In With a Bang...Out with a Wimper

Let me just start by clarifying: this is not a bad show. It isn't horrendously acted, it doesn't have a ludicrous plot that makes you want to rip your hair out. It's a perfectly serviceable, if a bit bland average to mid BL series.

So why did I rate it so low? Because I'd almost rather have the exceedingly bad trainwreck. At least those shows tried to do SOMETHING interesting, even if it ended in a disasterous dumpster fire.

This show had me in the first couple of episodes. I was excited to see where they went next. And then...they didn't go anywhere.

This show's worst crime is that it is exceedingly BORING. There's no forward momentum with any of the characters. We're 8 episodes in and everyone feels like they are in the exact same place they were in from episode 1. I think I finally figured out that this is because there is no story here. TeamWin was a wonderful side couple in UWMA who served the plot perfectly by giving much needed light-hearted catharsis. This is why we fell in love with them. They were a release of tension when the plot needed it. But their story is too thin to fill a twelve episode run. So instead of giving us an interesting look at their characters, or more of what made us like them in the first place, we get an endless parade of side couples, each more bland then the next. All of the couples suffer because none of them are given any time to develop in any interesting way.

Maybe it's time to come to terms with the fact that sometimes we like side characters simply because we don't delve into their stories. There's a little bit of mystery, we only see the best bits of their relationship. Between this and EvenSun, I'm coming to the conclusion that Boun and Prem can't carry a series as leads. (I came to this same conclusion about OhmFluke. I loved UWMA but everything else they've been in has been a muddled mess, and let's be honest: the heart and soul of UWMA is actually KaoEarth.)

This should have been good. It had all of the pieces in place, all of the same actors as UWMA, two characters who had legitimate chemistry at one point. I don't know if the pandemic can be blamed, or if the delays in filming just led to apathy, but that's what I feel from these actors when I watch this show. They're phoning it in. They don't care, which unfortunately leaves me not to care either.

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If Inception Was Written As Tumblr Fanfiction

I don't quite know what to make of this show.

On one hand: I appreciate that they tried to tell a unique story. In a sea of mafia bosses and engineering students, I always applaud an attempt at unique storytelling in BL media.

On the other: It just doesn't completely work. There are too many things going on, and the plot really eats any forward momentum you might get out of the characters. Every time you think you're close to finally grasping the story they're trying to tell, they spin it off in a completely different direction and I'm just left confused.

I will say I appreciate that this show finally gave Ohm a character with a little bit of personality and presence, which I am grateful for. I think he is fully capable of being engaging if the writers ever gave him something to work with. I have a little more trouble trying to figure out what they wanted Fluke's character to be. Once again, he seems doomed to play the tragic pushover, cooking in the background while the world falls down around him. Fluke is a good actor, and I wish they'd allow him to explore some darker characters or even some light hearted charming ones.

I was along for the ride at first, but then the show got swallowed by its own concept. It took way too long for Mum and Dew to meet in Mum's timeline, and everything surrounding Mint was headache inducing and repetitive.

My favorite plot ended up being the side plot between Wee and Game, which honestly had no business even being in this show. It has nothing to do with the main plot, and that's probably what I enjoyed about it the most.

I will trumpet forever about wishing we could see Ohm and Fluke in one straightforward normal character driven BL series, because for some reason they receive every insane script in the industry. I want to see what they can do if they're allowed to have quiet, charming moments without all the doom and gloom and world ending catastrophe.

Not the best. Not the worst. I appreciated the effort, but in the end it fell a little short for me.

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Everything Was Just Unbelievably Beautiful

I will be honest, I was hesitant to watch this, because sometimes these timey wimey travel through time shows tend to make my brain break. But I'm glad that I gave this one a shot because it is one of the most beautiful BL series that I've ever seen.

The cinematography was breathtaking. Even the filtering and the lighting, everything just complimented the story so well.

