WAY Better than Expected

Not that I was expecting a GMMTV series to be bad, but damn, was I pleasantly surprised by this one. The two latest GMMTV series I have seen (MY Love Mix-Up and We Are) have been pretty anticlimactic, and honestly, disappointing. So when going into this, I had very low expectations, but I actually had a great time watching.

Let's Dive In.

I remember when this first came out during their showcase, and I was immediately intrigued, mostly because Great from Manner of Death was in this, but more importantly, because it seemed that they were showcasing high heat with a little bit of comedy, and I was ecstatic. Again, I had been so disappointed with the series coming out that I didn't bother getting too excited about this one, but I honestly loved it. Even outside of the BL part of it all, it had my entire heart.

Both Great and Inn have undeniably great chemistry. Yoryak is such a comedic hottie who's the champion boxer, and Wandee plays the awkward cutie who's in competition with another hunk at the hospital. With a little bit of angst and pining, I fell in love with these two. I liked the steady build of their relationship: from friends-with-benefits, to more than that, to the talking stage, to the "Yoryak has to show himself"stage, to then inevitably becoming boyfriends. The NC scenes were honestly the weakest part of their relationship. A lot of the time it was just chest/neck kissing and some intense staring (but they were shirtless, so I'm not going to complain too much). Yes, it was high heat, sorta, but not in the "Only Friends" type of way. It was more of a medium heat, with good kissing. Overall, I was impressed with this new pairing, and I'd love to see them again on my screen.

The side couple was super cute. I will say, I usually love to see the growth of a new relationship, so I wasn't immediately enthralled with Yei's relationship with Cher. They had been established for a while, but they were cute in the way they teased one another and Cher was basically the mom of the group. The wedding at the end is very touching. As for Plakhao, holy hell, I didn't think I'd be seeing Drake on screen, nonetheless paired with somebody! If I'm not mistaken, this was one of the first times GMMTV has explored asexuality to this degree, and I loved it. Although I wouldn't have minded to see Drake shirtless, I'm not upset.

Taem needed to have been paired with a girl, not Pod's character who was the worst person ever. Speaking of Pod, I need him in a leading role, because it was so hard to hate that man when Pod is just as beautiful as ever. He smiled, and I would yell to my screen for Wandee to take him back. Sorry guys, I'm shallow like that.

As for the internal drama in regard to Wandee and Yoryak's past, it was by far my favorite part of the series. 9 and 10 were my favorite episodes because it's what made this BL feel so much more than just a BL. These characters had depths and flaws, and eventually came out of that with such complex development that I was tearful by the end of it. Wandee's grandma, Yoryak's complicated relationship with all the members of his family, -- all of it was just amazing.

My only couple of negatives/nit-picking moments: there's no way that Yorkak had not a bruise or scar or a swollen something on his face after fights. It's so unrealistic that it really pissed me off at times. You mean to tell me a world-class champion made it there without a mark? Please. They tried to redeem Pod's character, but there weren't any redeemable factors about him. In fact, I wish they would have made him more apathetic since we were already almost there anyway. Would have loved a scene where we see him on the phone talking about all the way he'll try to get the position behind Wandee's back.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - The best part about the series, and that even means outside of the BL aspect. Loved the story, loved the development of the characters, and love the couples.

Acting: 9/10 - Great did a fantastic job, being able to go from being funny, to crying, to being in love. Inn does just as good of a job, and quite honestly, the entire cast did great.

Music: 7/10 - I was kind of obsessed with the theme song, especially the oddly placed moan at the end of it.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - This series is memorizing, and not just as a BL, but so much more than that. I'm hopeful that others can see the beauty behind it, because there is a lot to unpack and you can get easily distracted. but if that's not motivating enough, this series is literally a bunch of hot guys boxing and being shirtless and kissing. No gripes here.

