Hidden Agenda (2023)

Definitely one of the better 2023 BLs

I’ve watched quite a lot of BLs over the past 2 years but this the very first one I feel to add my review on line. I always read the reviews and for this series they were a bit unfair and a total of 7.3 is definitely to low, as the performance is quite above average but maybe not the best of the year.

JoonDunk have good chemistry and this shows throughout the episodes. Still today most of the BLs are too shy with a kiss but not here, those scenes were properly done I liked the sunflower popping up as it reminds of “star in my mind”. The characters are evolving and although the hidden agenda concept is watered down after 3 or 4 episodes other elements are build in like the stalking of Nina and onwards of the main leads. Also both face parents where they have great expectation from their children and the pressure it puts on them. The comments on Dunk’s acting are too strong, don’t forget he plays the role of a guy with low self-esteem who’s looking for himself.

It was also good to see other BL stars popping up from various other BL series.

And so in conclusion, give the show a chance. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course.

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Ricordo ancora la sensazione avuta quando guardai il primo trailer, ero troppo emozionata per l’uscita di questa serie ed era una di quelle che aspettavo di più fra tutte.
Inutile dire che su questo aspetto sono rimasta un pò delusa.
Mi spiego, la trama parla solo del fatto che Zo è innamorato di Nita e quindi chiede aiuto a Joke, l’ex di Nita, di aiutarlo a conquistarla ma con il tempo le cose tra Zo e Joke cambiano.
Questa è la trama e sia il primo trailer che il secondo sembrano essere totalmente incentrati su questa dinamica, purtroppo nella serie in sé la cosa non va come si pensa, quella che sembra essere la trama che coprirà l’intera storia viene iniziata e finita in due/tre episodi, inutile dire che sta cosa mi ha letteralmente sfracassato le palle. La storia dei primi episodi era così carina, anche se un pò noiosa poteva essere facilamente aggiustata e portata avanti, potevano essere aggiunte molte scene in cui succedevano delle situazioni mentre Zo cercava di conquistare Nita grazie a Joke, invece hanno fatto quelle poche scene e in pochissimi episodi hanno concluso tutto; letteralmente Zo ha capito di non essere innamorato di Nita al PRIMO fottuto appuntamento con lei, ci ha messo mezzo secondo per capirlo ma boom pur sapendo i suoi sentimenti per Joke ci ha messo tutto il suo cervello per capirsi meglio.
Sinceramente il modo in cui hanno gestito sta cosa mi ha fatto impazzire (in senso negativo) perché avrebbero potuto portare avanti la cosa del cercare di conquistare Nita con i vari accenni a lui che si sta innamorando di Joke per poi buttarci il momento definitivo in cui capisce che nei confronti di Nita aveva solo molto rispetto e l’ammirava. Personalmente penso che così sarebbe stato decisamente meglio, anche perchè mi ricordo troppo sta scena del primo trailer dove a na certa Joke chiede a Zo se sa baciare e poi “glielo dimostra”, oltre al fatto che sta scena fece impazzire tutti, la trovo anche come un punto determinante per Zo nel capire i suoi sentimenti, sarebbe stato veramente bello se avessero allungato la fase iniziale e aggiunto questa scena. Hanno sfruttato malissimo una trama molto particolare, da questo punto di vista sono delusa, pare che non si sono impegnati.
Quindi alla fine aggiungendo la cosa dello staker, i litigi, il club, il premio e i problemi familiari, sono finiti per non centrare la storia di base facendo diventare la serie tutt’altro di quello che si può pensare leggendo la trama o guardando il trailer.

