Hemp Rope (2022)

BounPrem saved it all for me

I gave it a 10
BUT
It's a ten because it's them, it's BounPrem.
Otherwise, the story in itself don't really deserve a ten.
I think more something like a 7 or maybe a 7.5 at most. And I think I’m being very generous here.
Don't get me wrong, the story's not bad. Really not.
But it's not amazing either, especially after UWMA. I guess I really had some high expectations for this one.
I really think that I would not have enjoy it the same or that much if it would have been another pairing tbh.

Like the other couples were cute but I really liked it because BounPrem were the main, let’s be honest here.

About the story in itself, it was kind of basic in fact, the trope that start like kind of friends with benefits but quickly end up catching feelings. Nothing new. They tried to deepen a bit with Team’s background story and Win thinking of running away for a moment but it’s still basic from my point of view.

In reality, there’s nothing wrong with going for a basic trope when it’s well done. The thing in here is that I think they got a bit lost on their way. There were too much couples in my opinion. Like the story of Waan and Tul? Kind of useless because they didn’t develop it at all. The ideas were good I think but the execution? Meh.

In the end, BounPrem really save it all for me. So when I see reviews of people who didn’t like it, I think I can understand because if they weren’t one of my faves, I would have probably found the series passable and nothing much.

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Preciosa

Qué manera de gustarme esta serie. La historia central de Win y Team es, realmente, preciosa. Acá no hay nada tóxico, sino que nos muestra el camino en que dos jóvenes preciosos, se encuentran y se enamoran, mientras se sanan. La serie es muy simple, centrándose en la pregunta: qué es el amor, qué es amar. Sin duda hay cosas que se pudieron desarrollar más para que fuera más entendible, pero, la verdad, creo que logra transmitir el mensaje. Además, creo no equivocarme al decir que Boun y Prem se complementan perfecto, dándonos una de las mejores parejas de actores en la actualidad. Ambos muy atractivos -con ese halo de chicos malos y sexy, pero de corazón tierno. Realmente son adorables y creíbles, logrando darnos risas y conmovernos.

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THE GASP OF RELIEF

i was about 5 episodes in before i decided to go back and watch UWMA before continuing on. if you are wondering if you should/need to watch UWMA to watch this... not really. you'll be a little confused about pharm&dean and there are some missing scenes but i honestly think you can enjoy this series without needing to watch UWMA.

PRODUCTION
is a lot better than UWMA (i mean it has been 3 years so i hope so) and even better from the specials. everything looked really nice and sounded okay. i really enjoyed the set design? idk i just appericated it more here. the music was better but everytime they did play a song that was used in UWMA i had war flashbacks...

WRITING / STORY:
i really enjoyed the story - sure it kinda dragged towards the end and there was def too many side couples but i had a fun time. i felt like there was a good balance of the fun/happy times and the sad/emotional. the pay off was also done really well. i know they did their best to incorporate to the established timeline of UWMA but really it kinda made it more confusing. plus the fact that some scenes werent adapted so they sometimes just leave things out of context which is annoying.

CHARACTERS / ACTING:

team (played by prem) is such a fun character - he was more upbeat in UWMA but im glad they gave him some depth. im not really a big fan when they make characters "stupid" but i was moreso endeared by him. perm's emotional acting skills were amazing esp later on. i esp loved seeing his character at the end.

win (played by boum) was SO good. i loved his arc very VERY much. although boum in the emotional side didnt always get it right but he plays the playful nature very well. win is def my favorite character for sure.

there was a reason this series was hyped up for so long. boum and prem work really well together (tho i feel like the intimate scenes they had were done better in UWMA). win and team are messy and complicated but you love to see it. they are cute and you want to see them happy. im glad we are gonna get (at least) one more boumprem series.

there was a grand total of FOUR side couples. which was just way too many - most bl can hardly get ONE side couple to work. but here are my quick thoughts -

dean/pharm even though i had just finished UWMA i kinda... missed them?? idk maybe it was because their scenes were so few but i felt like ohm (dean) was a lot more sentimental and believable. but i liked them in their own series and i liked them here.

manaow/pruek were okay. towards the end i was just kinda bored. i know they are meant to bring some comedic relief but at sometimes i just wanted to get back to where we were. i dont really have any strong feelings for them. i also enjoyed manaow a lot more in UWMA than here which is sad.

tul/wan i just... couldnt. maybe if they were the only couple but they introduced them then forgot about them but then suddenly brought them back and focused on them for a long time... i just couldnt get attached.

bee/prince the only couple i really had fun with. i thought they were cute. i wouldve liked them more if they werent sharing the spotlight with so many people but the stuff we got was cute and lighthearted.

i wish we had gotten more of team's friends in general. if they wanted side story rather than just couples i wouldve had fun seeing a, bee, and sea get into wacky adventures.