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Kinda What Everyone Else is Saying ... Boring

I really so badly wanted to like this series. Was one of the only reasons because Pavel was in this? Yes, but so what? But after multiple attempts all ending in failure, I'm going to have to finally call this series quits. I tried so many times to really get myself into this series, but it's just so hard. On top of this being molasses-slow, there are just so many sub-plots besides the already boring main one that is so uninteresting, I'd rather watch paint dry. Coffee Melody was sadly a miss, and for anyone who was able to make it through, I give you my undying love.

Let's Dive In.

I think the first few episodes are promising. It does a lot of character build-up which I don't mind, and we get some pretty decent moments between couples and friends. But by episode 5, I feel like I'm just treading my way through the mud. Our main couple was already going through relationship problems that just wasn't working for me, and every other chracter that wasn't them was excruciatingly tiresome. There was nothing drawing me to continue this series. I thought the other side BL couple was kind of cute, but they just weren't enough. Don't get me started on whatever Yi's sister or aunt or friend or whatever had with that one guy and that ridiculously odd trying-to-be couple in the band.

I also just don't think Pavel and Benz work for me. I think it was their fast-paced relationship. I'm more for slow-burns, but I don't mind fast relationship builds, it's just that it does nothing for these two. There's no connection, no chemistry, no yearning, no nothing. The only thing I could come to appreciate was the fact that Pavel can kiss anybody and make it look 5-star, that's it. Other than that, no. It went too quickly with no real commitment between the characters.

Ratings:

Story: 4 - very little story and even the one we got was boring. There was just so much random shit that was so unnecessary for the story. The meetings about Yi's music, the band, the het couple -- I could go on. Instead of focusing on so many other aspects, they should've focused on telling a better story for the main couple and leaving it at that. I'll give a 2 to the side BL couple that I kind of enjoyed, and another 2 only because Pavel was in it and anything less than a 4 is undeserving of him.

Acting: 7 - Not terrible. cutting it close to below mediocre, but the acting was not their biggest issue. Pavel and Benz did decent, I think Jean and the red-haired dude might have outdone everyone else, but they weren't even like show-stopping amazing, they just had an ounce of better chemistry. Janjao was good too. Everyone else was forgettable, and Beam who played Sekram was so god awful I'm almost postive they grabbed him off the corner of the bus stop.

Music: 5 - Didn't pay any attention to it. Wasn't distracting, so there's a point.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Fuck no.

Overall, I think I'm just more upset at how this series has done nothing for Pavel. With all he went through, I was hoping this was really going to shine through and we'd get to see him being amazing and beautiful, but instead, he was just beautiful. I don't think I liked this role for him, not saying that he can only play a bad boy, but this role was just weird. He just smiled and talked. That's really the only way I can describe his character. We all know Pavel can do better, but this role and this production have kind of stumped his abilities. Hopefully, we'll see him in another series where he can really showcase his skills. I skipped to the last episode only to watch the side BL couple kiss (meh) and then I ended it there. Kind of disappointed this series didn't become what I wanted it to.

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In Love is an Understatement

Even if for whatever reason I wanted to hate this season, I can't. With everything in me, and just like the first season, I absolutely loved it. In all of it's terrible miscommunication, cat and mouse chasing, adult-baby glory. Minato Shoji Coin Laundry Season 2 proves once again to be just the bitch.

Let's Dive In.

Now nowhere is it as perfect and seamless as the first season, with Shin and Minato getting used to each other's company, more so Minato with dating someone so young, and Shin just being -- well Shin. But this season, we get those repetitive tropes for what seems to go on the entire season. Akira is still not okay with being open and honest to Shin about his feelings, can barely look him in the eyes, and doesn't think for a second he's okay with the most minimal amount of touching. It's very annoying, it gets to be draggy, and maybe they could've stopped that by like episode 5. But sadly this drags on until the end of the series with Akira just having this weird thing about intimacy, but like in the most immature way possible. But again, because I love these characters so much I really don't mind that cat-and-mouse chase (to some extent) and Akira being a silly little goofy ball of idiocy.

