The Sign (2023)

THE SIGN of Better BLs to Come

If anything, I am happy that Thai companies are expanding beyond the typical BL storylines. its A SIGN that the genre is evolving and has a lot of potential.

Quick recap. Phaya and Tharn are reincarnations of Garudas and Nagas - mythical deities in the Buddhist/Hindu culture. Their connection was so strong that even at childhood, they were drawn to each other and Tharn became an unofficial protector of sort to Phaya. The end. Okay, Im kidding so many things has happened in this show that its so hard to make a quick recap.

What i like about the series:
1. I really love the first episode because it hooks you in to want to see more.
2. Great production value, you can see that they have really thought hard about the story and execution to deliver us a unique story. Even the action sequnces, which may often feel too rehearsed, is commendable. The CGi somewhat feels subpar but it is very acceptable considering that this is from a somewhat new production outfit. Hands off to them.
3. Maybe one of the best looking cast in a BL ever. Do i need to say more? Billy's scenes in those black boxers are BL gold. Babe is undeniably a gorgeous boy. I love all the support cast. The first episode with all the fake nude scenes is like a rain blessing to water the dryest dessert. And yes, the almost obligatory NSFW scenes in almost all episodes (but more on this later).
4. Im really happy that this is not just another university/high school story.

What i dislike:
1. I thought Tharn as a Naga is in female form, that were the dream sequences, werent it? They made such a big deal about it in the beginning but the later episodes Tharn Naga became just Tharn with long hair.
2. While a lot of the viewers like the weekly crime solving cases and the overall human baddie, i hated it. The truth is they weren't used to advance the story of Phaya and Tharn and their love story. In fact the big case turned out to be not important in the scheme of things.
2, Chalathorn turned out to be nothing but a dud instead of being the menacing villain.
3. There were too many subplots. The show wanted to be so many things. This show is worth at least 2 good BLs rolled together in one - the result is a mishmash, 2 half-baked pies and confused if its an action or a fantasy series.
4. One blatant proof of the show's identity crisis is with Tharn - one second he was this strong guy solving cases next second he is this soft crybaby blaming himself for whatever accident Phaya has gotten himself into. He is a police officer who will suddenly leave his post just to save the damsel Phaya. His character, lost consistency and could have been handled better.
5. While the male cast is the focus of the show, the young female support and the GL is acted so poorly. Even the grandmas who were suppossed to be lovable just werent. Their lines were so cringy and could have been edited out of the story to make it leaner.
6. The show got so convulated in the second half that i was watching the episodes in 2x speed. From being a must-see show it became a tedious watch, a show i just needed to finish because i want to see the ending of the fantasy story.
7. The almost obligatory NSFW scenes. For crying out loud, Phaya escaped the hospital in episode 9 just to answer a booty call.
8. The cashgrab finale. I get it, i get it, the producers wanted to capitalize and earn a little extra and god knows they deserve it for all their hard work, but it left a lot of sour taste in the mouth . Once i saw that ad showing the last episode will be shown in a streaming event, i almost decided to drop this show. What made it worse, the 3 week break between sepisode 11 and the free -to-air episode 12 turned out to be non-climatic after all, with so many plotholes and unexplainable things happening. Action scenes and that forest chase scenes became laughable, and that mythical love that is supposed to be epic in size just werent.
9. Please also explain to me how did Tharn saved Phaya from falling off that cliff from mid-air because that defied time and logic. That must have been a very very high thousand kilometer cliff because so many things have happened during that fall (the criminal was even able to get back to the base and shoot Chart) and yet Tharn still managed to save Phaya mid-air. and I watched it a few times to get a sense of it but just cant. Boy they didnt wrap this show properly.

Will i rewatch this series. No. It is tedious and there are tons of other contents right now. Im just giving it a 7.5 for all the effort and what it could have been. Will i reccommend? Sure, even with all the inconsistencies it is still a good watch, the boys alone is worth it.

