Heroin (2024)

this story is cursed to leave us unsatisfied

Whether you're watching this story for the first time or you've seen the Chinese versions, my initial impression is to temper your expectations, this show is far from the polished diamond it could be. Based on the same novel as Addicted (2016) and Stay With Me (2023), a lot of us had high hopes for this remake and just wanted to see our characters get their long awaited happy ending without the censorship gods trying to de-gay the story, and while this version did give us a "happy" ending, it wasn't the journey it so easily could have been.

Story:
In this adaptation, Hero (Guhai/Wubi) angrily runs away from home after his rich father remarries, he escapes to the countryside to live with his aunt and starts going to school there where his new straight-laced classmate Poppy (Luoyin/Suyu) turns into the outlet for his frustrations.

At the beginning, they sloppily rush through the story, giving the stepbrother enemies-to-lovers romance a new Lakorn flavor comedy spin. Though I love Thai humor, the type of corny slapstick comedy they're using here doesn't really fit with this story or characters, and I wish they didn't interrupt the vibes with so much potty humor. It starts to improve in the next few episodes, and though there's still a lot of cringe, we start to see some good chemistry. Then episode 6 hits and the story is all over the place again. After that the episodes are a mismatch of good and bad, including the random side couple drama, which honestly feels like a fanservice throw in for Hit, Bite, Love fans. They tried to do way too much, and it made the overall feel very disjointed.

Acting:
This isnt really all on August and Mac, but I personally wouldn't have cast them together. Their acting and character development felt forced at first, but after a couple episodes they started to improve and the characters start becoming more complex and loveable. Then all of the sudden, the chemistry just stops, and the story becomes jumbled, their romance just "happens" and we don't expirience anything really unfold. I suspect it's due to all the flack that they've been getting about Mac being 16 and the huge age gap between him and his co-star, which seriously-- why cast him in the first place then?

There arent any crazy scenes but oddly enough they do have a couple of intimate scenes, and there are even a few suggestive shots of the minors that were totally unnecessary, but then they go and censor the kisses??? Isn't censorship the whole reason this story keeps getting remakes, why cast minors in the first place? Seriously it's like the Chinese version all over again. And you know what, if Stay With Me should be testament to anything, it's that you don't need sexy fanservice or even kisses to have sweet romantic tension, so where'd the chemistry go??? Do better Thailand.

Overall, whether I rate this as a standalone or compare it to the other adaptations, the result is still the same. Lots of potential, a mess of production, and a "happy" ending that leaves you just as unsatisfied as before.

Leggi di Più

missed the mark (watch suggestions)

Overall: though this is based on a book which has 2 other live action adaptations, I tried my best to review this series on its own merits. That being said, I think some fans of the book and original adaptation will not like a few changes that the creators have made as they fundamentally changed 1 character which alters their dynamic to feel imbalanced. Aired 10 episodes about 1 hour long on WeTV (need to VPN to Thailand, cut version & uncut version https://wetv.vip/en/album/pgahblq3qny0xuz) and YouTube cut https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqQkseRPA8d53_Hg0wnBlDFwNtFBw6xo3&si=rpt7pbo4KhLJoAoj Later added YouTube uncut for channel members. You can tell you are watching the uncut version if ep 1 starts at a fancy event in a flash forward. The cut version starts with a bunch of students taking an exam.

Content Warnings (uncut): non con kissing/biting, fight, bullying, drugging, abusive parent/violence, transphobia, non con kiss, theft, kidnapping/held against will, punch, drugging, blackmail, homophobia

Watch Suggestions (this is for the uncut version, it cuts out some of the love triangle stuff)
- watch episodes 1 & 2
- episode 3 watch beginning to 12:15, 13-24:45, 36:25-40, 46-end
- watch episodes 4 & 5
- episode 6 watch beginning to 27 minutes
- episode 7 watch 22:15-23:35, 26:30-34:15 (if you want to see a character be unhinged), and 44 to the end
- episode 8 skip 14:40-38
- episode 9 skip 6:30-31 and skip 43:30-49:15
- episode 10 skip 31:15-37:30

