A realistic, heartwarming story with SO MUCH LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION

This drama is a very fulfilling drama to watch. It keeps realism at its heart but doesn't forget the aspects of escape which people turn to TV for. I found that because of this, sometimes the show lacked plot and felt a bit slow at times, but for the most part, it keeps to a steady pace. Nothing moves too quickly or too slowly, everything feels very natural.

My favourite part of the show is the characters and their relationships. Every character is fleshed out, with their own motifs and goals. The relationships also felt very real, especially the relationship between Seon-gyeom and Mi-joo.
As for the secondary couple, I loved them. I think they contain more of the 'TV coincidental magic' that brings them together, but they're still realistic and fun to watch.

One of the main reasons I enjoyed this show so much is the LGBTQ+ representation and the fact that it's not a huge deal. No-one's entire personality is based on their gayness, they're treated like human beings.

I highly recommend this show to someone who wants a slow but steady drama to watch. However, I will warn you, this is not a binge-worthy show.

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New Level of BL

If you've been a fan of BL for a while, you will remember the hype for this show. Fans had to wait nearly 2 years for this show, but it was worth the wait!

Firstly the concept is incredible. The characters are a bit older than your average university BL, so the show deals with some mature concepts. It's very refreshing to get out of the city and into the countryside - which the directors played with. We follow Tian's journey in Pha Phun Dao Village, learning how to live and adapt to new surroundings. The world-building in this show is incredible, you really feel like you're there.

For Mix's first acting job, he did a phenomenal job. He embodied Tian and portrayed his character development through his body language and voice. Plus, his chemistry with Earth and the other actors were incredible. It is crystal clear that the entire cast and crew got along while filming because nobody looked uncomfortable or stiff.

Speaking of characters, these characters are wonderfully written. There are clear motivations for each one and no one falls out of character. I do agree that Chief Phupha started acting differently when he started crushing on Tian. I personally didn't mind it as everyone acts differently when they have a crush, but yeah it did feel weird when shy Phupha started flirting and pursuing Tian.

I'd say the one main downfall of the show is the medical inaccuracies. Tian hardly recovered from his surgery when he travelled to Pha Phun Dao and almost died basically every episode. He followed NONE of the advice his doctor gave him and SOMEHOW stayed alive.

Overall, this show is incredible. It's realistic while feeling like a fantasy.
The romance isn't very explicit, nor is there much skinship, but the flirtatious moments set up for some really rewarding and emotional intimate scenes.
Not only does this show feature mature themes, but it's also hilarious. Plus the attitude towards LGBTQ+ people is phenomenal.
There is not a dull moment in this show, you will be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions, but it is well worth it - 10/10!

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It's a cute, light watch - highly recommend

This show has an incredible concept, and it uses it well. It's cute and fun and is a treat to watch.

If you want to watch this for the BL, I'm sorry but there isn't much. The relationship between the characters is mostly friendship and the plot mostly focuses on the colour blindness. However, the friendship is sweet.

Pros:
The character motives are clear and everything happens for a reason.
It's a short, simple plot that is heartwarming and sweet.
The friendship is sweet

Cons:
The pacing was very off. I think this is because of the episode length, but either something was too rushed or happened too soon.
Some elements feel unrealistic - you'll understand when you watch it.

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A surprisingly great series

I was very surprised by this series. I don't know why I was expecting the acting and the production value to be poor quality, but it wasn't. The story is incredibly well thought out and the plot is always giving new twists.
If you're looking for a witchy, deceitful, sex series, this is the series for you.

Pros:
- Clear character motivations
- Incredibly cool concept
- Acting is on point
- Visual effects and editing is really well done
- Short, easy to follow episodes
- I enjoyed the mix of languages to show certain emotions (Latin for spells, English for anger)

Cons:
- Camera angles need work, sometimes it's a bit shaky or a weird angle
- Sometimes the dialogue is a bit weird, but that might just be translations
- The intro is veryyy long

Can't wait for season 2!

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Super fun

This is one of the best university dramas I've seen. It's fun, wacky and light-hearted.

This show is always a pleasure to watch. It's doesn't take itself too seriously, so there's a lot of funny moments. I love the character interactions in this - it's probably my favourite part of the whole show. Despite there being so many bizarre situations, the interactions are realistic.