Citeste mai mult

IT'S A CANNONBALL

Firstly, there are tropes you'll agree with me are made for some countries and just incase another country adopts it even if by chance and executes it well enough, that's going a bit higher and matching up to a standard. Originally Thai BL'S from being as scanty as 15 shows annually between 2018-2021, every trope was good enough because for the first time it felt new since we were having BL couples instead of heterosexual ones but after that 2022-2023 was a massive wave of close to 80+ BLS in each. The exposure was good but it seemed that some plots either felt too bland, some actors aren't the right choices for the shows or simply, BL fans are getting bored and we are looking for something unique.

Here is THE SIGN. First and foremost, the fact that this is the first Thai BL original that deals with Special forces was enough to intrigue me and just as I had mentioned that I felt this kind of plot had become more of a western monopoly a part of me was rather eager. The trailer delivered it well to have me quite expectant but after watching the first episodes I say the long uneasy wait was worth it. Of course the Special Investigation Forces part of it might feel unreal and rather having it too easy if you're to compare with Western Series like FBI and GANG RELATED. No offense, for Thailand I do respect that they could take this gr8 shot and it doesn't bother me that much since it was never the gist of the story so it didn't occupy space unnecessarily.

Also considering the fact that we are moving out of the bedrooms and condos and getting more into the real adult world. I felt that highschoolers and campusers had overdone it and for some reason high school and university settings were making the BL STORYLINES lose an aroma. We have seen from Until We Meet Again back in 2019 the notion of lost lovers but never a profound and rather intensely chaotic couple like Celestial lovers who were never meant to be which makes the sign yet another one of those BL series that is exceptional.

I equally came to admire the fact that the character design here is quite mature and we are moving away from some stupid couple fights which were starting to get annoying to some point. We have seen love that challenges gender and social norms in my perspective but never one which challenges religious ones like the Sign which I had always anticipated at some point. The Lovestory of Billy and Babe unlike many challenges what you would considered some of the most powerful cosmic forces in existence.

Thirdly, finally beating an office romance, you’ll find out from this show how it is very cute when a special agent is playing hard to get and another is practically a naive big baby that's struggling at expressing themselves. Of course even if there is a progression of feelings, the top knotch of this chemistry is that two people with different personalities start to create a common ground for intimacy

New faces and ships to the genre who have gotten their jobs right is also the real deal, I don't believe that being a rookie actor justifies one to be a bad actor and in any case The Sign proves it right. Everyone seems to comprehend, fit in their role and even grow in it with literally every scene that it starts to feel more like a sincere portrayal than a very flat pretense. I have seen series that have gone South when they could have been better because of this annoying excuse.

Besides, the Supernatural fantasy in a cop drama hits different and right, Billy literally flirts the scene well and quite unobviously which keeps the show interesting, these guys are so past the point of stereotyping gay couples as sweet people with nothing to do, for once I feel a gay couple has real work to do in line with promoting law and order now you get to see them in action and in a way even offering a civil service apart from struggling with anger issues, overkissing and I think I literally LMAO at the fact that these guys each had way many sex dreams or thoughts.

All in all the pacing of the series seems quite right and after all this I can certainly say, coming from Thailand, they have found a way to end the year and begin a new one in style by giving us a show that is quite unique and hints on personal and spiritual diversities which have been confined to perfection and give us an unspoken warmth, sweetness despite the cruel designs of the world, fate and karma which make you see how every character lives every day as if it were their last.

Citeste mai mult

Very ambitious production

I gave this a relatively high rating because the scale of ambition here is so high, and the execution is fairly impressive for such a low-budget production - not low in BL terms, but for the CGI and effects, and all the fight scenes, they got good bang for the buck.

The cast is beautiful - every frame is full of eye-candy (for me, it was all about Gap as Yai and Nat as Art, but they're all hot and gorgeous), it's well-filmed, the acting is overall very good, the music is a step above the norm - but the writing is a mess.

