The Eclipse (2022)

It’s not perfect but

I gave it a 10. I support and want to see more plot-heavy BLs where the romance is not the main theme but rather an additional sub-plot. The Eclipse took definitely that turn even if the actual plot was chaotic, a little confusing and not tight enough.

Having said that, ironically, the main reason I gave it a 10 is bc of the romance. I loved the characters dynamic, the way they flirted with each other and their overall relationship development. This is the second BL that imo managed to portray a so called „tsundere“ character realistically. A lot of the time BLs tend to portray a dynamic where one boy relentlessly pursues another boy and the other boy usually reacts in an irritated, cold and annoyed manner which heavily implies romantic disinterest. In contrast, First portrayed Akk as flustered and defensive instead of annoyed and uncomfortable - huge props to him for that! That way it never felt like Ayan was harassing him. They became pretty quickly aware of their mutual attraction and they kept pushing and testing each other and it felt more like Ayan was playfully trying to gauge Akks comfort/discomfort level regarding his attraction.
The dynamic was great, the acting was great. I’m honestly surprised that GMM was sleeping on First for so long, he is one of their best actors. Khaotung too is surprisingly versatile.
Neo and Louise did pretty well too and I’m glad they allowed Neo to explore non-comedic roles.
Also, thank god none of the characters were BL-straight!

I have a lot of questions regarding the story though, too many really. I understand and like the idea they were promoting about equality and the criticism of overly stiff rules that are still very prevalent in a lot of collectivist cultures/societies, even if the way they did in the story is rather simplistic.
There were a couple of twists that seemed very strange to me. I thought maybe they needed backflashes to properly build-up and explain them. I didn’t quite understand what happened between Dika and Chadok. Did Chadok transfer Dika without his consent? What exactly prompted him to comment suicide? There seemed to be a couple of people suffering from depression or other mental conditions and I wish they showed the progress of these mental issues better. I also didn’t understand why it took everyone so long to deal with 3 students. I’m not knowledgeable in Thai legal and human rights so I’m not going to complain further. Overall I thought the build-up could’ve been done a lot better.
Maybe I’ll have a revelation while rewatching it a second or a third time, who knows. All around I really liked it and hope to see more of similar projects, hopefully with better/tighter written plot next time.

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DONT EXPECT.

Honestly, I would have enjoyed the show a little more if I could skip my expectations. Can I blame myself though ? A school mystery, a enemies-lovers plot, such good cast. The cast did their best to save the series, they did, wish the plot wasnt so rushed and wish it made a bit more sense.

I mean the solid story you keep waiting for, never happens. The climax is over all of a sudden, resulting into a hurried last episode which delivers a few good scenes just to save your day.

If the story had a few more elements, a good pace, a few character build ups here and there, I could happily decide on it as one of bests. Hope to see more of First-Khaotung. The pair blown me away for sure.

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The Eclipse is one step away from gratness... sadly

I have to say that after watching the first episode, I truly believed that gmmtv won't be able to give us proper bl series and that Bad Buddy was just a fata morgana in this age of drought. 

No grain of salt, The Eclipse has one of the worst first episodes I have ever seen. The narrative is all over the place (important; keep this in mind), the scenes happen so fast, the editing and music feel like a first grader was given access to a windows movie maker. 

BUT, try giving it a second chance.

The Eclipse tackles themes like mental health and actual (believable and realistic) homophobia within a rotten system. It carries heavy themes and portrays them in a believable and mature way. 

But the sad thing is... doesn't really do anything with it. 

In reality… the story is kinda messy. This drama is really strong and compelling (and arguably peaks) in the middle. It sets us up well... only for the plot to somehow get lost in the last few episodes. AND I AM SO MAD ABOUT THAT. This drama knows what it wants to do… but then doesn't do it.

The World Remembers Club is supposed to be fighting oppressive school rules but the main thing they seem to be concerned about are… uniforms? Not the teachers abusing their power? Or the homophobia and blackmailing constantly being thrown at them? 

This series takes it self so seriously. But then pretends that ACTUAL teachers believe in a ghost that punishes misbehaving students?

And it carries on like this throughout the rest of the series. Just… the narrative and tone is all over the place. WHY ARE WE FILMING A BL in the middle of Akk's life crisis?

Really I had to give up on the story near the end because it stopped making sense. That's the one huge step the drama had to make in order to be great, one of the best even. Because it could have easily been there, if it's story was executed better. 

Luckily, this series has brilliant characters.

Akk and Ayan stole my heart. Bad boy and Mr. Perfect with an actual depth given to them? Sign me the hell up. They have a chemistry that is easily a highlight of this series. The air legit sparkles between them.