Pros:
HILARIOUS
Great friendships
Great romance
Realistic enemies to lovers plot
Clear character motives
Perfect pacing
Not much lipsyncing

Cons:
The intro spoils too much
Some parts can be so bizarre and weird, it's too unbearable
The fangirls annoy me
Does feel like it was made to be an ad for a loaning company

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Complicated plot but very fun

This show has such a great concept! It's very fun and the plot is very interesting.

It's a big commitment to make - for me, the plot dragged on sometimes - but it's definitely worth it. It has the perfect blend of plot development and character development which a lot of other shows lack. The mystery and crime aspects were so well written! I was always at the edge of my seat. As well as this, the romance is perfect. You will not be disappointed with this show.

Pros:
Fun characters
Great romance
INCREDIBLE concept and plot
Lots of mystery
Ending makes you SOB
1st part of episode 1 is hilarious!
Satisfying ending

Cons:
Episodes can drag on sometimes
Has a time jump and the end (sorry but I hate those)

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A great show, until it wasn't

I'd like to start this by saying I haven't seen 2Moons so I went into this show blind.

This show very quickly became a comfort show to me. The actors portrayed their characters perfectly, the characters were nicely written, plus the actors were attractive. It started as a cute, fluffy romance and I was in love.
My heart broke along with Wayu every time he got hurt, my heart fluttered with Kit whenever Mark hit on him - which I must admit, was very annoying at first.

However, the show started going downhill the moment it started adding more characters.

I'm gonna talk about the characters and the relationship first, then I shall talk about the pacing and the finale.

I thoroughly enjoyed MarkKit as the main couple. Their characters are brilliantly written, they have a healthy relationship which is great to see on screen. Mark actually respects consent and doesn't do anything to a drunken Kit even though he wants to. Plus the actors have *incredible* chemistry. Their relationship blossomed at a steady rate, it wasn't too quick but it wasn't too slow. It felt earned, and as a viewer, it was satisfying to watch. Unfortunately, this couple seemed to be shoved to the sidelines as soon as they established a relationship in order to make room for the love triangle. For a series supposedly dedicated to this couple, they got the bare minimum of screen time.

As for the secondary couple, well...it's complicated. Wayu is a marvellous character. They wrote him with just enough flaws to make him human yet still allowing him to be a cute angel. He did not deserve the pain he went through this season. I was constantly ready to throw hands at Pha. I loved his character development as he gradually recovered from his breakup - especially his subtle hairstyle change. If I'm honest, I would rather Wayu have stayed single. I think it would've benefitted the plot if Thanu wasn't interested in him and it was just Jack and Koh chasing him (only to become lovers later)
This whole love triangle was really annoying. They spent so long of the show building up this destiny plot point between Thanu and Phai yet it was completely disregarded in the final episode because "Wayu depends on me" or some nonsense like that. The love triangle did make the plot more interesting - however, it also made the plot too crowded. There were too many romances going on at once that this one was too much. I can understand why Thanu did chose Wayu, but what was the point in these supernatural visions of the future if Phai and Thanu weren't destined? It complicated the plot.

Now for the side characters.

Jack and Koh...So much potential wasted. Why did the writers think this battle for Wayu was funny? It was annoying. After all these complicated relationship plots, I did not need 2 more characters chasing Wayu. I needed a breather. As I said, it was wasted. I really wish they had got these two together so it didn't feel like a waste of time. They kept hinting that there was some romance between these two, but they were disregarded once Wayu found Thanu. Also, WHY WAS MARK ENCOURAGING IT?! Like dude, it's making your best friend uncomfortable, ESPECIALLY after a breakup, you should not be encouraging this type of behaviour no matter how concerned you are for your friend.

I don't even know where to begin with this next bit. Sab, Sandee, Pok and Tong...I have no idea what went on with this lot. I liked the coffee shop plot point. It was cute, I just wished they had continued it further into the series. As for the other characters, it felt like they had been brought together just for the sake of adding more characters. Their story was too complicated for me to keep up. One minute, they're best friends, the next, they're betraying each other. And don't get me started on the toxicity between Pok and Tong. How did the writers let this slide? They tried to hint at s$xual tension between the two every time they're on screen. Which is ok, I felt uncomfortable because they're like 16-18 years old, but it's legal. It kind of worked. It just didn't feel right. The two hated each other. No; they loathed each other. So why were they so attracted to each other? The writers never explored this, creating holes in their plot. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THEIR S$X SCENE. It wasn't even a s$x scene, it was r@pe. Pok was drunk. I don't care if he was the top and was willingly participating, he was drunk. It is not ok and SHOULD NOT BE ROMANTISIZED.