OVERALL:
i did enjoy this more than UWMA but i am glad i did watch it in general. like i said i dont think you need to watch it to watch this but i was happy to see that the story is completely finished now. out of the more emotional bls this one is probably one my favorites now.

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Oh, the vibes were vibing

Between Us is messy, convoluted, and melodramatic. But despite every rule in the book telling me I should never touch this again. The chemistry of Prem (Team) and Boun (Win) was immaculate and made me love Between Us with my whole heart. Not only did they steal every scene, aside from Cooheart, in Until We Meet Again. But this side story series did them the justice they deserved by giving them more time in the spotlight.

My only harp on this pair is in episode eleven, when the writers make them bring out that dam guitar and sing each other's emotions. Another critique I would have is how many couples there were. I enjoyed Yacht's (Tul) performance but felt like their story could have been fleshed out a lot more.

But overall to keep it short and sweet, this BL is for those who enjoy their BLs with a handful of melodrama and bedroom pillow talk.

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Beautiful and shows character growth

Some say it was disappointing, and if you want in your face drama, you will be disappointed. If you want a heartfelt real romantic feel, this is it. It's a slow growth. It feels like a real relationship developing, similar to a character study.
I loved the characters, Boun especially, so I enjoyed watching how they molded together. I loved the beginning of their story and how it grew.

I'd watch it again.
What I liked: The slow burn, the slow build, the realistic growth and Boun!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I didn't like/care for: I didn't care for the main couple from UWMA popping in, only because they had their own story so I didn't need to see any more of them.

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This is what happens when good writing meets good pacing!

Honestly! I cannot WILL NOT shut up about how great the pacing is. From ep1-12, I didn't feel like anything needed to be cut out. I honestly love BounPrem's acting, esp Boun. He has pure love in his eyes, honestly. WinTeam are hands down one of the best TV couples I've seen in a while.
The only things I'd change are: the telling of the background story for Team and I'd probably add a bit more depth to the music

Otherwise, I think I'm speechless on a lot of accounts. Esp because I didn't expect the SERIOUS lack of cliches. I was expecting so many dumb cliches to happen and then they just... didn't. It was SURPRISING. I had been putting off watching this because of a few silly reviews I'd seen, but that would have been my BIGGEST mistake.
God, I hope I get to see more dramas like this. <3

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This Is Good

I’m not sure why some people gave this a low rating but it was so good. I watched UWMA a long time ago, so there was no comparison. I love Win, his facial expressions, the way he takes care of those around him and I was so glad he finally got someone to love him too. Did I mention he’s such a flirt ?. I wish Team would have loved him harder but I guess he tried his best.
I didn’t like the way Tul lied to Waan, but I’m glad it ended well for them.
I loved all the side couples.
If you’re looking for a light drama that will get you to connect with the leads and feel their emotions, I think this is one. Try it

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PARA PASSAR O TEMPO E RELAXAR

Vou começar dizendo que eu amo a química entre esses dois atores e tem vários outros atores familiares na trama, eu gostei muito disso.
O comecinho é muito perfeito e antecipa tudo que vem a seguir mas em alguns momentos a história se arrasta um pouco, parece que a relação deles estagna num certo ponto e leva um tempinho para engrenar de novo, mas durante esse meio tempo a história é engraçada e é gostoso de acompanhar o que está acontecendo envolta.
Eu amo como eles vão descobrindo o amor juntos, tudo começa com uma única noite juntos e desenrola pra eles descobrirem seus reais sentimentos enquanto mantém uma amizade bem intima.
O Team é um pouquinho infantil e mimado mas não me incomoda tanto e o Win é absolutamente perfeito.
A química deles é excelente, eu amo as tatuagens do Win e tem várias cenas incríveis.

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Well, now, that was just Fricking adorable

Rated= 8.5 ~ 34.5/50 ~ 6.9
RPG Scene // Mermaid Vibing in the Flower Meadow. Sword Dancing practice.