How would you summarize Phaya and Tharn's characters? How did they develop over the course of a long series? Their personalities are similar and there's no journey at all. Even Chalothon (played with wonderful malicious glee by Heng), who has the largest character development, does it with a light-switch off-screen in the #1 enemy of good writing, the lazy time-jump. The side characters were all better drawn than the mains - for example, I could describe Yai in detail, but to be fair, he and Nat were the two best actors in the series, and infused their characters with layers.

Instead of Tharn sulking in flashbacks for the entire final episode, wouldn't it have been nice to see Tharn & Chalothon's interaction? What was the point of the artist character (named "Art")? I appreciated having Nat Sakdatorn wearing very little on my screen for an episode, but it, like most of the plot threads, went nowhere.

The main day-to-day villain is stolen from a Scooby Doo cartoon - I almost expected the "and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those pesky kids!" His sidekick has no personality whatsoever, so he should consider himself lucky. I think we know who the mentioned but never seen Big Boss is, but I'm really not sure given the way the series ended.

Billy & Babe get high scores for their lack of inhibition in the love scenes - that was real kissing, and their bodies even touched - but they're so hyper-romanticized and formulaic that they lack any heat, and I just didn't feel it. There is chemistry between the characters, but it's more best-friend chemistry than lover chemistry, at least from Babe, who didn't show much emotional range and I just didn't feel the love from him like I did from Billy. It was strange that they had Tharn in drag in all the past life scenes - that really served no purpose. Even if that role in the mythology it's derived from is female, then either have a woman play the role in those scenes, or just make his character male.

The series had a lot of good stuff in it, some great visuals, some intense scenes, but it seemed a bit like a collection of ideas someone had for great scenes with no coherent plan behind it. There are many plot threads that go nowhere and just take up time (although again, I'm not going to complain about getting my naked Nat, useless or not). His storyline seemed like it belonged to a totally different series (which I would have much rather watched), and I can't help but wonder if this was written as an episodic serial rather than a coherent novel.

And in the end, I was bored. I think perhaps the biggest problem is the lack of stakes. Shot 15 times? No worries, pshaw, he'll be fine! Impaled with a magical ice spear? Just a flesh wound. Fall off a cliff and plunge 1000 meters onto rocks? A nasty bumb, for sure, but nothing to worry about. It even got to the point where when people made comments that are usually the kiss of death, like "when this is all over, I'll have your favorite meal waiting for you at home", I still wasn't worried. There are a few characters for whom there's an explanation for why they aren't bruised and battered after fights, but that shouldn't apply to their hair still being pefect, although I suppose being supernatural could include magically-arranging hair. (Speaking of which, Billy's hair in Ep 12. Yikes.)

I was hoping for a spectacular final confrontation, but nope, nothing of the sort, other than a drug raid which resolved nothing. There was too much that I had to fast-forward through - so many flashbacks and pointless scenes - and because there were no stakes and no real purpose to them, the fight scenes were just filler for me.

I would recommend this for the visuals and actors, but I don't understand the incredibly high score. It's worth watching, and I hope it emboldens more sci-fi & fantasy-themed BLs, and I applaud the effort that went into this, but with better writing it could have been a 10/10.

Citeste mai mult

Should have stuck to one plotline...

I saw so many people hyping this show up and I wanted so badly to like it but I just found that it felt like two different plots/worlds smashed together into one with no real link between them. I'm not trying to be a hater - the fight scenes were great, the effects were good, and the storyline was interesting, but I just could not like it as much as I wanted to.

Tharn and Phaya are training to become part of the special forces detective team, and the training is intense, to say the least. It seems as though Tharn has some kind of innate sense if Phaya is in danger, and this sense is rooted in visions that allow him to see the danger that Phaya is in. The two of them become closer throughout their training, and even closer after it's completed and they're initiated into the force. However, there is an evil lurking. While trying to catch a rich and powerful drug cartel, secrets of the Naga sea monster threaten their safety more than the cartel does.

