The Luminous Solution (2023)

There Is No Solution

My oh my what a mess this drama was. The synopsis left me intrigued, but the short length left me apprehensive which it turns out I was right to be. While the general concept of it is interesting and could have been used to create a decent drama, what was actually done is pretty underwhelming. A mediocre story, cast, and characters coupled with plot holes, poor editing choices, and a major plot twist that actually doesn't work all combine to create a confusing web that never gets fully untangled or explained leaving us with more questions than answers in the end.

The general idea behind the story really does have promise, it just either needed to be better honed for the shorter number of episodes or there needed to be more episodes for it be fully realized. As it stands, it didn't work for me. The world building was seriously lacking with how the coffee shop worked. For one, there needed to be more explanation for where the cards came from. If it was something where people just picked them up, then fine, but Thana just seemed to have his and Ryou had his drop in front of him. There was no consistency. The scene jumps of characters being in one place and then suddenly in front of of the shop were jarring. The wishing aspect also needed more explanation. It felt like there should be some rules a la Genie from Aladdin, though I think it is mentioned here that reviving the dead is not an option. But the wishes the characters all made felt very cliché. There was nothing original about them. The flashbacks that happened throughout were initially confusing because they weren't obvious as flashbacks, so it took a second to realize what was going on. I didn't find them particularly interesting mostly because I didn't find the coffee shop owner, Kaew, very interesting. I really didn't care about her backstory and I think leaving her character as a mystery and focusing more on how the wishes and coffee shop worked would have been more beneficial.

The pacing was all over the place. Mai and Ryou's relationship was very rushed. I understand they couldn't take their time developing the relationship because of the short number of episodes, but I've seen other dramas do a good job in a limited time so I think they could have done better. And Thana and Phathit's story was a rollercoaster ups and downs. I frankly didn't find their relationship to be that interesting and I was more invested in Mai and Ryou's story.

Like I said, I found the wishes each of the characters made to be overall cliché, but also mildly interesting in a what were you thinking kind of way. Thana wishes for a new job. I honestly wondered at that, because he was so concerned about not matching up to Phathit, why didn't he wish to be his equal or something along those lines? And then the big plot twist is that it's revealed that Dena, for whatever reason, wished that no one would ever remember her, Ryou, Mai, or Nack, but would instead only know Darin, Phathit, Thana, and Naphat. It seems that this made them forget their childhood together or something like that. The logistics of this wish is, of course, not explained so we're left to guess. Now this wish is important to mention first, because Nack wished that he could kiss Ryou, a wish that doesn't come about until he as an adult Naphat kisses an adult Pathit. I will give credit to Nack for the fact that he didn't wish for Ryou to love him which is exactly what Ryou did, wishing that Mai would love him with his whole heart which then begs the question, did Mai/Thana actually love Ryou/Phathit or was it the wish making him do so?

Going back to that plot twist, there is rather massive problem with it. In Episode 3, at least, and I want to say something similar happens in another earlier episode, there is an instance where Ryou and Nack are grocery shopping together and Phathit is seen at the same store. This is when Mai gets locked in the locker room and Ryou runs off to go rescue him. There is a shot after this that has both Phathit and Nack in the same frame. Now if Nack is supposed to be a young Naphat, this is obviously impossible. I frankly found the plot twist to be very disappointing for a couple reasons. One being that, before it's reveal, I had liked these couple of brief glimpses of how their lives were connected, even tangentially. They never actually interacted, but they existed in the same sphere. And then there was the plot twist which just ruined that and also went to show just how incredibly poorly it was planned out. Besides that, there just never felt like there was a connection between the characters. They could have done something really cool with little hints and similarities that once it was revealed made you want to smack yourself on the forehead because, yes, Ryou made an offhand comment related to medicine or Thana said something about not wanting to be alone. There were so many little ways they could have connected them and I didn't notice any which is why that twist felt out of the blue and more like they were going for shock value than it was a well thought out, developed choice.

