Only Boo! (2024)

un colpo al cerchio, un colpo alla botte

serie nettamente divisa in 2 parti: fino all'episodio 9 è una serie molto carina con personaggi adorabili che si innamorano teneramente senza sottotrame tossiche e comunicando efficacemente tra di loro. C'è anche una coppia secondaria contraddistinta purtroppo dal clichè della mancanza di comunicazione e dei malintesi inverosimili, cosa che si protrarrà fino alla fine della serie. Questa prima parte è sicuramente molto leggera e forse anche banale, ma mi piace tantissimo, in quanto in realtà non mi piacciono trame inutilmente complicate e mi piace semplicemente vedere la storia di due ragazzi che si frequentano e si innamorano l'uno dell'altro in mezzo alla vita comune di tutti giorni.

Nella seconda parte, episodi 10-12, arriva il dramma: Kang e Moo sono costretti a lasciarsi a causa del contratto da idol di Moo che vieta di avere relazioni sentimentali. Questa seconda parte non mi piace affatto, sia a causa di diverse incongruenze di trama, sia perchè mi è sembrato che la serie tendesse a giustificare troppo questo tipo di contratti, che ritengo assolutamente abominevoli. Innanzitutto non ho capito perchè i ragazzi sono rimasti sorpresi dalla clausola del contratto che vieta le relazioni: si tratta di una cosa risaputa, lo sanno in tutto il mondo che nei contratti da idol vengono inserite queste clausole, come può non saperlo un ragazzo che ha come sogno quello di diventare un idol?? Inoltre già prima di firmare il contratto la mamma, poi il cugino e poi lo stesso Kang hanno chiesto a Moo di cancellare dai social i video con lui e Kang assieme: per quale motivo avrebbero chiesto di fare questa cosa se non sapendo, come sanno tutti, che nel contratto sarebbe stata inserita una clausola di quel tipo? Come detto mi sembra che la serie tenda a giustificare questo tipo di contratti: la mamma, il cugino, Kang, la manager, il membro anziano del gruppo, tutti si comportano come se questa clausola fosse assolutamente giusta e normale e hanno parole "sagge" per giustificarla e difenderla nei confronti di Moo, che invece viene fatto apparire come un ragazzino immaturo che non capisce che quella clausola è "giusta" e che non deve far altro che adeguarsi. Del resto nella realtà i produttori della serie fanno la stessa cosa con i propri attori sotto contratto, poichè le condizioni contrattuali e il problema dei fan tossici sono molto simili per gli idol e per gli attori di serie b-l, e quindi i produttori certamente non possono condannare qualcosa che fanno loro stessi. Questi ragazzi vivono in condizioni di lavoro alienanti, sono costretti a recitare costantemente una parte e sono derubati della loro vita privata, della privacy e della libertà di amare chi vogliono dai produttori e dai fan tossici, trovo tutto questo aberrante e trovo aberrante che la serie tenti anche di giustificarlo.

Il finale è affrettato, semplicistico e inverosimile: Moo chiede alla casa di produzione di eliminare la clausola, e la casa di produzione acconsente senza problemi e senza nessuna discussione: se era così semplice perchè non lo hanno fatto prima?

Alla fine tutti vengono accoppiati: la coppia secondaria, l'amica di Kang, Jang, il cugino di Moo.

Il voto è una media tra la prima parte che mi è piaciuta molto, e la seconda parte che non mi è piaciuta per niente, non per l'argomento, ma per lo svolgimento. Sarebbe auspicabile che altre serie portassero alla luce la problematica dello sfruttamento degli idol e degli attori bl e la problematica dei fan tossici, ma inquadrando il tutto sotto una accezione negativa, come è nella realtà, e non cercando di giustificare il tutto come fa questa serie.

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è tutto così cute e bello per essere vero

Mi sono innamorata di questa serie sin da quando uscii il primo trailer, era una di quelle che aspettavo più di tutte e sapevo che mi sarebbe sicuramente piaciuta.
Inutile dire che quando poi è uscito il trailer ufficiale mi sono sentita morire dalla felicità e non vedevo l’ora.

