I have fallen in love with the story and characters, so I am personally offended by the execution.

My title came off a little strong, so here’s the short answer: this drama is definitely amazing for a gay romance coming out of Korea, but has really poor editing that was consistently jarring and some loose ends.

Now here comes the long answer (starting with the good of course!):
I really do appreciate this drama because it made an effort to tell a genuine gay love story, and I would say they succeeded. I especially appreciated this effort because the homophobia of Korean society tends to encroach on the acting and direction of some other BL series I’ve seen.

From the script alone we already have a good starting point, but the actors definitely took this drama to the next level. Im Ji Sub and Oh Jun Taek were stellar lead actors. You could always tell how their characters felt just through an expression or exchange. The chemistry and tension between them was on point. You could always feel a tangible mutual romantic curiosity between the two of them. It never felt stiff or awkward, or like they were forcing themselves to “act gay.” The effort and care put in the acting and direction gave the romance an authentic feel.
The setting and story were both quite nice. The school setting felt realistic, and the surfing aspect worked with the story surprisingly well.

The main characters themselves were both interesting. I liked to learn more about them, and see them grow and change throughout the series. I wasn’t a fan of Eun Ji or her writing. It wouldn’t have hurt anyone if they put a little more effort into making her a little less of a one-dimensional villain archetype, but in the end she served her purpose.

Now for my main complaint, and the achilles heel of this entire show: the editing.

I wish I was being dramatic when I said the editing made me die a little on the inside. As someone in visual arts who has experience with video editing, I genuinely started to wonder about the vision from the director and editing team, or if there was an editing team and if they got paid. Possibly they were held at gunpoint to make some of the most questionable editing choices of all time. The look of the first two episodes was alright, but the editing lost its way at episode 3 and barely managed to find its way back by episode 8. The coloring and filters were too exaggerated and varied. It very rarely did anything to add to the mood or tone of the show. At worst it was very distracting and at best it was tumblr-esque and outdated.
To be fair, there were a handful of shots I thought looked lovely.

Now if you're someone who doesn’t care about the aesthetics of a show, there is still a reason to care about the quality of the editing. The transitions. This was where the editing really started to hinder the storytelling. It made the story convoluted and hard to follow. I often had to skip back to see if I missed something, only to realize I hadn’t missed anything at all. The transitions are really just that jarring. It didn’t help that they would often throw in random scenes without context and then move on with very little explanation.

Overall, I would still recommend this show and I think it is a step in a great direction for Korean BL dramas. The integrity of the story and characters holds up, even if the transitions and editing made me want to pull out my hair.
The story also leaves me wondering about the character’s futures. I felt that we missed out on some of the development of Jae Won that the story was hinting at. I’d like to know more about our main character’s families and backgrounds, which are still partially unexplained. I would definitely tune in for a season 2. I may even rewatch it eventually now that I’ve come to terms with the horrendous editing.

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Pretty entertaining, but not without its faults.

I didn’t have super high expectations for this series as I was not the biggest fan of Manner of Death, but after seeing good reviews and a high rating I decided to give it a try. I was surprised to find the story to be entertaining with a decent mix of comedy, drama, mystery and intrigue. Although I found the series to be over dramatic at times.

This series had some solid acting. I was loved to see a strong supporting cast, and I particularly liked Sing, Fukfang, and Rit. Tae did great portraying Tin’s growth throughout the series, and really made you root for his character. At first I thought Tol might be a bit of a flat stock character when they first introduced him to the story, but I didn’t think that for long. Tee did a good job bringing his character to life (or death haha).
The romance between Tin and Tol had a good pace and chemistry, and didn't feel out of place. They worked well together despite how strong the secondhand embarrassment could get.

The soundtrack wasn’t anything too spectacular, and there were a few tracks I thought were fine. Overall, it was okay and once again fit for your average TV drama.

Unfortunately the series lost its compelling aspects in the last few episodes. The main issue being that the story starts breaking its own rules when it comes to how things work in the time loop. They shifted towards using cheats and external help to beat the time loop, instead of using their heads to plan strategies and solve problems. Also, the personalities of everyone in the cast changed... Yeah.

