Last Twilight (2023)

Strong Representation, Weak Plot

Watching this series felt to me like looking at abstract art. I wondered, "Am I not sophisticated enough to understand what a masterpiece this is, or is this not as much of a masterpiece as others say?" Now that I have seen eight episodes, I think that Last Twilight is not that good. Let me tell you why.

1. It is weak on plot.
Remember how JimmySea's previous project, Vice Versa, had an interesting pilot episode, but then forgot about the story and gave us ten episodes of plotless fluff with product placements and unnecessary drama? Last Twilight does almost the same. The first episode introduced some interesting conflicts only to show us two guys just hanging out from episode two to episode six. There is a lot of walking around, a lot of cooking, and a lot of fluff, but a whole lotta nothin' in terms of plot. Then, episode six had a plot, but after the more or less cliched love triangle was resolved, the story went back to fluff. Many viewers will probably disagree with me, but I was bored. From episode four on, I watched at 1.75x speed, and some scenes still felt slow.

2. The character development happened too fast.
Last Twilight seems to be one of these stories that flesh out their characters well, but then forget that their personalities determine their behavior and the development of the plot.
In episode one, Mhok is introduced as an impulsive, blunt, street-smart person, freshly out of jail. Day is a spoiled and stubborn rich kid who hides his pain behind a bratty attitude. Their first meeting was so entertaining to watch -- great banter and sparks of playful chemistry. Then, in episode two, impulsive Mhok quickly turned into a perfect caretaker with endless patience, and Day's brattiness disappeared almost completely. Their character development would be way more impactful if Mhok had slowly learned to be gentle and patient and to take care of another person, and it had taken Day longer to open up to him.

3. The chemistry is one-sided.
Jimmy carries every romantic scene on his back. Sea is stiff. I don't feel any passion from his side. I didn't believe that Day had feelings for his crush, and I don't believe that he has feelings for Mhok now. In Vice Versa, both Jimmy and Sea were stiff in the romantic scenes, so it looked like bromance. Now, only Sea is stiff, so it looks like Mhok has a one-sided love for Day.

Last Twilight deserves praise for representation. It is great to see a good depiction of disabled people. Day is not defined by his disability.
Jimmy and Sea have both improved their acting. Sea's portrayal of a blind person struggling to adapt to a life without eyesight is convincing and sympathetic, and Jimmy seems to enjoy playing a more rugged character a lot -- he becomes Mhok.
The story is free from endless product placements, jealous exes, girls throwing themselves on a guy who is clearly not into them, and stupid misunderstandings. However, none of this is ground-breaking anymore. Other BL series have also moved past the negative portrayal of women and the other toxic tropes that were part of older BLs. The challenge now is to have a plot that can hold the viewers' attention until the end.

Last Twilight shows that the actors and producers have learned something from the criticism that JimmySea's last project got. I am happy that it is received well by viewers. As someone who was expecting more plot than I saw in Vice Versa, though, I lost interest quickly.

Edit: I watched the rest of the series. It had plot development and some good emotional moments, but the last two episodes were as bad as other viewers have written.

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great first 9 episodes, offensive ending