Only Boo ha tutto: una buona trama, ottima chimica e pure le ost erano davvero belle.
La trama è veramente carina e mi piaceva l’idea di portare sullo schermo una storia che rappresenti una realtà che non sempre viene vista come normale e per questo sentivo che sarebbe stato veramente difficile arrivati a un certo punto della storia. Purtroppo una delle cose che succedono spesso è questo pensare che cantanti e attori siano delle bambole che devono agire come il pubblico vuole, ma non è così e mi fa pena che le persone non possano voler esprimere la loro vena artistica e il loro talento come vogliono perché devono rinunciare a tanto per poterlo finalmente fare, e anche una volta raggiunto il traguardo (o appunto a tema della serie, il loro “Everest”) hanno inevitabilmente dei problemi perché spesso sono costretti a seguire la volontà del pubblico pure in merito al loro lavoro e a quello che offrono.
Si comprende che questo è un campo veramente difficile e una delle cose più controverse per gli artisti è proprio quella della vita privata e amorosa; tutti i fan pretendono di vedere l’artista come un angioletto che mo è nato e nel contempo pretendono che l’artista in questione debba stare solo con loro, è puro egoismo e mostra la vera natura dei fatti, ossia che ai fan non importa veramente di quello che l’artista offre in ambito lavorativo, ma solo di poterlo controllare a piacimento.
È assurdo pensare come non si riesca a sradicare questa abitudine e “tradizione”, e non ho molta fiducia nel fatto che si possano fare passi avanti in materia.

Partendo dall’inizio posso dire che Kang e Moo mi hanno fatto uscire pazza sin da subito: mi piaceva molto come Kang abbia aiutato Moo in tutto e per tutto senza pretendere nulla ed è questo che più mi è piaciuto di lui, era inevitabile che con tale trattamento e personalità Moo non si innamorasse di lui.
Da un lato all’inizio mi rompeva che la madre di Moo pareva non vedesse l’impegno che lui metteva nel suo sogno ma è anche vero che lei stessa capiva che Moo non poteva sacrificare lo studio per il suo sogno, o metteva impegno in entrambi o vedeva di cambiare; nonostante ciò è anche vero che è stato brutto da parte sua mandarlo lontano da casa, in ogni caso menomale che così è stato perchè non solo Moo ha potuto incontrare Kang, ma è anche cambiato molto, non tanto di personalità ma è maturato sicuramente.
In realtà penso che sin dall’inizio lui sia stato sempre molto più maturo di quanto sembrasse, nonostante fosse sempre così attivo, giocoso e diretto, comunque nei momenti seri era più che maturo. Per esempio quando è successo che Moo e Kang hanno litigato per il tablet, perchè Moo non sapeva che il padre di Kang fosse morto proprio quando stava tornando a casa dopo averglielo comprato, dopo quel litigio mi ha fatto morire come Moo prima abbia detto con se stesso che non gli avrebbe più parlato, poi nel bel mezzo della notte si è appostato fuori dal ristorante per parlargli. Questa cosa l’ho amata molto in primis perchè Moo in quel momento non sapeva neanche le motivazioni della rabbia di Kang ma ci ha tenuto lo stesso a chiedere scusa per essere stato insistente, questa cosa può sembrare una cosa proprio di base ma non sempre è così e non tutti sono abbastanza maturi da accettare e comprendere che, se non tutta, almeno una minima parte di colpa ce l’hanno, per questo Moo è stato decisamente maturo. Allo stesso modo ho amato pure come Kang ci abbia pensato su e abbia capito che non era giusto arrabbiarsi con Moo dato che lui non sapeva nulla delle sue motivazioni e che in ogni caso la sua reazione era esagerata. Posso dire che è stato da quel momento che li ho incominciati ad amare con tutto il cuore.

Se devo dire la verità Moo mi è sempre piaciuto e in generale ho amato come non gli ci sia voluto molto per capire che era innamorato di Kang, ma cosa più importante ho amato come abbiano rappresentato un personaggio che non si sia fatto mezzo problema sul fatto di essere innamorato di un ragazzo. Non ci è stata quella solita crisi alla tipo “Mi piacciono i ragazzi? È giusto o non è giusto?....”etc….non che non sia normale, è lecito chiedersi e farsi problemi in queste situazioni (io stessa sono la prima ad avermi fatto queste domande e a piangere come una disperata l’anno scorso quando mi sono inspiegabilmente innamorata di una ragazza ma non ero proprio capace di capire me stessa), solo che in generale la figura di una persona che non si fa problemi e non ha fatica a capire se stessa non è un tipo di figura che viene spesso mostrata, solitamente si pensa a mettere in mezzo queste tipo di domande e in effetti ci sono pure qui, ma nella seconda coppia.
Quindi penso si sia capito che intendo proprio che amo il modo in cui abbiano deciso di rappresentare un tipo di sentimento che non vedo spesso.
A Moo proprio non interessava nulla se non infastidire carinamente Kang, stare con lui e conquistarlo; ho amato anche come non abbia esitato a dire a sua madre che ci stava provando con lui mostrandoglielo pure in chiamata. Amo i tipi così diretti.