No onto the amnesia storyline..really? Was it needed? No, not at all. But did I love it? Did I absolutely love seeing Akira fall apart and come to the realization that he should've had a long time ago? Did I get teary-eyed at Akira's note to Shin and then the way he paralleled back to all their moments? Did I kick my little feeties when they met again at the beach to parallel their first season ended by playing in the water? -- yes, yes I did. Nowhere was that something we needed and yes to some degree it was frustrating, but oh my god, I love them, so it was so good.

Moving onto the side couple, Asuka and Shu, I think they were cute. I wasn't head over heels for them, but I think they had their moments and then some. I especially liked the way Shu came around to his feelings for Asuka, without the weird chasing and more just a realization and acting on it. We loved to see it.

So yeah, it wasn't perfect, and to any regular fan that's not literally smitten with these characters and the plot and the overall series, then this was probably rather the most annoying and unnecessary second season to a series ever. However, because I'm NOT a regular fan, I loved this season, I loved seeing my boys again, and I'm content with what I received.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10: Akira's little voiceover at the end coming to the emotions of the episode to the forthcoming news of the laundromat is kind of everything to me. Anyways, the story itself (me trying to be as unbiased as possible) was eh. It was just pretty much a glorified season 1 but they were dating -- kind of. The side couple was a nice addition, and I think they matched perfectly with the tone and flow of the series.

Acting: 9/10: Urgh, I love Akira's acting. It's so irritating and so full of emotions. Gosh, Takuya is too good. Same with Tomoya (Asuka) who did an excellent job too. Of course, the same goes with Shin and Shu's actors too.

Music: 5.5/10: I don't pay much attention to it, but I know the intro is a little much for me.

Recommendation Value: 9/10: Honestly, no one really needs to watch it because it's pretty much that unnecessary and very repetitive, but because I loved this, it's getting a high score.

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Sad. Real Sad.

Unfortunately, after some tedious debating for weeks inside my head, I've decided to not continue on with Peach of Time. It's with a heavy heart that I say this, please believe me, but I can't continue on with this molasses-slow and uneventful BL. While I was first intrigued with this, mainly because of the very appealing synopsis, (and Jimmy of course) the further I got into it, the more tiresome I got. Peach of Time was full of potential but was sadly a letdown, one with beautiful cinematography and gorgeous actors, but sadly, that wasn't enough.

Let's Dive In.

Like I've already stated, production was probably the best thing to come out of POT. I loved the lighting, the fluttery feelings it gave me, the way it was so aesthetically pleasing that it left me with a calming bliss -- one of the many reasons why I tried my best to continue. Another great aspect was the wardrobes. While nothing jaw-dropping, I think they matched perfectly with the personalities of the characters (It was comforting to see Jimmy in a scarf, for sure). I give the production a huge pat on the back, I loved almost everything about it.

Where this series fell for me were on multiple occasions. Let's talk about the first one, the language barrier. I guess not necessarily a barrier since both of them were able to still understand each other, but the use of Jimmy and Tommy speaking Thai while the rest of them spoke Korean was aggravating. I feel like the creator had good intentions with this choice, but it comes off pretty irritating. If Peach understood Korean, then why didn't he just speak Korean? If Yoon Oh understood Thai, then why didn't he just speak Thai? It was something I raveled over as scenes went on rather than paying attention to the series itself. It would've been more beneficial had they all just spoken one central language (Korean would've made more sense, since it takes place in Korea, and every now in then Jimmy could speak Thai to himself or to Tommy's character).