I was having a drama slump and my years on the internet have taught me that when I feel like that, bored and restless and searching for something to die for, just randomly start clicking on things. It's like pasta on the wall. You will absolutely find something. And find something I did.
First 2 seconds I fell in love with Boun who plays Win. Daaaamnn, that man is FINE with extra emphasis on the F. God damn, I think I drooled through the first few episodes LOL
Unbeknownst to me, thanks to my randomly clicking, I have learned that this is a sister story to the original plot which follows Dean and Pharm, who are featured as a side couple in this one. I did find it hilarious, since I havent watched the original series, knowing that there was a whole drama happening in the back and I know nothing about it LOL I can just feel that the heat happening off screen LOL Having said that, Pharm, for his little appearances absolutely stole my heart and I feel like I'm about to lay down my life for him when I start watching his series, which is definitely coming next. No question. When I sit my butt down next for a series, I am clicking for Pharm and Dean LOL

Anyway, back to this series. This show follows Win, a punk'd out Vice President of the swim team and Team, initially a very innocent and sheltered young swimmer with a tragic past. Since I havent watch the parent story, Win seemed liked the kind of guy who had his eyes on Team previously and when he finally gets his moment with Team, Team jumps head first into bed with him, much to his delight.
It's a casual fling which naturally develops into heavier emotions, which casual sex usually does, for at least one of the people involved. That's how the brain works. We like to get attached to things lol
Overall, I found the couple pretty cute. The consistent nod to consent for me, was very sexy. Boun's acting is pretty piercing. He says a lot with his eyes. Prem, I felt was a little off at times but that may have just been me. He had a lot of very emotionally powered scenes and I think he did well through most of them.
His character has a legit tragedy in his past and his reactions and behaviour are very understandable for someone who has to carry that for the rest of their life. Normally, I would find the tsundere types annoying but I actually understood his moods here. I did really feel for his pain and felt the relief with him when Win comforted him.

As for the other couples, wow, there were so many.
Pharm and Dean, for what I seen, looked very stereotypical but were nonetheless adorable. 8/10
Bee and Prince - I actually really loved this couple. They seemed very genuine and Bee was an absolute sweetheart. 9/10
Win's Brother and Tol - I felt like this one was a little random. Like they had to squeeze some more gay in but I went with it. 4/10
Manow and Pheuk - this seemed like a really sweet and genuine straight couple in a BL and Manow was adorable and kind of funny. They looked cute together. 7/10

Overall, it's not a tense show despite it's content. It has a very warm and heartfelt BL that deals gently with life's more serious questions but doesn't leave you feel empty or hopeless.
I left with a big smile on my face for everyone. Definitely worth a rewatch.

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This BL Is one of my fav's, And i have rewatched it soo many times that i cant even count! It is a perfect mix of everything in my opinion! So if you are like me and are supper inpatient and hate when things are dragged out, Then this might be your new fave! So most of the things i can think of is positive! We get to see BounPrem again witch is always a good thing! But all i can say is that i would totaly recomend this BL if you are intrested but don't know if you will like it! Just give it a shoot and i dont think you would regret it! And if you ever did regret it well am not always a trust worthy source so blame your self then! 5555

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Wasted Potential! Would Have Been a Great BL if it Wasn't a UWMA Spin Off!!

Between Us would have a higher score if it wasn't a UWMA spinoff. As an individual drama, Between Us is better than most of the BLs out there, however, since it's a spinoff, we can't help but make comparisons to UWMA. When compared to UWMA, Between Us fails to meet our expectations.

•❅──────✧❅✦ Between Us as a Standalone Drama ✦❅✧──────❅•

As a standalone drama, Between Us is superior to most of the BLs being made today.

The storyline is not cliché and the main characters, as well as most of the supporting characters, are not your stereotypical BL characters. Between Us has a dark storyline about mental health and childhood trauma and chooses to explore it in a very realistic and mature way. If this were a typical BL, the childhood trauma arch would be finished in an episode or two, in a love conquers all kind of way, and would focus more on how Team and Win fall in love, rather than focusing on how Win helps Team through his trauma. That is by no means saying that Between Us is the next Until We Meet Again, but the way that the drama is presented and the characters deal with their issues is what makes Between Us stand alongside some of the better underrated BL dramas like Not Me.

