We Are (2024)

We Are Unequal the Series

I'm sorry this will be lengthy, but I'll get down to business. For anyone interested in watching this series for a certain pairing, let me start off by saying: only 2 pairings took the forefront in We Are while the rest got little to no screentime. It's even more painfully obvious when you omit all the friend group scenes where everyone was together. For couple screentime only, the ratio is similar to the following:

Phum/Peem: 45%
Q/Toey: 45%
Tan/Fang: 7%
Chain/Pun: 3%

STORY:

Enemies to lovers. Also, art students got to take the spotlight for a change and as an artist myself I was greatly entertained. I took it personal seeing the painting that started it all get ruined lol.. The friendship group was portrayed very well and was the focus of this series. I say this is where much of the cast shined as a whole. You can laugh and find enjoyment seeing all these boys spend time and be silly together despite their different personalities. This is not a dramatic series at all, it leans more towards a slice of life genre so there's nothing to really stress about. Ironically, the couples that they greatly ignored and didn't give much screentime to (Chain/Pun and Tan/Fang) were the ones who kept me interested in continuing the series to the end.

The negatives:

You can tell that the creators wanted to keep this story light-hearted and full of comedy. There's a slew of slapstick comedy scenes complete with sound effects at every turn to remind you that they won't ever give you a serious storyline. The first 2 episodes were difficult to watch mainly because of the overuse of sound effects, the gmmtv guitar riff bgms that they put in every bl series kept playing, and it was coming off a bit childish. Thankfully they changed things somewhat as the episodes continued but it was still disappointing that they never really gave us storylines for some of the pairings in the series. Tan/Fang and Chain/Pun storylines were practically non-existent since they were constantly robbed of screentime while Phum/Peem and Q/Toey had so much time and too many scenes that weren't needed and could've been used for the other pairings.

I read several excerpts of the novel along the way because there were scenes in the series that felt disjointed, or just moved on without addressing certain issues ever again. At times a character's behavior was confusing and there was no context. The parts I read cleared some of this, but made me question why such important details were omitted entirely from the drama itself. With 16 episodes, they had more than enough time to expand on everyone's stories or give more background to the characters that the novel clearly provided, but it never came. 16 episodes and yet we got only surface-level knowledge about the characters. An example of this: In episode 15, Tan tells Phum he can store all his cars at his garage. We never even knew that Tan owned a garage, we don't even know anything about his family, financial status, etc. 15 episodes and only learned about a garage.

So many things about these characters could've been explored and explained had they included the family conflicts, traumatic incidents, etc from the novel. Why call it an adaptation when you're only including the characters in name but little to nothing else about them? You don't need to follow the novel entirely, but add at least some details so we can know these characters and understand their thoughts/behavior. You can still make a light-hearted series while also giving proper depth to your characters. They poorly attemped to include the father-son conflict with Phum, but then seemed to just drop it and gave us nothing in the end. Too little and too late.

MUSIC:

The cast participated in creating the osts which were all great songs, I recommend them all. My only gripe with this series is that they had a habit of constantly using those few osts for EVERYTHING, to the point that it felt like overkill. Anytime a certain couple would come on their ost would start to play. Whenever they decided to do a slow-mo friendship moment montage, which there were a ton, they used the main ost. Then someone would perform a song in a scene and guess what they sang? the ost. They kept throwing them in every scene even when it didn't match. A good example of this was during an intimate scene in the final episode. Because it was a certain couple, they threw their ost in there but the upbeat song didn't even match the moment. It was very reminiscent to excessive product placement in some dramas.