man I have never before written a review on mdl but this show drove me so insane I have to. This was going so well. it took me an episode or two to become sold on this, but then I loved it. the disability acceptance, a character who was struggling with a new disability but coming to accept it and live a full life no matter the circumstances. the relationship between porjai and mhok, when we rarely get intimate male-female friendships, especially among exes. day and night slowly reconciling was great. the music is fantastic, i sobbed like a baby after episode 9 like everyone else. genuinely if the show ended there it would have been like a 9.5-10/10. but no. then we had to go into Relationship Drama for the rest of the show. suddenly everyone is weirdly overprotective of day like he’s not a grown adult, the whole day’s mum is against their relationship bc she doesn’t know if mhok can provide for him was bizarre, but fine. i guess it’s a Romance at the end of the day, whatever. then episode 11 came. i’m like wow mhok sure is being weird and condescending and overprotective wonder whats going on there are we taking this caretaking urge past the level where it’s sweet and is instead now a compulsion? i had some hope when they broke up tbh. i thought well knowing the genre they’ll get back together but time apart will be good, day will become morw independent and mhok will have learned he cannot lie and coddle day like a toddler. then comes episode 12. which is so bad it was offensive. as soon as mhok decided his big arrival was to trick day and baby him in ways he didnt ask for again, even after three years apart, i fell to my knees in metaphorical despair. what was the point of the time skip, if no one’s going to change or learn anything? they absolutely nuked any character development by mhok in the last episode. he was there to beg day to take him back and for that only. his actual motivations or story mattered so little that they don’t even bother to explain like….. what happened with his prestigious job he abandoned out of nowhere or what he does after he stays in thailand. the whole “second chance” message was SO forced and heavy handed— why the hell did night call his deadbeat dad up to the stage at his wedding to talk about how much he sucked, and not his mom who raised him and who hes had this arc of reconciling with??? wouldnt that be a more meaningful second chance, instead of oh i guess we’re all forgiving this dude who walked out on us for no real reason, including the mom for some reason— though she has every reason to never forgive that man. but then. then the part that made me literally yell in anger. oh here’s a SECOND cornea transplant with no emotional weight this time and a SECOND three year timeskip for some reason! and day can see again and it’s all better now, he’s so glad that AWFUL part of his life is over and done with now haha the disability the show seemed to be about learning to live a full life with is gone now isn’t that great??? girl i was so mad i barely focused the last like five minutes. great they’re in a relationship that no work went in to fixing. woohoo. maybe worst last episode of anything, actively insulting to its audience and the story it was allegedly trying to tell. stop after episode 9 and have a lovely story instead.

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I'm saddened that Day's words in the last episode were completely misinterpreted

What Day is referring to is his life at the beginning, when he discovered that he would go blind and that his injury could be treated with a transplant. At that moment, Day felt like his life was over, so he locked himself in his room, frustrated and depressed, waiting for surgery. He forgot to live for that entire year, he became a statue like Mee, and he was willing to fade away and to make himself invisible to the eyes of the world until his current situation could change at some point. It was one of the hardest and loneliest moments of his life. Until Mhok arrived and showed him that life went on and that there were many things he could do. Day went out into the world again, interacted with his friends again, began to make plans, participated in activities, traveled, danced, had fun, fell in love, made love for the first time... He realized then that he could live his life in the same way as others. As he accepted his new reality, Day regained his will to live and enjoyed himself again. He fought for his independence, finished his degree, opened his own bookstore, gave talks at the association, wrote a book... Day had a full and happy life, one in which he developed professionally, one in which he felt fulfilled, one in which he proved to the world and to himself that he could handle himself. If you look at the scenes of Day when he regained his sight, you can see him doing what he had already done when he was blind: he participated in a marathon again, he hung out with his friends, he went on dates with Mhok... his life was still the same, because his life was already normal before he regained his sight.
Therefore, Day talks about the difficulties and painful moments he faced throughout the process, but in the end, when he managed to accept his reality and adapted to it, he began to see the light and he started living his life. He no longer wanted to be locked in his little corner, he wanted to be part of the world.

It surprises me that people say that Day's words imply that to be normal is to be able to see... Hasn't Day repeated ad nauseam that he didn't want anyone to pity him? Hasn't he said time and time again that he doesn't want to be treated or seen differently simply because he can't see? Hasn't Day shown his displeasure with the fact that others might think he can't take care of himself? Because he is a normal person and wants to be treated as such. Have you forgotten all this?
How can you say that this series is ableist when it shows the opposite? They have strived to teach us during 12 episodes that people with disabilities can have autonomous, full and happy lives. We see it through Aon and we see it through Day. Let's not forget that everything Day achieved, he achieved while he was blind. Day was already happy before he regained his sight, so his current happiness does not depend solely on being able to see.

The series is not telling us at any point that disability must be cured to be happy. Day has an injury for which there is treatment. They tell us from minute one, and from minute one, he is on the waiting list. Day was not born blind nor does he have a permanent disability. My question is: would you say to those people who have the same injury as Day and who have also decided to have surgery that both their choice and their own experience are not valid? Would you tell them that everything they have experienced and learned as blind people does not count for anything because in the end they have recovered their vision? Is there only one valid experience in the world? Is there only one reality and only one representation? Isn't that a bit discriminatory? Would you say to those people: don't have surgery, it is better that you remain blind, so everything you have previously experienced will not have been in vain? Would you tell them: yes, I prefer that you not regain your sight, so you will be a more inspiring person to me? Would you make all these people feel bad because they have a treatment option while many other people in the world don't?
Because then, if you are not able to empathize with a fictional character, you will not be able to empathize with a real person either. Everyone has the right to decide about their own life and their own body. Everyone has the right to choose what makes them happiest. Day should not be judged for wanting to regain his sight. Day shouldn't be judged for feeling like it adds a little more happiness to the happy life he already had when he couldn't see. Day was happy when he couldn't see and Day is still happy now that he can see, that hasn't changed. Because his happiness is mainly due to everything he has managed to do for himself, everything he has achieved in life, everything he has learned and all the people around him. Because what is essential, what is important, is invisible to the eyes.