Another aspect that was pretty dull was the chemistry between our two main leads. I wanted to bask in their romance so bad, but it just wasn't there -- and it never was. Jimmy played a very child-like cutie with aspirations to help Yoon Oh with his familial matters, but he felt so one-dimensional. While I love Jimmy, I don't think this was the best role for him. Some of the heartfelt moments were hard to contrive when Jimmy just has this silly aspect about himself that is hard to pass on as anger or sadness. I think Jaehyun was really good, I felt that he played his character with great strength, but again, he needed a counterpart that worked for him, and as much as I love Jimmy, like literally to death, I just don't think this character was the one he was destined to play. If anything, they should've just had this been entirely a Korean Series, or just an entirely Thai series. I see what they were trying to do, but it was poorly executed.

The last aspect might be my own doing, but I don't like (SPOLIER!) sad endings. While I never made it there, I was spoiled plenty of times. Even with that, I tried to get through it, but it's just too sorrowful. My heart was heavy for the mom, her grief for her son, and the way she wished she would've loved him more. My heart broke when Yoon Oh just sat and listen -- sometimes listening to his mom spew on why she didn't like him (very odd, but very sad). The accident, Peach's hurt, everyone just being somber and moppy -- it was too much for my kindle spirit to handle. I think this was also POT's stronger features, just unfortunately not one that I cared to watch.

Ratings:

Story: 5 - Again, I think the concept of this series was neat. However, there had to be something more intriguing that the creator could've done to make this watch more enjoyable. I'll give 3 stars for the storytelling of Yoon Oh's death and the mom's grief. The other two stars go towards my sympathy for the series cause I would feel bad if it was lower than a five.

Acting: 7.5 - I think Jaehyun did a fantastic job, but most of this score goes for the mom. Some amazing acting, some that I haven't seen in a while from a parental character. I'll take two and a half stars off cause I don't think Jimmy was the right fit for this role, but I'll add another star cause I thought Tommy was pretty funny. So 7.5.

Music: 5 - I don't remember an ounce of the music, so in my book that's a good thing. It means it wasn't too much or not enough. Good for them.

Rewatch Value: 1 - I always give rewatch values a one, so this one is no different, but I seriously don't think I would ever pick up this series again unless someone convinced me that it was going to get better.

I really tried hard on finishing this. Literally forcing myself to watch, one cause I love Jimmy, and two, because I actually liked the concept, but I realized that I might as well drop this if I was already on episode 6 and forcing myself to watch. I don't recommend this to anyone unless they like sappy and somber. Then maybe I would push them to watch this series for me and tell me what they think.

Citeste mai mult

Not My Forte

I can't seem to really get into this series. I told myself I would give it at least three episodes to draw me in, but I've felt nothing at all. I think the plot is superlatively corny and idiotic. Immediately we are pushed into an SA situation made lighthearted and fun. I try not to be the Debby downer and be so serious with stuff obviously formed to be carefree, but still, especially in their given situation, it was a bit much for me. Which immediately turned me off from having any likes for the main couple. I would've stayed had Park and Phong been a secondary couple, but I was informed that they go nowhere, so this is a drop for me.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5/10 - it literally starts off when them hating each other because they liked the same girl, and what's the best solution? a simultaneous rape. I can't. I'm going to only give it 3.5 stars because I loved Park and Phong.

Acting: 6/10 - I'm being basis and saying I loved Fong and JJ's acting. Mos was very stale and Isbanky looked like he was just here to catch a bag for his music career and dip. His acting wasn't bad, but not good either.

Music: 5/10 - I speak on his music but still have zero memory of it.

Rewatch Value: 1/10 - *cricket sounds*

I can't believe this series is getting a second season. good luck to all the BD lovers out there. There must have been something here that I didn't see. Oh well.

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Stopped and Dropped

If I'm on the third episode of a series, and I can't find at least one thing that's keeping me going and entertained, then it's time to stop and drop. The first episode was promising with some pretty excellent sets and beautiful scenery. I also had no problem looking at the beautiful men on my screen in tight suits, but this plot is rather a bad one.

Let's Dive In.

