Surface Level Emotions and Inconsistencies Abound

Are Gun and Cher cute? Yes. Do we have friendship shenanigans that make for an enjoyable time? Sure. The show tries to tackle important and serious topics? Absolutely.

HOWEVER, the relationships in the show always felt skin deep. We had moments that felt deep, but they were immediately followed by whole episodes that ignored or otherwise disregarded those moments. The deep moments felt like they had no effect on the rest of the show. Characters randomly fall ill but then get better with no hidden meanings or consequences. Characters declared bold and intense intentions that are seldom followed through. Grave consequences are threatened but never enforced because of some very minor possible solutions Cher or Gun come up with? Gun and Cher regularly discuss how they will stay together forever, and yet they almost break up (or do break up) just about every episode after they officially start dating.

Depression is brought up but then waved aside like it's an illness you can simply get over. Child abuse and rape begin like a major plot point but are settled off screen and with no payoff for the viewer. Social class divisions are a problem but it never feels serious. Homophobia is treated like a simple office gossip problem. Loss of dreams/innocence rage amongst our game players but everything is always solved with basic apologies.

Overall the show gets points for being cute and having some fun characters, but it loses points all over for an ill executed plot with a lackluster script riddled with inconsistencies and base level emotional depth.

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Personality Swap Into a Decent Show

Ok. First of all, your show can't get a 10/10 if you personality swap your main character in episode 3. If you're reading this and hated Kang in ep 1 and 2, and you're debating if you should keep going? Keep reading.

Was the show sweet? Yes. Did the mains have chemistry? Yes. Perth could get chemistry from a wall. But the plot and the actors and the music can't make up for the drastic alteration in the show from episode 2 to 3.

In the first two episodes, Perth's character, Kang, is a grade A asshole. A bully to the extreme. He corals his little gang into tormenting people, making them strip for blackmail photos, condones his friends burning other people's possessions, encourages videos to spread on the internet to embarrass others, tells his little gang to drop water and things on people from high up, rips up Sailom's property, tried to interfere with Sailom's school work and studies, destroys Sailom's reputation by falsely accusing him on being a pedophile on a public forum so he lost all his jobs, and was about to threaten Sailom with a gun. Why? Because Sailom tried to show a teacher what he was doing, and then Sailom refused to bow down to him and kiss his shoes in apology.

When episode 3 starts? Kang is a misunderstood puppy who gingerly considers Sailom's feelings and financial situation all the time. He tries to sound tough, but everything is very transparent. It's obvious he is suddenly and fiercely protective of Sailom. His face goes from "fuck the world" to "pet me, I'm lonely".

Do I love version 2 of Kang? Yes. Version 1 almost made me not want to watch the show. He was that awful. But it should have been a more gradual shift and not such a stark and sudden switch.

The show post ep 3 is a mix of sweets and light drama that are good for most BL fans. The dynamic of the mains works and is satisfying for most people. I enjoyed the hints of the side couples and wish we'd gotten more from one couple, but that's another story.

The show still gets docked points for the personality swap, though.

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B-Movie, with heart.

So for movies, it's pretty B-rated. That being said, the main cast does a great job and I did root for Tendo. I took joy in his joy, and I understood his zombie-like work mentality. Some of the side actors left something to be desired. The music was nice but didn't always feel like it was used as well as it should have or could have been. While I was having a good time, the final zombie problem in the movie was very sharknado and overly ridiculous. I mean, if they made a sequel, I'd probably watch it. I do like Eiji Akaso. But the movie itself could have been better.

Also, shows keep trying to suggest Eiji Akaso is a fighter or an athlete, and I continue to laugh at his lack of muscle mass. I try to suspend disbelief, but he does not look like someone who used to be a running back in American football.

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Too Little Too Late

With 8 episodes, it's kind of awful to wait 6 episodes to get past Woo Jae being cold and not communicating. The show is based on the idea of a series of circumstances in college that led to misunderstandings and then the two of them never seeing each other again. When Yeon Woo finds Woo Jae, he does everything to try and get on his good side and Woo Jae scoffs in his face for 5.5 episodes. They finally talk in episodes 7 and 8, but by then it feels like too little too late. They get closure, which is great, but it felt unsatisfying after wanting to shake Woo Jae for the past four episodes. Even at the end, Woo Jae is treating their relationship like inspiration or a simple crush and not like they're together. He's still being coy and a little hard to be near. He's smiling more and teasing, but it doesn't feel like he's as committed as Yeon Woo.