D’altra parte Kang è stato un pò più complicato da leggere; è iniziato tutto con una delle sue gentilezze ma ben presto si è capito che pur essendo una persona gentile, con Moo era un tipo di attenzione differente, era qualcosa di più.
In effetti Kang è veramente altruista e gentile e mi ha scioccato come questa sua caratteristica abbia fatto innamorare Moo, solitamente questa caratteristica porta a litigi perchè non si capisce se il personaggio tratti in quel modo una persona per gentilezza o per amore, ma qui è stato tutto diverso e amo sta cosa; Moo si è innamorato della sua gentilezza e non si è mai posto domande, giuro che lo amo. BASTA NON NE POSSO PIÙ, REGALATEMI UN MOO NELLA VITA.

A differenza di Moo, per Kang l’innamoramento è stato un pò più complicato: si è visto che Kang fosse innamorato già da tanto di Moo ma se n’è reso conto tanto dopo, si vede che lui diciamo negasse questo suo amore e in generale capisco molto come non volesse che la madre fosse preoccupata o delusa da questa cosa, infatti il suo coming out è stato di fondamentale importanza non tanto per noi spettatori, ma per lui come personaggio è stato un vero e proprio segnale per poter iniziare ad essere totalmente se stesso dopo tanti anni passati a nascondere parti di sé, non dal punto di vista amoroso ma parlo proprio del suo “Everest” e di quello che poi ha scoperto di nuovo in sé stesso.

Da lì tutto in salita, erano così dannatamente carini, li ho amati con tutta me stessa.
Il regalo di Moo mi ha ricordato tanto 2gether per quel codice segreto e si vedeva che loro due erano così affiatati. Devo dire che tutti gli episodi fino al nono sono stati un vero e proprio sogno per il loro amore così vivo che mai, il modo in cui Moo abbia dedicato due canzoni a Kang e di come sia stato iconico il fatto che pur di fargliela sentire, Moo si sia intrufolato nella stanza di registrazione dichiarando così il suo amore per Kang a tutta la scuola, si è sempre visto che i suoi sentimenti erano così seri, vivi e brillanti, ma soprattutto sinceri. Si sono pure dati tanto coraggio per il raggiungimento del proprio “Everest”, con un primato alla comunicazione e al rimanere costanti e con i piedi a terra, sottolineo questo perché, per esempio, per il fatto della Nuova Zelanda, se Moo non l’avesse detto a Kang ci sarebbe stato uno stress generale + litigi, e non meno importante, una volta detto, se Kang avesse reagito in maniera assurda non sarebbero stati in pace con sé stessi e con l’altro; ho amato proprio il modo in cui hanno dato priorità alla comunicazione e al loro amore, perché anche quando sta per venire la fine del mondo l’importante è godersi gli ultimi momenti vicini, come se fossero la cosa più preziosa al mondo, una cosa da proteggere con tutto il loro cuore.
LA RECENSIONE NON CI ENTRA TUTTA QUINDI LA DIVIDO IN DUE PARTI
link recensione: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DVMdpqk32xnaHGjenvpbXvlE1iMIi-8t-5FxfXug7nY/edit?usp=sharing

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THE BEST OF 2024 SO FAR!

What are you doing? If you havent watched this series yet just go and fall in love with Moo and Kang already! Only Boo is this year's Bad Buddy and My School President! One of the best of the year so far!

This series breaks my usual Friday night GMMTV BL habit. At first I was hesitant to watch it - 2 relatively new actors, with a cheap looking poster and a not so overwhelming trailer, plus its another one of those young high school themed BL series. but I am so glad I gave this a chance. The very first episode surprised me - and I immediately fell in love with the characters! This series is a testament that not everything has to be overproduced (with acting and production) to make an entertaining enjoyable series - if its made right, sometimes the best way is the simplest way.