For one, Green as Aiaoon is great to see. He does a good job at staying suave and cool, along with his assistant (brother?) Oab who's just fucking adorable. I wanted to stick around and finish the show for them, but there is no way in eternity I can finish this and not want to gauge my eyes out. I also liked Sichol. He has Disney eyes, and I think it's the best thing ever, and he's probably the best acting-wise out of all the cast.

Who I can't stand is Nawee and I forbid myself from watching that sick, pathetic means of a man fall in love and we're supposed to just be okay with that. I don't mind when leads have flaws, because we all do, but Nawee was written to have no regard for anyone, and I can't see how he's going to be able to redeem himself by the end of this short BL, and quite honestly I don't care. He pushes around his assistants, He thinks that Aiaoon is his masseuse, and because of that he's forceful and then they end up accidentally kissing in the bath tub...? Like, literally what the fuck. And then he hits Sichol with class, and that's when I knew I was really done. Overall, he's highly irritable and just downright mean, and I don't want to waste my time on someone I know I'll never come around to liking. Also, Chap's acting is almost so bad it's like he's doing it on purpose.

Sichol was my motivation to finish cause I seriously loved him, but then even he started doing the most left-field shit. Also, him just turning down to work with Aiaoon who offer to pay him more and help him out of his "debt" and he declined? To continue working for a lunatic? I can sit through some things, but stupidity is not one of them.

So this has been dropped. I'll just watch a youtube compilation of all their "top-tier" kisses that I've read about because I simply do not have the means to continue watching this. There are too many BLs being produced nowadays to have to sit through shit like this.

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Appealing to Say The Least

There's no doubt that this series belongs in the, "what the f**k is this" concept and the "why is it so zany and surreal?" category. I haven't seen Peak in another series since Make It Right 1 and 2, so when I heard he was in another "BL" series, I had to watch. But sadly, after figuring out that this wasn't BL, and instead it was "bromance". I decided to put it on hold for the time being. I got to episode four before realizing that nothing was going to go the way that I had wanted. Even though that was the case, I still really enjoyed it.

Let's dive in.

Whoever the wardrobe team was for this production, I want to fall in love with them and marry them. This series, by far, had the BEST costumes that I've ever seen in any "BL" series. Maybe it was due to the fact that they weren't all dressed in the normal Thai bl wardrobe that consists of school clothes, or the usual button-down and slacks, but I fell in love with every single outfit each actor had on. My favorite had to be Diew. The yellow concept was beautiful, and it helped with creating his bubbly and happy personality. The same goes with Mix, the soft blues wrapped his characteristics in a nice little bow. Those two were the ones that stood out to me the most, but another mention is Mueng, absolutely in love with his set as well, especially his little hat. This was the best thing about this series, seriously.

I have to applaud the acting in this, but more importantly, the casting director. This series has an incredible list of names that most definitely drew people in. Peak, Zee, Jimmy, Tommy, Boun, Prem, Boom, and so many others! There was no doubt that I wasn't going to tune in, And of course, the acting was amazing. Even though the acting was overdramatized (of course to keep up with the comedic feel of the show), I was still delighted by each actor, more specifically Peak and Zee. I know they're the main characters, so obviously, but they both did a fantastic job. Jimmy and Tommy's little cameo was hilarious (IDK how I feel about Jimmy having braids in his hair, but cultural appropriation is not the same in every country (although it should be), so maybe that's just something they're not aware of, so whatever, it is what it is), It was something so random and strange, but it was funny, so I had no problem.

The story itself definitely gave me the YYY feels, which is so coincidental since that series is also on hold (haha). I'm not in love with the whole comedic theme of it all, but it makes up for the soft moments, the impeccable wardrobe, Peak's beauty, and the good acting. I will say that the first episode was the toughest to get through. For someone that likes the overdramatic situations and the zany characters, then it would be no problem, but for me, I found it to be way out of my comfort zone. By episode three, I was okay, but a lot of the things that happened were confusing. I understood that Diew couldn't eat alone and needed to find friends to eat with, but what was the purpose of the cartoons? What was the purpose of these moments in which time would freeze, or he ends up in these surreal moments? Even though I loved Jimmy and Tommy's cameo, what was the point of them robbing Diew's neighbor? Lot's of unanswered questions which I'm sure would've been answered had I gotten past episode 4, but when I do eventually finish this show (which will be a PHAT minute) then I can change my review.