The actors weren't bad, but their chemistry was a bit lacking. The writing wasn't bad but it wasn't great. The music was nice but unmemorable. The chance of me watching the series again is minimal since it's such a drag at the beginning and no scenes stand out until episode 7 and 8, and even then it's only like two scenes.

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Rewatch Value For Sure

I have watched this show from start to finish 3 times. And I am willing to do it again. I love the acting. I listen to the soundtrack on spotify. I even tried reading the manga (dont do it). The character development is so well done, and their relationship growth doesn't seem too rushed (although a friend suggested it was a tad fast in one spot but didn't take points away for it). The use of colors to show emotional states, how their clothes express their inner thoughts just as much as their expressions or dialogue - this show did so well! I love recommending this drama.

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Not as good as everyone promised

The first 6 episodes dragged me emotionally. Khai was a complete dumbass rich kid who takes advantage of every person in his life, especially Third. Khai is also a dick and self-absorbed. Third is an abused spouse stuck in a loop and unable to escape until halfway through the series. Post ep 6, characterization improves and Khai becomes a puppy. Lack of communication and underused emotional scenes drag down the rating. The show became palatable after episode 6 and better after the train station scene, but I still wouldn't go back and rewatch anything for this show except that train station scene. OST is repetitive and unmemorable. Off and Gun do very well with what they were given.

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Boring

I was told the show was cute, but it's honestly just kind of a drag.

It's watching a guy who hates his job and is too anxious to make decisions paired with a guy who is monotonous 90% of the time because he "has no expectations" and apparently this means he can never be let down? and he'll say he's excited about something but when it does work out he'll claim he never actually cared. Hiro is supposed to be gaining confidence, but nothing changes until the last 10 minutes or so of the last episode. Kai is supposed to be finding a place to belong so he can start opening up, except he continues to play off any slip of emotion all the way until the very last scene except for the proposal scene in the last episode.

I didn't feel the chemistry, like at all. I saw two guys being comfortable around each other by the end, but there was no romance. Also they framed it like Hiro wasn't gay at all in episode one - they directly call him out on it - but in the last episode he's suddenly ok with gay sex? Listen, I don't buy it. They should have been less direct about his sexuality in the first episode and then actually give me some skinship or something to suggest Hiro had leanings throughout. The way it stands, Hiro just didn't want to lose the best housewife/roommate a working guy could ask for. Definitely didn't believe that either of them had true feelings for the other.

Sorry, show. It's a dud for me.

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Not Cute Enough to Hide the Flaws

The story idea is good, but several flaws drag it down.

I get that Fumiya is trying to save his relationship with Ritsu by pretending they weren't dating... but why does he never try to start a new relationship? He keeps insisting they're just friends even when it's clear Ritsu likes him. Ritsu, on the other hand, never just guesses they were together even though it should be obvious. They live together and yet there's only one bedroom? Fumiya sleeps on the couch every day. All their clothing is in the same room, to the point that Ritsu grabs Fumiya's sweater thinking it's his own. And you expect me to believe Ritsu never got curious about that?

Their reason for breaking up is a good one if you put thought into it, but it's not executed well so it felt a little pointless. However, if the relationship was truly that strained, Fumiya wouldn't have been so unerringly in love with Ritsu anymore. Basically the two plot points don't match well for me.

Other reviews have said the chemistry is good, and yeah the two guys get along well and they didn't have a problem being in each other's space, but I'm not sure I'd say their romantic chemistry was good. Their kisses felt like a caricature of real kisses - the barest press of faces in a lip-oriented location. Their first time having sex had an awkwardly blocked hand on what I assume was meant to be Ritsu's crotch, but the lack of reaction or motion made it obviously unrealistic.

Overall, the show had some good moments and a good premise, but the execution wasn't always well done, the acting was passable, and the scenes don't entice me to want to rewatch the show.

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Sweet but feels like it's missing something at the end.

The plot was nice and the actors did a very good job. Seeing them struggle with who they're in love with when it's a story of reincarnation was interesting. The crying scenes were very well done. I never doubted their sincerity.