Khao skyrocketed in my list of favorite actors, he knew exactly what type of character he was portraying and not once was his performance lackluster. His acting is overall the best in this series and I enjoyed every minute he was on screen. Not to say that Ayan is a masterly written character.  

First is also great (I just still can't get over his crying. It's just… not great man). He gave us an opposite of what he was playing in Not me, so versatility! Plus he is handsome as hell. 

Most of the side character's acting is great as well. Not perfect but still above average. Production is gmmtv standards (for the love of god fix your microphones already.)

So...  OVERALL, this series is good. It's unique, has great, dimensional and likable characters. Keeps you on your toes and doesn't bore you. But if you think you are going to find a perfect, deep and clever series, I fear you might be disappointed. 

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THIS WAS A GREAT SERIES

Everything about this series was pretty good, the plot, the acting, and also the music. The actors in this series were really good and played their characters well. HOPE TO SEE MORE OF FIRST AND KHAO IN THE THE FUTURE.
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The story captured me from the beginning

This BL series has gotten some bad reviews. I thought it was brilliant. Its message was perhaps lost in the way the story unfolded. That is too bad because its message and meaning is quite significant. For sure, this story twists and turns in sometimes strange ways and does not smoothly transition from beginning to end. But if you understand the intent behind it, it is quite an impactful and moving story. Remember, this is yet another never-ending Thai BL about high school boys. But with this one, I took the time to see it from the perspective of a Thai teenage boy. And guess what? It is messy, uneven, illogical, immature, and chaotic. Just like a teenage boy IS. This was one of the few times that I thought these endless school BLs finally captured the essence of a teenage boy. Silly, impressionable, vulnerable, passionately committed, searching for truth, making mistakes, failing, and falling deeply and hard in love. Have we forgotten?

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Loved but disappointed.

So, I initially saw the trailer for this and thought it looked amazing. I have watched and loved these actors in other things, so the thought of them combining into one show appealed to me. I also liked the idea of the suspense element the show was suggesting via the trailer.

I was drawn to keep watching the show because of Ayan and Wat’s character more than anyone else. I loved First in his role, but I already worked out he was behind the “curse” so I kind of considered his character Akk to be a bit of a loose cannon. Neo and Louis were the stabilising actors in this show a long side AJ, and became the 3 core characters as I watched it.
Ayan became aggressively pressuring toward Akk in the end, and Akk spiraled and then kind of… stopped spiraling. It was the stranger part of the editing for me as everything jumped from one emotional moment to the next without resting in it.

The suspense element was removed fairly early with the lack of investigation Ayan was doing, and then later the lack of consequences for those that actually initiated the actions leading to what caused Ayan to come to the school in the first place.

The chemistry between First and Kao was excellent, and between Neo and Louis. The clearly worked hard with what they had but there were things missing or skipped over for their stories. Chadhock should not have been the only one resigning. The woman who broke his spirit and was the head of the school should have too. No consequences left for little pay off. The only consequence was on Akk. Also, why the constant references to his predecessor if there was no purpose to it?

Lastly, the other main teacher was totally forgettable. Ploy seemed to not fit in most of the scenes she was in. Like her character was forced there as an add on to give her more screen time. The way she hyper focused on Wat also felt off. Like, I get it, AJ is a pretty man to look at, but he was playing a 17 year old. Having her over focused on his future and being their in the last scene felt inappropriate (I know of no teacher who would actually hang out with their students like that. My parents were both teachers and they would have lost their job doing such a thing).
It felt like she was simply contracted to be on screen a certain amount, so they just added her in places that weren’t needed.
Wat was an awesome character and one of my favorite in the show. They could have done more with him than give him lots of conversations with a teacher.

I do not believe there was any intention of shipping those two characters however, like some thought. I just think they hired ploy and needed to put her places to fill the contract.

Basically, there were a lot of plot holes, but the chemistry between the actors was awesome for the most part. Perhaps get them back together again (minus ploy cause she felt really out of place with this group) and do something else.

Perhaps if they had done 16 episodes and expanded the story more to allow for the emotional moments to hit harder, added more consequences and removed the stalker teacher element, it would have been a lot better.

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MYSTERY ISN'T CLICKING AT ALL

This series has the corniest mystery ever. The intention of the mystery in a drama should have made watchers to hook up and intrigue in the storyline, but in this drama, it was a total nonsense and too shallow for this genre when the story reaches the climax. I tried to finish this, in hopes there will be a nice pace of romance. In the end, this could have a great potential if only they chose different scenarios for the mystery part or should they stick to romance and youth only.