Day's blindness not only changed his life, it also changed the lives of Mhok, Night and Porjai. They would not be where they are now nor would they be the same people they are today, if it were not for this entire process. Day regaining his sight doesn't change any of this. The result is the same. For that same reason, the series does not develop Day's life much further after regaining his sight, because it is not going to change anything that they have already shown previously.
This series shows us different realities and different possibilities, and teaches us that they are all equally valid. Last Twilight is a song to resilience, to the ability to adapt to new circumstances and situations. It teaches us that, although we cannot always change our reality, we can change the way we face it. Day is an inspiring character, a clear example of struggle and improvement and that does not change, regardless of the ending. So I encourage you to watch the series again from the beginning and, this time, reflect on what they are showing you. It is very unfair that a series is brought down simply because people have not understood the message.

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Last Doubts Vanished: One of THE most meaningful LGBTQIA+ series

A mindful spirit, braveness, and an open mind are what it takes to possess the power to produce something meaningful. GMMTV has again gifted us with another meaningful, heart-wrenching, and impressive series called "Last Twilight".

The story, which evolves around the disability to see efficiently, dealing with heavy burdens like the suicide of a loved one and being reliant on others, is well-written and paced. Both Mohk and Day are realistically flawed characters and are also portrayed as such. I´m convinced this is one of the best series in the genre of LGBTQ+ in Southeast Asia to be released in 2023 and 2024.

STORY 9.0 >> 9.5
As I have already mentioned at the beginning of this review, the innovation and braveness to portray a story that evolves around disability - which shouldn´t be left out of the film industry as it is part of our world and nothing to be ashamed of or shushed about - has pleasingly surprised me. The issues that come with disabled eyesight are not coming too short and it doesn´t feel like the disability is only a tool for more views and attention, but honestly more as if GMMTV wants to raise awareness for and normalize the thematizing of disability in our lives, as well as showing what those affected by the suicide of a loved one go through. This series offers the possibility to reflect on our world and the entertainment industry, by raising awareness for both these crucial topics and also offering to witness a romance forming despite all the burdens faced by the main characters. Truly beautiful. Truly insightful. Truly inspiring.

I have never changed my opinion on the rating of the STORY to a better rating, UNTIL now. "Last Twilight" has convinced me to be one of the most time-worthy series out there to watch. I feel so blessed to be a witness to this tragic but beautifully written story between two young men trying to overcome this world's difficulties.

ACTING / CAST 8.5 >> 9.0
The chemistry between Jimmy and Sea is probably already well known among GMMTV viewers, but this series raises their bar even higher and makes me feel really happy and warm inside. I wonder what they´re doing in their workshops etc. to create such a natural tension. In "Last Twilight" they have gone over and beyond many bars I have ever imagined to see in the next few years. I am so happy they came this far and immensely pleased by the performance.

What I also like about "Last Twilight" is that the side characters have also become more meaningful for the main story and are not separately dragged along. Especoaööy since they don´t have "that side couple", but it´s focused on Day and Mhok. I´m very pleased to witness that this again proves that most series of GMMTV have improved their screenwriting, especially since I have been part of the journey for more than 6 or 7 years now.

MUSIC 7.0 >> 7.5
The music is usually what provides room for comic relief. With heavy topics as portrayed in this series, it´s unavoidable to provide uplift, as it can also help deliver a more meaningful picture of what it is like to live with a disability where life will most likely also have a shift of positive and negative events and feelings, as we are all are feeling humans after all.

OVERALL 8.5
Masterpiece. Over n´ out!

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Have tissues ready for this emotional ride.

After reading a few reviews, I almost feel like this one will be a rebuttal against the masses but I guess it's all about personal preference, experience and perception so take from this what you will..