(Spoilers ahead relating to the last few episodes) The shift in POV that starts at episode 10 contributed to a loss of some of the previous tension, and felt like a discredit to all of Tin’s hard work and character development. The most jarring change for me was how the loop Tol entered didn’t feel like any of the previous time loops Tin had experienced. Instead it felt like Tol was transported into some kind of alternate universe.
Tin acted like a completely different person (which only kind of made sense as he hadn’t met or had to try to save Tol yet), but regardless the change still felt quite extreme. Sing and Gap were suddenly dating with no explanation of why they are together. Gap’s feelings for Sing were pretty clearly hinted at throughout the series, but it made no sense that Tol entering the time loop would make it so things that never happened in any of the previous loops would suddenly manifest out of the blue.

Even though the writing wasn't particularly good, Triage was a fun watch to take as it is. I doubt I will be rewatching it though.

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Just Alright.

An average melodrama, not really grounded in reality in any way, but at least a semi-entertaining watch. The writing is overly indulgent and completely commits to all kinds of classic BL tropes and fantasies.

Qian was an interesting character. He was the parentified child who served as not only a brother, but a father, mother, and provider. Yuan had some of the more interesting emotional scenes, and because I love angst, I liked his portrayal of repressed feelings. Both of these characters didn’t really change all too much throughout the series, so their actions oftentimes felt repetitive. I liked Lili and thought the dynamic between the siblings felt real. There were a few times I thought Lili acted overly childish despite being in high school. One time being her basically outing Yuan by showing Qian his novels instead of just asking Yuan herself.

The actors had great chemistry. The main cast all had interesting dynamics, and character interactions felt genuine. There were also some good comedic moments. I liked the pacing, and I thought the episodes flowed well.

Despite having good characters, acting, chemistry, etc. the plot itself was nonsensical and founded on a bunch of unlikely scenarios. I was able to suspend my disbelief for most of the show, but most of the time the story came off as self-indulgent and cringey. For example, the workers casually chatting about their superiors’ sex life in the workplace was weird. (Though the fact they were also kissing at work is unrealistic in the first place, and really doubles down on BL fantasy logic). There was a lot of drama for drama’s sake. The tired tropes that were thrown in for dramatic effect were quickly glossed over as the plot moved forward. The only thing the plot had going for itself was the fact I was curious about what would happen next.

Overall, it was still an okay watch. If you’re interested in watching it, go ahead, you’ll probably be entertained and the main leads are both eye candy. Also be prepared to hear near-constant dramatic ballads in the background.

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Honestly not the worst thing I’ve seen, but I disliked it more than I liked it.

The first and larger portion of this series was an annoying cycle of fight, friends, fight, ignore/pine and repeat. The last portion of this series was 50% dramatics and 50% wholesome montage.

I liked the found family aspect and watching how everyone’s relationships change and grow. The story itself isn’t half bad, and some episodes were definitely better than others, but the delivery was uninspired and cliche. This series takes itself pretty seriously, but as a viewer it is very hard to take the cheesy montages, over-the-top dramatics, and editing seriously.
For example, what can a gang of 20 bodyguards do to one pretty young man seeking revenge for his sick boyfriend? Nothing apparently.

By the end of it, I was just wondering if there was any reason for it to be this long? I don’t mind watching a long series, but do I really have to watch the entire parent-teacher conference?! I didn’t really have the desire to watch the boys dance to Mario Kart-esque music either.

When it comes to the relationship between our main characters, I understand their situation is delicate, but at times their relationship was so fragile I could blow on it and it’d fall apart. One day these boys are two peas in a pod, and obsessed with each other, and the next day their relationship is beyond repair. Every time they resolved their problem, it wasn’t because they were honest and talked it out, but rather they decided they weren’t angry anymore.
This felt like running in circles. I thought you were best friends, brothers in arms, but no, they can’t even say two sentences to clear the air. And they want us to believe there is something more going on?
Their relationship was cute once they were dating, but still not satisfying because we never really got to see progression of their romantic relationship. I understand that this is because of the tight rules and censorship, but for most of the series their relationship was swampy and vague. This made the skip to hinting that Wu Bi and Su Yu were intimate with each other feel unbelievable, and most of the time it came off as fan service or a montage that checks the boxes for what is "supposed" to happen in a "BL relationship." Despite the tropes their relationship fell into, it still had a few endearing moments.

