EP.6 'Imagine You' starring Kimmon Warodom Khemmonta as jedi and Copter Panuwat Kerdthongtavee as Ray. This was another odd one, but nowhere near the levels of WTF as episode 2. Mostly I was just left wondering if Jedi was talking to Ray through the VR or if Ray was imagining everything. Either way, it doesn't actually matter, because it's Kim and Copter and I didn't realise I'd been missing them so much on screen together until I saw them. My Score: 8/10

These all are what they are and, for the most part, they're an enjoyable little break from sometimes not-so-great real life. You can sit down and watch with the beverage and snack of your choice and just escape for a while. I'd still skip the first two episodes, but the last four are definitely worth watching and you wouldn't be wasting your time.

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Ruim

Que serie ruim. A proposta de ter vários casais e cada um com um episodio próprio é boa, porém foi executada muito mal, no mínimo poderiam se esforçar ou pra deixar um interesse a mais pelas historias ou pelo menos alguns finais mais satisfatórios, foi péssimo. demorei muito tempo para ver essa serie justamente porque ela é completamente meia boca, sem sal, o único episodio que vale a pena assistir é o 5. A ost é chata, produção poderia melhorar, algumas atuações boas e outras terríveis, acho que uma serie de produtora pequena se sairia melhor com essa proposta de serie. Acho que nunca vou ver outro episodio na minha vida e se eu ver por favor não me desrespeitem.

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A Short Story Anthology ~ Ep. 2 is charming

This is a collection of 6 short stories about different types and stages of love.

I think many reviewers were confused because they thought that it was supposed to be a connected series instead of a series of unconnected stories. These were lovely interludes in the lives of lovers of different types. They are beginnings endings and middles not the whole story, yet each episode is a complete vignette. What an amazing challenge for the writers, directors, and actors to create an entire world in just a few moments. I think that they did very well.

A word in particular about episode 2. I have a cat. I believe cats feel exactly the way the actor portrayed a cat in this episode. We saw the story both from the viewpoint of the cat and from the viewpoint of the owner. Kudos to all especially First, who will forever be the quintessential fluffy orange kitty to me.

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Fraco

Essa proposta surgida no ano de 2021 de séries com uma história e um casal independente a cada ep, sinceramente foi um fracasso. Eu imaginei de imediato que a ideia era testar a popularidade de shipps potenciais, e continuo achando que foi essa a intenção. Assisti quando lançou, detestei, decidi rever agora e continuei sem gostar.

O roteiro de todas as histórias tem vários problemas, e os únicos que eu considerei interessantes foram o 1 (Ohm Thitiwat & Fluke Pongsatorn) e o 6 (Kimmon Varodom & Copter Panuwat), e não por acaso foram essas duas histórias que ganharam uma segunda temporada, dessa vez sendo entrelaçadas uma à outra. As demais histórias são péssimas. Como me pegam Ja e First no auge da fama e me joga o plot do First ser um gato, a história nem tem lógica, nem cabimento, nem muito menos um final decente. As histórias de Max e Nat , Yoon e Talay e dos Mii2, geram uma expectativa de relacionamento que não se concretiza, essas 3 histórias terminam em aberto e isso é frustrante.

As atuações são boas, com excessão do ep 2, onde achei que Max e Nat foram muito mal dirigidos e a atuação deixou a desejar.

As osts são bacanas, as ambientações também, mas sinceramente eu não pretendo ver de novo. Não digo que não indico, mas também não panfleto essa série.

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Ep 5 & 6 ranked a solid 9/10 for me!!

Close Friend Season 1 revives some of the popular BL pairings and thrusts them head-first into an anthology. Make no mistake, however, Close Friend is not a sequel to any of their previous series. Expect a completely new storyline involving familiar faces.

With just 6 episodes, the series makes for a breezy watch but I don’t recommend you actually watch all 6 episodes. Some were just downright bad or mediocre. If it were up to me, I’d tell you to only watch episodes 5 & 6.

Ep 5: I'm not a fan of Zon/Saifah from Why R U but this episode was delightful. Unlike the usual modern college romances, this one is set in the 1990s. No smartphones, no widespread internet access. Instead, what you get is a charming tale on how 2 students living in different cities in Thailand fall in love after writing each other letters and sending items by post.

Ep 6: This episode offers a refreshing spin on the KimCop pairing. While audiences are used to seeing Mark completely whipped for Kit in 2moons2/Gen Y, their dynamic in this episode is almost reversed. Kimmon plays Jedi, a celeb, whom Ray (played by Copter) is obsessed with. Ray frequently makes use of VR to ‘interact’ with Jedi, but the lines between VR and reality start to get blurred when he meets Jedi in real life.

This episode is what I imagine a Black Mirror x BL crossover to look like, posing some fascinating, thought-provoking questions on how the nature of relationships might evolve in the future.

Read my full review of the season here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/06/03/close-friend-bl-season-1/

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6 couple stories in one 20 minutes episodes per couple is clearly the issue here

This mini series gave us the lives of six different couples in six twenty minutes episodes (one episode per couple). It was truly entertaining to see what stoey each couple would bring.

Story-7.5/10
What this series tried to attempt was the telling of six couples in the space of just twenty minutes per episode per couple. So, of course, time was an issue in telling these couples story. Four out of the six couples (episodes three to six) they were able to achieve this somewhat, but I still believe that with more time, they may have been able to flesh out the storyline. The other two (first and second episodes) while they were not as strong as the other episodes, I still enjoyed them.

Acting/Cast-8/10
I felt that everyone's acting was well done. And yes, even Ohm/Fluke and First/Ja's acting. So for that I gave it an 8.

Music-7.5/10
The music was beautiful and mesmerising. For that I give it a 7.5/10

Rewatch Valu-7.5/10
In all honesty, I'm not tha eager to rewatch this whole series. Episodes four to six- sure! They were excellent and I don't mind watching them over and over again.

Overall-7.5/10
It was an okay series. Time is clearly the issue here for telling the stories of these six couples. All in all I can say that I was entertained.

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