Personally, I think this was practically perfect in every way. Even those time where I felt frustrated or upset toward a character or situation, I could tell it was pretty intentional so I guess they did their job right. And, as my headline suggests, there were plenty of sad moments that had me tearing up which is not an easy task.

At the beginning, while I felt sympathy for Day because of his situation and I understood his frustration at the sudden disability, I couldn't quite get behind how bratty he was toward everyone. His attitude toward his brother and Night's obvious guilty attitude immediately hints that he was somehow involved with how Day became blind. We are given the impression that Night was a horrible person to Day in some way, shape or form however as far as the audience has seen, it just looks like Day is lashing out at him when Night simply wants to help. (more on the Night and Day relationship later because.. hoooo boy, do I have thoughts.)

As the series went on and we see Day from Mhok's perspective, it is clear that he is struggling with wanting to be seen as normal while also learning it's okay to ask for help with the things he simply can not do by himself. I definitely feel this one as someone with a sudden disability and coming to terms with the fact I can not do everything I was once able to while learning where my own limits are and needing help to achieve certain tasks. I feel like Sea portrayed the mixture of confusion, frustration and fear very well throughout the entire series.

Sea's performance as Day was damn impressive. Before going into this series, I was thinking it would be similar to the Vietnamese series Want to See You and thought I'd be comparing the performances but, really, there is no comparison. Both were excellent and I think Sea deserves all the recognition. I haven't been this impressed by a performance since Gemini as Heart in Moonlight Chicken. There's a lot of conflicting emotions that come with disabilities and Sea conveyed all of them effectively.

With Mhok, we are given insight to his own fears and insecurities with little tidbits here and there but I do wish we got more of his story because, while it is heartbreaking, it would have explained just that much more instead of having to piece together all the sprinkled hints. Since it was hard to really know what happened until way later in the series, it didn't give Jimmy much chance to convey Mhok's thoughts through expressions very often. We saw a little here and there which I think Jimmy did pretty well, but the lack of his story was definitely not helping.

Speaking of lack of story, I really wish they gave Night more as well. As I said before, it is obvious Day dislikes his brother although we don't find out why until later on. First he says "he's responsible for me going blind" then he says "I know it was an accident and that part I could forgive but what I can't stand is him pretending to be a good son in front of mom." Oh, so he's not allowed to change for the better after the accident? He's not allowed to try to be a better person without being chastised for it?

And here's my big gripe with Day and Night's relationship: It wasn't Night's fault in the slightest. Day was the one who was driving and took his eyes off the road because he didn't want a bit of vomit in the car. Why couldn't he just pull over instead of looking for a bag while the car was in motion? Or just let Night vomit in the car and he can pay to get it cleaned afterward. There really was no excuse for taking his eyes off the road for that duration of time while the car was in full motion. I almost wanted there to be a reveal that Night suffered injuries during the accident too and he held that against Day for taking his eyes off the road. It bothered me that no one seemed to ask or care if Night was okay after being in that car too... and they kind of touch on that a little with the fact Night felt ostracized within his own family. (Night was the biggest source of my crying, by the way, so prepare the heartstrings to hurt for him.)

On the subject of Night, I was so impressed with Mark's performance. I mean, it shouldn't surprise me because he is always phenomenal. But when he's sitting at the kitchen table and has a completely coherent inner monologue using just facial expressions, I just wanted to reach into the screen and give him a hug and tell him "it's okay, let it out." I'm glad they finally acknowledged that he was being neglected though I wish Day had taken more responsibility for what happened.

Here's where I disagree with the masses... a lot of people say that after episode 9 it was all unnecessary but here's why I think it is very important: Day and Mhok went through a "normal" couple's issue of lying and miscommunication. For all of Day's insisting he wanted to be seen as normal and Mhok insisting that Day was normal, this was the most realistic hurdle they came across that any couple could find themselves against. Mhok lied about being accepted for the Hawaii job and Day found out he lied. Simple as that. The fact he is blind has little to do with this fight besides the fact that Day accuses Mhok of taking advantage of his blindness to hide the truth. But, honestly, the truth would come out sooner or later one way or another so the blindness is barely even a factor. And it is in this fight that we see just how much Mhok needs Day and how petrified he is to lose him like he lost his sister. Up until this point, the sister storyline had only gotten a few mentions without really seeing the full toll it took on Mhok... now we see it when he completely breaks down.

