Until We Meet Again (2019)

Not the easiest review to write, but I’ll try my best. First of all, I was a huge fan of Love by Chance, I even gave it a 10/10 back then. So, this director’s style is definitely something I highly appreciate. Consequently, my expectations from UWMA were rather high. The series lived up to my expectations, yes, but there are definitely more aspects I have to criticise here compared to LBC.

Let’s start with what I didn’t like or what I felt could have been improved (they are all closely related, actually):
- The number of episodes was unnecessarily high. The story felt like it could have easily been told in the usual 12 or uttermost in 14 episodes, definitely not 17! I think it could easily be shortened down to that number of episodes without losing relevant parts of the stories.
- The film editing was not great. It felt as if they just left in everything they had filmed, while the job of a film editor should be to extract only the relevant parts of the scenes, so as to tell a coherent story. Scenes just went on and on, filled with meaningless phrases and awkward stares; I wanted to shout “Cut, please!” very often.
- There was absolutely no balance between the screen time of the main couple and the supporting cast. I get that by showing them in two incarnations you need to give them a lot of screen time, but I had the impression that the director was indecisive about whether to actually tell the side stories or to keep them out of this series/season. Like this it’s none of the two options, they just threw in some scenes without any sense of timing and inconsistent storytelling.

Anyway, I can’t think of any more negatives! What I liked:
- Great soundtrack: touching music that fits the scenes very well.
- Great story: Romeo and Juliet (Julian, actually) with a happy ending, that’s exactly what I needed! The concept of reincarnation isn’t really my cup of tea, but here it basically “saved” such a beautiful, but tragic love story. The pain felt so real (still don’t understand why Korn did what he did), and Pharm’s doubts at the end were very much understandable. The whole family entanglement (at least in my view) made clear that the tragedy in the past needed to be “resolved” by the same families ultimately responsible for it, very impressive.
- Great actors, I have nothing to criticise. Well, some felt wasted with such little screen time, but that’s a different problem. Also, no over-the-top comedic sidekick ruining the mood, big plus.
- High production value, no doubt. As I already mentioned, I really like this director’s style. Of course the aggressive product placement is very annoying, but it’s just how it works …
- The double suicide as a consequence of parents and society not accepting their children’s homosexuality gave the series a very dark theme; it wasn’t fully exploited imo, but still very present until the end.

I could continue the list of positives, but I’ll stop here. Compared to LBC, I think that UWMA has a better story and slightly better actors, but the lengthy and overly slow storytelling and the badly balanced screen times of different characters made it a little less enjoyable to watch for me. Still, I can highly recommend watching it!

Leggi di Più

One of my favorites.

Honestly this BL really made me cry like no other. The connections and good acting really built up my emotions. I think the emotions and hardships were very well portrayed within the scenes. It is clear to see the love that was growing between the main roles. It was a heartbreaking yet beautiful story. With out the heartbreak the story wouldn’t be the same. It was refreshing to see something new with a sensitive plot such as the one presented. It was a beautiful tragedy but a beautiful ending too. It shows how love doesn’t end when ones life is over rather the strong love finds a way to reconnect. This BL was much different from the usual but in a good way. I really loved the cast, plot, and everything.

Leggi di Più

Frustrating, but some redeeming qualities

This review is an opinion. It is not intended to sway you or discourage you from watching a drama. It is a personal opinion and critique of what I found worked and didn't work for the drama. Please make your own informed opinions and decisions.

Until We Meet Again is a Boy's love drama directed by Siwaj Sawatmaneekul (also known as P'New) who has directed such works as; Love By Chance; Make it Right; and War of High School to name a few of his popular projects.

Until We Meet Again is a love story about four young men whose lives are interconnected by the “red string of fate” and the tragedies that befalls them due to homophobia and family interference. Without going into spoiler details, one couple lives in the past and the other in the present. The special thing in the plot is that the director takes dramatic liberties such as, not telling the story linearly in time but using slices; the present mixed with the past. This allows for both stories to co-exist without overshadowing each other. It also helps drive the point home that all four of these people are interconnected by their fate and they cannot escape it.

This story brings back one of my favorite actors, Fluke! You may remember him from My Bromance and Red Wine in the Dark Night. He took a break from acting for a few years, but his lovable portrayal of his characters made him a household name not easy to forget. In this drama, Fluke shows why he is considered a great BL actor.

Directing: P’New is good at what he does, which is, telling the story in a way that connects with the viewers. However, editing was an issue in regards to the way the story was told. There instances where characters seemed out of place or rather, the scene could have been more effective with the right editing or right characterization.