My main issue here is that we have this drug smuggling investigation going on with a team of detectives we've grown to love, and also the plot of the Naga, which seems to be totally unrelated except for the fact that Tharn is involved. If this was a fantasy/supernatural story, where Phaya and Tharn are dealing with the issue of the Naga, I'd have no problems with it. Or, if this was a story about becoming detectives and investigating this elaborate case, I would love it. However, combining these two things took away from the show, in my opinion. It felt like the Naga was added on too late in the show to be really important, and also it felt like it took away from the detective aspect of it and didn't give us a chance to see the investigation fully play out. I found myself getting distracted while watching it, waiting for the (well done) action scenes and case developments.

Citeste mai mult

You might have to roll your eyes a bit, but it's no doubt worth it

Past lives, reincarnation, fate, comrades and a love to die and live for.

The overall concept is unique and interesting. Even the chemistry between the actors is so electric. But here's the deal: as the series rolls on, the drama cranks up, and at times, it's like they're pushing the limits of over-the-top. Still, it’s a fun ride, and you might have to roll your eyes a bit, but hey, it's still got that something that makes it so worth it.

"The Sign" is a mesmerizing blend of fantasy, mystery, and romance that gripped me right from the opening scenes and towards the later half it gets dramatic and more intense but it keeps you hooked. To add up, there's a mystery surrounding the leads, and when I say mystery, I don't just mean the supernatural mystery but also murder mystery. Also, the chemistry between the leads, Phaya and Tharn, is the beating heart of the series. Their chemistry is seriously electric. I can see the sparks and concerns so clearly. They are absolutely adorable, and the tension between them is seriously intense.

Now, let’s talk about the crew. Yai, Thongthai, Khem, and Singh – these guys are the real MVPs. They bring the laughs and the serious vibes, fitting into the story. Whether they are playing the role of doting or teasing friends or serious comrades, they ate up their role. And may I add I am in love with the chemistry of Khem and Thongthai. Khem is seriously so whipped for Thongthai and they are so adorable together. I want more of them. Yai, Tharn's brother, I absolutely love him, his humor and the way he dots on his little brother.

Also, Freen, portraying Wansarat, deserves special mention; she looked incredibly pretty and radiated in every scene, from her appearance to her expressions. Also, Doc Chalothon I don't really like his character. Oh my godd!! he gets on my nerves. Heng really did a good job portraying Doc's character. Talking about Mayris, I think she is kind of cool. And the bond that Phaya shares with his grandma and sister is just so heartwarming to witness. The whole cast really did an amazing job portraying their character.

Definitely recommending it.

Citeste mai mult

Great story, poor execution

I like the overarching story and theme of this romance, the lore was really cool and new to me.

Main gripes were:

1. Character writing - Specifically Tharn, was written terribly. For someone who's been living with visions for the past how many years and grew up with an Abott that has been guiding him and giving him info on how to protect himself in the future, he never connects the dots about who he is and what he needs to do. Tharn was honestly extremely frustrating to watch.

2. Plot is hella choppy - After knowing the story of Tharn and Phaya's past, I don't understand why the Abott keeps telling Tharn that he needs to right the wrongs of his past life...like Pharn didn't do anyone wrong, whytf is he the one receiving bad karma now??? We all know the one that should have bad karma is 'Slowmotion', so I don't understand why Phaya was the one getting the short end of the stick. Also, I know the side characters are just side characters but towards the ending they just stopped trying with some of the characters and it was unfortunate.

3. Music - The psychedelic type beat that kept playing at every intimate scene was atrocious. Omg, Ep 12 almost redeemed it but then the sound came back and I did something unimaginable during an intimate scene in BL...I skipped! ??.

I did enjoy some things: like the lore was interesting, I liked the relationships between the 5 friends, family dynamics between Phaya and his grandma and sister and Tharn and his grandma, I appreciated that there were no jealous ex tropes, and the comedic moments were funny.

As for the romance, I don't think I got to see enough of it so it felt very underwhelming to me. There was just way too much happening with the police cases and Tharn trying to save Phaya everytime and them not being on the same page most of the time. While we did have sex scenes and such, the romance aspect didn't feel fleshed out so I wasn't really gagging at the chemistry between the leads too.