The characters really nothing special. There was one character that I genuinely liked, but I'll get to him in a bit.
-Thana and Phathit: I initially thought they were going to be interesting characters because of their dynamic as an established couple that had been together for over ten years. Instead, I didn't really find them to be any different from the less established couples I've seen in countless other BLs. I was expecting their communication to be much better than it was. After ten years together, I would have expected Thana to be less reticent to talk to Phathit about what was going on both in his personal and work life. And a little bit the same with the inferiority complex he had, it felt too fresh when Phathit had obviously been a doctor for a while. So those aspects didn't work for me. They didn't feel particularly realistic for their situation. Thana's struggles with work and feeling neglected by Phathit were more relatable though. Finding a job that actually feels like a calling is hard and when you don't have someone you can talk to about it, that makes it even harder. And while I understood that he felt neglected by Phathit, I had trouble really sympathizing with him because he never communicated how he was feeling until he lashed out. Phathit was relatable in his focus on work to build them future but at the same time neglecting Thana and their relationship. Finding that work/life balance can be a struggle, especially when you work in the medical field. And while Phathit was a good guy, he was not a mind reader and couldn't be expected to know what Thana was thinking when he didn't speak up. Thana's insecurity was a huge issue in their relationship and a large reason for the friction that developed between them. I was frankly glad that Phathit wasn't willing to just let him off the hook after he cheated. While Thana was obviously remorseful for what he had done, it also seemed clear that he had no intention of telling Phathit what had happened if he hadn't been caught which makes me wonder if he would have continued otherwise. Frankly I was hoping they would stay separated, but maybe the new beginning will work out for them.
-Mai and Ryou: The relationship for these two pretty much jumped out of the gate at a sprint. There's a bit of an enemies to lovers hint to the beginning of their relationship, but it's not well developed due to how fast their relationship progresses. While I understand time was limited to build their background and grow their relationship, I think more time was needed for it to really help understand their characters and to make their relationship more cohesive. Particularly with Mai, we understand that he gets lonely, but he was living alone just fine at the beginning, so when his parents decided to move, why didn't he opt to move into a dorm? Was it just because he wasn't ready to admit his feelings for Ryou? We also see his struggle as he realizes that he's starting to fall for Ryou when he tells Ryou that he can't fall for him and that he's straight. But we never fully understand why he's fighting so hard, his parents are never shown disapproving of the LGBTQ community. There's also Ryou's reluctance to admit his own feelings. It felt disjointed because we have him unwilling to at least verbally speak his feelings to then going to the coffee shop and wishing that Mai would love him with his whole heart. It feels like there's a lot of missing information with them that would help things make sense. I could go with the assumption that it's deliberate to feed into Dena's wish and how it worked, but I think that's giving it far too much credit. Their relationship is also lacking in open communication and then there's the instance where Mai very nearly rapes Ryou. Neither is a particularly great foundation to build a relationship on.
-Thana and Time: When Time initially showed up, I was certain that Thana was going to cheat on Phathit with him, but as more time went on and nothing happened, I grew hopeful that they were just going to continue on as friends and I really loved that for both of them because it was clear they had found something in each other. Of course, then they went and had multiple drinks, smoked and got together. I was very disappointed. Time was the one character that I actually genuinely liked in this drama. And by that I don't mean that he was a good person because he knew that Thana was taken and he still let things go to the next level. But as a character, I loved him. He was flawed, but I also found him genuine and straightforward. He didn't mince words and he called things like he saw them. Beneath the bravado, he was a good kid, willing to help a new friend and cheer him on. And I really liked him and Thana together. They had fantastic chemistry together, both as friends and in that brief NSFW scene. They fit together well and seemed on more equal footing than Thana and Phathit and it was nice to see Thana have someone he could talk to. Like I said, I was really hoping they would continue on as friends, I figured it was a vain hope, and sure enough, it was. My heart did break a little for Time during their last conversation, just because he'd finally found someone he clicked with and then there he was being abandoned again.