What I Liked
- visuals (i.e. working out scene)
- countryside setting
- sweet moments
- that they modified a part in episode 7, the book appears to have been written in 2015 and I have no problem with adaptations changing some things from the source material
- that 1 character didn't get a redemption arc in the finale
- a decent plan in the finale
- satisfied with the way it ended even if there isn't a special or second season
- production value (especially how the opening scene transitioned into the flashback, however it needs better transitions overall)

Room For Improvement
- the cut version took out key relationship development between both couples however it did take out some of the evil girlfriend/wannabe girlfriend stuff which was nice, speaking of
- too much screentime on evil girlfriend/wannabe girlfriend cliche
- tried to cover way too much plot, the side couple would randomly appear and disappear, too much of the main couple's relationship development was done in a montage
- choppy (even the uncut), it quickly jumped from one scene to the next
- a character was toned down but then went very unhinged, the dynamic didn't work
- fake kissing (a reason not to cast a 16 year old and a 30 year old...)
- the transphobic comment in episode 3 which I think was supposed to be translated as "he's not even a real man, he's a trans friend of mine"
- too many flashbacks
- comedy sound effects, also the tone switching between comedy and serious moments didn't always work
- nonsense stuff ie in ep 10 characters didn't tell another character information because they thought it would make him sad so instead he was both sad and mad for many years
- one of the worst/most confusing releases I've ever seen, the youtube channel that released episode 1 was different from the channel that released episode 0, no subtitles even though there were supposed to be and then the subtitled cut version was removed from youtube shortly after it was available to watch, 1 week later ep 1 and 2 cut were back up with subtitles

Note About Actors' Ages (I didn't take off points for this but as an fyi, 1 actor was 16 when he filmed this, the other lead actors' ages were: 26, 17 & 18; age of majority in Thailand is 20)
- from the source material and as shown in the series, the characters are the same age, they start in high school and then later there is a time jump
- there were zero real kisses, the one supposedly intimate scene was very tame and only kissing the person's neck/close to their neck

Cut version differences in episodes 1 & 2 (overall the uncut version is better, I didn't have the energy to watch all cut versions to compare but this gives you an idea of types of differences)
- in episode 1, 12 minutes were cut, about 5 minutes of that was there was an intro scene that took place in the future/present before a flashback, they also cut short the vandalism scene, then they removed Pop talking to his grandma/dad towards the end, and they removed the very end where there is a flashback to the vandalism scene but a new part shown
- in episode 2 (58 uncut/47 cut), after store there is a short talk with grandma about him working which is why he is out late, they cut a little of the nurse talking, in the infirmary they cut at the end that Hero got into the bed with Poppy to cuddle with him, after the sneezing they cut where the girl must have left a box of toilet paper for Mr. Sneezy and Mr. Sneezy thinks it's from Mr. Grumpy who denies it but he is shushed, after Pop's meeting with Hero's dad he goes to school and walks by Hero who is shirtless and randomly wrestling other students for fun, Pop volunteers to wrestle pins Hero and they stare at each other, after Pop took Hero's shirt to wash it there is a scene at a convenience store where Pop helps Hero with writing/homework, they then get drunk with Pop defending his mom and putting his head on Hero's shoulder, Hero gives Pop a new pair of shoes, ties them, Pop then shushes Hero and leans in, it cuts to Pop waking up shirtless in his bed with seemingly a hard on

Leggi di Più

"HEAR ME OUT! ENTITLED ON THEIR OWN OPINION"

If it's not your cup of tea then don't try to smell or have a taste with it. Spill it don't sip it. WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK.

In my opinion, labeling viewers of a drama series as pedophiles simply based on their interest in watching it can be unfair and overly simplistic. Such accusations are serious and should not be made lightly without understanding the context and intent of the viewers.

Be informed that the production is in Thailand, so they have their own rules, guidelines and laws concerning age consent, in reality age consent may differ in different countries based on their norms and beliefs.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE TO SWALLOW: From a legal standpoint (based on Thai law), there is no issue with their age gap in ACTED OUT a sexual scene. I think it's all going to come down to what people think from a MORAL standpoint because every potential viewer has their own culture and beliefs based on the country they are living in. So, no one have the right to dictate to other people that they are disregarding their morals and ethics when it is okay with them regarding the age gap of the two main leads who acted out a sexual scene. DRINK SOME WATER TO PREVENT CHOKING.

Don't be problematic here. There's no problem with their casting; it's just that it goes against your MORAL standpoint. But that doesn’t mean they are doing something illegal or immoral.