The ending being extremely anticlimactic also did not help matters. Overall, I'm a bit dissapointed with the series, it was frustrating for the most part because I felt Tharn was not utilizing the information he had to his and Phaya's advantage and that affected how connected I felt with their relationship, however the lore is interesting, chemistry between the leads is good and it's a funny show so there's definitely still something to enjoy and like if you want to give the series a watch.

Citeste mai mult

Annoyed ? Me to the core!!!!

This the 2nd bl I ever dropped and the 1st time I've ever written a review it bothered me so much. I gave the sign a 5 I really couldn't get into it I dropped at EP 9 it just was boring and annoying to me. Thanks idk if I want to date anybody because I'm afraid of them dying yet is jumping in front of knives and bullets got on my nerves. In addition the fact that Tharn had warning ⚠️ visions which he believed and wanted to protect set fine with him. yet Phaya had warning ⚠️ dreams wanting to protect but Tharn would discredit him and not believe him was so fukin stupid to me I just wanted to kick his lil azz it got on my fukin nerves I couldn't finish it. the story was the only reason I gave it a high score I was interested in finding out everything but it bothered me so much I just couldn't go further in trying to force myself to watch it or like it.

Citeste mai mult

The Sign is a chimera of genres

Sometimes, when you try to be too many things, you end up not being great at any of the things, or things may start falling off. Was this series too ambitious? I don't know. I can say I stayed interested every episode until the very end. I cannot say the story was a masterpiece for me, but I think the series ended up balancing everything it had going pretty well for the most part. Were there some things I wished we spent less time on or more time on? Yes, but I don't think it took away much from the series, personally. I grew up on mythologies and folklores so this was an eventual watch for me. Took me a while to get to it, but I'm glad I did.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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LIKES:
-- The world is very complex, and this series touches on that subject very well, especially in a case which shows the clash between the idealistic and the realist viewpoints on the justice system
-- I loved cute teasing/flirty moments and the chemistry between our main leads
-- It was very engaging to watch between the crime cases, the supernatural aspects, and the love story.

DISLIKES:
-- We didn't really get to explore the love story of Tharn and Phaya in their past life. It was skipped over to focus more on the aftermath and conflict rather than the process of falling in love.
-- In the end also didn't get to see Chalothon finally letting Tharn go. It happened offscreen and we only got the backstory told to us through Tharn via dialogue


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● IN-DEPT REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

I think combining a mythological aspect into a mystery/thriller crime drama is a cool idea. The myth/supernatural aspect and crime solving are the two main components of this series. Tharn and Phaya's romance is intertwined in both of the components and tie the stories together. From a narrative standpoint, I think they could have removed the police work and it would not really have much, if any, impact on the overarching story of the fate between Phaya, Tharn, and Chalothon. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about that. On one hand, the crime part of the series made it a lot more interesting to watch for me. However, I feel that some of it could have been cut to give us a little more on the backstory The Garuda King and Wansarat's love story. We get a flashback to their past incarnation but the flashback focused more the conflict between the two tribe. It skips over the process of Wansarat and Phaya falling in love. The ending also could've use more time. Tharn gets taken away by Chalothon and he reappears later. Instead of seeing the process of Tharn convincing Chalothon to let him go, we just get some dialogue. While the criminal cases add some action and intrigue, they weren't all memorable or significant to me. I feel like some of the detective work or story there could've been shortened or cut and we would still be fine.

On the topic of criminal case and a little bit of tangent, I very much liked that the series touched on the subject of a corrupt and flawed justice system in their first official case. It's a very good topic to be aware of and discuss as that's how change begins. Sometimes, the justice system fails the people and that's sad. But vigilantes taking justice into their own hands is also a very dangerous idea. If not for the fact that the vigilantes also forced innocent traumatized victims to kill/murder, I can see being a very blurry line of who's side to be on. In the last case (special episode excluded), the topic is also briefly touched upon again in the interrogation room as a reminder that the system is corrupt.