Mhok needed to lose Day in order to see he needed to work on himself in order to not rely on someone else so much for his own self worth.. which makes the "thank you for breaking up with me" so poignant and important. Sure, the self discovery might not be the reason Day broke it off but the side effect of the separation made Mhok a better and self reliant individual. That being said, I don't think they needed the 3 years apart to get the point but oh well.. time skips mainly just show that nothing has changed and that the status quo is too boring to showcase, I guess.

Last but not least, the big upset for most people was the very end when Day gets his sight back. Really? We knew this was going to happen from the very beginning. In the first couple of episodes, it's pretty obvious that they were setting up for him to get his sight back at some point. From the very first episode, they mention there is a way to fix it with a transplant so they've already put the idea out there that it is "curable." They wouldn't do that if it wasn't an inevitability. I personally like to see his attitude and behavior afterwards. While we don't see much of the time with his sight back, what we do see is that Day is paying it forward. He had a reputation of being a self absorbed jerk before the accident and he became more compassionate while he lived without sight. Now that he has it back, he doesn't revert back to being a jerk, he instead becomes an advocate for the blind. More than the "happy ending" aspect, I see it as a huge part of his character growth, even if it would have been more meaningful if he never got his sight back at all.

As for the prominent side characters, I absolutely loved Phojai and I thought her friendship with Mhok was very wholesome. I loved that her and Night were together because they both deserved to have someone good next to them. I didn't really see the point of adding in the romantic aspect with August AT ALL. They were partners and there was absolutely no mention of it until a fleeting "oh, by the way, I had a crush on him. Surprise!" And then it's over just as quickly as it started. Everything with August happened in one episode.. that's it. Pretty pointless in my opinion. Gee was a good crossover from his former life to his new life and was very good in terms of showing Day that he could still have his friends from before if he just gave them a chance and was honest with them. She bridged the gap of time quite effectively.

Honestly, this may be one of my favorite series to date. It's nice to see more serious storylines that still balance the romance and feel-good moments effectively. I also like how there was really no "bad guy" or villain in the story and it was just the characters having to work on themselves. I would love more of these where the main setting is not in a school and the characters are more mature even if they are not much older than student age. More of this, please!

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Maybe there's something wrong with me.

When I started this I was pleasantly surprised - I thought Vice Versa was awful, and so I had no expectations. But both Jimmy and Sea were much improved, the story, although a bit formulaic, wasn't overly so, especially in having two men in the lead roles and not a seme and uke, and I engaged with and enjoyed the series. I especially thought Sea was doing a good job as it's hard to show feelings without using your eyes.

But like so many Thai series, it's way, way too long - I'd say twice as long as it should have been, and so many of its positive qualities grew stale.

I had liked how Day and Mhok interacted like guys, teasing each other - but that got so tiresome and predictable that I began to sigh wearily at it all.

Anyway, the central problems for me:

There is no character development. And what little there is is erased by the way the series ends. Mhok's character changes, but it doesn't develop. He starts off as a sexy rough and surly guy who is suddenly neutered and can take any amount of abuse with infinite grace and forgiveness, to the point that he's a total simp, thanking Day for dumping him and breaking his heart. It's a light-switch flipping, not a journey. All of his issues are passed over, like his grief over his sister - it doesn't play into the plot at all past the first couple of episodes, when it's used to propel Mhok into the caretaker job, then he forgets she existed, except to create manufactured drama in Ep 11. Day, on the other hand, starts off as a self-centered entilted brat, and ends exactly the same. You'll note he never shows any concern for anyone other that himself, other than obeying his harpy of the mother (who is supremely well acted, but she's awful. And let's get real - there is 0% chance she would accept her eldest son marrying a poor girl with a baby by someone else. 0%.)

There is no plot.

Everything is just arranged to present romatic set pieces. For example, at Christmas, Day comes to surprise Mhok after work, in a cute reflection of an earlier surprise visit by Mhok to Day's house. They have dinner and Mhok says it's a moment that's so wonderful that he wishes it could last forever. Awww, so sweet. Except that Day had just ditched him all day at Christmas without sending a text like a complete asshole, making Mhok sad all day. Mhok, who used to be surly, is now a saint and isn't even slightly upset about this, because... well, reasons. He has no character anymore, and the plot doesn't either. There is no interplay of action->reaction. Did anyone even for a second think Mhok was the groom in Ep 12? Come on, do they think we're stupid?

The writing is cheesy.