Una delle cose che poi più mi stanno a cuore e di cui sono stata delusissima sono Jeng e Pok. Quando vidi il primo trailer PIANSI nel vedere Aou e Boom come coppia, ero la persona più felice del mondo in quanto ho desiderato tantissimo vederli assieme sin da quando li ho visti in vice-versa. Poi ho letteralmente amato come nel primo trailer li abbiano fatti vedere tutti uniti che si tenevano per la mano parlando di matrimonio egualitario e dicendo liberamente di amarsi….ecco…nella serie questo è stato trasformato DRASTICAMENTE, nell’opposto. Da quello che ho scritto prima sono invece diventati una coppia segreta e problematica. Sinceramente ho amato Pok sin dall’inizio e mi dispiaceva per lui perchè si vedeva tale e quale che proprio per amore ed empatia stava cercando di adattarsi a quello che voleva Jeng, ossia di tenere la relazione ultra segreta, come se non si conoscessero.
Da una parte lo voglio pure capire a Jeng ma cazzo quanto mi ha fatto salire i nervi quando all’open day la ragazzina ha chiesto "Sei single?" e lui stronzo ha detto pure di sì e gli ha dato l’insta, lì mi è partito il nervoso perchè capisco tutto quello che vuoi ma cazzo questa ragazzina molto probabilmente manco la rivedrai più e te ti fai il problema di non far capire che sei fidanzato con un ragazzo. Che poi anche se glielo avessi detto, non significa dire che stai con un ragazzo, in sti casi dici che sei occupato e basta, mica con chi! Quindi nulla per me assurdo, dopo tutto quello che Pok ha fatto per lui, Jeng si permette pure di fare lo stronzo in sta maniera, veramente io senza parole, assurdo.
Quando Pok ha FINALMENTE capito che doveva mettere i paletti e che non meritava di essere trattato così, ho goduto. Devo dire che a Jeng l’ha spaventato a morte quando stava facendo le valige perchè sennò non si spiega il suo cambiamento DRASTICO. Così dal nulla ha detto che era fidanzato e si è comportato in maniera decisamente più aperta e mi ha fatto piacere ma doveva accorgersene prima che Pok facesse quella scenata, come si è permesso di trattarlo così fino ad allora. Quindi veramente io li amo ma cazzo quanti problemi indesiderati, nel primo trailer erano decisamente meglio e mi sarebbe piaciuto vedere almeno per una volta una coppia felicemente aperta sul loro amore. Peccato.

Riguardo Zo e Joke non so che dire, seria. Loro amori miei ma bho sarò io ma non ho sentito nulla di speciale nella loro storia. Per non parlare di come Zo sia descritto come quello che pensa sempre agli altri ma poi ha gli atteggiamenti più egoistici che abbia mai visto, molte volte mi ha scazzato che pensasse solo a quello che provava lui respingendo Joke che porello voleva aiutarlo a stare meglio o comunque a capire se stesso. Infatti la maggior parte dei litigi li ho trovati parecchio inutili bho potevano essere evitati se solo avessero ragionato meglio. In ogni caso mi sono piaciuti lo stesso.

Riguardo la questione famiglia non credo di essere la persona giusta per commentare tali dinamiche perchè sono molto rancorosa. Dopo tutto quello che hanno fatto e detto i loro genitori per tutta la loro vita, segnandoli in maniera irreversibile...te mi stai a dire che Zo e Joke hanno veramente accettato le loro scuse? Lo hanno fatto ma bho personalmente non ci sarei mai riuscita. Con tutto l’amore del mondo ma cazzo se voi genitori non vi preoccupate a crescere in maniera opportuna i vostri figli, non vi preoccupate di niente se non di voi stessi, che volete? Sinceramente adulti come sono in quel momento era decisamente troppo tardi per capire ciò che hanno fatto e chiedere scusa. Hanno prima rovinato gli anni “migliori” (messo tra parentesi perchè per me sono i peggiori ma così vengono comunemente chiamati) della loro vita e adesso vogliono perdono? Io veramente non ci sarei riuscita anche perchè bho sarò io ma ho provato disagio nel vedere il padre di Joke volere un abbraccio, dopo tutto quello che ha fatto l’abbraccio è la cosa più inutile che potesse fare, al posto di Joke mi sarei sentita a disagio nell'avere un gesto di affetto dopo tutto quello che gli ha fatto passare. Come già ho detto sono troppo rancorosa per commentare ste cose quindi nulla ognuno la veda come vuole.