ACTING/CAST:

My personal ranking for natural chemistry in this series:

Aou/Boom >> Pond/Phuwin > Marc/Poon (the dark horse) > Winny/Satang

[Aou/Boom]: Aou/Boom have been carrying in the chemistry department and deserve to have their own series at this point. You can tell they are comfortable working together, no awkwardness at any moment. Their improvised spaghetti kiss scene showed more character and chemistry than some others with scripted kisses. Neither of them ever looked uncomfortable and were always in character even when they were way in the back and cameras weren't focused on them. Being that Tan was the 'glue' that joined the two friend groups and was also the moodmaker, he was very important to the story as a whole. The way Aou portrayed Tan showed just how witty and talented he is as an actor. There were various scenes where he said a line that was likely ad-libbed and you could see Pond, Winny, Satang, and Boom either trying to hold in their laughter to keep themselves in character or actually genuinely laughing. MVP of the series.

[Pond/Phuwin]: I've been a fan since FUTS, but the one thing this series did show me throughout 16 episodes was the disparity between Pond and Phuwin's acting. While they have both made improvements over time, I felt like in this series Phuwin went a step backwards. There were several times where he looked uncomfortable during kissing or other intimate scenes which unfortunately takes viewers out of the story. If we are being told that two people are in love but then see one person looking like he really doesn't want to be close or even kiss the person then it's not convincing. It won't keep viewers invested in their story. What didn't help and made these special moments even more underwhelming was the constant back and forth between Phum and Peem for the majority of the series. All that waiting just to finally see a moment that looks like one person isn't feeling the same is disappointing. It felt like Pond was hard carrying these particular scenes and it's a shame because I was looking forward to seeing both of their growth in this series.

[Marc/Poon]: Having to reshoot everything and become close with a new partner isn't easy but these two pulled it off. I never saw Marc with Pawin, but even then I feel like they surely surpassed whatever that pairing gave. Their stares alone showed great chemistry and without spoiling, a certain moment really sold it. I hope they can work together again as a pairing because they clearly have the talent and seem to work very well together.

[Winny Satang]: While they can definitely pull off friendship roles or enemies, I am personally not seeing or feeling much in their scenes as Q/Toey. I think I'd have to see them in another series to fully make an opinion on their chemistry, but for now, it's giving stiff and awkward. Weirdly enough, I felt like I saw more between them in MSP than in this series. I feel they seem more comfortable together when romance is not involved and they're just bickering. I do applaud Satang for switching up roles though and not playing the same character over again in a series.

REWATCH VALUE:

This is not a series that needed to be 16 episodes and I wouldn't watch it entirely again as it seemed to drag over time. If anything, I would just rewatch some favorite scenes of my favorite characters. But I do think others might be happy to rewatch as it does show a nice friendship and many viewers are fans of the cast. Overall a decent series, great cast, just poor decisions and missed opportunities from the production team.

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A Dose of Serotonin

There are various reasons why 'We Are' is a standout drama, which I will highlight below, but I must start with the most important.

'We Are' is unpretentious. From the start, the show promised us a feel good romcom, delivered by an endearing cast of friends, and not once did it fail us. From beginning to end we are presented with a healthy loving group of friends in healthy loving relationships. Yes, drama can make for good TV, but there’s always room for a show that offers comfort and good-natured humor.

'We Are' is a slow burn. Surprisingly, I believe that in this case, it’s a plus. In the BL era of everyone must be dating by episode 5, it can even be considered refreshing. Despite our main couple not being official until the latter half of the show, there was little room for the viewers to doubt that they would eventually get there. By showing that a lack of a relationship status did not impede the romance of it all, they managed to cleverly keep viewers engaged. It was also entertaining to observe the multiple couples in various stages of a relationship. With such a large group of friends, there was always something going on.

'We Are' boasts of a lovable cast. The true star of this show and what kept the story connected, was how genuinely the friend group was written. There was love there that is just as important as the romance. It’s not difficult to root for a group of characters, when they are ALL genuinely good people. (I have to say that watching that last episode made me a tiny bit emotional. It’s like I’m sending off my children into the adult world. I don’t have any children.)

All in all, 'We Are' never failed to deliver that midweek kick of serotonin, and for that it will be missed.