So something I didn't quite understand was the confrontation between Thanu and Padbok. Maybe I missed something, but I don't understand how they went from friends to enemies or why Jack is friends with Padbok but also Thanu and Wayu.

Ok so let's talk about pacing.

I feel like this is something that Thai dramas often struggle with - and this one is one of the worst victims of bad pacing. Firstly, there were too many plotlines happening at one time that it crowded the show and didn't allow for each point to be properly explored. As I said earlier, I think some of the relationships should've been scrapped or left for a season 2.
I also found that the pacing of the episodes was bad. It's hard to explain, but so much yet so little happened in one episode that it felt very tiring to watch. I found that all of the action and plot events happened in large chunks spread throughout the episode, which were glued together by slower, less significant scenes such as product placement, visits to the Community Arts Department or the group of younger kids (Sab, Sandee, Phai etc). I found that the episodes got boring and dragged. I found myself thinking "How long is left? ANOTHER 40 MINUTES?! But so much has happened!" It made 1-hour episodes feel like 5 hours.

Finally, the finale.

This finale wasn't it. There was such a huge build-up in the episodes before, that it was hugely disappointing and anticlimactic. The majority of this episode felt like a filler for the finale. Nothing was resolved, if anything, more problems were created. Nothing felt satisfying for a finale. No puzzle pieces fit together.
So...the big reveal. I didn't like it. It was very predictable but I still didn't like it. I don't want to bash the actor's appearance, but I was lead to believe that Pha was a more handsome, mature figure. I expected him to look like Earth if I'm honest. I wanted Pha to look like a leader-type figure because then it would feed into the question of "Why did he leave Wayu with no explanation if he was so good of a person?".

This entire show - but the finale especially - feel like it was made in a few weeks. I heard it was a fanfiction of 2Moons, which explains why. It just needed more thinking so that plot points were spread out and the characters were developed better.

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Waste of time

[NOT a BL]

I might be harsh in saying this but this film was a waste of time watching. And I had most of it on 1.25x speed.

Overall, this film was very realisitc in how it was written, filmed and presented. There were no cliches and the plot of the film could happen in real life.
I just found that it was so boring as a viewer. There was no plot, there was no storyline and the film was poorly made.

The storyline follows the 3 characters' journey from high school to college. And with the title being 'Eternal Summer' you would expect it to take place in between the two. But it doesnt. It mainly focuses on high school exams and suddenly, there is a huge time jump, completely skipping the summer and you dont even realise they're in college until the end.

The romance is confusing, as it is in real life, however it wasnt portrayed great here. I find the issue with realistic films is that the viewer experience is lacking. I was bored. The characrers hide things from each other and it causes tension, but its never explored or established or even resolved, so the viewer is left feeling confused and annoyed.

In terms of acting, it was mediocre. There was no emotion apart from the intense scenes, which make me think that the cast are inexperienced. Becuase their facial expressions were boring. I had no idea what the characters were thinking half the time.

This film had so much potential but it was wasted.

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MUST WATCH

For my first BL drama, it's set the standard high. I don't know what I expected from this show BUT NOT THIS!

The pacing is perfect, nothing moves too quickly or too slowly. The story is your typical high school romance - but it uses it so well. It deals with the uncertainty of life after school, money, food and also unaccepting parents.

Main couple:
Their romance is so legit. At first, I was unsure how realistic it would feel as Hao Ting was basically a stalker, but it progressed naturally. The plot where they have to wait to be together is AMAZING! When they are together, the show touches on real-life issues like lack of communication and homophobic parents. And they handle it perfectly.

Secondary couple:
This couple feels more like you're typical TV 'perfect' couple. I love their subplot at the start, it makes their romance even more satisfying. Their relationship is legit and real and I love it.

Intimate scenes:
I gotta say, I am inexperienced in this field, however, they do feel real. You don't see anything, but you know it's happening.