Acting was a mixed bag. This is now the third drama I have seen Gun in as a lead and, I'm sorry, but the man is just not that great of an actor. He has brief moments where he does well, very brief, but emotional scenes feel overacted, he makes the same face repeatedly, and any scenes that require physical intimacy are almost physically painful to watch. If you are that uncomfortable kissing men, honey, please stop doing BLs! He had zero chemistry with Mig of any kind and I am laying that solely on him, because Mig absolutely had chemistry with Bank. Mig did a pretty good job for his first role. It was obvious at times that he's pretty green, the more emotional scenes weren't as strong, there were some times where it felt like he was just delivering lines, but there were a lot of other moments where he absolutely nailed it. I think he has great potential. Bell is also brand new but, wow, does he know how to use his eyes. He has an expressive face in general, but his eyes especially just give his performance that extra je ne sais quoi. Bhu has had a bit more experience, but I can't give him the same praise. His performance didn't have the same brilliance as Bell's. He just didn't give Mai a whole lot of personality and often came across as a bit lifeless. He did have his good moments though where he was engaging, but he wore his character like armor almost and it didn't allow for him to shine.

There really is nothing luminous about The Luminous Solution. It's unfortunately quite dull and disappointing, sad considering it's potential. Despite it's short length, this isn't one that I would recommend watching. It's such a confusing mess, it's not worth the time trying to figure it out for such little payout.

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It's not some memorable masterpiece, but in the end I gave it an 8+ because...

...of THE GOOD:
1. It's an original story concept insofar as the average BL's go, while also tackling the difficult task of telling a non-linear storyline AND executing a totally unexpected plot twist SUCCESSFULLY. I don't think anyone watching this series saw that last ep plot twist coming. I certainly did not.
2. With the exception of the actor who played Phatit (sorry hard fact, but he doesn't rate, really needs an acting coach or a new vocation), the acting in this for all the rest of the cast is actually pretty good.
3. The writers were clever, using a 'second pairing' trope, when in fact, there is only one pair that the story is focused on.
4. The writers WENT THERE and most people don't like that because they want their happy ending BL story, but they made a BL story with a seemingly 'great' partner who is revealed to have major character flaws and he ends up cheating, which yes, it happens quite often. And even though the story is intermingling with supernatural elements which could be argued to have affected things, it turns out the wishing doesn't really have anything to do with it, people are just weak, and the main pair still had to struggle with the infidelity and other issues and they did NOT make it through like nothing happened. No blatantly happy ending. Only a little. Refreshing.
5. They tied up ALL the loose ends. Even Mai being so aggressively sexual as a teen suddenly made more sense when we compare it with Thana as an adult being a sexually aggressive and impulsive dumbass. And this story certainly wasn't rushed, in fact, six eps was more than they needed. (I won't list the details they tied up, but if anyone is confused about the story, I'd be happy to help with some answers)


So...The DRAWBACKS:
1. The unexpected plot twist could also be attributed to the fact that the casting for the teenage 'Thana' (Mai) and 'Phatit' (Ryou) didn't resemble the adult version even remotely. I don't know if the reason why they cast two sets of totally dissimilar (in appearance) actors was in order to bury the plot twist, or if it was just poor casting choices on the real, but truly, that was really not great. The same can be said for the adult versions of the school friends, ZERO resemblance. That said, the young and older version of the cafe' lady was well done and yet still, didn't really suspect that.
2. It was a bit long winded, which made eps 3 to 5 drag a bit, and so the pay off of episode 6's plot twist didn't hit quite as well as it might have, had the build up to the infidelity and the reveal happened a bit faster.
3. Was it messy? Yes, a bit,, because it's non-linear and it's past and present and they're trying to not let anyone catch on, but was it a total mess? Nope.

Overall, this is worth a one time watch.
NOTICE FOR: Anyone reading this who hasn't watched it yet, just be warned that it's a little slow to the point and heavy handed on some unnecessary scenes. Episode 5 was nearly a deal breaker for me to be honest, but I'm glad I hung in there.