Was it perfect? No. But it accomplished what it set out to do in a striking way.

Rating : 9.5/10. Comforting & Feel-Good.

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Great Cast. Simple Story. University Life. Falling in Love

I've read and heard many disparaging remarks about Phuwin and Pond's acting ability or lack thereof, so I want to briefly touch on that. Bullsh*t. They are both great actors at least by Thai standards. Acting is craft open to interpretation so I am definitely not pushing my opinions down anyone's throat.

I did read one review that said Phuwin relies on acting tricks. I've taken acting classes and I've seen many a series or a movie where even the finest actors awarded with high acting awards use tricks. Its part of the business and its also something directors direct actors to do to get their vision across. Is it murky. Depends on your own take.

Unless a person is aware of foreign acting classes and what and how they teach or what they are expected to convey via workshops and director notes or writer input one can not actually judge. But again it is only opinions.

About We Are. This is a simple story and even the simplest of story have complexity. Each couple here have a certain dynamic.
PhumPheem: They are not in a relationship yet. But their attraction is evident. It's simple. With the appearance of Title as Kluen we will see.
QToey: A seret backstory where their love started without even meeting with one having more information than the other even if it's not a wealth of information. WINNYSATANG are delivering a great chemistry and their acting improve with each episode.
TanFang: This one for me is the worse because one seems less than caring and the other cares too much. They are a good ship so I hope their on screen coupling becomes more than one sided. Tan is so over the top. He's hilarious. While Fang is very aloof.
ChainPun: Nothing much just a couple of intense stares and ear nibbling. Cute but they are not getting enough screen time.

These are my opinions and mine alone. I shall not argue about them with anyone. It's an enjoyable series. But it is GMMTV I wouldn't expect Shakespeare or something more deep. It is Thai BL so it is what it is.

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Perfect show is perfect

I can’t say enough good things about We Are. So to try to organize my gushing and fangirling over this ultimate comfort show that is honestly perfect in every way, I’m breaking this review down into categories.

Casting:
While Phuwin, Pond, Aou, Boom, Winny, and Satang were all familiar names and faces to me at GMMTV, I was never a full-blown fan of theirs. I’ve watched every PondPhuwin show and loved it, and WinnySatang in My School President were adorable, as were AouBoom in Vice Verse and Hidden Agenda. But I didn’t really follow their socials, know much about them, or cheer them on in their current and future projects. THAT CHANGES NOW, and I’m adding Marc and Poon into the mix as well. This cast works effortlessly well together. Their comedic timing, their chemistry, their dynamic… I wish I could bow down and Wai to the casting director of this show, because their vision was perfection. I will happily support and cheer on this cast in all of their future endeavors and hope for GMMTV to continue to give them more and more projects. I have to especially commend PondPhuwin’s growth in this series. Their maturity and chemistry in their dynamic has grown so much from Fish Upon The Sky.

The tropes:
We have friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers, secret pen pals falling in love, falling in love with you best friend’s brother, and slow burn after slow burn. There is something in this show for everyone, and every single storyline and relationships gets great screentime and backstory!

The pacing:
SIXTEEN episodes!!! We were truly blessed with this one. Because there are more episodes, we are able to really build strong connections to the characters, learn about them in real time as their friends on the show, allow slow burns to take their time, deep dive into all the character’s stories, never leave room for plot holes, and we have officially spanned a whole year in this show without any major time jumps. Every week feels like coming home to your best friends and snuggling up in a warm blanket while laughing at their jokes, crying at their struggles, and smiling at their joy. I love the detail, pacing, and direction of all the incredible storylines in this show. Massive kudos to the director, writers, and editors.

The music:
We love it when actors who can sing well are featured on shows. I’ve loved Winny’s songs, as well as the OST featuring LITERALLY EVERYONE. Did I mention the TALENT of this cast? Great soundtrack that fits the vibe of the show. Comforting and uplifting.