I cant say enough how this series relied heavily on the 2 main leads's charms - Keen as Moo is a surprising revelation and Sea as Kang in his understated awkward robotic acting reminiscent of Japanese BLs. Both are super adorable and super lovable and their chemistry is just over the top. Their characters may be considered two of the greenest flags ever created for a BL and are really good role models for the current generation of LGBTQ and BL lovers. Watching them together is hard to believe its their first main series, It will be crazy if GMMTV isnt lining up projects for them.

Let me also just say that whoever thought of making Kang and Moo cry, you are an evil evil genius man! Everytime Moo and Kang cry feels like watching your puppy just died and triggers every maternal instinct to want to protect them both.

The second couple and the support casts are also amazing. Aun and Ashi as Potae and Payos are just as adorable as Kang and Moo. And Milk - what can you say about Milk - she has become the gold standard for all the BL fangirls (and fanboys) out there, it felt like I am Neth screaming at the top of my lungs whenever i see my ship together. Added to the mix is the always adorable Louis looking perfect as the band's leader and eventhough a lot of KangMoo supporters hated Book's character I still loved that he shared his experience to support the new actors.

The story itself, although at first glance showed a very common plot, was fully developed for a 12 episode series. I loved the idol concept and the journey that both Moo and Kang had to go through with a very fast pacing and a very positive messaging delivered in such a modern refreshing way. Every single episode felt important and most of all, i really appreciate the fact that eventhough some of the episodes especially 10 and 11 are meant to be the dreaded breakup episodes they still found a way to end each of them positively so we wont have to wait brokenhearted for a whole week.

Also the music and soundtrack are both perfect - reminiscent of similar series before it like 2gether, Bad Buddy and My School President.

If there's anything to improve, i guess it would be to give Kang's character a slight upgrade cause his story felt somewhat secondary to Moo's journey. Also, why limit Louis exposure like that? We love our Louis and more of him is always good!

I cant tell you enough how in these past 3 months I looked forward to Sundays and how it gives me energy to face the new week again. I will definitely miss this duo and heres hoping to see them again in a new series soon!

PS. I just want to say that Im glad GMMTV is going all out with BL productions and giving their huge line of actors the space to shine- these past 2 to 3 months they have graced our Wednesday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with contents to help us get through this dreaded heatwave, and im very thankful for that.

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Main Ingredient? LOVE!

What can you do when your mom sends you far away from the city as a punishment? Live with it. Or you could run away, but that probably wouldn't be the best idea.

Moo, who has that problem, was sent away for not being a good student and skipping classes due to trying to reach his dream of becoming an idol. When his mom finally gets tired of it, she sends him away from Bangkok. Now, in a secluded area where the nearest convenience store is a 20 minute walk, he must learn to live here where he has a crappy room and bad internet.

Kang, a guy who helps his mom run a restaurant. Nothing much to it besides the fact he's a good artist.

When their paths meet, what could happen? Will there be love brewing? We'll have to wait and see over the weeks that this comes out.

This drama had reminded me so much of msp. Not necessarily the plot but the way that this makes me feel takes me back to when I was first watching My School President. I love Sea and Keen as a pairing so much!! Kang and Moo matched each other so much, and their visuals together are just amazing overall. This series may just be my top 5, maybe even 3, bl series of 2024

Who would I be if I forgot about the side couple? Payos and Potae are such cuties and seeing them together was great, I hope to see more of them together in future series.

As the first half of 2024 is coming to an end, the last day of June being my birthday and being the last day of the first half of 2024, Only Boo is beginning to wrap up with only one week until the final episode. It's sad to say and I will for sure miss these two, but I'm so glad that I joined this journey and watch these two characters grow as they realize their love for each other.

This series was a roller coaster of emotions from tears of joy to tears of sadness. If I had a chance to watch this all over again for the first time, I would. My cuties!!!!

(For those who don't know: The Trainee with OffGun will be overtaking the Sunday spot, June 30th, my birthday😋)

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Recipe of Only Boo: Sugar, spice and Everything nice!

The story is simple - Cute and endearing one meets the stoic and cool. They fall in love. Fluff...fluff..issues..fluff.
But in this case, it is executed VERY well.

It is sweet, heartwarming and a drama you watch when you want to snuggle up on rainy gloomy days to cheer yourself up!!

Moo and Kang are both green-est flags with adorable and entertaining chemistry.