Maybe it's just me, but I appreciate something that doesn't try to sell me a flowery story just to be a people pleaser, because honestly, if people had the ability to make wishes and have them actually come true, the amount of f*ck ups would be endless.
At the very least, if you're a patient person, give it a try.

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Bumpy Road Ahead!

I haven't made a review in awhile so here we go...
No doubt, it's a confusing series with plot holes, unnecessary characters and predictable situations BUT it also comes with real life issues of love, lust and friendship while giving the MCs the character development they desperately need and deserve that unfortunately doesn't come as quick as it should. It has a decent paced start with all the juicy drama colliding in the middle that somehow manages to plunge off a cliff into oblivion at the end! It's a guessing game through a lot of it which might put some people off but if it's straight forward then it would make a boring series. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending since it came to a screeching halt the way it did but I think everything worked out the way it SHOULD given the circumstances of each character. As someone who enjoys BL (with no shame) potential viewers should know it focuses on building and losing relationships as opposed to $ex and make out sessions. The BL content is on the average spectrum for me so if you're looking for steamy scenes you won't find much here.
Enjoy.

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Not good!

3/10, dropped.

The couples were good but the implementation of the series was unfortunately rather poor. The Ending was not good. Acting was very good.
Btw i would have liked to see more of the affair. That was hot...........

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Boring and Confusing

This is my opinion:
Honestly the story line and plot itself was confusing. The show didn’t explain who was who and how they were ‘involved’ with anyone until like the last 5 mintues of the last episode. It didn’t create a image of what the story was ment to be about until the last epioiode. It would have been better if there was more than 6 epiosides, that way they could have explained the story better.

I honestly dont even understand the whole past & present thing. You don’t even find out how the teens story is related to the adult story until the end of the last episode. Episode 6 is the only episode that actually made sense.

I myself wouldn’t watch this again and I would not recommended watching this.
Like I said, this is my opinion.

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Confusing story with a time paradox thrown in!!

PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE SERIES

First off, this series will make the viewer think you're watching two different couples. On one hand you have Thana and Patis or P as I like to call him. Two adult men in love whose relationship spins like a twister from start to finish. On the other hand, you have Ryou and Mai two young boys figuring out who they are what they like with a ton of surprises in between.

Middle of the story you have Thana and P going thru secrets and cheating and separation due to the later. Ryou and Mai are starting to fall for each other but having lots of confusion on what they want due to them having little to no experience and being young school boys.

By the end of the series Patis/Thana are reconnecting by not knowing who the other is essentially and Ryou and Mai are back together in Patis/Thanas old apartment.

Pros to the series:
Ryou and Mai have a good story thought the series
The two couples share the series time equally
All couples technically end up back together in the end of the series
The show didn't dilly dally with parts of the story it continuously progressed

Cons to the series:
The couples didn't deserve the gotten back together ending they got it happened thru the greed of one caused by the other
The relationship was genuine but at the same time superficial and supernatural
Dena is a super mean person who went from super jealous problem causer to ruining everyone's lives with a time paradox
Ryou and Mai's story in the last episode goes from great to God damn awful
If you don't pay attention to the small details in the series, you will not realize the meaning of everything that happened in the finale.
You don't find out till episode 5 that Patis the one everyone feels sorry for the entire series is actually the person who ruined two peoples lives.
Thana and Patis' relationship *end of story. period. the worst thing about this series*

My closing paragraph is instead going to be a sentence.

Isn't it funny in that what most people find to be the greatest thing about the series Ryou and Mai's relationship
is actually the thing people hate most about the series Thana and Patis' relationship.

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The Light Bulb Blew Out!

When I first saw the teaser trailer for The Luminous Solution, it looked like any standard BL/Series Y production, but towards the end, I was excited to find out that this particular series would have a supernatural twist! A mysterious woman in a coffee shop appears and starts talking about fate, wishes, mystical powers, and getting one's "hearts desire".