No angst:
You guys. I know we all have our angsty comfort shows that we find ourselves rewatching over and over. But there’s something to be said for a happy and hopeful show that isn’t just fluff. I can’t remember the last time I saw a BL with these vibes- minimal angst that is quickly resolved, happiness and laughs, and deep storylines and character development. This coming-of-age show reminds me just how beautiful our youth can be and the precious memories we’ll carry with us all our lives. I have already rewatched multiple times and I know I’ll rewatch more in the future whenever I want to feel at home. I can not recommend this show enough.

GMMTV- more of this, please! Congratulations to the entire team of We Are, in front of the camera and behind the scenes, on a masterful production. 10/10 stars

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Ho letto diverse recensioni negative in merito alla recitazione degli attori e alla storia in sé.
Sono in parte d’accordo, in quanto la storia non è sicuramente una novità (ambito universitario, studenti d’ingegneria/arte, ecc) e la recitazione in alcuni momenti può risultare un po’ “cringe”.
Nonostante tutto, penso che sia una serie molto leggera da guardare (basandomi sui 5 episodi che sono usciti finora) e che sia in grado di far immergere lo spettatore nella storia, in quanto resta una trama abbastanza realistica.
Come sottolineo sempre, i gusti son gusti. C’è a chi può piacere e a chi no. Personalmente, fino ad ora mi sta piacendo molto e se volete sorridere, alleggerirvi o distrarvi dopo una giornata stancante, ve la consiglio caldamente.

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Another Good One

I enjoyed this series throughout the beginning to about episode 12. While I did not come to dislike it, my interest started to wane a bit. However I was more than satisfied with how it concluded. The friendship among the group of friends is endearing and genuine. We saw how much they supported and comforted each other no matter what. This is seen especially through Q and Toey's romantic development; even though they were helping Toey they did not leave Q out and make him the enemy even when Q got upset at them; that is true friendship.

The Chain and Pun story-line was most definitely not all it could have been. I felt that some of the air time spent on Phum and Peem could have been reduced to facilitate Chain and Pun's story so as to give it a bit more body. It was hinted that there is a lot more to Pun than his silly personality; during the episodes where they went on the volunteer trip we saw him take charge as the leader of the volunteer programme and saw him step into a different shade of his personality. I would have loved to see more of his and Chain's friendship through flashback to see the developing feelings taking place on Chain's side. The kiss at the end between them was no doubt a game changer in how I thought of their story. No it did not negate my aforementioned thoughts but it did make for a makeup scene for them as a couple so that viewers at least got something to hang on to. It also created the possibility for me to think that, "Hey, these two obviously have some feelings toward each other and they may not have gotten the well needed time to develop as a couple but them diving in at the end is saying it is never too late to act upon feelings that are there and that it is okay because they can explore these feelings later." What is important is that the feelings between the two are strong enough for them to set the scene on fire with that kiss and so I am willing to let my imagination fill in the gaps. I really would have loved to see Pun's point of view on things though. Therefore me regarding their story as a 10 is really me giving that kiss a 10 because they stole the finale with their scene; they got one kiss scene and they delivered, so I can't argue with that especially when they out did some of the other couples' kisses.

Q and Toey's story-line was unique and cute. It was not really my preferred type of story-line and dynamic but even I can admit that their story is special. I loved how they had feelings for each other even before knowing each other's real identity; it provides for the idea of them being fated to fall in love. I did think that their story dragged a bit especially when Q knew that Toey was the boy he was passing messages to. Later on I considered that Q should be given the opportunity to really settle his feelings and come to terms with the revelation and while I think this should be permitted to Q, I still think it could have taken less air time that could have been given to Chain and Pun's story. However I love their interactions after becoming an official couple. Their playfulness may seem really childish but it is their love language which is unique to them; I loved that it showed that even though they had upgraded their relationship to a romantic one, they still remained friends and not just lovers. I still remember their heart melting kiss in the cafe and what better venue for it to take place than where it all began.