Moo's conviction towards his goal was really cool to watch. I liked how his journey was portrayed. From him being naive and an irresponsible kid toward his studies to meeting Kang and falling in love and still not giving up on his lifelong dream for the sake of love !! *slow claps*
Kang was the opposite. Given up on his dream (sort of) but then him meeting Moo and falling in love gave him a much-needed push to start chasing his own dreams. And he does!!
He is the epitome of being understanding.

I loved how the motto of their relationship was - "WE GROW INDIVIDUALLY AND TOGETHER!"

The interruptions caused by the constraints of Moo's idol life and their separation later actually made sense (Though I did cry with Moo). It didn't feel out of place and was not an unnecessary plot device. The time skip was manageable and wasn't ridiculously dragged.

As for the acting by the leads, it is done well considering it is Keen and Sea's first main role. Looking forward to seeing them in more! The other side actors also delivered well. Though I was a bit confused at first for the 2nd couple's story but glad it worked out in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship and bond between Potae and Moo in the last few episodes.

While the ending did feel somewhat rushed and the story could have better connected it's loose ends but it didn't diminish the enjoyment it brought !

Overall, RECOMMENDED if you want to watch something light-hearted with overflowing cuteness and green flags!

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So Stinky Cute That I Can Look Over Sea's Acting...

What started off rough for me ended up being a very entertaining watch that I'm glad I gave a chance to. This series is not perfect, nor will it be one of the more memorable GMMTV series, but, I enjoyed it while watching, and that's all that matters.

Let's Dive In.

Starting off, the story is this interesting concept of a country boy who loves art falling for a city boy who loves music. His dream is to become an idol, but while doing so, he falls for the country boy, and of course, the rule is that they can't date. The story/plot is so intriguing and cute that you can't not just love it. Keen plays the incredibly extroverted Moo who's adamant on showing his love for Kang. Kang is super helpful and stoic, but he gets around to being open eventually. Again, the story is so adorable and there are so many precious moments that I was able to look over some of the glaring problems in this, like Sea's acting.

Sea's acting in this was extremely rough. People in the comments tried telling me, "It gets better the more you watch" but it's the exact same until the end. I understand he's a new actor, but geez, I don't think I've seen this much below-mediocre acting from someone in a GMMTV series in a minute. If this series wasn't so stinking cute, and Keen's acting wasn't so good, I would've dropped a long time ago. He had his good moments, but most of them were bad. He doesn't know how to show expression on his face, so it's just a blank stare for the majority of his scenes. He needs so much work before he moves on to the next series, and I mean a lot. Keen carried their ship until the end (also, wouldn't mind seeing him paired with someone else..) But speaking in terms of Moo and Kang's relationship, I think it was adorable. They had so many scenes where they were just being passionate and open, and they really delivered some beautiful moments. I like the subtle things they did while Moo was an idol (blank letters, Kang dressing as a mascot, private messages, etc..), and I'm not a "ride on my motorcycle and hold me" trope fan, but these two made it extremely endearing, I loved it. Overall, their relationship was cute, they had decent enough kisses, and by the end, I appreciated their romance.

Moving onto the side couple, honestly, I went in being so obsessed with them, but left feeling anti-climatic, Their relationship is a perfect build-up: best friends, dance partners, subtle hints that they have feelings for one another. Just so many reasons that I absolutely adored them, but they have minimal setup after Yos confesses. It's like the writers wanted to keep the angst and not do anything about it until the very last episode. Overall though, they were perfect in the beginning, but their ending could've played out a lot better (dating earlier, Tae realizing his feelings earlier, etc...).

Some of the casting felt a little...weird? What was stopping them from casting Shone and Peth closer to Sea, Keen, Aun and Ashi's age? Something just felt out of sorts with Shone's character having feelings for Kang. I realize they're supposed to be the same age in college, but it just doesn't work. You can obviously tell they are two very different ages, so it's hard to believe the story. Same with Kang supposedly being two years older than Moo's character (I thought he had dropped out of high school until the 6th episode).

Obviously, this is a series about trainees becoming idols, but oh gosh, the dancing was probably the hardest to sit through. It's not that bad, but so many mistakes and not-in-sync moments that made me cringe. Also, a little annoying that when Moo sang (and I actually cared to listen and not skip over it) his live voice sounded completely different than the OST that would play immediately after (assuming that he also sang that as well).

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - really entertaining, extremely cute. So good that I'm able to look over some of the glaring mistakes/problems with it.