Other the what I've already listed before in the short review, I also adore the friendship of the unit. The friend group had each other's back and that will always be something I love seeing in these series. I especially love Yai. He was shown to be caring, protective, and encouraging. A total shipper of Tharn and Phaya, but also protected his friend when he needed to. He always had Tharn's back and was a great example of a true friend. I also thought Chart's character was interesting, and I wish we got to explore more of him. We were introduced to him in the beginning and then don't see him again until towards the end. I would love to see his character growth, especially during and after becoming a spy for the captain.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

Overall, I very much enjoyed the casts. They are all very good looking and very talented. The supporting female characters were also very great and very pretty. This series put the actress for Sand (Yai's girlfriend) on my radar, and I will try to see if there anything else she is in that I'd be interested in watching later. Very shallow of me, but I thought she was pretty. When it comes to the chemistry between the main actors or any of the emotional scenes, I think they did very well. I felt the feels whether it was butterflies during their romance scene or the sadness during emotional sad scenes.

None of the fight choreography or gun action scenes really wowed me, but I didn't think it was bad either. I think my least favorite part, acting-wise, in the series was during the flashback to their past lives. I don't know, I was not feeling any of the chemistry there and I'm not sure why, because I can definitely see/feel it with their modern day counterparts. Even the angst from Chalothon didn't feel convincing to me. Also, in regards to Chalothon, I never really felt he loved Tharn. He just felt angry and resentful to me, but this is probably more of a character thing and not an acting thing.


[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I like the soundtracks. Nothing I feel super strongly about, but all very nice to listen to. I don't know much about Billy or Babe so it was a pleasant surprise to find their names on a lot of tracks. Very sweet songs. The opening song The Sign was also very epic and fitting. May look up more songs from Billy and Babe in the future to expand my Thai playlist.


[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

I might watch this one more time. Since there is a lot going on between the crime cases and the love story, I'd be interested in going back just to see if I missed anything. Plus it might motivate me to workout as I get jealous of some of these bodies...


[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

This series was a fun watch, a nice break from the usual fluffy romcoms streak I've been on lately. Steamy love scenes, cute flirty moments, emotional drama, but also funny, action-packed, mysterious, thrilling, fantastical...this series is so many things. There was no struggle in finding things to talk about. The real struggle was deciding where to start. I will be looking into some of the other works of these actors/actresses because I think they did an amazing job. I would recommend giving this series a try.


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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

Citeste mai mult

A mix of everything

It had some amazing points, but there were also some that could have been better. But good things first – the acting in general was pretty solid, the action and training scenes were jaw-dropping and incredibly well executed, the dreams and visions were nicely set apart from the reality, which made the story a bit easier to follow. They also did a really good job incorporating different genres and themes into a pretty logical plot line.

However, I did feel like a lot of time was wasted on all those crimes that the team investigated, many of which were kind of related to one of the main plots, but not enough to really make them worth our time. I would prefer there to be one really big case that would have connected to the other main plot. It would have made more sense, and it would have allowed a more solid connection between everything that has happened.

Phaya & Tharn: I loved them in the first episode – the rivalry, the tension, the connection. The two are quite similar. They are both stubborn, tend to act without thinking, hate having others worry about them while being very protective of their loved ones, have a very solid moral compass… I did Phaya to be a bit more hot-headed, but Tharn was not far behind him either. I do think there are certain things about their story that I wish wouldn’t have happened. There were a few slaps, which have no place in a relationship nor between friends or colleagues. Another thing that bothered me was the lack of trust between the two. It made me confused why Tharn has so little trust in Phaya, even knowing the two are connected, while blindly trusting others. Well, Phaya didn’t really trust him either, he kept a lot of secrets. Maybe that goes hand in hand, you get what you give. Billy and Babe had great chemistry though, and they did amazingly in their roles.