Ending:
Sorry, but the ending is unsatisfying. You will be confused at the last episode and you will not accept the fact that the show ended like that. But think on the bright side, a new season with an alternate ending might be coming!

Basically, this show is perfect.

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Pretty dry...

I watched this quite a few years ago, so take this with a grain of salt.

I really had to push myself to finish this show. It's your classic boy and girl live together and date but doesn't tell anyone. It's not very special. Personally, I watched for the character interactions since the plot was pretty empty, but even then it got boring. I think the only thing I really enjoyed was Uehara's family subplot.

Looking back, I think the love was pretty toxic. Uehara is a douche to Nao, but Nao always remained positive. When I watched this, I was very impressionable and this romance has definitely impacted how I act. I absorbed Nao's personality because I thought it was cute how she always gave to people and made them happy, but I realise it's not cute as Nao caused many problems in the show.

Overall, watch this if you have nothing else to watch.

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So fun!

This show is very heartwarming and wholesome. The cast are the perfect choices as the chemistry is amazing. The story itself is really unique, and the creators clearly had a nice time with the concept. Usually in this type of show, something feels unrealistic, however, everything in the show makes sense. The character motivations are clear and realistic - the only thing I'd say didn't make sense was just before the ending when the characters made up but it's a minute detail.
I'd recommend this show as a light watch; it's not something to take too seriously as it's fun, silly and light-hearted. The romance is cute, the character interactions are hilarious, and I always found myself smiling.

Overall, the show is fun, entertaining and heartwarming. It needs a season 2!

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Light-hearted and funny, but manages to highlight problems of the BL Industry

Nearly halfway into the series, I'm really enjoying it so far. The story may be quite simple, but the acting makes it worth it. The main leads have a lot of chemistry and the side characters are all great. The show is written very cleverly as it is both light-hearted and funny, but it has moments of seriousness when it brings to light some problems of the BL industry. It gives a very clear contrast between those elements which I quite liked.

Although it has it's cliches and coincidences, the show is very down to Earth and realistic. Gene and Nubsib have a very healthy friendship, and despite Nubsib's crush on Gene, understands content - which is a huge problem in BL. The show also touches on the media's expectations of BL, such as not having feminine leads, the NSFW scenes not being hot enough etc, as well as the pressure of coming out and sexuality confusion. The show has handled these issues well so far, so I'm interested to see what will happen in later episodes.

One major thing I've seen people talk about is the sound effects. Either people love them or they hate them. Personally, I don't mind them. Sound effects are used often in BL and Kdramas, but this show does it a bit too excessively at times. Like, did we really need to hear a poop splashing into the toilet? Definitely not. The majority of the time there's gulping sounds or squish sounds when Gene walks shyly. Really, it's down to personal preference if you're able to withstand them.

Overall, this show is a fluffy, light-watch. It's not plot-based enough to binge, so personally, I'd casually watch it. Again, it's down to personal preference.

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Lighthearted romance, easy watch, but cringy at times

[NO SPOILERS]
I didn't read the description, so going into this, I didn't know what to expect. I had heard on Twitter that the HIStory 1 series was basic and simpler than the others, so I was prepared for a fluffy romance.
For the most part, we got that. The beginning was really confusing, I didn't quite understand what was going on and, on episode 2, had to rewatch the first 10 minutes of the series to better understand who the characters were. Although we didn't get a clear understanding until the very end of the show, I made some sense of it and was able to continue with little problem. Once the show established everything, the pacing was really good. I can't complain at all.

If you are looking for a pure homosexual BL, I wouldn't recommend this. Despite the 2 main leads being male, one of the characters is a female in a male body, so the element of BL is lost slightly. But, it is still a quick, fun watch.

As you can imagine with there being an FTM body swap, there is a bit of toilet humour. I did find it funny but I also found it a bit uncomfortable to watch. As a female, I've always been uncomfortable with urinal scenes, and BL has so many of them unnecessarily, but that's what you get for watching a male-focused drama.

[SPOILERS]
I found the ending 50/50 satisfying. I was really hoping during the last quarter of the show that Lan Xi would realise that Hero doesn't love her anymore and that staying in Gu Si Ren's body will just upset both of them. So I'm glad that she selflessly let Gu Si Ren return to his body and accepted that she is dead. In that sense, it had a satisfying ending. But there was a straight kiss that was longer than the gay kiss, so I was pretty annoyed about that...