Acting: Everyone played their role to their best. Fluke as always takes on his character’s specifics traits and brings them to life. He was the soul of this drama. Ohm, likewise, gave the ever cold and moody Dean the right touch. I found myself rooting for Earth and Kao because their story seemed more interesting and would have been a great one to tell first. Obviously the drama suffered from the ever present too many characters, so proper development of stories and characters suffered quite a bit here.

CONS

However, though the acting is good, I think that we as ther viewers are often asked to use our imagination where a character has long pauses .... This is a critique not just for this BL, but for most Thai Bls in general. Whenever there is an inner monologue by a character, we are not given that information. Rather, you have awkward pauses where you can tell that the character is “thinking” or “talking to themselves” It is such an easy fix, by having the actor’s voiceover during those scenes. This also helps with those pauses because we the viewers are to deduce if they are thinking or talking to themselves. I wish we have more inner monologues to get an idea of what the character is thinking.

Side characters: The drama suffered from the too many characters/couples syndrome (TMC) that Thai BLs always want to insert. Though there were two main couples, the series kept inserting one more “couple” and hinted at a potential couple with Manaow that went nowhere. Now, this is done intentionally by directors who are looking to expand the dramas into another season, but with director New, no one ever knows if his dramas will have a second season. If they do have a second season, obviously that drama will focus on the couples that did not get proper development.

SLOW BURN/PACE: Though the couple kind of gets together within a few episodes, the drama drags

Another issue for me was leaving the climax for the end and not in the middle of the story. It wasted a lot of the story.

Music: As always P’New relies on Boy for the music. He is a great singer and his songs are always perfect for BL dramas, but I wish that his music wasn’t as repeated as much in nearly all of the poignant scenes. Those scenes would have benefited from a melody instead of a lyrical song. Also, often the music was louder than expected and for me that was distracting.

Plot Holes galore: So many plot holes, so little time spent on clearing them up.

In the end, it's an okay drama to watch when things are slow or no BLs are airing. The cast did the best they could with what they got.

Leggi di Più

A must see!

I watched the first episode, cried uncontrollably and swore I would not watch another "unhappy" bl drama. But...my curiosity got the best of me and here I am watching one of the best dramas I have seen in a long time! The acting is superb - In and Korn from the past. Dean and Pharm in the present. Their chemistry is off the charts. The sexual tension actually leaves me squirming in a good way. The story is unique with the relationships being handled in a loving and tender manner. I am in love with both couples. They are beautiful men who act with raw emotions. I eagerly look forward to each episode wanting to know what happens next; but, at the same time, I never want this drama to end. I want to fully know these characters. They are now a part of my life. I cannot say enough about this drama. Kudos to the actors, writers, and director for giving us superb entertainment to fill our lives. A special thank you to the subbers who are doing a wonderful job of translating. You are the best! Please watch this drama. I guarantee you will be hooked.

Leggi di Più

So, it was good for the most part and I was into the couples especially Win Team and Korn Inn, mostly because I felt like the Dean Pharm storyline was a bit lacking. I felt like there was no proper build up for Pharm going crazy in the end, there were maybe two scenes that showed him properly getting freaked out but again there was no build up so the going crazy bit seemed rushed and just abrupt and I couldn't get into it. And then of course, there was SO MUCH ANNOYING PRODUCT PLACEMENT and other problematic stuff like fat shaming to an annoying level , etc. So it felt a bit immature overall. Even the ending conflict between Dean Pharm felt forced. And so much time they invested in the last episode to give a romantic interest to even poor Manaow who was basically their shaming vehicle until then and then omg God gave the fat girl a hot guy RIGHT TOWARD THE END because only super good looking and thin people deserve a complex and entertaining storyline, right? XD ugh okay. But I mean so much time and Win Team didn't even get proper conversation or skin ship ffs in the last episode. So, there you go. Not bad but could have been better and I STILL NEED THAT WINTEAM SERIES

Leggi di Più

This drama stuck pretty close to the book, which I appreciated. One thing I think that came across a little better in the book was the character of Pharm. I know there have been some complaints that he cried a lot in the drama. But if you read the book you would read what he was thinking and feeling to cause so many emotions in him. He was remembering a lot of trauma from his past life, and confusing emotions that would be a lot for anyone to deal with. Especially someone who is sensitive like Pharm. As far as the actor that played Dean, he wasn’t the best of actors. But he represented the character from the book fairly well. The story is pretty tragic even though it has a good ending. I think that the drama did a good job of telling that story. I don’t agree with some people that say it was cringey. You have to remember that these characters are just out of high school and dealing with their first love. And on top of that two of the characters are dealing with their first love AND the first love from their past lives. It is going to have some awkward moments, and maybe some cute moments that cynical adults don’t always understand anymore. However, I do think there was a problem in editing. There were a lot of moments of silence or very drawn out scenes that really didn’t need to be edited that way. Plus there were some issues with the sound quality. Overall I really loved what the story represented and how lost love could get a second chance. It was a unique story line to me and I would watch it again.