A few months passed and finally the series first episode dropped. It was slow to start, and we are introduced to the main protagonists...one a group of teenagers dealing with their stereotypical high school angst, and the other a mature couple navigating a rough patch in their relationship. All pretty standard fare for a BL drama. Midway through the episode, we are introduced to the "real storyline", and the aforementioned mysterious coffee shop lady, and thus the series finally perks up and goes in a different direction than your standard series Y.

PRODUCTION VALUES
The first thing you will notice about the series is just how amazing it looks from a production standpoint. The camera work was amazing, the colors were vibrant, the lighting was flawless and every place looked alive. The settings looked like real places because most were shot in real locations. From swanky posh apartments, to teenage college dorm rooms, they all looked lived in, and authentic.

The sound was crisp and clear, and the music was really ethereal. The main theme song "Forgotten ขอลืม" sung by Katcha Nontanun and Toosafe Thongsaphak (also actors in the series) is haunting, sad and beautiful, and midway has a soaring passage that just reinforces the emotional nature of the entire show. That, and the beautiful incidental tracks that play during scenes give the show a warm feeling at times, a mystical feeling at times, and even a dangerous feeling a times. Just amazing sound work.

STORYLINE
The storyline at first glance is very confusing, as certain things don't make sense, but underneath the poor editing there is actually a fantastic story. Part of me think the story was too ambitious an attempt for such a short series. Without spoiling too much, I will say the story deals with getting your heart's desire. How far would you go to get it? Are you willing to pay a huge price for your desires?

CHARACTERS
I liked most of the characters in this series. Some were typical BL tropes, like the teenage girl who has a crush on a boy...that has a crush on another boy. But other characters, such as a random teenager that one of the main characters meets, is a pretty damn intriguing character that says some pretty profound things in those scenes. Overall, I think you will find these characters unique in their own way.

ACTING (MAIN CHARACTERS)
Here is where things get a bit dicey. For the most part, the acting was terrific. Most of the main protagonists delivered awesome performances. Mig Teerapat/ ธีรภัทร โปร่งอรุณ who plays "Thana" was especially good in his portrayal of a very flawed boyfriend who's fears and insecurities cause him to do some pretty stupid things. Mig has a kind of down to earth quality that is very inviting and warming. He also is very good at expressing emotions, from happiness, to fear, to joy, to sadness...he pulled it all off well. He reminds me of the actor Earth Thanakrit from a comedy series called (RAK DIAO), whom I loved, so I liked his work even more in this.

I can't say the same for the actor who plays Thana's boyfriend (Phathit/Pattis) though. Those who are heavily into the BL genre may recognize the actor as Gun Napat /ณภัทร ณ ระนอง, who is most famous for his role in a BL series called Golden Blood. The series itself was known more for the horrific acting of its two leads than anything else. When I first saw Gun Napat was in this series, I cringed and was afraid. Then I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, a few years had passed since he was in Golden Blood, maybe the actor got some extensive acting classes? NOPE, he did not. Gun Napat's acting is probably worse in Luminous Solution than it was in Golden Blood. He is hands down the worst actor I have ever seen in a BL. He has two expressions, "Cry-Laughing" and "Constipation"...that's it. It was painful watching him shake and convulse through dramatic scenes and try to push out tears and emotions. I don't take pleasure in downing people's work, but he is just not suited for acting. Modeling, yes, but for no for acting. Sorry booboo!

The actor who played Ryou, Bell Rachata/เบล รัชตะ คุ้มทรัพย์, was fantastic for someone who is new to acting. His expressive face, and striking appearance sometimes gave the role a very somber and weighty feel. There is a sadness in the actor's eyes that perfectly frames later parts of the show. He is always engaged on camera, and is very natural.

And conversely, his screen boyfriend Mai played by Bhu Bhudis /ภูดิส วิเศษจิตร, was not great in the role. He is what I call, DBTE (Dead Behind the Eyes). His eyes are black and blank, and his facial expressions rarely changed in the show. His acting was sort of flat except in the last episode of the series, where he seemed to show a little bit of life. Mai was supposed to be somewhat of a "jock" type character, but even jocks can be more charismatic sometimes. Mai was just flat and kind of dull. You will wonder what the main character Ryou sees in him to be honest.