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Great show...but only for the main leads

So I am only halfway through this show but I wanted to discuss some thoughts, especially those which will help people decide if they want to watch it.

Let's get the bad things out the way first. I might have written a lot about the negatives, but trust me, the good heavily outweighs the bad.

My main point is the fact that I am only watching for the main leads. There are around 3 or 4 side couples with their own storyline, which they do get quite a bit of screentime and attention each, but I don't seem to care too much about them. And that's simply because they aren't connected to the main plot of the story.

The primary couple I will talk about is Kom and Jeed. Kom is a member of the swim team and his first attempt at flirting was with a new girl from the neighbouring school - and from there we watch their relationship grow. We get introduced to these 2 characters separately, before they meet, however after that, the only time they show up is in their couple scenes. Neither No nor Phun is in the swim team, so we never see him with the main leads. And because this show is set in an all-boys school, we don't see Jeed other than these scenes too.
This is the same for all of the couples. Yes, some of the guys are No's friends, but we never see them hang out. Honestly, I don't even recognise these characters or know their names simply because they aren't seen often enough.
Because of this, these couples feel irrelevant and disconnected from the story. The scenes aren't bad and they're definitely not bad couples, but you don't feel a connection to them. I could easily skip their scenes as they add nothing to the story.

Obviously, since I've not finished the show yet, this might change and the couples might become significant. But for now, they drag the plot and bore me.

The second negative is Phun's little sister. I hate her with all my being. She is one of those toxic BL fans who idolise gay men and put them on a pedestal. The whole reason Phun has to ask out No in the first place is that his sister won't help him unless he has a boyfriend. If that isn't toxic behaviour, I don't know what is. She is quite literally sexualising and fetishising her own brother and I find it so uncomfortable to watch.
Pang and her friends also ship 2 boys in their drama class. This is because they acted as a couple in 1 play...PLAY...and these girls think they're a couple. Sure, they do act like it, but that does not give them the excuse to fangirl in front of them like they are celebrities.
The only good thing about this is the cinematography. In the scene is just described (episode 5), we see these 2 boys through the eyes of Pang. The screen develops a pink hue and the harsh colour decrease. I don't know the proper names for this stuff but basically everything looks fluffy and magical, with romantic music in the background. It's a great way to visualise her thought process and how she literally sees them as TV characters.

Anyway. The good parts!

As I said, I'm mostly watching for Phun and No because their storyline is the most interesting and most developed. I love their story so far. It is a great example of the 'friends to lovers' trope. Their story is a little different as the idea of being lovers was apparent straight away, with Phun asking No out in the first episode and the two having to act like a couple, despite only just meeting, one episode later. Their friendship blossoms and eventually so does their love. It's a gradual but apparent change and the viewer can watch it happen in 'real time'.
My favourite part is, again, the cinematography. There are moments where the audio cuts out to play the OST, and a montage plays. Usually, the montage is just one task - i.e. washing No's motorbike and playing videogames - but it gives the illusion of catching the couple in a moment of intimacy, something we shouldn't be watching. Of course, it's nothing sexual, it's literally just the boys throwing soap at each other. But the moment feels private, that we feel like we are on this romantic journey with them. It's a really unique feeling and makes for some incredible scenes.

Overall, this show is great for fluffy romance and is really sweet and light to watch. I highly recommend it.

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Just watch the clips on Youtube...

I've only seen 1 full episode, but I've seen all the clips from the Asiancrush Youtube channel.
The concept is pretty good. It reminds me a bit of Twilight, but it's not massively similar for me to be bothered. I have 2 main problems with this show:
1. The pacing
2. The characters

When I say this show can get boring, I mean it. Don't get me wrong, there are so many good parts (if you've seen the clips on Youtube, then you'll know) but the bits in between are SO LONG AND BORING. There are 30 odd episodes, they could easily cut at least 10 off because nothing significant happens.

My other problem is the main female character. SHE IS SO ANNOYING. I get that she is rich and famous, but I hate her attitude. She is so selfish and ignorant. She basically assaults her boyfriend and gets annoyed that he doesn't like her back.

If you want my honest advice, watch the clips on youtube.

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