This series in the end should've just been a BL. Diew finds people to eat with, but they either make fun of him for not wanting to eat alone, or can't eat with him every day, and then he finally finds someone that also doesn't like to eat alone? The smiles, the looks, the music? I mean, it should've just happened, and I'm not sure why it didn't. The director was the same one from Why R U, and MIR, AND YYY, so what was the problem? Either way, I would've been more attached had Diew and Mix been able to get together. But, then again, I didn't finish it, so maybe they do?

Overall, even though I put this show on hold, I liked the acting, I liked the actors, and I loved the wardrobe. The comedic feel of it all took me out of the story, but I think the concept of him not wanting to eat alone was cute. I wouldn't recommend this show, just because there are better series out there, but I would if someone were wanting to see more of Zee or Peak.

Citeste mai mult

Too Bad

Too bad this series didn't do it for me, even though I really wanted it to. Earth was a big main reason why I was really rooting for this series, but this isn't the 2016 BL era anymore, and this series screams it.

Let's dive In.

Not only was some of the acting off, the script and the plot itself is so boring and irritating that it's hard to want to even watch. a fake BL couple and the person pushing it is their university president (or whoever she was) who had no business falling into the drama of her students but did anyway. Any plot that runs on the back of screaming BL fan girls/boys is not a plot I want to watch (and their sisters..??)

I also didn't care much for Kim and the guy-with-man-bun-whos-name-I-forgot. I'm not a fan of enemies to lovers, but usually, with some exceptions, I can appreciate it, but here, it's such a burden and tiresome. I shipped Kim more with his crush on Bear than I did anything.

The side couples kind of looked promising, but the series felt like a drag, so much so that my anticipation for how they would play out didn't matter, and it for sure did not encourage me to keep watching.

The only thing I could come to like was Kenji and Bear. Both are beautiful creatures.

This was not the comeback that Earth deserved. He moved on from 2 Moons 2 just to be stuck in some alternate universe of the same crappy storytelling. Sigh.

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Pretty Darn Good

I don't have much to say cause this was one of those J-BLs that's pretty freaking good, but not great enough to be memorable. However, throughout my watch, I enjoyed myself fully. I'm starting to like these kinds of tropes with the leads in a BL falling for each other in real life, it might just become another one of those concepts that garner it an automatic watch.

Let's Dive In.

Yuki and Asami's dynamic was the cutest. You get a little bit of that bubbly seme/stoic uke trope, but not so cutthroat. I adored the way Asami treated Yuki and watching the younger slowly fall in love. My only real negative about them is that a very minor, very minuscule mishearing drove the entirety of the plot at the end. Yuki literally just could've asked Asami who he was talking about, and that would've killed off an irrelevant 3 episodes, and a couple of non-sensical crying scenes. Oh, and their kisses, minus a couple of them, were all pretty bad. But besides those two things, I really enjoyed them.

Speaking on the production itself, so many amazing and beautiful transitions happened in this that looked fantastic. Whoever was behind this definitely took their time to craft these very creative transitions, and I really enjoyed them .

Ratings:

Story: 8/1 0 - gets a little eh by the end, but most of it is good.

Acting: 9/10 - It's good! I liked Taisuke (Yuki)'s acting the most. I like seeing the difference between his actual character and the character he played in the series.

Music: 6/10 - didn't pay it any attention.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - I really like it, but like I said earlier, it's not too memorable since the ending kind of dies down the hype of this. However, I think it's a beautiful story told, so I would definitely recommend giving it a watch.

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