And finally, my personal favorite character in the show, Kanda, played by the very haunting Pam Praephan /ญศรีสุนทร. She plays the aforementioned mysterious coffee shop lady. She is physically very striking, and plays the mysterious part well. From her creepy delivery, to her mystical voice-overs during scenes, she is a very engaging character. We get little bits of her story throughout the series, but I wish there was a lot more of her story to be honest.

Other actors include Dome Woranart (วรนาถ รัตธนภาส), who plays a small role in this. He was good as he usually is. Most BL fans know him from the series 2 Moons 2. Also noteworthy in the show is the character of Time played by Bank Theewara. Bank plays a mysterious youth who befriends one of the main characters who at first seems shallow, but probably has some of the most profound lines about the human condition, and life itself. He had great chemistry with that main character, and at one point, I was ghost shipping him and the main character! Watch for yourself and you will see what I mean.


EDITING & PACING
Here is where the show falls apart sadly. The editing and screenplay is absolutely abysmal. There is a really fantastic story and ideas here, great acting and such, however the editing ruins all of it. There is a HUGE plot twist at the end that you won't see coming, mostly because of the horrible editing and screen writing. You will be completely lost unless you watch the uncut versions of the show multiple times.

That's right, the editing, screenplay, and pacing are so terrible, you will not have any idea what is really happening until the end. Characters are introduced, scenes are presented for no reason and don't seem to fit into the story, just a god awful mess. Even worse, if you are watching on Youtube or other free service, you will really be lost, as the edits on those channels remove VERY IMPORTANT SCENES that will help frame the plot.

Only those watching live on One31 channel in Thailand, or on a service like GagaOolala can see the uncut versions with the vital story information. Many folks dropped the show because it was so incoherent.


OVERALL
Overall, I was mixed on the series, but leaning more toward recommending it. The acting is great, the production values are high, and the characters are good enough. Those who enjoy Sci-Fi and Fantasy will like the overall storyline. I appreciate what they were trying to do, but I feel like it was just too big of an idea to do in only 6 episodes. The writers and director were clearly out of their league. Kitt Botta (the director) did an admirable job with a lot of the school story plot, but they were not able to seamlessly blend it with the other main plotline.

Still, I recommend giving this a watch, if only to support the actors who were mostly amazing...except Gun Napat.

Later!

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The Luminous Solution was the solution to an uneventful Friday

Despite its low rating of 6.3, poor subtitles, and all the honest reviews on here, I for one enjoyed this series. I thought it was well made, down to earth, and clever in subtle ways. Right away, the series title is incorporated as the main cast is introduced. Thana, Patis, and Mai’s scenes were ‘dark’ and/or ‘light’ representing “Luminous” and Ryou’s was ‘Solution’ as he’s working on his school project.

I enjoyed the characters A LOT, flawed as they were. I love the bantering and different personalities of the main and side characters. I liked the uniqueness of the plot twist though I have to brag that I had a clue that was the case since episodes 2-3. Solely because the older and younger casts' timelines moved at different paces. I think it was episode two or three where Mai and Ryou had a time-lapse of a few days whereas it was the same day for Thana and Patis. As the series progressed, I saw more and more similarities between the older and younger characters (for example Thana and Mai having a habit of biting. Thana and Mai hate being alone and are afraid of loneliness. Thana and Mai smoke. Patis and Ryou are clear about who they like and want to stay friends with Naphat/Nack. Patis and Ryou are 'perfect' in the eyes of others, they're smart and hardworking. Patis considers Thana as his only family while Ryou has a distant uncle and auntie. Mai has a closer relationship with his parents, Thana does too except his dad has passed. The wooden stickhouse and wooden figures), then I started questioning why the older and younger characters hadn't had any direct interactions yet. That's when it hit me that they were most likely the older and younger versions of each other. I guess figuring that out earlier on made the whole series less confusing, messy, and more enjoyable.