Downsides: Yeon Seok being scared of bl at the start was a minor turn off at the beginning.

The ending was a little too vague. So Ha Yeon wasn't leaving? Then why did he have a suitcase and get asked if he forgot anything? What are the lasting effects of him remembering his past life? It caused tension in their relationship but then got brushed aside in order for a quick ending.

It's suggested that Ha Yeon has a lot on his shoulders but we never learn what any of it is.

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The Torture Kills The Rewatch Value - unless you're into that

The Good: The acting is good. The sensuality is good for the main pair. The side couple of Chay and Kim is bittersweet but ultimately very nice. The main couple will stay together forever until the Earth explodes - I have no doubt about this, so the show has that going for it. Some shows struggle with chemistry, but Mile and Apo are all-but-married in real life, so it makes sense that their chemistry is on point. The music is beautiful. Jeff wrote some of it, so obviously those are good. But whomever took the opening song and turned it into beautiful instrumental pieces also needs a raise because it was gorgeous.


The Bad: The drama of being in the mafia is hit or miss or how realistic it is. This mob spends, conservatively, 200% of its budget on their bodyguard training facility, and almost every bodyguard we meet is objectively a nice guy and not actually cut out for being in the mafia. Kinn is too soft to run an effective mafia. Of the brothers, Kim seems the most cut out for the role of leader and he would rather die. This mafia managed to spit out three heirs, they're all on the lgbtq spectrum, and none are as ruthless as you need to be to run a mafia. This family is gonna end the business with this new generation. Also the plot twist in the last ep or two is actually pretty fucked up and was soooo unnecessary. This show really has it out for the whole "kidnapped and held hostage" trope.

THE WORST: Speaking of! The main reason I rated it so low for rewatch and overall is Vegas and Pete. The side couple of Vegas and Pete is a huge point of debate in the fandom. Some people love it. I personally hate it and had to start skipping their scenes. There's bdsm and then there's torture and then there's Stockholm syndrome, which is what we have here. Pete does not love Vegas. He's mentally broken and beaten and abused on screen, and then convinced that Vegas cares about him, and he buys it. He can't function in normal society after his capture. And I wouldn't trust Vegas to pet my dog much less to own one. I trust nothing that comes out of his viper mouth. We've seen him lie and play the sad vulnerable part and then turn around and betray everyone in his life. He warped the mind of multiple people in the show, tries to then kill them, and even had whole speeches about how much he hated people or was going to murder them or whatever. And yet the show wants us to believe he's just misunderstood. He may be a victim of abuse but that doesn't change the fact that he is also an extreme abuser.

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Emotionally Taxing and Kind of Confusing

The story is intriguing, the threads of fate are touching. I understand why so many people like it, but I likely won't have it on my rec list for a few reasons.

Pros:
- The relationship between Pharm and his friends is amazing. I love Manow and Team. Every time the three were on screen -golden.
- Little mini cooking shows whenever Pharm bakes - love it. It could only be better if I got to eat it.
- Dean's siblings, Pharm's mom and brother, and Dean's grandma - love all of them.
- Team and Win's relationship, as little as we got, was cool. I like Win a lot (but there's a scene that suggests he sleeps with his earrings in and I swear to god that is not a thing. They just didn't want to change his costume because no one does that. Right? right?! )
- Everything university related was good. A solid school story that was a breath of simpler, fresh air around all the drama of the reincarnation plotline.