Leggi di Più

I love this series but I find the love story of Dean and Pharm lacking. Everything was centered about Intouch and Korn that their character development in their own relationship didn't prosper. They could've balanced the story and didn't decide on a time jump just to settle everything.

But what I can commend is Fluke and Ohm's acting. Man they know how to do drama! They have a switch that they can cry in an instant! And you can see that they have chemistry on screen. They're comfortable with each other that sometimes can make you giggle. ( *insert Pharm's voice* P'Deeeeeeaaaaan!)

Leggi di Più

Story: I love the storyline. I especially like the fantasy aspect that two people found each other in another life. I know some people felt it was too long, but I liked it because I got to spend more time with the characters.

Acting/Cast: It was one of the most exceptional cast. Fluke Natouch Siripongthon is extremely talented, but I also thought Ohm Thitiwat Ritprasert and the newest actor Nine Noppakao Dechaphatthanakun were so talented. My only problem is with the acting of Earth Katsamonnat Namwirote. He is so awful. He is the same in everything.

Music: I thought the music was great, but none of the songs had that I must have it on my playlist feeling.

Rewatch Value" I would definitely rewatch it. I just need time to prepare for more crying. I cried a lot. I felt in my soul.

Leggi di Più

I just absolutely loved this drama. It was so refreshing to watch compared to the other BLs Ive seen so far and took me on an emotional rollercoaster. The concept of reincarnation has always intrigued me so this was right up my alley, and the way they incorporated other details like the red string of fate and birthmarks were really a nice touch!! The show itself had very little to no drama, which was a huge plus for me!! The only major conflict was internally between Dean x Pharm and their reincarnated souls.The red string of fate symbolically tied Dean & Pharm to the traumatic past of Korn & In. In the sense, it predetermined their fate long ago…as their whole relationship more or less centered around Korn & In where its brought into question is their love truly real? Or is it soley based on the attraction and the longing feelings of their reincarnated souls. Quite an interesting journey of Dean x Pharm unraveling the truth but also redefining themselves as individuals and their relationship. I really do believe the reincarnated souls only helped in guiding and allowing Dean and Pharm to find each other. To fill that missing void in their life. Even though their reincarnated souls lived a tragic past which in turn lead to some lingering trauma for Dean & Pharm in the present, it allowed them both to see the realities of what could happen...and to not take each other for granted and fight for their love. And although this story is mainly focused on fated love, it also shows the importance of friendship, family, and acceptance!!

And if nothing else is really catching your interest in the show…at least you’ll get some aesthetically beautiful thai dessert recipes out of this while jamming to some beautiful music!! THIS OST, specifically Luckiest Boy by Boy Sompob is my jam…such a beautiful song…I love singing along to it especially “You are my Sunshine, You are my Starlight at Night”

Korn x In were my favorite couple besides Win x Team in the story, and Im not entirely sure if it was the fact that it was because their story involved a “forbidden love” that resulted in a tragic ending where I so badly wanted them to have a happy ending….or if it was their acting itself; their expressions & contrasting personalities that sold it for me…Could be a combination of both LOL. I got so emotional every time they appeared on screen but I kept wanting more where I started realizing I was more invested in them than the main couple Dean x Pharm. Their parts sometimes were very slow and boring for me?? They seemed somewhat awkward with each other (not all the time, they def had their cute moments) where I wasn’t really convinced with their chemistry throughout the show but because of Korn x In, it made me care about Dean x Pharm. I wanted them to have a second chance/happy ending. However I will commend them because they had one of the healthiest relationships I have seen in BLs, I could clearly see by their actions how much they respected and wholeheartedly supported one another. And then we have Win x Team, which was a great balance between the other two couples as they were more humorous and fun LOL. The way Win always looked at Team…wow…he was smitten with him >< . Meanwhile Team only cared about his Lays Chips LOL JK. I cant wait for their spinoff Between Us!!!

Yes this drama was not perfect, it had its flaws, one being a decent amount of scenes were painfully slow…like I could be staring at the same scene for a good 5 mins..or what felt like 5 mins and nothing would be happening?? I could’ve probably fast forwarded and still not missed anything. Not sure if that was a decision made to built up emotions…but it didnt do anything for me. The transitions between the past and present day seemed choppy to me?? but that could be due to the episodes being in multiple parts, one part would end on Dean x Pharm and then the next part of the episode it would start as Korn x Ins story and vice versa….and some of the order of the flashbacks of Korn x In’s story seemed chronologically out of place with Dean x Pharm’s?? However that being said, these didn’t pose huge issues for me as I still overall enjoyed the drama!!