Not a little bit cheesy, but relentlessly, oppressively cheesy. "I used to believe that people were blind because they couldn't see things. I just realized today that true blindness is being unable to see hope." Ugh. It's like the author robbed the greeting card rack of a convenience store and dumped their contents into her story. Even the one occassion of meta-awareness of this cheesiness is cheesy: "I've heard many such cheesy lines, but this is the first time I've believed one."

The morality and moralizing is way off-base.

How was Night to blame for anything? All he did is got drunk. It was Day who practically let go of the wheel and certainly took his eyes off the road (which was a lost opportuntity for irony and consequences paid for actions) to search for a bucket or something, as if there would be one in the car, instead of just pulling off the road. Night should have been praised for not trying to drive drunk, not condenmed to being blamed by everyone including his awful mother. Why does Mhok have to apologize for not wanting to move to a different country and have to be away from the man he loves? If Hawaii were the only place in the world he could get a cooking career, OK, sure, we can discuss that, but DAY'S MOTHER IS A CELEBRITY CHEF. There are better oppotunities at home.

The acting is OK.

Like I said, much improved, but the "enemies" portion of the story had the best acting, and it was interesting storywise because they weren't really enemies - it was a bit of a game to hide their mutual attraction and it was quite lovely. But in the end, I don't think either actor shined, and this is underscored by how strong Mark Pakin is - the most moving moment in the whole series is his reaction to being forgiven. I didn't feel the romantic chemistry between the leads at all - they had good "friend" chemistry, but their interaction is so sexless (and I don't mean sex scenes, which can be more sexless than anything, I mean no heat between them) that it felt like a primary-school relationship with tickling and sniff-kisses to the cheek being about all we see. Again, Mark and Namtan outshone them - I felt the heat the first time they met and it never abated. Sea had a hard job, and he did his best, which was not bad, but it grew dull by the end. Jimmy can do sad-puppy-dog and sexy smirk very well, but that's about it, and he too grew dull.

The writing is shallow.

This could have been about dealing with loss and resiliance, about moving on and adapting to adversity, but Day's character is so thin and inconsistent that we get no depth. His reaction to an unsuccessful surgery implying permanent blindness is wasted on the greeting-card line I referenced above and he processes the situation for literal minutes before being totally over it. And the ending renders the entire series a pointless string of plot points with no meaning or impact. Instead of dealing with the consequences of their decisions, the story makes a time jump, the first refuge of an incompetent writer, and skips over all that for an insta-reunion. Well, not instant, as there had to be a rush-to-the-airport cliche thrown in. Sigh.

In the end, this was just boring. There was a whole episode about jogging. In Ep 12, even the YouTube algorithm was despondent and kept throwing reaction videos to Deadpool into the queue instead of the next part of the episode. The rating of this as I write is 8.6, which is astoundingly high - but I'm willing to bet that in a year it will be down around half a point. There are lovely moments in this that buoy the score, and many people vote early on and don't change it - but subsquent viewers will binge it and it just won't have an 8.6 impact on them, and I doubt people will be talking much about this in a year, because there's nothing to talk about.

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There must have been a dawn

It was just the first episode and I'm so excited! I'm really happy for being able to see Jimmy and Sea together on the screen again, my expectations are also really high since this is directed by P'Aof. Honestly, I think this show will be breathtaking, even though the plot does remind me of Intouchables. However, already in the 1st episode we can see it won't be a copy paste from the French film, the differences between the caregivers' characters backgrounds and the acquired disabilities of the ones in need of being taken care of, shows a bit of how the story will unfold.
The photography is amazing and ending the episode with "the essential is invisible to the eye" quote from The Little Prince was just beautiful. I can't wait to watch the 2nd episode next week!

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Technically it is "perfect", but why do I feel like it lacks something?...