And the acting... the actors in this series were SO good. I didn't think I'd buy the romance in how quickly it had to develop over 12 episodes, but they sold the hell out of it for me. By the end I was sobbing in pain right along with Jom and Yai.

I'm glad that it didn't have a sad ending, I'm glad I gave it a shot.

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A Delightful Surprise

I tend to love quirky Japanese BL stories, so I came into this one expecting to pleasantly spend a handful of episodes having fun, but not dwell too much on it once it's over.

I'm not sure why, but I find myself looking forward to this show the most of any other that I watch from week to week. I find the two main leads so charming, and the plot manages to somehow be refreshing in the wake of tried and true same BL plotlines.
Maybe I was just happy that there wasn't an engineering student or a mob boss in sight, but I am enjoying this one. I'm almost sad that it's only eight episodes.

Also, I appreciate that they don't over exaggerate facial expressions to fit the manga vibe, like they have a tendency to do in most Japanese BL.

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Not Everything We Thought It'd Be, But Still a Great Show

Let's be honest. We as fans got collectively way too into this show. People were piecing together fan theories and character motivations like this was Game of Thrones or something.

And it wasn't that.

The show is exactly what it sold itself as, the story never venturing beyond the expected. But you know what? That's okay, because it was still a well executed show. This was the closest to realism that I've seen in BL- especially in Thai BL and the characters were great, complex and messy. Just being in the fandom while this was airing was like riding a crazy tidal wave, and I enjoyed every second of it.

Top notch acting, nobody dropped the ball. Were there storylines that I liked more than others? Yes. We're there couples that I was rooting for and others that I was actively rooting against? Yes. But not once did the quality dip, and it really felt like they told a complete story, and that was the story they wanted to tell. Also, the music was fantastic.

I wouldn't be mad if they decided to do a season 2, is all I'm saying.

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Watch it If You Enjoy Action, Romance and Drama

This series has everything.

Gangsters, drama, unrequited love, comedy, action. What's not to like?

This show literally had me in a choke hold until it was over, and when it ended my only thought was- Wait, there isn't more?
I wish this show had thirty episodes. I'd keep watching these characters for a good stretch longer.

I really like the world they set up (Who wouldn't like a world made up of impossibly hot gangsters who are all secretly in love with each other?) and both couples sold the romance for me. I even enjoyed the little cameos we got, and I thought they were tasteful and not over done.

That's it. My only critique is that I wish it were longer, because I did feel a little bit like they had to rush all of the flash forward scenes just a bit.

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A Slow Burn Done Right

This is not a perfect show, but it gets a lot more right then it gets wrong.

Firstly, the acting is top tier. There is not a weak link in this cast. Santa and Earth have palpable chemistry, and you really believe that they've been friends for their entire life. This is important because their natural chemistry is the driving force of what makes this show so compelling.

What I appreciate about this criminally underrated show is the quiet moments. This story really just lets the characters breathe and dwell in their feelings. And when it works, it works. I think the entire arc of Eiw coming to terms with his crush on his best friend, and then by extension with his sexuality, might be the best coming of age stuff I've seen out of a BL.

For the first time in the history of watching BL, I think what this show needed was more episodes. I like that they really dwell in their younger days. I think it's important to understand their dynamic completely before Cake leaves for America. What I wish we could've gotten was more of the time once Cake returned. I wish we could have really established how much Eiw changed and how much this bothered Cake. I wish we could have gotten a glimpse of Cake lonely and isolated in America to really sell the idea that he didn't know what he was missing until it was gone.

The only thing that fails this show is the last arc with Eiw's mom's death. The whole thing was so melodramatic and unnecessary. This story completely betrayed the subtle, nuanced story that was building before it, and it didn't give us long enough to enjoy Cake and Eiw as a romantic couple.

But for me, that one storyline did not take away from the beautiful story that unfolded before it. I love this show, and I can't wait to see what Santa and Earth do next.

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