If you take away any relation to UWMA, Between Us is a must watch drama. How Win and Team deal with their issues, especially Team's mental health, is phenomenal. Their love isn't connected by a red thread like most BL couples out there. There wasn't instant attraction and sweet love from the beginning. Win and Team started off with a toxic relationship and they built their relationship into one that can be accepted by others. Regarding mental health, Win doesn't just magically erase Team's trauma. He tries, but Win doesn’t erase it. So again, love doesn't conquer all in this drama, so it’s interesting to watch.


•❅──────✧❅✦ Between Us as a Spinoff to Until We Meet Again ✦❅✧──────❅•

As great as I think this drama is, Between Us is a spinoff of UWMA, and it fails to meet our expectations as a spinoff. UWMA is a phenomenal drama, and any follow up would obviously be compared to it. The expectations were high, and Between Us failed to deliver. Why? Because there was a genre switch, and the side couples did not meet our expectation.

First, let’s talk about the genre switch. UWMA is every romantic's dream come true. Dean and Pharm are reincarnated lovers, bound by fate. They are soulmates. Dean and Pharm's love is very unrealistic, but we all want that kind of love. Between Us, on the other hand, is very dark and realistic. No one wants to deal with a love that isn't fated, let alone complicated. Win and Team's love is so dark, realistic, and depressing it doesn't bring us to the happy place that UWMA did. Win and Team are not soulmates connected by a red thread. There isn't any proof of it, so when we see them we don't cry or sympathize with them. We don’t want their love like we wanted Dean and Pharm’s.

Lastly and probably most frustratingly, the side couples were not up to par with UWMA. In UWMA, Dean and Pharm were the main couple, but we got Korn and Intouch as a beautiful side couple with an interesting storyline. Even Win and Team, and Mannow and Pruek were appealing side couples. Win and Team’s storyline about the swim team's resident bad boy falling for the innocent and naïve freshman was the stuff of dreams. Mannow also had a storyline about always being a supporting character and finding love. When the spinoff was announced, we looked forward to the relationship Win and Team. Maybe even get to see Mannow and Pruek's love blossom! However, in Between Us everything changed. The swim team's bad boy and naïve freshman storyline was thrown out to accommodate a darker story about mental illness. Which is okay, it has potential to be another amazing story, which it was. However, the side couples in Between Us, did not meet our expectations. Mannow's storyline, which many fans were looking forward to, wasn't in the spotlight. Dean and Pharm? They were barely in the series. All of the UWMA characters that we grew to love were replaced by a brand-new set of side characters and couples. Which would have been okay, if they felt like they were part of the UWMA universe. Bee and Prince's story felt like it was coming from Love By Chance. Even Waan and Tul's story felt like it came from another drama despite Waan being Win's older brother and Tul being a very, very minor character in UWMA.

It's a shame that Between Us has wasted its potential this way. Even if Between Us switched genres from fantasy to realistic, maybe if Between Us kept the original cast from Until We Meet Again and just expanded on their storylines instead of giving us a brand new set of side characters and couples, the spinoff would have been just as great if not better than the original.


•❅──────✧❅✦ CHARACTERS ✦❅✧──────❅•

~~~ Win x Team ~~~

Win is the boyfriend we all wish we had! Sure, he has commitment issues and is afraid of love, but he takes care of Team without any expectations of a return. Due to his issues, he doesn't really communicate his feelings well verbally to Team, but his facial expression usually gives away his thoughts and Team is able to pick up on it, even if it does confuse him sometimes.

Team, on the other hand, is a ball of confusion. He is too naïve for the world and the life he was given. His childhood trauma makes him unable to mature into the person he has the potential to become. It seems like while he's grown up and can handle himself, he also can't handle conflict because he couldn't forgive himself after his childhood accident. He could never get past that accident, and it affects him to this day.

As a couple, Win and Team are not soulmates. While the drama tries to make us believe that they are soulmates, they are not. Win is clearly in love with Team and has been from episode 1, however, it seems like Team is clinging to whoever was the first to help him through his trauma. Yes, Team loves Win, but there is no proof to show that it's not because Win was there to help him sleep through his nightmares. Team depends on Win a lot, but in the drama, Team is never given a chance to be there for Win. Win's commitment issues are swept under the rug for Team's childhood trauma, that unless someone tells you it's because he's the middle child and had to sacrifice so much in his life, you would never know just from watching the drama. However, they are cute together.