The acting and dialogue was really stiff, and this was actually emphasized by the editing. This was one of the fatal cheapening flaws of the series. A lot of conversations would finish and then the camera would hold a pause until cutting to the next scene. Sometimes it just felt like the actors were standing around until they remembered their queue.

I just finished watching this today, and looking through my notes has proven to me that I have already forgotten half the plot.
Overall, it’s just too soapy and melodramatic. I would say the highlight of the series is Su Yu’s face and the low point is Wu Bi’s face. I’m joking, but I really do wonder how they found a face that can look that miserable. In his defense, he looks much happier once he has a boyfriend.

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This would have been great if GMMTV cared about good writing.

The poor writing and direction that has been a staple of most 2022 GMMTV BLs could not even spare First and Khaotung. After looking over the promising synopsis and cast, I am disappointed we ended up with a very shallow mystery political plotline, and a charming but cliched high school romance.

I think the cast is great. The acting was the only thing that made this script seem slightly believable. Khaotung being the standout actor, and Neo exceeding my expectations. Ayan is my favorite character. He is clever but kind-hearted, and I loved seeing Khao’s full range of acting.
Kan’s character turned out to be far more multifaceted than he seemed. Neo made the most of subtle facial expressions and movements. You could always tell what was on Kan’s mind without it being explicitly said.
First is a phenomenal actor, but Akk’s character writing was not strong enough. He is cliched, stubborn and dense. Despite this, First did the best he could, and you can’t help but root for Akk.

The romance was the main draw that kept me watching this series, though it fizzled out into something standard. First and Khao had great banter and chemistry. Thua and Kan also had quite the interesting relationship, and one of my favorite kiss scenes of all time.
Unfortunately by the end both couples degenerated into common tropes and cliched roles. Though I was disappointed, nothing was exceptionally bad (let’s ignore the accidental kiss), and I still found their relationships endearing.

One of the things I noticed first was that this “strictly governed leading all-boys school” didn’t seem very strict at all. The only “strictness” that was emphasized in the story was dress code and no phones in class. These are very common school rules. The only time the rules started to seem extreme was towards the very end when free speech and protesting started to get limited. I also thought that the World Remembers group would be a bit more of a threat than three guys protesting the dress code.
A few characters mentioned that Suppalo had a point system. I think if they should have made something like a highly competitive point system the main tension of the story. Then the other rules could build on top of that tension, and the dissension among the students would be far more believable.

Now the so-called “mystery.” Throughout the story you are warned about the dangers of the Suppalo curse, but it’s never really specified what the Suppalo curse will do aside from some vague harm. The stakes are never established so the viewer is never fully invested in the mystery.
I think they should have kept Ayan’s motives secret for longer, or involved Dika a little later in the storyline. This would have improved the mystery aspect, and help pacing feel less dragged out towards the end. Instead the writers opted for poorly set up plot twists to make the “mystery” feel exciting.

Now for the plot twists. Spoilers ahead. Throughout the show I was always underwhelmed by Thua’s character. He is soft spoken and a little boring, but I could still see his appeal. Based on how Thua had acted for the majority of the show, I thought Thua is a smart character who would rather directly confront rather than cook up a two-faced plot. I don’t think the plot twist was worth going against his established character. But seeing as the conflict was quickly resolved and thrown under the rug, I suppose it didn’t matter much either way.
Thua’s plot twist I could almost see coming, but when Chadok’s reveal happened I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Did they really expect us to believe that the most unlikable character, the person who pushed Akk to threats and harassment, was actually a big romantic? The writers attempted to redeem the last person they could shift the blame on. The viewers are left with a mystery that has no culprit, and only the “rules” to blame.

The final thing that caught my attention was the poor sound mixing, music, and editing. There is a lot of background fuzz during dialogue. The soundtrack is okay, but highly repetitive. I noticed a lot of weird cuts and timing. Some notably being the awkward fade transitions and cuts during the middle of kiss scenes. While these things are not a deal breaker in my book, a lack of refinement in these details further cheapened an already cheap plotline.