Acting: 7/10 - Sea's need so much improvement before I decide to watch a SeaKeen series again. It's only tolerable to sit through because this series is literal fluff, but if they were to have a more heavy-hitting drama, there's no way I could've sat through his acting. I hope he gets better in the future. Besides that, Keen did an excellent job and he played his character incredibly well. Aun needs more recognition in GMMTV and he did really well in this, same as Ashi.

Music: 6.5/10 - when I wasn't skipping over it, it sounded decent enough.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - super light-hearted, a giant puddle of fluff. It's hard not to enjoy this one, it's literally so sweet. It's a good starter BL for people getting into the genre.

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Thai romcom

Overall: this is the epitome of a Thai romcom. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel, playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI72NwYDLdpMM17t-B-9BvTB&si=1Jdv5bf4kpg-sShr

Content Warnings: held against will, harassment, past death, non con video taking/sharing/unwanted public outing, manipulation

What I Liked
- clear premise
- a few central characters
- cute moments
- supportive friends
- Kang's supportive mom and that Moo's mom was smart and saw thru him (not a fan of how Moo's mom later though)
- briefly addressed a downside of shipping culture

Room For Improvement
- wish Kang had shown Moo some interest instead of showing distaste and then turning his back to show the viewer that he enjoyed Moo's flirting for the first 5 episodes
- after a clear rejection in an episode, I wanted Kang to be the one to approach Moo but unfortunately it was once again Moo
- comedy sound effects were excessive and detracted from the comedy
- cliche/not needed angst towards the end (to avoid this you can stop watching at episode 10 part 2, 10 minutes and start it again at episode 12 part 2 at 4 minutes
- a CEO suddenly changed his mind felt like 'because the writer said so'
- the time jump and then a voice over exposition dump at the end of the series
- could have condensed the series for faster pacing

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How can people like THIS??!!

Me again, disliking a series that everybody seems to like... Let's talk about it then!

Let's start with the plot (what plot?). I mean... I'm not against simple storylines but they have to be well done and it wasn't the case with this show. There is no flavour to the story (the cast didn't help either) and watching the episodes every week was just a thing I had to do instead of a thing that I enjoyed doing. It rapidly started to get boring (episode 1 was already not a good start) and I felt like they were trying to stretch the end to a max just to reach the 12-episode mark (which wasn't necessary, in my opinion). The characters fell in love too quickly (Moo was already in love at episode 1...) and they added unnecessary drama at the end to try to keep the audience interested in the story (which didn't work for me). I mean, the whole "no dating" rule could've been interesting but it was badly written and directed. Moo was crying for 3 episodes straight just because "Why is Kang not trying to see me if he misses me?" thing when he himself is under a contract that prohibits him from dating and that's the very reason Kang broke up with him. Like... is he stupid or what?

Talking about Moo, let's talk about the characters... Moo is unlikable since episode 1. I can excuse him for his immature behaviour as he's only 18 years old (if I remember correctly) and I was probably like (or even worse than) him when I was his age but I just realise that watching immature characters doing immature things on screen is really not my thing. And I could've accepted it if there was an improvement in his character, if his character grew up throughout the episodes but no... he stayed the same from episode 1 to the end. I remember reading a comment about the preview of episode 11 saying that Moo has matured because he's not running after Kang and just wants to see him (when he finally knows where he studies and decides to go see him) and after watching the episode, I was laughing my a** off how wrong that comment was. Moo never matures throughout the series and he's just plain stupid.

But at least, Moo's actor can somewhat act which is not the case for Kang's actor. I'm sorry to burst your little fan bubble, but this guy can't act. He had the same expression from the beginning to the end. Okay, he can maybe cry a little but I'm wondering if he is not using eye drops to make it happen because his face doesn't show any sadness when he cries. His face is just bland and that's the worse thing for an actor.

Even the rest of the cast couldn't balance it out. The relationship between Potae and Payos started good but, as the rest of the show, it quickly went down the drain as I hate characters that do one step forward and two steps backward. It was exactly how their story went at the end and I wasn't interested enough in the show to care about them. Louis, Milk and Book were nice addition to the show but their characters couldn't save the series. And even Force cameo at the end was so predictable that it didn't add anything to the show (even though, it was still nice to see him).

About the music, they were using a lot of the same songs over and over again and I didn't quite like the songs (just my opinion, of course). I feel like GMMTV is using its actors a lot to sing in their own series and I'm starting disliking it more and more - even though, the premise of the story justifies the use of the songs in this series (but it's not always the case).