Except for Bhu Bhudis, the whole cast is new to me so that was nice. Means I get to know more actors/actresses! I see that this is Mig Teerapat Prongaroon's acting debut? I have to say that this man has the talent and potential to make it big if he stays in the industry and away from scandals.
Gun Napat and Bell Ratchata are straight-up adorable! Gun just makes me happy whenever he smiles. I love his interactions with just about everyone, especially with the nurse, Dr. Praem, and the older lady patient he saw twice. I do have to say that he does need to work on being less twitchy when it comes to serious/intense scenes but otherwise, I was in love with his character from beginning to end (and honestly, I would have thought Mig is the more experienced actor as he had more range but Gun’s acting isn’t terrible, at least not for his character).
I like Mig and Gun as a couple, they're cute as heck! The only thing that didn't seem right was the lack of natural physical contact. It might have been the director's choice or lax writing but a lot of it feels like what you'd witness in an acting class and not in real life. When they hugged or comforted each other, it felt like they did it because it said so in the script. And when you expect physical contact between two characters who have been madly in love for 10 years, you get nothing. (i.e. Patis coming home and crashing on the bed after a long day and night at work. Seeing Thana tuck Patis in would have been nice. Or the part where Patis bawled his eyes out and instead of staying and crying, hugging it out together Thana left to cry outside.) So lots of missed opportunities to showcase what I would think was a long-term healthy relationship.
I thought Bell did great. Dena, Safe, Tontae, and Bank were also all great.
Kanda and Pie being mother and son wasn’t that surprising either. I mean if she’s the younger woman we saw in the beginning then clearly Pie was either her boyfriend’s ghost played by Dome Woranart or her son who looks exactly like her ex-boyfriend also played by Dome Woranart.
Once again, the cast and characters were a plus for me. However, I must admit that Thana and Mai got super ugly. Hated the attempted rapes and Thana, for some reason, is always doing things he’ll be sorry for. Guy never learned.

Other than the lack of consent in some parts, my biggest issues with the show had to do with the director and editors’ choices. For one, they never made Time’s age clear though I’m assuming he’s 18/19 given that he drives a motorcycle and well, that fire exit scene. The show used terms like ‘student’, ‘homeschooled’, and ‘self-educated’ to hint at his age but we never got a solid number.
Secondly, there were A LOT of ‘romantic’ scenes that were played back to back to back to back and at one point it got annoying; I didn’t need to see Mai pulling Ryou towards him four different times from four different angles, thank you very much. Also, a lot of the close-ups on the faces were mostly awkward, especially when facial expressions weren’t key.
Thirdly, they play the same ‘mysterious’ song every time Kanda is on screen, and my goodness, please stop. Kanda’s repetitive theme song is not hitting when it’s being overly used and adds nothing to the scenes!
A lot of these episodes are about 1 hour and 15-20 minutes and seriously they would have been sweeter if they just cut back on the repeating and slower parts. The series having only 6 episodes was a good choice. I don’t mind open-endings but I don’t like that there’s a bigger chance Thana and Patis will get back together within a month :/ The idea of a secret cafe was interesting but its execution was mediocre at best so personally the show would have been better off without it, and as a slice-of-life-only series instead.

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Possibly intriguing premise marred by a silly twist

Perhaps I should start by spoiling the series because it can be quite confusing to talk about the series without spoilers, though spoilers might just show how messy it us instead of lessening the confusion.

The premise is fairly interesting: a cafe that grants a wish miserable people. Of course, as with all stories about wish-granting, you can expect something to go wrong with the wishes made.

It is heavily suggested (though not confirmed till later) that the woman in the cafe, who facilitates the wish-granting stuff, is the woman in the scenes where a young woman gets pregnant only to be ditched by her irresponsible boyfriend. It seems that after wishing for a better life for her son, she is stuck to granting wishes in the cafe. (Again, it is not clear why this would be so until the final episode because the other people having their wishes granted do not seem to have to replace her role in the cafe.)