As long as you don’t come for an engaging plot, enjoy the flirty rebel x straight-laced student romance. Relish in the perfection that is Kan and Thua’s kiss scene, and reminisce over Ayan and Akk’s dreamy kiss in the dorm that was too good to be true…

Though this series has it's faults I can't help but remember the good. So if you like anyone in the cast, this isn’t going to be a particularly bad watch, but don’t get your hopes up for anything revolutionary.

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Falls apart under the slightest scrutiny.

This story can be tolerable Earthmix fluff if you are willing to turn your brain off and not think too deeply about the story. Otherwise, you’ll be putting yourself through more pain and headaches than it’s worth.
This story had a cast of familiar faces and capable actors, yet in the end it didn’t matter either way. There was really no way to dig the characters out of the holes the script had dug.

Starting with the good. I was happy to see Earth & Mix starring together again, and the synopsis piqued my interest as well. One of the strongest points of the series would be the overall look of the show. I enjoyed the exposure to Thai culture, foods, and scenery. There were also plenty of times where Earthmix’s acting potential shined through the poor direction. I would love to see them again in a drama where a little more time and care is put into the writing because the talent is there.

The biggest problems lie with the lazy writing and poor direction. This story tried to do way too many things at once, and was riddled with random and unnecessary tangents. I never felt any sense of urgency about resolving the conflict, and not once was I invested in the wellbeing of any of the characters because of how ridiculous the whole thing felt.

The writers disconnected from any kind of emotional storytelling that makes sense. Win can have a psychotic break in one episode, and for the rest of the series he’ll just get played off as “just having a poor attitude.” I’m all about having flawed human characters, but not one like Win. Why in the world should I feel for a character who says and does horrible things and in the end doesn’t change in any large or small capacity? By the end of the story, the emotional tensions never actually feel resolved.

Never mind Win being a tyrant who seems to find joy from terrorizing anyone in his general vicinity, when it comes to the rest of the characters there really isn’t much to say. Korn is desperately underdeveloped and was left as an idealized dream boy whose only purpose is loving our unbearable MC (an action in itself that is highly questionable). Lin wakes up and takes her place alongside her mother as a proper plot-device to help close out the series. I've found the more you dig deeper to understand the mentality of the characters the less likely you’ll find any kind of satisfying answer, so I’ll stop here.

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Growing Pains. Worlds that cannot be reconciled. Standards that cannot be met.

This film has my heart. The narrative moves with a tone as fragile as lies, as delicate as first love, as fleeting as childhood. It also carries a heaviness that cannot be understated; a cold salty somberness that punches straight through you.

“If you have forgotten how to be a child you cannot teach children.” - Austin O'Malley

Though this is not a movie about adults forgetting to be childlike, but rather adults forgetting what it is like to live in the world of a child. Children make law out of adult’s black and white teachings. They know what’s wrong but they don’t know why. They know what’s right, but they don’t know how. That’s why what's rational for an adult and what’s rational for a child will never be the same. This movie is set in that gap. The space between adult and child. Despite this, this is in no way a story about teenagers or the bridge between these two worlds; in fact, the stark distinction between the methodologies of adults and children is a key feature of the film.

Can we judge the grown-ups from seeing things from within the established societal standards? I am adult enough to know that the conclusions they reached aren’t far from what I would have guessed.

Can we judge the children for lashing out when they aren’t able to articulate themselves within these standards? Can we blame a child for deviating from an expected emotional reaction? I am child enough to understand what it feels like to stumble through the dichotomy of these two worlds.

This film holds so much wisdom. Behind all of the lies, stands universal truths. There is no love perfect enough to protect the ones we love against the evils of the world. There is no evil terrible enough to conceal the glimpses of good. There is no standard that can perfectly be met. There is no monster. There is right and wrong and in between. And cats and pigs and happiness.

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Fated romance and beautiful production.

I remember watching the pilot for this drama just over a year ago and being very excited. I'm happy to report that is one of the best BL dramas I've seen so far coming out of 2023.