In generale “Hidden Agenda” è un misto tra delusione e…..delusione. Sono seria. Mi sarei aspettata che questa trama fosse sfruttata meglio e bho personalmente non ho sentito nulla di speciale. Il tutto però è stato piacevole da vedere quindi lo
consiglio.

+sinceramente amerei se facessero tipo uno spin-off (non so se si chiama così ) della storia di Pok e Jeng. Se facessero una serie incentrata su di loro e le dinamiche della loro coppia sarebbe veramente interessante poi sinceramente amo Aou e Boom quindi sì li voglio protagonisti.

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A feel-good university romance with a lot of fluff

Hidden Agenda is a good BL with an interesting plot and a great cast.

The plot starts out strong and we are immediately swept up into getting to know the characters for around two episodes whilst the groundwork is set for the rest of the plot. I thought the pursuit was fun to watch and had some cute moments. The main couple is sweet, and I personally enjoy university plots with angsty and confused feelings.

Watch this drama if you enjoy the following genres: university, romance, fluff, sweet, pining, confused feelings, slight angst and a few steamy kiss scenes.

I’ve seen many other reviews of people hating on this drama for no reason. I’ve mainly seen people insult Dunk’s acting skills which are perfectly fine. Whilst I agree that Joong is slightly better, I do not think that Dunk’s acting skills are bad (or as bad as some people claim). Some people said the plot was boring which I disagree, I think they just prefer action-thrillers with heavy stakes and a fleshed-out plot rather than a simple watch with a lot of fluff.

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This series was OK, not great or bad, just OK

I liked the premise of the story and the story itself was fine. It was a little bit different twist on the college story, there wasn't one engineer in the whole thing! All kidding aside, they explored how families can affect relationships, and how parents can unintentionally mess up their kids by stuff the parents say and do. The acting was good, and this was clean and something even your Grandma could watch.

I think part of the problem with this story it seems to drag in places, they could have edited this down to 8 episodes and had a much more cohesive story. For almost 12 hours of runtime, not a whole lot happens, at least not compared to something like A Tale of Thousand Stars, Not Me, or Manner of Death.

The other direction they could have gone is explored the side characters more. For example, Wave and Trin, they seemed to have some unresolved issues (possibly romantic?) even at the end of the series. Kot and Pat really didn't add much to the series, there were lots of ways those characters could have rounded out this series, possibly with those two dating each other, or showing more than a passing scene with them. Poor Nita barely got to speak during the whole show, and the story loosely revolves around her and the two leads. Then you throw in a stalker for a few minutes randomly.

I did enjoy this, but it wasn't the best thing I watched recently. It is worth watching, but don't think you are going to be watching a memorable or groundbreaking series.

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Star in Your Mind pt. 2

The first teaser for the series was exciting. I really liked how the vibe and the characters seemed different from those in Star in Your Mind. I was excited about it and was really looking forward to seeing Joong and Dunk in something a bit more angsty. And then the second trailer dropped. And then the series. And all my hopes went down the drain.

The plot ended up being kind of messy and confusing with quite a few plot holes and inconsistencies. There was no reasoning behind a lot of the things, including some very crucial aspects – like why Joke likes Zo. They just went from arguing to Joke looking at Zo with hearts in his eyes. I was expecting the whole Joke – Nita – Zo triangle to take longer to both develop and solve, especially as it was shown as the biggest part of the plot in the trailer. And yet it was done and over so soon. The whole idea of the hidden agenda was also not explored enough. It was hinted at and glossed over so quickly, it’s like it has never happened. Generally speaking, problems were not given enough time to properly develop and to have some sort of reasoning behind them.