Concerns about the portrayal of minors in scenes involving sensitive content are valid, if that is really your concern. However, it is clear that IN THIS SHOW, NO ACTORS NEED TO BE PROTECTED FROM THE HARM OF BEING EXPLOITED and ABUSED. How I can say that? Just simply watching their EP 0, wherein they show how they produce this series (behind-the-scenes footage) and the reaction video of the four lead actors to the official trailer of their series. I cannot see and feel that they are being abused and exploited. As of now, there are no allegations of abuse or mistreatment coming out from the actors in this series.

Don't make things complicated, if the show violates the law or fails to meet regulatory standards, it typically won't be produced or broadcast.

To those people who keep on spamming here in the comment section about "A MAN KISSING A CHILD" please stop being DELUSIONAL. The way you think is really disgusting. No viewers want that kind of scenario.

This Drama series is based on the novel about two sixteen-year-old boys, who despite their social differences and personal history forge a close love relationship that is ACTED OUT BY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS.

So basically, this drama series is not about "A MAN KISSING A CHILD". STOP BEING DELUSIONAL it really disgust me and clearly your intentions are to put malicious accusations and destroy the show.

Friendly advice: You better do some research to gather knowledge about creative filming techniques like camera angling so it can cure your DELUSIONS and also help you to distinguish between fiction and real-life scenarios. It will help you to understand the difference between what's real and what's acted out in dramas or any form of entertainment.

FACT: Mac and August acted out a sexual scene as consensual, under Thai law, it would generally be considered legal and morally right in their country. AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S HARD FOR SOME PEOPLE TO SWALLOW. DRINK MORE WATER TO PREVENT CHOKING.

These two main leads (regardless of their age) are 'ACTORS' who are passionate about their job at portraying fictional characters convincingly. Criticizing them for their choices or age only undermines the value of their craft and the dedication they bring to their roles. Such disparagement reflects more on the critics' own biases than on the actors' abilities or performances.

It is an early apology when you beg to disagree. Im sorry???

Spread positivity and don't forget to detoxify (y)ourselves. 🤡

Leggi di Più

We started with ★7.8

This is the third adaptation from the novel “Are You Addicted?” by Chai Jidan.

The first adaptation, “Addicted” 2016 had a rating of ★7.7 and it was cancelled due to law and restrictions in China. Yet it managed to become one of the most famous BL series.

The second adaptation, “Stay With Me” 2023, received a rating of ★8.4 due to its strong relationship between the main characters. Even if it was censored because of legal issues in China, the drama managed to become a series people tagged as BL.

And now, the third adaptation, “Addicted Heroin” 2024, has a rating of ★7.8 right now, with only one episode aired. Thailand managed to get the rights to make these series finally as the novel was —or mainly— making it fully, not cutting anything and giving us what we expected for the rest of the adaptations.

Of course, as it only started airing, I can only say: good luck, I hope it becomes an amazing one.

Leggi di Più

AVERAGE

Addicted is one of my favorite novel . I watched the two Chinese adaptations before which were so good . But as we hadn't watched complete Addicted adaptations before so I have a high expectations for this Thai adaptation.

POSITIVE- The OST of this series is just too heavenly. August's acting skills are too perfect. He seems to be a professional actor . The cinematography of this drama is also good . There are so many scenes from this series which amazed me so much . The chemistry between the side couples is strong. This story tells us there is nothing in this world which can stop you from loving someone eagerly.

NEGATIVE- If there are positive things in this world then there must be negative things. The actor who played Poppy is a new teenage actor so his acting skills are not that much good as August's but also not that much bad . Feeling like the director haven't read the novel with 100% concentration or he didn't understand the beauty of the story . They put slightly much make ups on the actors face so sometimes they looks too white . And lastly the most criticizing thing about this drama is actors age gap . This is their personal life so I am not talking about this matter but the director should choose perfect age gap actors for making this adaptation as Addicted is a very popular novel .

OVERALL- Overall for me this is an average drama. People who like Addicted novel and want happy ending then this drama is only for you.

Leggi di Più

they missed what made addicted, addicted.