Starting off with the best part about this drama, the production. This has one of the best production values I have seen from a drama coming out of Thailand, and completely exceeded my expectations. The cinematography created a dreamy atmosphere. The set, costumes and scenery were all lovely and thoughtfully composed.
One of my favorite parts was the soundtrack. Unlike the series that put the same 3 or 4 background songs on rotation until your ears bleed, IFYLITA had a vast and wonderful selection of music. Aside from the occasional poor sound cut off, the music was well mixed and of a much higher quality than about 80% of the dramas I’ve seen. The theme songs worked well with the soundtrack and the body of music used for the show was very cohesive.

The story also exceeded my expectations. I knew that IFYLITA would be to my taste due to the tropes that they used. The mystery and suspense of the connections between the two worlds kept me very intrigued, and was my favorite part of the story. The fated romance between the main characters felt legendary. The actors did a good job with their roles. Bright made Khun Yai feel like a tender young man experiencing his first love. Nonkul did a great job with all of his emotional scenes, though I didn't exactly love the portrayal of his character (more on that later). I liked the family drama aspect, and watching how the parents developed.

Now, as much as I loved this drama, it still isn’t perfect. Overall, I would say the character writing was great, but Jom was definitely frustrating at times. Largely, Jom was a little boring and I couldn’t really pick out any defining personality features (aside from him being agreeable or acting like a lost puppy). Jom is mainly just strung along, and never really makes any decisions for himself. In the beginning, he would get in trouble for the same kinds of things over and over, and when confronted he could never think up a good excuse. Of course all of these things got better as the show carried on, but it's still disappointing as Jom's personality in the novel is clever and a little feisty.
Another fault was the lack of awareness from Jom and Khun Yai. I’m surprised that their relationship wasn’t on the front page of the newspaper. At times they were so conspicuous that I felt anxious more than anything during romantic scenes.

When it comes to the plot and pacing, there were never any horrible scenes, but there were some patches where the pacing fell into a slump. For a good portion of the show, the build-up tension, and execution would work together wonderfully and make some wonderful and thrilling scenes. Despite this, there were a handful of plot points and reveals that felt anticlimactic in comparison. There were also a few times where subpar acting was carried by good writing, or lackluster scenes were carried by good acting. The ending was a little rushed, and once again I feel they could have switched up certain reveals and pacing for dramatic effect.

Overall, any faults of this show pale in comparison to its good qualities, and I will always look at it fondly. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this series, and I plan on rewatching it soon. Since watching it, I have completed the novel and throughly enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the series. Hopefully we get a season 2!

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Not bad, just kind of boring

When I first started this, it didn’t blow my socks off, but I wanted to learn more about the characters and their stories. I enjoyed their character dynamics, and I liked Mhok.

My main complaint is the pacing. The plot was full of fluff and filler that wasn’t necessarily bad, but also wasn’t adding anything. It had a bunch of overdone tropes and cliches with just okay delivery. I liked all the characters, and they all felt grounded and well-rounded. There wasn’t much character growth, and a lot of it is crammed into the last episode. Eventually it just becomes mundane and expected, causing the episodes to drag on. 10 minutes off each episode would have helped a lot.

The acting here was MUCH better than Vice Versa. Mhok was probably my favorite part of the series. Sea did surprisingly well playing a blind character. Despite the acting upgrade, there were still times I didn't love them on screen. Overall the whole cast did well. The pairing between Night and Porjai worked really well, and by the end of the series they were my absolute favorites.

About the controversial breakup choice, I thought it actually made sense. Mhok and Day needed to grow up on their own and figure out where they stand as individuals. What annoyed me more through a good portion of the series was the mom character, who I found selfish and her writing kind of half-assed. Most of the time her actions made sense, but for a good part of the time she also worked as a plot device to add drama.

The production was nice, and I liked the use of a wide aperture for the blurry effect. It was a good touch. It had some good moments, but at some point I was just waiting for it to be finished. A decent watch, but didn't live up to the hype. I wouldn't recommend this to a friend, mainly because I would have trouble remembering its existence, but wouldn't advise them against watching it if they wanted to.

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Something different coming out of GMMTV

Many series that come out of GMMTV fall into the same tropes, conflicts, and story-telling, so I found Moonlight Chicken to be really refreshing.