Moreover, I would not sign up to be in this series if I was chosen as one of the main/supporting actors. Although the casts have made an outstanding acting all throughout, they still failed to help me not distracted to the messy curse things.

The eclipse? The curse? Mehhh.

An average drama for me. Could have been the best if planned perfectly.

(Suggested overall rating is 6.5/10 but I will still rate this with 7.5/10)

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Poor execution of an interesting premise but good romance and chemistry

The premise of “The Eclipse” sounds interesting and it actually has a decent plot and not just another school-setting Thai BL. I was hoping it would be similar to “The Gifted” which I quite enjoyed. Unfortunately, the execution of this interesting premise did not quite meet my expectations. But the overall acting of the young cast is actually pretty good, compared to other Thai BLs I’ve seen.

For the longest time, we have a group of THREE students, who call themselves “The World Remembers”, protesting against wearing school uniforms. I guess that could be a start in fighting back unreasonable school policies and rules. However, these same three students don’t seem to do much and the uniform issue lasted way too long before the protest gained traction to attract more people. The curse is supposed to be something scary but the threats do not seem that scary at all. They just seem like pranks to me. Ayan’s goal to find out more about his uncle’s suicide is executed a little better than the protesters. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also think it’s a waste of the female teacher. She could have done more and taken a more active role, but she’s just on the sidelines for most of the drama, and not contributing much.

Ayan is the best part of this drama. He brought joy and fun, and also facilitated the changing of Akk's character. The two make a very cute couple and one of the healthier relationships I’ve seen in a Thai BL drama in a school setting. I enjoy the teasing and the opposite-attract romance. I like how they communicate and Ayan patiently waits for Akk to come to terms with his feelings. The pair not just act well individually but also have great chemistry together. There may not be sexy scenes in this drama, but there are many romantic, cute and shy moments. There are also quite a few emotional scenes by Ayan and Akk, and I like how they support each other through tough times. I also quite like the secondary romance between Thua and Khan, and it’s mainly because I find Khan to be adorable. Thua is ok but his acting is only so so. I thought there’s more to Thua’s relationship with his stepfather, but then nothing happens.

Other Random Observations:
1. We have all good and supportive parents in this drama. Wow!
2. I love the main romance but Akk giving Aye a sponge bath is a little too much and cringey.
3. I see a pattern with Thai BL - swimming pool, underwater kiss, beach and guitar.
4. Why are students (even if they are prefects) patrolling school grounds at night?
5. A rare Thai drama that I only remember 1 product placement of drinks and they are not that bad.


Completed: 12/11/2022

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A promising start with a lackluster end

First and Khaotung's main lead breakthrough had an intriguing arc to school settings and criticism towards control, as the story pulls you through a relatable part in youth. The dark landscape painted a picture on the pressure teens face before their next chapter in life, but there's twists and turns that make you the detective as the story progresses.

What did I like?
The dynamics for four of the characters really showcases the different perceptions in self-discovery. I think before the final two episodes, it was well developed and complex enough to differentiate between the clashing personalities. The chemistry is tender. I loved the different ways each couple expressed their young love. It feels nostalgic! The discussions of mental health is also one of the rare series where they don't sugarcoat it, but they also don't stereotype and stigmatize mental illness. The acting for the most part (especially with the main leads) is fantastic. Poignant expression coupled with the actors really getting into their characters shows how dedicated they were in bringing the characters to life. The angled cinematography to collaborate with the theme of the show was clever! I see you, camerapeople. Finally, the representation, for once, didn't feel like "insert character for comedic relief". The more feminine characters actually had purpose to the plot, and for good reason.

What did I not like?
The plot had a great stride, but it exhausted its efforts towards the end. The sound quality was not the greatest. It felt like they filtered a microphone underwater for most of the scenes. While it was okay enough to get by, the static sounds were still distracting. And, as I said before, my personal distaste for the final two episodes left me docking off my enjoyment for the series, as well. It felt like they had to rush to conclude the series (or season, if there is going to be a second season). It made me ponder my thoughts on a certain character due to how quick they brushed away a particularly important scene. There was also a part at the end that made me feel like it was a strange fanservice filler. If they had that idea somewhere in the middle it would've made a little more sense, but again, I didn't see how incorporating filler when the conclusion is on the horizon would make the ending feel more complete.

So this series could be a hit or miss for a lot of people. If you're really interested in political symbolism, low-key jabs to government control, or hell, even just the main leads, give it a watch. Support the show. I notice they had a limit with what they were working with, but it felt like a promising story where the crew really cared about representation.

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