I will now be ranting!

Tan and Fan are definitely something; a special couple one might say. It takes great patience and tolerance to endure the sensory torture that is Tan's whole demeanour and voice. He is one of the most irritating characters I have ever had the displeasure of watching. I truly believe that Tan went to bed at night and thought of ways to torture those around him with not just his voice but also his incessant, annoying and repulsive co-dependency on Fang. He is like a parasitic vine and Fang was the unfortunate tree that had to endure the life being squeezed out of him. I am convinced that Fang did something horrible in a past life to warrant having fallen in love with this ever grinning leach of a lover; honestly Fang should buy a leash for Tan and keep him at bay from others; just because he willingly puts up his nauseating behaviour does not mean others should be forced to. Anyways I digress so let me continue the review. Tan and Fang have a very comforting relationship in terms of them finding a home in each other. We see this when Fang was having family woes and he found solace in Tan (as ironic as that is). They loved openly and shamelessly. Their spaghetti kiss will cause blushes on fans cheeks for sure. One issue or rather concern I have about their relationship, which I also have with Phum and Peem's, is the parents situation. Fang never introduced Tan to his family at all and Phum never introduced Peem as his boyfriend to their parents which leaves the uncertainty of why. I would have loved for this to have been delved into. Is it that they fear their parents would not accept them; I would have just loved some mention of it to fill that gap.

Phum and Peem are the couple that were a couple even before they started dating. Their many kisses and tender moments were heart warming to watch. Their relationship has a solid foundation of trust and care that was established prior to them becoming official and I think that serves them well in their relationship. Peem became that safe haven for Phum when he had his family issues and Phum was also there to assist Peem in his daily life. In the episode where Phum and Peem sat on the beach when Phum fought with his dad, we see Peem being a listening ear and a shoulder of comfort and if that was not romantic then I do not know what is. In the finale where they were thanking each other for coming in each other's life, it felt fulfilling to see these two, who started out not liking each other, become such a loving couple.

An issue I had with the finale is how the situation between Phum and his dad was handled. I will try to handle this as swiftly and carefully as possible as father issues can be a very sensitive topic for many. In the Caribbean society there is an abundance of matrifocal households largely due to father absenteeism. I say this to highlight my point that many children have complicated feelings towards their fathers because of abandonment or otherwise. Phum felt abandoned by his father when he was shipped off to a foreign country. He was an alien there and while his father may have had good intentions that does not negate or trivialize the fact that Phum felt abandoned and was entitled to at least a conversation regarding the matter. Seeing Phum "repairing" the relationship with his dad at the dinning table was like watching the hungry feed the satisfied because Phum made everyone at the table feel at peace but himself because forcing filiality and not having an open conversation about his feelings is avoiding the issue. It ultimately seemed to me as if he did it for Peem's sake rather than his own.

Anyways despite all my criticism, which i hope I delivered respectfully, I did enjoy the series while it aired and my 9 star rating reflects that.

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Disappointing

Since the announcement of this series, I knew I was up for disappointment. In this regard We Are did not disappoint me. As a former PondPhuwin fan after watching Never Let Me Go and then Fish Upon the Sky, this series was a huge step back from where I expected this ship to go. I really thought Ponf and Phuwin’s partnership would graduate to something of more substance. But leave it to GMMTV to come out and say they serve a Gen Z audience of schoolgirls in their 2024 lineup announcements.

It’s been my stance that I know Phuwin cannot act and he relies on acting tricks they teach in remedial acting classes. As someone who has taking acting classes I can see all the tricks he uses which a lot of people can spot as poor acting as it has an unnatural cadence about it. I also know Pond isn’t a good actor because he’s inexperienced but he shows promise of being better with more challenging roles. So to be part of this series was a huge let down for not only me but many others who like the PondPhuwin pairing.