To start off I really loved the setting. I was happy to see a story featuring the struggles of low income families. This show highlighted Thai culture and current events. I enjoyed the emphasis on family relationships. The dynamic between Gaipa and his mother was so precious, along with the development between Jim, Li Ming, and Jam. I also loved Leng and Praew. Overall the characters were diverse and interesting.

When it comes to relationships, I absolutely loved Heart and Li Ming. Fourth and Gemini did really well in their respective roles, and I was happy to have a Deaf character. They put lots of attention towards Deaf culture, and though it wasn’t perfect, it was 1000x better than most of the stuff I’ve seen. Fourth played the perfect moody teenager while also keeping the sweetness of youth. Heart was also interesting, and their relationship definitely was the perfect coupling to go with the rest of the story.

I thought Earth and Mix did really well with their roles. This show has shown how much they have both grown as actors. I could tell what they were thinking just through their expressions and actions, though this is also due to having a solid script and good director.
I don’t have many complaints with the casting for Jim. Despite Earth not being able to pull off being any older than 35, he was able to communicate the character well. Maybe Jim has just applied daily sunscreen since a young age. Wen was the perfect foil for Jim, and I liked how Wen was able to be the bridge between Jim and Li Ming.
Wen and Jim’s relationship didn’t strike me as anything special, and the pacing of their relationship felt a beat off. I think that Wen really carried the interest in their relationship, and Jim was a little on the boring side. I hardly care because their chemistry was through the roof.

There are some aspects that I feel could have been improved. After watching the trailer, I was fully expecting a cheating story and relationships full of adult problems. Though personally I don’t care that this plot was likely cut out to appeal to a larger audience, my main problem with it was that it sidelined First and Khaotung’s characters. Khaotung’s character suffered lesser consequences from this, and I absolutely loved him as Gaipa. I liked Alan, but I was a little underwhelmed at times. He had good moments towards the end of the series, but he was brought in too late.
The pacing was slightly off as some tensions were resolved too early, and some conflicts were brought in too late.

The production was better than your average GMMTV series, and I appreciated how they put effort into making the show look good and have an atmosphere. I thought the first episode was lovely, but the quality started to falter at times throughout the rest of the series. Some scenes looked amazing, but some were too dark. I thought the soundtrack was much better than usual, and far less repetitive than some other shows. Now GMMTV has a tendency to have really crappy mics and sound-mixing (looking at you The Eclipse..). This show was better than usual, but not perfect. Also I wish they had subtitles for the signing.

Overall a good watch, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

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Depicts how mainstream Japanese culture and Japan's fujoshi subculture stigmatizes gay men.

This story depicts the classic struggle between being gay and wanting a “normal” place in society. Though there is something uniquely Japanese about this story. Fujoshi, Ukkari Gay ni Kokuru tells a story that almost any queer person could relate to on some emotional level, but this story gives insight on how homosexuality and homophobia manifests in Japan in particular.

When I first started this show I was a bit wary because of the awkwardness that surrounds the fujoshi aspect and the depressing social climate that surrounds being gay in Japan. But isn't that is kind of the point? Living in an unaccepting society as a queer person can be awkward and depressing and unbearable.
As I continued watching, the story only got better and better as I got absorbed into the life of Jun and emotions of the characters. Personally, the appeal of the story is that it took every aspect into consideration by showing how being gay affects dating and family and friends. In other dramas centered around sexuality, the conflict after coming out usually boils down to a quarrel with family or friends or a lover, but in reality every aspect of your social life will be affected, especially in a society like Japan. Everything is laid out in tasteful dialogue and line delivery creating a multi-layered story that feels realistic, like the story is playing out somewhere in the world right now.
Aside from some of the fujoshi scenes, my only other complaints about the the story would be about the graduation scene. I found it to be a bit over the top/far-fetched compared to the rest of the story, but it is what it is and was a quick way to address what the story wanted to address.