I really liked their team and the dynamics between them. Khem and Thongthai were kind of cute together, even if I wasn’t always sure if the two were actually a thing or not. Yai is a lot of fun too, and he is a good friend. Even with his occasionally slightly crazy ideas. The inspector was interesting, but I didn’t really understand his thought process most of the time.

Doc Chalothon was there, I guess. I just wish his character was a bit more involved with the investigation part of the plot. He did pop up here and there, but he wasn’t nearly as present as I hoped he would be. I did find him creepy from the moment he appeared, so Heng did a great job with this role.

Now, as for a few other not so great things. I did find their way of investigating things a little like playing pretend. There were just a lot of things that didn’t make much sense, especially in relation to keeping the details of the investigations private from the general public.

But the major setback was the ending. I found it extremely anticlimactic. I think they should have concluded the investigation in one episode and the naga in another. They concluded them in the same episode, which made one of the conclusions feel very rushed and lazy, and maybe illogical as well. I feel like we were robbed of a scene we were all waiting for.

All in all, it was a good watch but it could use a few tweaks.

Citeste mai mult

L'année du dragon serait-elle propice à l'inspiration et au fantastique ?

The Sign est une grande porte ouverte pour Idol Factory. Bien qu'imparfait, c'est un drama qui change de nos habitudes et apporte un vent de fraîcheur. Il offre de bonnes scènes d'action avec un folklore entraînant dans un univers légèrement fantastique, mais qui ne le devient jamais trop. Ce dosage est intéressant, car il permet aux amateurs de fantastique d'être satisfaits et aux non amateurs de ne pas en être dégoûtés. Le fantastique est distillé de façon a ne jamais donner l'impression d'être trop.

Mais en plus d'une porte ouverte pour Idol Factory, j'espère que ce sera également une avenue entière pour le BL. Depuis l'année dernière, plusieurs productions n'hésitent pas sur les nouveautés ou des contextes amenés différemment (Step by Step, Chains of Heart, I Feel You Linger in the Air...). Et il semblerait que 2024 soit propice au fantastique. Après tout, c'est l'année du dragon.

Et justement, revenons à nos dragons... Le casting qui était superbe. J'ai adoré les personnages, notamment les cinq mousquetaires : Tharn, Phaya, Yai, Khem et Thongthai. Bien que l'histoire s'axe principalement autour de Tharn et Phaya, chaque membre de l'équipe est actif et participe à l'enquête.
Le couple Tharn/Phaya était vraiment agréable à suivre. Si au début on pouvait penser que Phaya était le personnage froid et distant, il devient rapidement le coureur derrière Tharn. Les vies antérieures étaient intéressantes et le folklore rajoute une plus-value à l'ensemble. Ce n'était ni trop ni pas assez, mais le juste-milieu. Mon seul reproche sur ce couple est les scènes intimes qui ne remplissent qu'un but : satisfaire une partie de l'audience. En revanche, les baisers étaient ravissants.
Le couple Khem/Thongthai était amusant par la façon dont leur relation n'a jamais été soumise à des regards en coin ou des remarques indésirées. Deux gars ensemble, et alors ? C'était si agréable de juste voir des personnages s'aimer et ne pas y penser davantage. Exactement comme Tharn et Phaya qui connaissent un destin plus lié, mais tout aussi franc.

Le folklore était entraînant et amené de la bonne manière. J'ai adoré le fait que la série n'exploite pas jusqu'à l'usure les visions de Tharn. Tout comme le concept de vies antérieures ne devient pas absurde. En fait, le seul défaut sur ce point est Chalathon que je n'ai pas trouvé si mauvais qu'on aurait voulu nous le faire croire.

Malgré le plaisir que j'ai eu lors de mon visionnage, il est difficile d'ignorer l'épisode final qui est fortement discutable, surtout après deux semaines d'attente. Personnellement, j'en attendais tout un spectacle, mais en fin de compte, les situations s'enchaînent et... Et c'est tout. Il faut conclure, donc concluons ! Peut-être que le budget est devenu un problème. Peut-être même qu'au dernier moment, le scénario a changé pour la scène post-générique actuelle qui laisse supposer une suite. C'est tellement dommage de finir sur un épisode comme celui-ci.