One thing I didn't like about the woman in the cafe that mysteriously appears is how the woman (now much older than the time she is pregnant) gives an evil laughter and an evil smile. In a way, the cafe does not have to be a sinister thing. This seems like a cheap way of adding tension to the story. After all, the cafe is largely a neutral wish-granting entity, and it is not like it is deliberately causing things to go wrong after granting wishes.

Here's the biggest spoiler (if the series is not already "spoiled"): The main story has two parallel sets of characters that turn out to the be same set of characters at different stages of their lives. The series feels at first like many BL series that shifts from the story of one couple to the story of another despite the lack of any connection between them except that the characters are roughly in the same place. Nonetheless, for me, the series does give a sense that the two sets of characters are the same people--so much so that it tries to get us to think otherwise with a supermarket scene that seems to feature Ryou and Phathit (Patis?) in the place at the same time although they are supposed to be younger and older versions of themselves respectively. There is no reason for using a filming/editing style shows the younger version and older version of a character in the same scene, so it's probably there just to tell us a lie that Ryou and Phatit are different people.

To make matters worse, Phatit seems surprised when he finds out that his friend, Naphat, likes him. If Phatit is indeed Ryou, then he should not be surprised that Naphat is in love with him because the same friend confessed to him years ago.

OK, let's not care for a moment about the wishes or the plot "twist" revealing that the two sets of character are actually one and just think of the series as BL.

The story of Ryou and Mai isn't very special though it can be likable in many ways. The love triangle (Nack is in love with Ryou too) isn't very intriguing . Things don't get better when the love triangle turns out to be love square ... basically everyone is in love with Ryou: Mai, Nac, and their female friend, Dena.

The story of Phatit and Thana also isn't very special though it is a tad more realistic. They obviously love each other, but Thana has issues about being not good enough for Phatit whereas Phatit is so busy with his work as a doctor that he does not have enough time for Thana. However, I don't seem why Thana would hide from Phatit the fact that he has resigned from his job (partly to get the severance money to help his mother financially. Also, why would Thana cheat on Phatit with another guy (I think he is high on drugs, but even then, event feels forcefully written into the story.)

The wishes, though, screw up the story even more.

First, Thana's wish: he wishes for a job. Lol. I'm not sure how that would solve his problem since he has had a job previously and has been feeling (or has been made by others to feel) like Phatit is too perfect for him. Why not wish for status, wealth, equality, a life of happiness with Phatit, etc? (Perhaps we can have a Season 2 in which another plot twist reveals that they cake and beverage the characters have to eat before making the wish has the effect of lowering their intelligence drastically.)

Next, Nack's wish. He wishes he can kiss Ryou. LOL! He's not wishing that Ryou would love him back or if that doesn't sound ethical, how about wishing that he would not be in love with someone who does not love him back? Anyway, this guy only gets his wish granted many years later when Ryou is no longer Ryou but Phatit.

Then it's revealed that Phatit has also made a wish (when he is still Ryou). His wish is for Mai to love him wholeheartedly, and he gets it. But does Mai even not truly love him to begin with? Mai is under pressure to behave in a certain way and is in denial. Anyway, Mai, who is leaving for another province with his parents, suddenly goes back to Ryou after the wish is made. I think Ryou has more than what he has asked for because Mai can simply love him wholeheartedly and leave for another province.

And finally, the most bizarre wish of all is Dena's. Just what on earth is going on in her mind? It seems that she cannot wish for Ryou to love her (why not, if Ryou can wish for Mai to love him?) and so she wishes for the four of them in the love square to be remembered not as Ryou, Mai, Nack and Dena, but as Darin, Phatit, Thana, and Naphat. Wait, what???? Is she wishing to rename everyone? Is she, in some sinister and sadistic way, wishing to write everyone's fates? (The dark twist in her character, in the revelation that she is the one who locks Mai up in the locker room despite seeming like a supportive friend to all the other three characters is probably is most interesting twist. So maybe she is capable of something truly sinister.

Did someone manage to find the cafe in real life and make a wish to get away with making a BL series that does not make any sense?

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