The fujoshi aspect highlighted certain stereotypes and misconceptions common among BL fans and the general Japanese public. At times I did find the fujoshi aspect uncomfortable with all of the brazen dialogue and assumptions about gay people, but once again I’m certain that these are all things queer people in Japan have to deal with often. Since fujoshis were such a big aspect of the show I wish that they had addressed the problem with the “BL mindset” a lot of the fujoshis have. Despite this, I think part of the point is illustrating how cruel and dehumanizing it is when fujoshi's try to push their fantasies into reality. In the end, Jun and Miura were able to sympathize with each other and he even joked about visiting the "BL star." So regardless of some of the fujoshi's gross ignorance, I still found Miura very likable, and I absolutely loved her character development.

Overall, the acting was respectable with Kaneko Daichi being the star of the show. I often find Japanese acting to be over-animated and at times a little cringey, so I was pleasantly surprised by Kaneko’s portrayal of Jun. The way Kaneko used subtle changes in expressions and little shifts in movements made Jun’s feelings clear without having to slap it in your face. Everything about his portrayal was really well done and elevated the story to another level.

The other actors did a good job, but nothing quite stood out as much as Kaneko’s acting. I think a lot of the other great moments came from a solid script and character writing rather than the delivery itself. (Though I will give props to Naito Shuichiro because even as a side character, he did a great job playing Ono-kun). Every character felt grounded, like someone you would actually meet in their respective settings.

The music was good, better than what you see in most dramas. I enjoyed the use of Queen and liked how it played a part in the story, but occasionally it felt out of place.

Overall, it was definitely worth a watch, and I can see myself revisiting it again someday. I also noticed there is a new movie adaptation of the story. I wonder how that will turn out…. especially without one of my favorite aspects of the drama (Kaneko Daichi hehe).

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Completely exceeded my expectations

The high rating got me excited, but BL kdramas are almost always lacking in one area or another so I wanted to keep my expectations reasonable.

Episodes 1-5 were a solid 8/10 from me. Beautiful production, good acting, good pacing and decent plot. Episode 6 absolutely blew this series out of the water for me. The director, cast and crew all did a perfect job delivering it, and it didn't fizzle out towards the end either.

My favorite part of the series was Tae Myung-ha. Lee Tae-vin was definitely a pleasure on screen, and was glad to see an interesting main character. I loved Myung–ha’s confidence, one-liners, and multi-dimensionality.

This drama did an amazing job making good use of the time allotted to it. When it comes to the plot, a good rendition of a romance isekai was refreshing to see on screen. The romance was super cute, but wasn’t the most interesting part of the series. I was more interested in seeing Myung-ha succeed. The thriller/suspense/impending doom aspect of the story was what sealed this series’ place in my heart.

The cast was great, a little underdeveloped, but it makes sense as going too deep with the time they had would have created too many tangents. I would have liked some more out of Cha Yeo-Woon’s character. His cat/puppy dynamic was cute, but I would have liked to see more character growth from him. I dislike love triangles, so I’m surprised that I actually liked Cheon Sang-Won. Still I’d rather they had taken more time on Cha Yeo-Woon’s character instead, or did a little something in the middle. Because episode 6 was so great, I wished they pushed that vibe a little earlier, but the series was still a success.

Overall, I absolutely recommend this series and think this is a step in the right direction for BL kdramas. This series was a solid 8.5-9 for me, but since it left me in such a good mood I will round up.

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Cliched fun and fluff

An entertaining mix of comedy, cringe and cute. There were some parts I enjoyed, but it left me wanting more. I don’t think they used the cohabitation trope to its full potential, and there wasn't much character growth. There was also a big and easily avoidable misunderstanding.

They should have taken more time and thought when developing the characters, dynamics and pacing. When they first moved in together I wished we had more moments of them adjusting to each other. Some of the best parts of this drama was the time they spent cohabitating and Akafuji’s hilarious inner monologue. Instead the two main characters kind of just bounced between cliches. The script was constantly moving between fluffy moments and drama/misunderstandings, and I just wanted a little more depth. The story overly relies on Hajime being the “orange juice boy,” and a lot of the scenes about his trauma came off as cliche and soapy. In the end, the level of depth they went into with their characters was lackluster, but appropriate for a slapstick romcom.