Anyway, I'm glad that this monstruosity has finally ended and I can't wait for what's replacing it now: The Trainee. Hope it will be better but it definitely can't be worse looking at the casting.

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Love at first sight and the realization of dreams

Do you believe in love at first sight? This is one of the most used tropes in film and television, especially if it is a romantic drama. In fact, it is a trope so used in almost any narrative that for many people it is quite normal to expect this famous crush when looking for a partner.
What would happen if we combined love at first sight with other tropes, such as the difference in social classes, dissatisfaction with life, very opposite personalities, the passion for music and dance, the evolution of strangers to friends and from friends to lovers, the search for happiness, the realization of dreams or that one of the boys continues studying while the other abandons studies to help his mother in the family business in the absence of his deceased father?
With all these ingredients inside a large saucepan used to make curry rice, Sakon Wongsinwiset, recognized for his work in popular dramas, such as the saga of 'Club Friday: The Series', 'Cooking Crush' and 'Our Skyy 2' ', among others, cooks the series 'Only Boo!'.
Starring "Sea" Dechchart Tasilp, as Kang, in his first foray into the world of entertainment, and "Keen" Suvijak Piyanopharoj, as Moo ('My Tempo'), or just "KangMoo", a ship that at only 18 years old of age each already raises sighs among BL lovers, the drama tells the story of a young heir of a rich family in Bangkok in the last year of high school, who is forced to move to Nakhon Phatom, as punishment to correct his behavior for deciding not to go to school and appear for an audition on the same day as an exam. In the new setting, while trying to fulfill his dream of becoming an idol, he discovers his first love.
The boys' lives are about to cross paths, and it won't be a casual crossing. And such an encounter between the two produces the subsequent "train crash." The one will influence the other as much as the other influences the one. This union will be to such a point that both will begin to feel things unknown until then that they will not be able to control.
With a script by Pattarawalai Wongsinwises, this romantic comedy tells the story of Moo, an ordinary teenager who loves to sing and dance – although with bad luck because he has not been able to fulfill his desire – who falls in love with Kang, the boy who sells curry. with rice at the school to which he has been transferred. To conquer him, he will need all his ingenuity and the help of his new friends Payos (Ashi Peerakan Teawsuwan), Potae (Aun Napat Patcharachavalit), also interested in becoming idols, and Neth (Milk Pansa Vosbein), Khang's friend. Jang (Louis Thanawin Teeraphosukarn), these three
Moo, who wants to love and realize his dream at the same time, accepts his homosexuality from the moment he meets Kang. But his hopes are null when he believes that the sharp, serious and very joking boy is decidedly heterosexual. However, Kang, who initially treats him in a cold and distant manner, has actually also developed feelings for the cheerful and playful teenager.
Intelligent, a dreamer, with strength and confidence in achieving what he believes in, Moo is different from anyone Kang could meet. Moo will try to make him fall in love with her and get him to see beauty through his eyes. Time will make them both discover and accept each other, allowing them to live a key moment in their adolescence when the bond of friendship leads to a deep story of intense, respectful love full of tenderness.
And after Moo tells Kang: "I don't want to have friends. I want to have a boyfriend," one of those idyllic adolescent romances that hide - or deny - any flaws will begin. However, the love relationship must face several tests, and among these is the arrival in the town of Shone (Book Kasidet Plookphol), Moo's cousin, who will also have intentions of conquering the curry rice seller, or the pressure he exerts the entertainment industry from preventing the romantic relationships of their idols.
Sakon Wongsinwiset, a director with an important work within the genre, knows how to narrate, knows how to build atmospheres and knows how to use cinematographic tools to tell what he wants about beings destined to be incompatible, but who against all odds and against all difficulties meet. and they love. With complete intentionality, at times it seems as if these two young people could not be together, but neither could they be apart. And this, in addition to the talent of the actors, says a lot about their work behind the cameras and pulling all the threads of the machine.
Kang, the boy who likes art and painting in his spare time, and Moo, the sincere and innocent young man, with an expressive face and open personality, are a perfect couple. How so, when one hides his feelings while the other is honest and direct about his love and affection? There is a reason for the magic of television. No?
Hopelessly in love, Moo tries to get Kang to notice him and flirt with him. So he tries hundreds of ways to win him over. She writes songs for him, she comes up with phrases to make him fall in love with him, she dances for him. At first, Kang appears to be angry at Moo for bothering him. There comes a point where he is confused about his feelings for Moo. He tries to tell himself that he doesn't like him, but deep down he is attracted to the boy.