First off this was four separate novels combined into one series. This is already a bad formula if Between Us with four couples have shown us. Even with two coupe like Love In The Air, people were already made when two stories were made into one series. This four couple premise is already off to a bad start.

Second, after Never Me Go, this seems like a punishment to regress PondPhuwin back into another school BL when they have graduated from Fish Upon The Sky and went onto Never Let Me Go. Which is about school kids but in an adult setting away from school. Now to send them back to school seems like GMMTV is telling us Pond and Phuwin do not deserve to become adults they are kids so let’s treat the, as such.

Third, how can you put four couple and make this PondPhuwin series seem like a vehicle to promote WinnySatang into lead roles since their success with My School President. It’s giving me nothing but let’s put a secondary side couple in another star couple vehicle and let them build more of a following. You know much like how fans have been asking secondary couple to prove their acting chops off the backs of a more established couple to prove they have star power to be an official couple in a series. WinnySatang is this couple. They are going to make this series their launch pad to spring into a star making vehicle for themselves. If you factor in AuBoom into the equation, you can see this series was a bad move for PondPhuwin to be in. They are definitely going to be overshadowed with equally talented or better actors. The only ones who won’t eclipse PondPhuwin are MarcPoon since they are a new ship dies to the Pawin scandal. But this is the only thing that isn’t going yo steal their thunder.

I know going into this series Phuwin was going to annoy me with his acting. Sure enough it did. He is the epitome of a himbo actor. He is solely relying on his looks to save him on his cringey AF acting. If I have to see him be a total bitch in another role to Pond’s character I’m going to want to punch his RBF. Like how can someone who like like such a bitch all the time with that smirk and side eyes have any friends. Everyone of his characters seems to have a chip on his shoulder while thinking he’s a nice guy deserving the world. This includes his characters in straight series like Wednesday’s Club.

I hate to say it but if Pond needs to play another besotted character who falls for Phuwin’s character I’m going to gag. Must all of his characters be whipped for Phuwin’s characters within 2 episodes. Can we have a Phuwin character really be an errand boy for Pond’s for once and try to get Pond’s character to fall for him or is that not within Phuwin’s acting abilities since he seems like a high maintenance piece of work.

I honestly don’t care for the WinnySatung characters because it’s just another reiteration of PondPhuwins characters. Now we get to AuBoom. I adore Au since Be My Favorite so I know he can act the pants off me. And Boom casted as Pond’s brother. This is too much visual eye candy for me. I like Boom with Au. They are stealing this series for me and I don’t mind.

I’ve always dislike Marc because he’s a bad actor. I don’t know Poon but I hated Pawin for some reason. He always gives me creepy vibes and it can because of his character from Never Let Me Go.

Two episode in and I have to pause on this because so far it is disappointing me in exactly the way expected. As much as I want to support Pond and AuBoom. I cannot take the week by week torture of watching Phuwin making my skin crawl with his cringey acting.

I will wait until this series ends to read the reviews to see if it is worth my time to come back and support Pond and AuBoom.

If your like fluffy shit with rainbows and unicorns then this school series is right up yor alley. Enjoy.

Edit: I had to drop the series after episode 11 because despite the kissing and sex scenes, the series was just too juvenile for me. This series felt like two series mashed into one. Pond, Besevboom, Title, Pepper and Tee are playing in a more mature school BL while JJ, Winny, Satang, Phuwin, Aou, Marc and Poon are playing in a way beyond silly and juvenile grade school BL. The kissing and sex scenes felt pointless and gratuitous at this point. What happened to the plot? Was there one that was seen through instead of being forgotten time and time again? I have never skipped over so many scenes before because I didn’t care for them. There are way too many couples. What was the point of Fai except to just add a female character to not make it a sausage feast. This series left me so disappointed that Pond and phuwin picked this after Never Let Me Go. I really hate New directed BLs after this.

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It has everything a romcom needs

the first episode had already kinda built a storyline to every couple................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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