Overall, the delivery was not as strong as the hook. I loved having an otaku main character, and I have a soft spot for acting stories. I also really enjoyed the two managers. They had great chemistry, and were both confident and appealing. The chemistry between the leads wasn’t that great, but wasn't horrible. Again, I wished they had kept the focus on them growing closer and their inner monologues while together. Still, it was a nice light-hearted watch to help me unwind while on break.

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Is it my favorite?!

Well, no. Though it did manage to pleasantly surpass my expectations. For the past year or so GMMTV has mainly been full of disappointing Bad Buddy regurgitations, or overly ambitious productions that miss the mark. Be My Favorite managed to have the same cheesy charm of a classic GMMTV BL, but set itself apart with great chemistry, believable acting and decent writing (and somehow very little product placement?!).

The best part of the series is definitely Krist and Gawin. I wasn’t really a big fan or even familiar with either of them before this series, but this duo worked out really well! Their chemistry didn’t feel stiff, and you are always waiting for the next moment you see them together.

I actually really liked the main character Kawi. He is a total asshole, but also cute and endearing. I understand why Pisaeng was drawn to such a puzzling character. Though I will warn you that Kawi is a little stupid and misguided at times, but it makes you cheer for him when he takes a step in the right direction. I’m also just glad to have a main character who isn’t lukewarm and plain.

Pisaeng starts as a bit of a mystery, but it’s quickly revealed that he is just 100% boyfriend material. I have no complaints.

I can’t say the plot itself was revolutionary. The story had a lot of overused cliches and some parts of the story were downright stupid and redundant.
What really made this drama stand out to me was its ability to get my heart racing. It literally had me giggling and kicking my feet. So be prepared to enjoy some surprisingly touching and charming moments, and buckle in for the corniness, stupidity, and embarrassment of a true romcom.

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Had potential.

When I began this series I thought it was shaping up to be something really great, and for the most part, I had fun with a good portion of it. Unfortunately, the last third of the series left me feeling uncomfortable and definitely confused. Overall my feelings about this series are quite ambiguous.

In the beginning, I enjoyed the irregular pacing. The breaks between scenes seemed natural, and seeing the little windows of their lives together gave it the feeling of real life. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, the segmented scenes felt fractured and disconnected.

The story itself has a lot of loose threads. I really loved the family aspect of this drama, and especially the dynamic between Luo Yin and his father. They also did a great job of displaying the emotional effects and dynamics of failed marriages.
This series is adapted from quite a long novel, so to fit into a web-drama would mean a lot of cuts (not to mention China’s ban on depictions of homosexual relationships). These cuts interrupted the flow of the story, as I often felt key details were missing, or if certain scenes & dialogue were included they ended up going nowhere. A lot of characters were brought in and ended up doing a whole lot of nothing. This was really unfortunate as I really would have loved to see more development for the supporting cast, especially Yang Meng.

Now looking at the most promising aspect, the romance between Luo Yin and Gu Hai. Both actors did an amazing job. There was a lot of tension between the two mainly due to their stubbornness and competitiveness, and clearly a lot of feelings under the surface. Timmy Xu did a great job showing Luo Yin’s silent affection. Johnny Huang did a great job portraying Gu Hai’s feelings as well. The chemistry was definitely there.
Now for the part which made me (and pretty much everyone else) the most uncomfortable: the non-con scenes. This really spoiled the great romantic tension between the two characters. Any intimate displays of affection were cut out, and all we are left with are straight-up jarring & uncomfortable non-con scenes. This led to Gu Hai and Luo Yin’s relationship to never quite feel fully developed. Not to mention the amount of emotional issues that were lost between the scenes and never felt truly resolved.

By the end of the series it had lost a lot of its original appeal, and I found my finger resting on the skip button for the last few episodes. I would've enjoyed more clarity on their relationship especially as it evolved from enemies to friends to lovers. I also would have enjoyed it if they didn't give up on the story in the last few episodes, but god knows what happened with the production towards the end.

The only thing that slightly redeemed the last episodes were the "A husband who doesn't want to sleep with wife isn't a good one!!!" engraved onto two nail clippers because it couldn't fit on one. Really. If I had a rich lover, this would surely be my first demand.

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