~~~ Bee x Prince (and the ABC trio) ~~~

Bee or Bumblebee is Team's clubmate and part of the comedic ABC trio. He falls in love with his classmate Prince, who is a famous actor. They end up having a secret romance because as a famous actor, Prince can't disappoint his fans by having a lover, let alone a male lover.

While I like Bee as a character, and am curious about his love for Prince, these two and their relationship have no business being in this drama. They give off Love By Chance vibes that as soon as I saw Prince, I thought he was Pete (Saint) 2.0.

Bee and Prince do have an interesting storyline, but it has no business being in this drama and should be a new drama all together. The screen time given to Bee and Prince's storyline should have been given to Mannow or Waan's storyline.

~~~ Waan x Tul ~~~

Waan is Win's older brother, while Tul is Win's clubmate. Waan meets T-Rex, Tul's username, while gaming online. T-Rex accidentally overhears Waan's father scolding him while gaming which leads to Waan unloading his issues to T-Rex. T-Rex becomes Waan's safe space, but he never wants to meet T-Rex in person.

Waan and Tul have an interesting storyline and it's nice to see their romance on screen... However, as a spinoff to UWMA, myself and most of the audience wanted to see more of Mannow's relationship with Pruek, so their relationship came out of left field. I still want to see more of Waan and Tul though, since their storyline is very interesting.

~~~ Mannow x Pruek ~~~

If you've watched UWMA, you know Mannow ends of dating Pruek. Between Us just fills in some of the gaps of how they got together... However, maybe because this is a BL and Mannow and Pruek are a straight couple, the screenwriters chose to focus on the other gay relationships. Once again, Mannow and Pruek get very little screentime and are pushed off to the side. We do get a little more detail into how they got together. But unless you watched UWMA, you could care less about this couple. Their storyline is given in bits and pieces that you need to watch UWMA and Between Us to get their whole storyline. If you don't and are watching Between Us as a standalone drama, you won't understand why Mannow is so important and why she is in the drama.

~~~ Dean x Pharm ~~~

Same with Mannow, Dean and Pharm are there to remind us that this is a UWMA spinoff. They mostly just are a cameo and are just odd reminders that this is a spinoff.


•❅──────✧❅✦ OVERALL ✦❅✧──────❅•

While Between Us wasn't the best as spinoff to Until We Meet Again. It is a good drama. I recommend when watching this drama, that you think of it as a standalone drama rather than a spinoff. If you leave the UWMA aspects out, Between Us is a good drama, so I enjoyed it. Boun and Prem gave amazing performances and I will probably rewatch it a couple times since I really enjoyed Boun's acting here.

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Running circles around each other

Okay I am going to break it down my couples. This show didn’t take long at all. I could actually get through it and eat and drink and not completely loose my appetite like it’s lovely parent drama, until we meet again. The average was an 8.8, but a bitch rounded down.

Win + Team
These two have great chemistry with their 8 shows together. Uh I loved their dynamic. Win was getting on my nerves though. Teams crying and everything felt so real. Good couple and I am glad they got this necessary but also really unnecessary spin off.

Dean + Pharm
Glad these two still got some screen time in this one. It’s interesting to see a different side of their dynamic and stuff. Glad it focused on them but didn’t make the whole thing about them and what the first one was about. Love these two to bits.

Pruek + Manow
My favorite and only straight couple. The scene where Manow got spun around was actually the cutest thing ever I couldn’t. Pruek can do no wrong he is the biggest green flag ever and I am really glad he got her to open up to him and their dynamic is really cute and I’m glad they got more screen time.

Wan + Tul
I didn’t not even expect these mother fuckers to pull through but they did and more. He forgave him mad fast, but he is like I’m old bruh pickings are slim. And the way they looked at each other had me actually going crazy. And then the necessary tity sucking scene banger. Great couple needed slightly more screen time.

Bee + Prince
Our last lovely lovely couple. These two were cute. The actor who played Prince is actually such a cutie, I mean they all are really, but his beauty was definitely overlooked. The way he talked and held himself was just magnificent. Their little scene in bed was so cute and Prince coming to support his bae was so cute.

Great show with an even greater cast. I feel like they could have finished this sooner but who doesn’t love some sexual frustration and tension. Not even bad at all. Okay now I’m onto bed friends which I’m hype for.

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