Cons: (this is where the spoilers are)
- ok the fat shaming for Manow was dumb as fuck and I got sick of it really fast. Just "well, look at you're body" "why are you always eating?" "ew I dont wanna see you in a bikini" "stop eating all the time" - I swear it was every episode and Manow is beautiful so they all need to just stfu, honestly.
-Crying. Everywhere. Every episode. Someone - multiple someones - crying. At first, it made sense and I didn't mind but by the end I was like "everyone cries next scene, I bet. and the one after. I bet we get one scene this episode without tears." The scenes merited it, sure, but it was a constant state of emotional height that was hard on me as a viewer when binging. Maybe it wasn't so taxing on the people who watched it week to week, but it felt like I was on edge and tense for the next emotional drain for the last 3 or 4 episodes straight.
SPOILERS AHEAD - last warning
- The timeline of In and Korn's relationship is all out of order, so trying to piece it together to get a coherent tale of woe was hard for me. I had to make a lot of assumptions about what would lead Korn to shoot himself since we didn't actually see a lot of him struggling with mental health or anything. We got that his dad was harsh and strict and threatened In, but Korn seemed positive and hopeful for his future with In all the way up until In's dad found them at the restaurant and they ran away together. Then they get confronted and Korn is suddenly ready to die. It's key for the plot but I didn't see how we got there emotionally for him.
- Convoluted family trees. By the end, I knew who was related to whom, but to talk about it was like "So Pharm's uncle... Wait, no, I mean, Dean's brother... I mean, I was right, Korn's brother and Pharm's uncle." or "So... In's grand-nephew is now his boyfriend?" It really didn't help that Grandad Mafia was technically Pharm's grandfather but Dean was there calling him Dad. When they start using old names and titles, it really starts to make me confused even though I know who is and isn't related.

So I had a good time, but after the last stretch of episodes, I feel like I've been emotionally holding my breath and I can barely remember all the fun times they mixed in earlier. All I remember is tears, nightmares, more tears, and boys needing therapy.

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Gets more hate than it deserves

I read a few reviews, and a friend even told me not to watch this, but I love Singto so I tried it anyway. Overall, I enjoyed it. I've enjoyed shows with less depth than this one, and the actors really drew me in. Obviously Singto is great, but Yacht is also precious, and Tae is pretty good too (It's my first time seeing him). There is a scene where Maze gives over control to Phap for one surprisingly sensual moment and when I tell you my heart went doki doki and I had to pause to breathe after....

tl;dr at the bottom.

One of the main things I've seen people say is that Maze (Singto) isn't likeable, that he doesn't grow, and that he's an asshole. They also say they know nothing about him and he's one-dimensional. Let me add my 2 cents.

Maze is a no-nonsense businessman. He puts his company first and tries to do what is best for his business and friends. Besides that, however, Maze is easily flustered (although he tries to hide it) and gets nervous about physical touch. He's a workaholic who needs to be coerced into having fun sometimes and also he needs hugs. He's afraid of failure and being told he's not good enough. He's afraid of opening his heart because he thinks people will leave him eventually after he lost 3 parents and thought he lost his brother. And yes, he's a petty, jealous little sass master sometimes, and I love him. Some say he was mean until the end, but Maze was just too proud and too scared to admit that he liked Phap out loud. Singto gave him a lot of nuance and heart. Also the costume department needs a raise for all of his accessories and fancy clothes. At least once an episode, I sent my sister a message saying "God Bless the costume department."

Phap is awkward and makes me annoyed when he fails to be professional and follow directions. But he loves Maze a lot. I felt a lot less nuance from his character, but he was a good guy and he did do his best as an employee for Maze.

Where the show fell flat for me was the side couple. Yacht brings a lot of emotion to his role and cannot be faulted, but I cannot say the same for Yoon. Yoon was stereotypical and I felt no chemistry from him for anyone. Yacht was in love with no reciprocation, except apparently there was? Yeah, I didn't buy it. Also, Tharn's manager, Pookie, is a bitch and a scandal waiting to happen. While I didn't approve of them saying Pookie deserved to be beaten up, I doubt anyone would have jumped in to stop it in real life either. And then Pookie tried to throw Tharn under the bus for it as though he struck her, even though he helped her up and stayed with her after the fight.

A minor issue for me was the continuing misunderstanding that Maze was in love with Nueng. Sure, I also though he was at first, but as soon as we found out the real reason for the awkwardness, it would have been nice if everyone else in the show could have stopped acting like Maze wanted to sleep with his step-brother.

Another reviewer said Maze made up the video that took down Pookie, but that wasn't what I heard. Maze "wrote the script", but the story was real as far as I understood. They had to bribe the other actor to come out and admit he was nearly assaulted, but as far as I can tell, the whole story was true. We know Pookie is a liar and a drama magnet, so I'm not sure why other viewers are assuming Maze made that up. "Writing the script" is what Maze does. He knows how to present facts and persuade people.

tl;dr?
Basically, I think the show is getting a lot of hate for small things or misunderstandings. Sure I don't know the backstory of every character and all of their idiosyncrasies, but I don't get that from most shows. I enjoyed this show for what it was (and for Singto. Definitely for Singto. Singto is flawless).