Look I know this show is very loved and regarded as the best BL ever made by so many people, but maybe it really isn't for me, despite me liking many things here. It's definitely a very well made series, it has good acting (sometimes very good), great cinematography, great music!!! (that was a plus for me), but I feel some sort of emptiness when I watch it and when I think of it, it's like it lacks warmth, like it lacks heart. But I don't think it generally lacks heart, it's just that it is so formulaic that it feels like I'm watching a to-do tutorial rather than a depiction of fictional people's lives. What I mean with it is that the characters feel shallow, more like archetypes to make the plot move than like people I would feel something for. And it shouldn't be like that cuz in theory these characters pack a lot of punch! But the way the story unfolds strips them down of their potential to be felt and they become mere acessories (except for the protagonist, Day). I'll take Mhok as an example, as I consider him the best character here both for his background and for Jimmy's ability to make me feel for him. There was a moment in the series (pretty early on I must say) where Mhok stopped becoming his own character and became an extension of Day. His function was to be there for Day and like that he loses his depth and becomes an acessory, a charming love interest. Sure he has his own worries by the latter part of the series but even then he's still in Day's shadow. But at least he's not devoid of personality like Chief Phupa in 1000 Stars. We also have very interesting side characters here like Porjai (Namtan is so great, my first time seeing her in anything) and Night, but they're even more relegated to acessories with very little time to flesh out their own struggles, which are rich. And their development as a couple all happens off-screen, which is a waste of potentially good chemistry there. Now speaking of Day, the protagonist, he is the only one that we get to see the struggles of first hand and while I personally did not enjoy the character cuz I found him unecessarily arrogant and childish through and through, his motif is very rich! But he spends the whole series dealing with his blindess, with self acceptance, with the desire to gain independence... and then at the end it was all in... vain?

So overall it's a nice series for whoever is into very formulaic stuff with tearjerker moments (that didn't make me tear up but oh well) and the happiest endings, but it kinda failed to make me feel much. It's weird cuz I feel heartless by saying this. I just keep on thinking about Moonlight Chicken and how it was so rich with so many nuances and powerful stories being told about a vast diversity of human relationships that felt close to home even when I didn't go through them in my personal life and then I think of this... there's an abyss of difference. I think Aof should do more ensemble series.

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Last Twilight: A Journey of Hope and Heartfelt Storytelling

The story lines of Last Twilight crafted uniquely by the team, not really from any novel. This is really fresh and interesting story lines. Central to its narrative is the powerful theme of 'Hope', encouraging audiences to always have hope no matter the challenges we are facing. The series captivates from start to finish, making me feel part of the story. This is one in a few series that I never fast forward while watching. My heart is always there to support Mhok and Day (leading roles) on their journey. Well, this is actually the credits of the actors to their exceptional acting, drawing us deeply into their world. This is one of the kind series that everyone will love it as soon as start watching it. I really recommend watching this one. It will fulfill your heart.

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Excellent Chemistry and Development of Main Romance

“Last Twilight” is an unexpected delight. The biggest selling point for me is the chemistry and the relationship between the two male leads. Jimmy stole my heart here.

I love Mhok, a total green flag. He was introduced as a ‘baddie’ but really isn’t one. He just had a tough life growing up and life threw him a bunch of lemons, but that didn’t stop him from being kind, hard-working, caring and considerate. He’s the perfect person to bring Day out of his isolation. He not only treats Day with kindness when he isn’t very nice. He is patient and slowly breaks down Day’s wall. He’s tough but supportive. He’s the perfect caretaker and friend. Day, on the other hand, is spoiled and quite immature in a way. He doesn’t really know what he wants in life when badminton is taken away from him.

Jimmy did a great job portraying Mhok. He was a little quiet and shy in the beginning but then the fun and flirty side came out. Sea portrays a blind person admirably but at times, his facial expressions appear a little bland. Comparatively, I enjoy Jimmy’s acting a lot more. Does anyone find Sea look like Zhang Ling He in certain angles? No, just me? LOL

I like the parallel life between Day and the character in the novel. It’s an interesting way to tell both stories and tie in the adventures of self-discovery and growth to the book. There are many other dramas about the visually impaired or someone living with a disability. But what differs and what I enjoy the most is the reminder that being a caretaker and a boyfriend are two very different roles. Many people do not agree with the decision in ep. 11. As much as Day’s mom hasn’t been the most supportive person in the world, her worry about Mhok’s role transition is valid. Could she have provided guidance earlier on? Totally. But then we wouldn’t have ep 11 and 12. Mhok and Day needed time to grow and mature. I don’t really think Mhok pitied Day, but he has his own baggage that was never resolved. He might not be as emotionally available as he thought especially to have a real relationship with someone that’s a little different.