And as much as I hate to do this, the whole series felt like Star in Your Mind part two or an alternative universe version of it. Not only did the characters played by Joong and Dunk appear to be pretty much the same in both series, but there was also the whole thing with Joong’s characters having a (ex)girlfriend and pinning after Dunk’s character. I found the series to be quite boring most of the time. It was just Joong and Dunk being cute. It was sweet the first time we saw it, the second time around was just boring.

Don’t get me started on the debates. It’s like they have done no research on how a debate actually goes. I tried to see if this is the Thai structure, but I couldn’t find anything online. But I can tell you that it is definitely not the NOVA structure of a debate. I have seen my fair share of debates in real life (even participated in one or two), and the Hidden Agenda version of a debate is very far from the reality of it.

Joke & Zo: they were cute together; I’ll give them that. Joke appears to be more closed off and quite awkward at times. His relationship with family seems to be quite strained as well, but it’s not really explained why. It just is. Zo also has a strained relationship with his mom, but that is something that is addressed in the series. And it makes sense. Zo seems to be kind of naïve at times, but there is more to him than that. The way their relationship happens, and progresses is very strange. It goes from nothing to everything very quickly. Almost too quickly. I have already mentioned how Joke’s feelings for Zo are never really explained. At least Zo’s feelings make sense. And while the two of them talk about some important things – yay for communication and setting boundaries – they also tend to either forget or ignore what they talked about. Joong and Dunk have great chemistry, there was definitely a lot of improvement when it comes to their kissing scenes. But there is something about Dunk’s acting that just doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it just feels off at times

Jeng & Pok: I like the fact that they were an already established couple dealing with realistic problems. Pok is such a cutie! He might seem adorable and naïve only, but he can be very mature and can stand up for himself when it’s needed. Jeng is struggling with who he is and who he shows to others, he fears rejection and judgment from his friends. And that is something that leads to a lot of tension between the two. Aou and Boom both did great and had an amazing chemistry. I wish we could have seen more of them.

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Felt like I was watching Star in My Mind 2

but with much better communication between Joke and Zo. At least they're problems they were able to fix quicker by actually talking to each other unlike Kluen and Dao. Still the story is basically the same: two college students, one has a one side crush on the other at first, there's a girl heavily involved: rinse, recycle, repeat. I only liked it a little more than SIMM because the characters are way more mature emotionally, esp Joke. At least in this one I didn't want to tear my hair out with any arguments the characters may have had etc. Other than that, it's essentially the same story. Dunk's acting is still stiff, and I still have to feel any chemistry between JoongDunk that's not forced. I hate those forced, cliche, chemistry moments and there was ton here. As for rewatch value: I'll probably rewatch when I'm bored or don't have anything else to watch.

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Making your parent proud can be tiresome~

For the first few episodes I skipped quiet a lot. It was somewhat slow and the "agenda" wasn't well hidden. The back and forth denial and what not.

Nevertheless, the story did bring out a warm message towards the end. Having to please your parent, making them proud with everything you do in life is never easy. It can back-fire if you're not careful. Seeking for family's approval really drains you out; not to mentioned your mental health. But then, having someone next to you, supports you - even when you can't support yourselves is more than enough.

I love how at the end they managed to resolved the issues they have towards their family. While Jeng really showed how much he loves Pok. He changed for the better and paid off all the sacrifices Pok made for him all this time. Definitely in love with Boom's acting and wish could see more of Boom & Aou together - (2nd couple syndome here~).