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I love the whole hidden identity aspect of the show, and the message of "love is love no matter the person" is great. They did it as a metaphor for bisexuality but also for someone you know in two different aspects. Mimi has to come to terms with that fact that Tan says the same stuff as Titan, just not as sweet and softly. She has to realize that he's still the same person, but no one is going to be sweet and soft all the time. If the show was longer, we could have gotten more about the trauma of his friend dying and his anger at his friend,. We could have gotten more about Mimi's parents and her braving her fears. But overall I'm glad it wasn't drawn out.

I was originally scared to watch this show because it said "Mean Male Lead" and I didn't want it to be about some asshole guy who still gets the girl despite treating her like shit. However, Singto's character isn't so much mean as he is brash and blunt. He helps people and is a hard worker, and Mimi can see all the good qualities eventually. Even when he is coarse, he's not nearly as bad as I expected hm to be. I was very surprised but also very happy about it. I'm also happy that the line about her being cute without her glasses was fake. As someone who wears glasses, do not tell them they look cuter without them.

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If it's the last show I see...

I'd be alright. I've rewatched most of the series at least twice already. I will continue to recommend this show until the day I die.

Pros:
The acting and directing are amazing. Jimmy and Sea and P'Aof did so well and really brought life to these characters - even the side characters that we barely see. Like good job to Mark and Namtan, Film and Ohm, Kun and Emi - just everyone.
The music is full of bangers. I've put those things on repeat and watched the music videos extensively.

The whole team did a great job of really getting at your emotions, whether with the lighting, the camera angles, the music, the facial expressions, hell - the clothes. It became a game of "what shirt or hidden words in the background will we see this week?!"
The show was so well put together. They really had an amazing team for this project.
I felt every emotion for 11 episodes and... most emotions in episode 12.

This show didn't fall into the dreaded weak episode 11, but episode 12 did have some weak points. I'd say episode 12 was the weakest episode of the series, and I think it's because they really needed a whole 3-10 more episodes to really get into more story.


Downsides - some spoilers:
The show never really addresses Mhok's PTSD or trauma responses. The one time Mhok finally tries to bring it up, he's dismissed as feeling pity for Day and kicked out. When he comes back, he thanks Day for breaking his heart and apologizes for pitying him - which is something he never fucking did. I really wish the show had given more time to developing Mhok's healing process instead of saying it all happened off screen during a time jump.

Day's mom is a bitch, but we're meant to forget this because she also apparently had character development during the time skip.

Not enough time with our side couple, honestly. I could use half a show about Night, please. Mark was amazing and he barely had any screen time.

MAJOR SPOILER: Other people's downside: Day's eye surgery. As someone with legal blindness, seeing someone who is super rich manage to get an eye surgery did not bother me. Not in the slightest. I didn't think it detracted from the message of the show or from Day's character development. I was very happy for him. I think he's using his experience to be a better person. I liked it.

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Stupid(Affectionately) cute and worth every minute

The plotline is cute and we don't waste a bunch of time on miscommunication and will they/won't they. Both our men are learning to communicate better, but the drama doesn't come from crazy jealousy and being misinformed about things. The drama comes from the very human, realistic scenario of not wanting to disappoint your S/O with something and so you don't come out and tell them stuff, but eventually you have to.

Wan is baby and needs to be kept in warm hugs and blankets forever. His fear is mostly from the societal pressure of being a gay man who doesn't know how the people around him will react if they find out about his sexuality. He's the one who worries about others seeing them being affectionate, about letting people in. His fear is why he ran away in the first place, seven years ago.

On the other hand, Gi Tae is afraid of losing Wan. He presents as having his shit together, but the show does a great job of showing us how anxious he really is, all the way until his fear finally boils over. It was refreshing that Gi Tae - the character who seems in control - was the one to have a breaking point and not Wan - who seems less emotionally steady. The culminating scene was very well acted and the editing really pulled on the heart strings.

The main downside is the same as most shows. Meaning, I'm pretty sure this is not how game development works. These timelines seem unrealistic. The team size and workload also probably don't match reality. But if I ignore the logistics, I can only find fault in the fact that the music changes every episode and so there's no unifying song that we'll be stuck in my head forever.

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