FINALLY! An exceptional BL

This is by far one of the best BLs of the year. It tells a story, extensively and completely, with just enough angst in its entrails to make it entertaining but does not control the narrative to the point it overwhelms it. That is hard to do as usually the disquietude becomes center stage. What takes center stage here? Nothing but the love relationship and in a good way.
However, overall, this is an exceptional BL. Soft. Gentle. Sweet. Relatable. Charming. And broke the mold of your standard Korean Bls in when it focused on communication and establishing an adult-like GAY relationship. More importantly, not being afraid to do so.
You can read my full review of this extraordinary BL at BLBliss.com.

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Solid story, surprisingly well-acted and HOT!

The play on words of the title of this series is so deliciously appropriate and nuanced that it simply further enhances this rather well-done series, despite its negative reviews. I liked it – a lot. Does it have issues? Yep! A lot of them, but it is still a very worthy series. It is a hot, steamy, erotic, and an adult BL that has a point and gets to it quickly and easily and does not rely on a lot of cliché themes to get there (well, just a few, but they are cute). This ensemble cast has some of the hottest and most sensuous men (and women) in it. They are all handsome, gorgeous, erotic and guess what - they can act! And they were not afraid to get into the lustful sex scenes and express it. That is such a departure from the typical and usual Thai BLs and is so refreshing. And the story itself was quite entertaining. A simple one, really, but made too complex by having too many characters and too many subplots. Not that they were not interesting; on the contrary, they were. However, this series is so short that the major focus simply should have been on the main characters.

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This series should be a contender for a position in the Top 10 for 2023

I know. Originally, I ignored this series when it first came out because of its opening credits. I was so turned off by its corniness, that I dropped it. But then when I read the summaries, I decided to watch it. Frankly, despite its rather shoe-string budget and less than stellar production quality, this is one of the better BLs for 2023. It was hard not to be swept up in the story and its theme. What was its theme? Pure goodness. Seeing life through the eyes of someone whose life is painful, debilitating, and unquestionably compromised. To be optimistic is to be saintly. This is an exceptionally well-acted series that plays to their individual strengths. This series richly deserves a lot of accolades. Perhaps it is an idealized version of adolescence, but it even so deserves our respect for showing us how nice love can be portrayed under rather adverse conditions. Without pity but with acceptance. This series brought tears to my eyes. On an emotional level It touched me. Not for pity’s sake but for helping me to see life more fully and positively.

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Hot Story, Cold Execution

It had an interesting plot to it and was meant to be a more adult-themed story but it just did not believe in itself enough to actually do it. Too bad. A greater concentration of the development of this relationship. All the superficial fluff along with the banal and silly interludes with two sidekicks (as cute and adorable as they were) added nothing to the story but merely diverted attention away from the main theme. All the other ruses to try to convince us that one or the other was interested in someone else, seemed lame. There was so much to work with here. I wanted a story exclusively around the stunning and beautiful connection these two young men have without a lot of fluff, superficiality, or trying to make things fit into a contrived formulaic box.

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Theme - Social Justice

Everything you read about this series is probably accurate. But there is just SOMETHING about this series that is so incredibly endearing and fun to watch. Its message, plain and simple, is social justice. Kudos! They presented that by introducing 3 cute and adorable BL couples. Realistic? No, but so much fun to watch. It is implausible, silly at times, but so entertaining. There is also something about the series in Northern Thailand that makes them so genuine, real, and simply fun to watch. It is not deeply character driven but I did not care. The story is poignant even if it is unrealistic. The relationships are slow to develop but again, I did not care. I related to all of them in some way. In addition, watch it simply for Grandma. I want her as my Grandma! Pay no attention to any of us - just watch and be entertained!
If you want to see my full review, go to BLBliss.com.

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One of the Top 10 of 21

This is a brutally honest portrayal of the film industry and of the spirally effects of mental illness. Yes, the characters are flawed and yes some are timid and lack courage but when push comes to shove, they stand up for what they believe. This is a phenomenally good series and a flawless transition from Season 1. The outstanding performance of one spiraling out of control is so spot on that it was frighteningly real. This is real on so many fronts. For me, it shall be on my Top 10 List for 21.
You can read my full review of this breathtakingly good BL series at BLBliss.com.