L'esthétique de la série était incroyable. Je vais cependant revenir sur un point en particulier. Quelqu'un a mentionné qu'il faudrait « prendre des notes sur GoT » concernant les CGI. Le budget d'un seul épisode de GoT (~ 15 millions de dollars pour le plus « raisonnable » (soit ~ 539 millions de baht)). Pour être honnête, je n'ai aucune idée du coût de production en Thaïlande et trouver des chiffres sourçables n'est pas si simple. Cependant, je ne pense pas que le budget par épisode de The Sign soit égal à GoT.
Les CGI coûtent une blinde, tout le monde ne peut pas en assumer le coût. J'adorerai que ce soit le cas parce que même si les deux dernières saisons sont des purges, la DA de GoT est exceptionnelle. Mais non, tout le monde ne peut pas s'asseoir à la même table que les CGI de GoT. Et honnêtement, elles ne sont pas mauvaises. Allez donc voir un film de monstres chinois, vous allez vite faire la différence (et j'aime les films de monstres).

Bref, The Sign est une proposition exceptionnelle et audacieuse, un petit bijoux unique qui marque les esprits (le mien en tout cas). C'est un drama imparfait, oui, mais qui parvient à passer au-delà grâce à la dynamique de ses personnages, sa pointe de fantastique, son folklore qui amène un vent nouveau, sa romance portée par un joli duo tout en mettant en lumière des genres qui étaient, jusqu'ici, ignorés dans les BL thaïlandais.

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blended several elements well but needed more trust

Overall: romance, fantasy, mystery, action, thriller and humor worked well together but I needed more trust in the relationship with the leads. Note that there are some very intense scenes. 12 episodes about an hour each. Aired on Idol Factory's YouTube Channel. Idol Factory also produced Secret Crush On You and Gap The Series.

Content Warnings: murders, attempted murder, suicide, manipulation, mentions of rape and sexual assault, kidnapping, torture, violence, blood, vomiting, manhandling

What I Liked
- hooked right away at the beginning
- integrated action, thriller/mystery, fantasy, romance and a little humor (Jack & Rose comment was funny)
- sweet moments
- Yai/Sand established couple
- Tharn's supportive friends
- good dream sequences
- some GL
- NSFW scenes were well done

Room For Improvement
- the slap was not needed in episode 5 and a later episode
- I found the camerawork a little too shaky/fast during some of the action scenes
- toilet "humor"
- kind of a tourism ad in episode 3
- unrealistic elements (not talking about the fantasy things), why wouldn't the brother have gone after his main target first and then the others, not shooting when there was opportunity, discussing a case in a public cafe, stupid decisions (the allegedly best of the best managed to share 1 brain cell), how on earth they did they survive that in episode 11, why wouldn't have the doctor done something much sooner (the writers could have made up a mythology that Tharn had to be a certain age before he could be taken to that location)
- the lack of trust that Tharn had in Phaya and the absolute trust he had in another character was off putting, the writers need to show more why Tharn would have that must trust in the other character
- that's pretty awful of Tharn to put Phaya through that much pain at the end, wish they could have written this differently

Thoughts on the Finale YouTube Release Date (I didn't take off points)
- I understand that companies need to make money, but I think they could improve regarding the finale episode release (also since they sold out that Thai theater in minutes, they should have had several live showings in Thailand to increase their revenue, the audience is definitely there)
- they should have had the theater/livestream finale a few days max 1 week after the episode 11 YouTube released and then a few days max week for the YouTube release, the 3 weeks was too long
- should have been clear from the beginning that the livestream would have English subtitles
- should have had the livestream be a window of at least 6 hours for those who were sleeping during the livestream (maybe there was a rerun option added later but that wasn't well advertised)
- release on a platform like Vimeo, the Thai platform wanted a ton of personal information including passport number/drivers license, even if they could add Vimeo as an option for a rental that would be great

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