I really stuck through and watched each week trying my hardest to disconnect the source material from the series(I even got the early episodes from WeTv). but in the end it was impossible to do.

the point of addicted was how “addicted” the two main leads were for each other. they were toxic to a fault but their bond they had was indescribable. they wouldn’t only let the world burn for the other, they would gladly lite the match— and that is what we were missing in this adaptation. we didn’t get the fiery passion that the addicted novels needs. that’s the whole point of the books.

I will say I am glad the production took care of Mac and had no kissing or NC scenes since he is underage. It was the right thing to do, however, in casting someone underage it made them restricted in how they could portray this story and certain elements of it so we lose parts of plot that made addicted — well addicted.

if you are comparing this to the source material, the original addicted, or Stay with me, you more than likely will be disappointed. not to mething we once again are left without a season 2. however, if you’ve never see the others or are REALLY good at compartmentalization you might enjoy this. if you removed the addicted elements you’re getting a sweet love story between to young guys.

I would be amiss to not mention how I think this story could have been saved even removing the addicted elements, if the editing wasn’t atrocious. there were so many times it’s made zero sense. between the cut and uncut, the pieces they cut were needed to understand the plot better. it was very disjointed at times.

not to mention there were FAR too many times we didn’t get subtitles. it was a crapshoot if we’re get them each week or not. which made my excitement for the following week dwindle more and more.

overall, I don’t think we’ll ever get a proper adaptation of the addicted books. and I’m pretty sure they should stop trying. especially, if they cannot guarantee we get a second season or the whole adaptation be in one season. I will note I appreciated how this version handled the more upsetting scenes that were in the books.

I will say I don’t think this is the fault of the actors. yes Mac is underage but I don’t think he is a bad actor and August played his character decently with guidance of the director. I’ve seen far worse acting in Thai dramas. I truly believe this was a misstep from day one by the director and production team.

oh addicted, no one can ever live up to how truly unhinged you are and I hope unless we can get a proper casting/ company to produce it they stop trying. you deserve better and so do the fans of the books.

Leggi di Più

Lacks the chemistry, intensity, and heart that made people invested in the story

Having seen the other two adaptations and read the novels I can say that this drama loses all the excitement that made the material worth being adapted. It is actually fairly disappointing in the sense that this is a Thai drama without all the restrictions that were placed on the two Chinese adaptations and yet they managed to make this version the most boring.

The novel has some toxic and abusive behaviors in it so leaving that out actually improves it for me but what this drama lacks is the life that the novel portrayed. The basis for the relationship is centered around the obsession that, in this drama Hero, has for Pop. The obsession comes out of left field for him in a time when his life is at its most unstable. His father just remarried, wants him to join the military, his new step mom has a son that he is constantly being compared to, and she wants that son to move in to his house. In an effort to find some semblance of control for his life he runs away to a new school to avoid it. By chance he meets a boy that at first reminds him of the stepbrother he was being compared to but his background of also not having a mother makes Hero feel sympathy and kinship for him that then grows into an obsession. Even after finding out that they are stepbrothers the pair is so incredibly drawn to each other that they cannot help themselves. Even in the source material Pop is more resistant to this pull and to a romantic relationship initially but he is still unwilling to push Hero away or sever the friendship. What the chinese versions did better is the incredible chemistry between the pairs that this one lacks. This adaptation falls in the realm of it being cute and the actors are doing a good job acting but it lacks the draw toward each other that is needed to really make the show.

While all the actors here are also very attractive and the cinematography is also stunning their are other flaws that are jarring as a viewer. Editing often is abrupt and awkward and the fake kisses are too obvious. I never had a problem with the age gap between the actors because this is a job for them and its not like for them in real life the romantic scenes are actually romantic because there is a whole crew of people around them. But Stay with Me had no kisses at all and was pushed as more of a bromance and yet their relationship felt much more convincing so kisses are not needed to get a point across; fake kisses however definitely pull the viewer completely out of the moment. The other big problem is the parts of the story they decided to focus on. With only ten episodes and so much information to convey they needed to be intentional about which parts of the story to show and they did not choose well. They chose irrelevant parts to maybe make this much fluffier and focus on the romance portion of it but it ended up just feeling more like it slowed everything down making it boring. So much screen time was spent on trivial scenes that added nothing to the story.

It is also unrealistic to make a third adaptation of a novel and expect to not get compared to the others. If you are going out of your way to make another copy of something it needs to be better than what came before and this did not do that. It also will likely leave on the same cliffhanger that both its predecessors did which means that this drama really brought nothing to the table.