I wonder if I would have liked the ending more if I had binged it straight from ep 1-12. Unfortunately, my timing was not right and I had a 5-day gap between ep 11 and 12. I think it might have affected my enjoyment of the last episode and all my criticisms are focused on ep 12. as it’s fresh in my memory. Yes, the chemistry is still there between Mhok and Day, and I enjoy all the flirting and teasing. But then, the lines become cringey, especially the last 15 minutes of the episode. Declaring your love for each other is fine, but doing so repeatedly in different ways becomes a little unbearable. Additionally, there’s quite a lot of time spent on the ending of Night and Phojai’s story. I like them and think they make a great couple. My problem is that the drama fails to show and develop their romance in the first 11 episodes.

Overall, this is a lovely drama and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s not my # 1Thai BL drama, but it’s definitely one of my favorites. I appreciate the non-dramatic acting, nice OST and cinematography and the lack of ridiculous plot twists and turns. And this is very personal, I am also glad that it doesn’t have the camera stay on the actor’s faces for a few seconds too long for dramatic effects.


Completed: 1/26/2024 - Review #399

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It hit more than it missed, and overall it wrapped up well.

THE GOOD:
- Production value and acting all checks out. The pacing started out really good and only petered out at the end of the last quarter when it got a little cut and rushed.
- The story was heartfelt and emotional with some interesting and good characters and the entire cast carried it well. For people prone to being moved by these types of shows, there will definitely be crying.
- The plot is not heavy or dramatic, but still interesting and engaging, and the actor of Day really did well in his role as a blind person.
- The secondary, and even the third couple, were likeable through and through, great support couples.
- Very rom com ending, not an unexpected thing but not a bad thing either.
- The ML's suit each other and have good chemistry.
- Plenty of corny romantic lines for those who like that sort of thing.

There isn't anything BAD per se, but rather:
THE SHORTFALLS:
- Unpopular opinion: the break up was DUMB, and it was just a writers cop out. They tried to explain it in ep12, why the break up was 'necessary' but tbr, it was just the writers way of managing a time skip for individual character maturation and realizations in the limited episode time. Same sh*t they pulled in Step by Step 🙄 ya'll remember? In Last Twilight, the issue seemed to be not enough episodes for Day and Mhok to optimistically choose a long distance relationship, which could have gradually grown distant as they matured separately far away from each other. Instead they kept it quick and angsty. A little cheap, no?
- Kind of a 'fairytale' ending, which was a let down. Day getting his eyesight back not long after they got back together felt...empty. Predictable sure, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, except it was also less meaningful. For me anyway.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Phojai. Just her. She was a highlight.
- I liked how Mhok dropped his presence to Day before he closed the taxi door in ep 12, smoooooth.

I can't claim that this show is rave worthy, perhaps because the 'feel good emotional romance' type of story generally bores me, or just because episodes 11 and 12 didn't quite hold up imo. But from an objective point of view, this was a very good BL, especially when compared to other shows in similar slice-of-life-romance-with-a-side-of-angst vein. It also had good acting and a really solid start, the first 8 or so eps were all on the rise, but it missed a few marks after the relationship began being properly established and the writers had to find a way to add angst to it for a closing arc. I know there is a template followed for these kinds of stories, but I do think things need to feel organic and original in someway. The ending of LT didn't really stand out, but hey, it was 'feel good' for sure.

(Edit: I've seen that there's a lot of back and forth about whether it was a good ending for Day to get his sight back, and I just wanna' add to this review, that for me it wasn't THAT he got his sight back. He was on the donor list, we knew from the start he wanted the transplant, and of course, why wouldn't he want to? That's not the issue.

It was the ridiculous rush and timing of it happening. Too 'fairytale' and way too convenient too. I would have preferred, seeing as how the writers were fine with time skips, that after Day and Mhok had already been together for a few years, maybe even living together and doing well, that a donor became available.

I would have LOVED to see that after he'd lived a few years happily with Mhok despite his being blind, for the show to END at the moment where his family is waiting as the bandages are taken off his eyes in the hospital and maybe Mhok's face is the first thing he sees and he smiles and says "I can see." and close scene. Happy, emotional, meaningful and it just ends there. I didn't need to see how 'normal' his life could be with him as a seeing person, we already know life is easier if we can see. The show was, to a large extent, about him being a non-seeing person and coming to terms with it, so I felt there was no need to show that ending of 12. In the end, two hospital eye reveals cheapened the emotion, ending where we knew he got his vision back would have been enough for me without messing with the tone of the show.)

Basically, I wouldn't watch it again, but I would rec it as worth a one time watch. ✌️

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