The ending wrapped up everybody’s stories really well. It demonstrated different perspectives of what people go through when losing a loved one due to suicide…it showed the regret and longing for their lost loved one…The pain and suffering of those who were left behind where they are endlessly left with questions that’ll never be answered. As well as the perspective of the person who committed suicide, which in reality we are never able to see…so it was nice to see that perspective interpreted too. If I had to sum up the ending in one word….it would be forgiveness….It was a truly beautiful and satisfying ending for me, considering how hesitant I originally was but all my concerns were put to rest!

Leggi di Più

This is my first time watching a Thai Bl show so I can't compare it to others but I absolutely loved it! The first episode already started of with a bang (quite literally). I watched the whole drama in 4 days (cause I started watching late). I've seen a lot of people complain about the show being too long and that the story could be told in fewer episodes, but I personally like the amount of episodes. Whenever I'm done with an episode I always question if I really watched the whole episode cause time flies by when I watch.

You can really see the bond between the main characters strengthen every episode and I like how its not rushed. Fluke (Pharm) and Ohm (Dean) are both amazing actors. Every time Pharm cries in the show, I cry with him because it looks so natural. Ohm also does a great job portraying Dean's 'cold' personality.
(The other actors were also great, it's just that the story revolves around Pharm and Dean.)

I cried every episode (but that might be because I'm an emotional person). The relationship between Pharm and Dean is also really wholesome so it's cute to watch. All I can say is that the show had an interesing plot and I really like how the story is told.

I definitely recommend this series!

(Also, I can't really say anything about the music because that wasn't one of my priorities watching this series, but I do feel like the music chosen always fits the scene.)

Leggi di Più

SLOW is probably the most appropriate word to describe it. Over stretched to 17 eps, this snooze fest would have been tons more watchable if it had the sense to realise that surviving beyond 15 eps would be a struggle for everyone, especially the audience.

What a waste though! The interesting themes of reincarnation, karma, redemption and 2nd chances, the could-have-been intriguing twists and turns, & a mostly competent cast.... all deeply compromised by unforgivably miscalculated pacing. Too often, the camera lingers on an expressionless actor for 2 seconds too long, more often than not, an actor takes 3 seconds too long to respond to something. The awkward pauses and unnecessary milking of a dry moment make it all pretty uncomfortable. The time wasted would have been enough for tons of souls to be reincarnated.

Thankfully, as mentioned, most actors look and “act” the part (with the exception of a few who tend to mistake overacting as emoting, and a scene stealing wig). Also, everyone looks like they have perfect skin, the songs are pleasing enough, the desserts look delish and.... and... ok, no more.

In short, if “until we meet again” ever gets the chance to be reincarnated , I hope it becomes more of a lean mean P’ Dean ... than a soppy, confused Pharm who overstretches his P’ Deeeeeeeaaaaaan

Leggi di Più

STORY:
I thought the reincarnation concept was super interesting, which was why I started watching in the first place. However, by the halfway point, I really couldn't see what the driving conflict was other than that the characters don't know this big secret. The big problem with this is that the secret is revealed to us, the viewers, at the very beginning of episode 1 so there's no big reveal or anything like that. Of course, there are a handful of surprises that pop up throughout the story, but nothing that I thought was really of importance to the plot. A lot of new plot elements are introduced in the very least episode, which to me feels kind of rushed, especially since the story moves really slowly otherwise.
Another big thing to me was that there is little to no character development throughout the entirety of the series. The characters didn't seem to change at all despite what was happening to them. All the scenes moved so slowly, and each one is milked in a very similar way from the beginning of the series to the end.

ACTING:
I didn't really feel the chemistry between Dean and Pharm, and their relationship doesn't seem to develop very much throughout the series. They're kind of awkward for a lot of the scenes, save for the very end, although this might be more of a directing thing than acting.
Individually, though, the vast majority of the actors were great. Fluke, especially, does an amazing job portraying Pharm from the beginning to the very end. I also really loved Prem and Sammy, who did a phenomenal job playing Pharm's (very lovable) best friends. There were some moments where I felt like Ohm shows pretty much no emotions, but again I think this had more to do with the director than with the actor.

MUSIC:
For the most part, I thought the soundtrack was fantastic. There are a lot of a capella songs that are played at heart wrenching moments, and a humorous string track is used pretty often throughout lighthearted bits. All of the music is generally enjoyable on its own, but by the end they feel really old and overused.

REWATCH VALUE:
I might rewatch a handful of scenes, but personally I found myself skipping through a lot of slow-moving parts the first time I watched them. The complete lack of suspense also does not help.

Leggi di Più