Leggi di Più

It took bad to worst

OMG when I think the director can't make anymore messed except with the cast of Hero, he definitely proof me wrong....

I quite exciting when Thai want to adapt this, I think finally we get the proper romance, expect to get the romance better than Addicted. But boy oh boy... First they shock us with the cast of Hero, which like an alien among the teenage cast. Come on... You choose adult to play teenage boy & act romance with teenage boy... Until before this go aired still hope we get new cast for Hero or Pop. That's about disappointed cast, now what more can go wrong from here... UGHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Fair warning... This review will gonna fill with a lot of my rampage about the story & everything....

But first thing first... Story...

Story about Hero, a general's son who run away from home, cause his dad remarried. Hiro go to his aunt home & go to school where his aunt work as a principal. In that school, Hero meet Pop, a prodigy student that always sleep in the class but can still be a top student. Pop attract Hero attention & soon Hero learn that Pop is a poor student. Short story, Hiro get more and more attach to Pop.

And one day, they learn that turn out, whose Hiro dad's remarried is Pop's mom. That's create conflict in their relationship, but that's not enough to make Hiro stay away from Pop. They're soon accept the fact they're now brothers, and that's make their relationship even closer.

And this drama end when Hiro's dad learn about their relationship & start to against it. But it's not really end at the cliffhanger like the book or stay with me version.

And that's the end and maybe the only good thing about this drama version... How this version ended not really a cliffhanger.

In short, just watch anything else. Don't watch this crap....

Below I'm going to rampaging about everything but that's also mean BIG SPOILER ALERT!!! Read it at ur own risk.












==================================================
SPOILER ALERT!!!
==================================================

1. They ruined the whole story.... Nothing good really comes out from this version. Even the fact of Hero's mom death is like taken lightly.
2. One of the worst chemistry between the lead.
3. The way they combine the scene... UGH!!! From where should I start this... It's like they pick one scene & just stick it to the next scene, some scene make me wonder when that's coming from, how come this after that's scene... UGH!!!! Really get me one of the worst headache.
4. The actor need to learn to act first, before accepting any more role. Pop's expression is one of the worst & plain in the drama world. He sometimes even worse than the old Hu Yi Tian. Only & Tiger are not better too... They're really like a kid that get their first role...

Leggi di Più

So that was a nightmare.
I mean the main character (Hero) is horrible, all of their fights were definitely his fault he does not deserve ANY form of sympathy. It annoys me so much that Pop is the one always apologizing. It was wired at first but now it's just dumb. The Characters are badly written, they have no depth they act like they do but they really don't. I was so exited because I wanted to see Jur and Newyear in a better show than Hit Bite Love and I'm really not sure if this is. Episode 8 I started watching Pop and Heros scenes at double the speed because I just couldn't bring myself to sit through that crap. Every decent scene was just a bad copy of Stay with Me and I know their based of the same book but that felt like some one copying their friends homework and changing it slightly so the teacher doesn't notice. But like in a bad way.
After that rant let me try to explain what I mean.
Hero starts out as a rich brat and ends exactly like that there is NO character development at al.
And he's the main character he is the one we should root for. He doesn't need to be perfect but his actions should at least make sense.
Pop's development it also missing and I feel like he is irrelevant to the story (I'not really able to explain that feeling but when I think back to what he did I'm not sure if he really did anything at all).
The age gab between August and Mac make watching an even more unpleasant experience. (Didn't think that would have been possible)
The brother is horribly written he is legit just there to cause conflicts his actions make no sense and have no reasoning behind them. All he does is enable the show to have another episode. Because now there is conflict so we need to resolve it (by kidnaping might I ad that is also something I could rant about for hours), That's it that's all he does and all he IS.

I don't think I can give an unbiased opinion regarding Tiger and Only because I love Jur and Newyear (I know their acting is still a little wonky but I believe in them, I see potential).

In conclusion I hate the show. It should only get a second season if the director and the writers are changed. And if they are not lets be honest I'm still gonna wach it only for Only and Tiger thought. I'm just gonna skip the other Parts (exactly like I did with Hit Bit Love)
Thanks for listening to my rant
(probably with horrible punctuation I'm sorry english isn't my first language)

Leggi di Più