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not for the lovers of dramatics

probably my most controversial review, but the story has minimal drama, and that seems to be everyone’s issue with it. I personally enjoyed not having to deal with unnecessary love triangles, second leads, bullying, overly dramatic breakdowns, and miscommunication. in fact, there is so much communication between the leads that it doesn’t fall into the “2 episodes to fix this” trope and I wholeheartedly enjoyed that things were addressed head-on.

joke and zo display maturity and growth spectacularly. and even with the few instances where dunk’s acting fell a bit short, he pulled through with his role overall.

if anything, the constant complaints I’ve seen only show that gmmtv are not supporting them as they should. dunk has the potential, he simply isn’t having faith and resources put into him. time also seems to be a foreign concept to gmmtv, as this feels like they rushed everyone to finish. finally, a reminder that dunk is still relatively new. joong has been in this industry for a while now and reprised quite a few roles so it is unfair to compare them. give dunk time.

the only thing I did not like was the ending. joke deserved more than just that dinner scene. his father was absolutely vile and it felt like most of that was cut/rearranged to make it a quick reconciliation.

also, pok and jeng were incredible to see. everyone gets so lost in tearing this down that it seems everyone forgets them. seeing a more raw and realistic coming out gave this show more layers. aou and boom did an amazing job, their scenes brought so many emotions. genuinely would love to see them take on lead roles now.

I don’t know what exactly the complaints are on about, as I found this to be one of the best series I watched as it released. hoping we get more of everyone in this show, they all worked so well together.

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Surprisingly well written!

Surprisingly, this is a smartly written, well defined adult-themed BL that unfolds from an infatuation to quite literally life partners. I was impressed with how well this series evolved and told a full and complete story. Sure, it had a lot of bumps along the way, and tended to be too much of a Soap Opera in places, but it had heart and grit and frankly never lost its way. It is one of the most solid BLs from Thailand to come along in quite a while. In the end, however, the story did something rarely seen in BLs and almost never in Thai ones. It had a graceful ending eluding to the notion that they were and remain a couple still deeply in love and still happy to be so. They are life partners, if not soulmates in every sense of that term.
You can read my full review of this pretty good series at BLBliss.com.

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TRUST ME IT GETS BETTER!!!!

Honestly I stopped watching during the second episode and didn’t pick it up for a while. I was so excited about joongdunk because I love them so much but felt something lacking at first. I get its easy to drop but take this from someone who also was on the verge of dropping DONT! When I picked it back up episode three and on became smooth sailing. Eventually you will start to see scenes that just feel like joongdunk and not them “acting.”
Honestly dunk has improved his acting but it’s true he still feels a bit stiff but his chemistry with joong kinda camouflages his lack of acting. And GWORL you will be squealing, kicking your feet and giggling very soon! Episode 7 part 4 is all I’m GONNA SAY! Joong as always shines so bright with his acting and the way he portrays his character joke is well done!
Give it some time and don’t completely write it off!
Joongdunk have so much natural chemistry off set and you can see it in hidden agenda a lot in many scenes as it seeps into the show!
You can really see how much more comfortable they’ve gotten with each other. Like pondphuwin when they did their first project together phuwins kiss scene felt awkward much like dunk in his kiss scenes but baby did they change that real soon! Joong has always seemed natural when kissing his on screen partner and dunk felt awkward and not confident but girl did he show us all wrong in Hidden Agenda!
ALSO WATCH IT FOR AUOBOOM!!!! Their chemistry is insane and natural and they need their own series!

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Finally a 2023 Thai series that gives me butterflies :)

I have developed a complete love for this series and both men since the end of ep 2. This episode gave me so many sweet, warm fuzzies, and I am so grateful I came across this gem from Thailand! I had lost a lot of hope for Thai series this year, but this show is wonderful and I plan to shout that from the digital rooftops!!!! I just finished episode 4 and am so eager for episode 5. No, the storyline is not very original, but it is well done and I think the actors are doing a great job so far....does it help that I find both leads super gorgeous...yes, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is the first Thai show this year that I haven't had to force myself to sit distractedly through an episode and that I am 1000% rewatching! It's honey-sweet and the pacing is phenomenal thus far. The music is lovely and fits the story better than average too. I want to say this will be one of my top ten from Thailand, but there are 6 episodes to go, and I don't want to jinx it. Right now, I am loving this show and all the butterflies it started giving in ep3 and that are still there through ep 4.

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