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One of the Best for 21

This is an astonishingly good BL series that is way too quick for its own good. It simply moved to fast to process its complete story. I wanted more. This is one of the best acted series of 2021 and no doubt THE best BL series from Thailand so far this year. It is, frankly, outstanding. Its caption at the end says that “this series is a dramatization inspired by actual events.” While it is not shocking (since I live in the Los Angeles area and know people in Hollywood and have heard similar stories personally), it was surprising that such a production was made. Kudos and applause for doing this and for exposing the underbelly of what happens in the film industry no matter what county it is produced in.
You can read my full review of this series at BLBliss.com.

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Yawn

I am so sorry to sum this series up this way, but it just did not capture my imagination as much as I thought it would. It seemed so enticing in the beginning but then it got twisted in its own story plot and for me, predicable. Let us establish up front that the leading men are some of the handsomest men on the planet and have such good chemistry together, but it is not an overly romantic tale. In fact, the romance is rather anecdotal (until the end). The storyline is rather complicated, and it is so belabored in detail that you have to see it to believe it. It felt too much like a cop ‘soap opera’ which I know of course it is. I would, however, still recommend this as it has some delicious plot twists and some evil people and some very handsome men.

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Bleary, Ill-defined, and Sadly, a Mess

I am utterly disappointed and devastated by this promising BL series, that never materialized at least not for the main couple. I loved the original MY BROMANCE as it was done in 2014 just at the beginning of these BL stories burgeoning. That was brilliantly acted, brilliantly produced, and brilliantly told. But something happened that made this particular story fall flat. This series simply was a hot mess that meandered with so many different male couples, that I frankly was getting lost. All of them being dealt with sometimes superficially and sometimes with a little bit more thought but none of them effectively. So upsetting to me as I am a huge fan of Natouch Siripongthon (Fluke). This is a total miss. If you want to read my full review of this series, you can do so at ppbongi.medium.com.

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Fun and Entertaining but Shallow

This story is just plain fun and entertaining. It is likeable, perhaps not very deep in emotional impact but a very good story. There is incredibly good eye candy here for all those guys are so cute and adorable and look pretty good in their volleyball shorts. (Hey, listen, I am still not dead yet). The major drawback to this story is the lack of character development of the major players. I get tired and annoyed when only the last few minutes in the series does one of them succumbs to his own feelings for the other while they rest of us have known how he felt from early on. I understand the need to focus on volleyball but seriously, not focusing on other things seems like a waste of getting a point across. That is what makes this story so shallow. It wasted so much time when more character development could have occurred where we might have cared more for them.

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Profoundly Thoughtful

This is a very interesting story of soul displacement that is full of irony and deep reflection. When you switch bodies you find out what it is like to be another person in reality. you discover that its aspects are both good and bad and you have to learn to cope in society in a whole new realm. You also find out a lot about other people. And in that process of learning, you may have discovered that you were not as nice as you thought you were. Even harder, you discovered that hidden feelings never surface when you do not want them to surface. Can you make the supreme sacrifice for the happiness of the one you love knowing you were really not the one he loved? Will you put his happiness about yours? Profoundly challenging and a sacrifice that only a real hero would make.

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Cute, Pleasant, but Full of Indecisiveness

Much like ‘ 2 Moons’, this is not some in-depth character study. On the contrary, it is an ordinary and mundane story about 3 couples. For some weird reason, it is the same story as '2 Moons' but from slightly different perspectives and not using the same actors. So if you liked '2 Moons' you might be drawn to this. What bothered me about this series is the characterizations of supporting roles. All too often they are treated as ‘throwaway’ characters but that is unfair and painful to watch. As a proud older gay man, I get weary of effeminate, campy over the top gays as superficial characters who have no feelings. They do. And I especially dislike heavy set one being called derogatory terms like Fatty or Hippo even by their same community. We are better than that. This has nothing to do with culture or country but it has everything to do with humanity and acceptance. Let's do better.

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Cute, Adorable, and Sweet

If you want sugar, watch this series. (However, you just might go into a diabetic coma). If you want something deep, this ain’t it. It is a simple story of unfulfilled love told in an adorable way. There are no deep holes in this story nor real pitfalls of emotions. It is like a freight train moving slowly towards its destination with an occasional slow-down because of congestion. I really liked the story, although I should not have. Seriously, it is not that interesting or creative but in a weird way it works. I can tell you that what makes this work is only one reason (for me). That is the adorableness, and cuteness of its main character. He is utterly and totally charming, and you simply can not keep your eyes off him. He captures the screen like no one else can. He does not even need to speak to know what he is saying. I have not seen screen presence so captivating in a long, long time. I am talking about Suradej Pinniwat (Bas) who plays Wayo. I could simply watch him breathe on screen for hours and be captivated by him. My full review of this series is at my free blog site at ppbongi.medium,com.

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