This is a romantic comedy characterized by a fast tone, acid humor and self-confidence in dramatic situations, which intimately portrays the first moments of passion and falling in love between two boys to delve into the twists and turns and complexities of love and desire.
The student who comes to the store every day to eat Kai Palo begins to arouse some curiosity in Kang, and with plates of delicious food, rides on the motorcycle on which Kang goes out to the street to sell food, and furtive glances Between the two, a joyful and intense love story is born in a subtle way.
This story, which provides inclusive insights into the debate on diverse identities and sexualities, while at the same time exploring the development and growth of a young man pursuing a dream, addresses topics such as friendship, love, family, relationships, sexuality, adolescence and in particular first love, sexual awakening and identity in a post-millennial format as it dilutes the binary and sexual identity boundaries (man-woman) and makes way for a teenage romance drama that aims directly at the heart.
Moo will realize that the journey towards his dream is not a bed of roses and to succeed he will have to overcome many obstacles. This is how the series also sends the message that effort and passion can contribute to success.
Although mothers, friends and a secondary couple circulate in its universe, the series is, basically, an exploration of that very particular relationship. And, in that sense, the chemistry and magnetism between Keen and Sea is what will make or break the narrative. They are the ones who on screen can cope with even the cheesiest situation with commendable elegance, ductility and naturalness.
From a cinephile's perspective, 'Only Boo'! It is a story to watch without pauses. It portrays that first feeling of attraction towards another man in adolescence. Friends, school, parents, dreams, make up and generate a world of difficulties that, in a certain way and in that single moment, are the most difficult problems to solve. But it can also be considered as a contribution to current discussions about non-binary and non-heterosexual sexual-affective bonds, with the conflicts they entail.
I liked how Moo came out to the whole school and how Kang, instead of blushing, getting shy, reproaching Moo, as happens so many times in real life as in other BL series, went to help Moo escape punishment of the school authorities who, in turn, did not go to punish him with a homophobic attitude, as one could imagine could happen in a conservative, patriarchal and heteronormative society like Thailand, in which discrimination against members of the school still persists. LGBTIQ+ collective, but because Moo used the school radio to broadcast a personal message.
I liked how the two mothers accepted their children's homosexuality, when it was assumed that they would act differently for the reasons stated above, since homosexuality in Thailand is also a taboo subject.
'Only Boo!' It is an example of how Thai series can set out and fulfill the objective of contributing to diluting binary and sexual identity boundaries (man-woman) and contributing to current discussions about non-binary and non-heterosexual sexual-affective bonds. In other words, it is an example in the fight for the rights of LGBTIQ people in that Southeast Asian country.
'Only Boo! It delves into its plot and puts its finger on the sore spot when it addresses a very controversial topic: either being human or being an Idol. Everything seemed to be going very well for the protagonist couple, until the moment when they must face a reality: many music agencies stipulate contracts with artists so that they do not have romantic relationships while the engagement lasts.
Likewise, we will not only be pleased with Keen Suvijak's histrionic and dancing skills, as we will also enjoy his vocal qualities when he performs "แค่ที่แกง Ost.แค่ที่แกง Only Boo!", the theme that presents each episode, and "Estación No .0", a heartbreaking song about a boy who suffers after being abandoned by his boyfriend, among others.
In this case, the director presents the story through a plot structure that gives the series an innocent and nostalgic look at first youth and first love.
Simple, sober and with just the right moments of humor, the drama radiates an incredible charm that will make us want to close our eyes and hug the screen tightly so that this world and these characters never escape us.

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Cute with a lot of wasted potential

GMMTV has done it yet again and produced a perfectly mediocre show that could've been great if they had just focused on the right aspects. This is becoming increasingly frustrating because it seems to be a problem with almost all GMM shows. Yet, I was enjoying this one quite a bit. Let me explain...

Keen as Moo definitely carried this entire thing on his shoulders. He's portraying the character incredibly well and he made me love Moo a lot despite him being a bit annoying and cringe. It's like the role was written for him, and I can't wait to see what projects he does next. Sea is cute but I don't think he was ready for a main role just yet. His acting feels stilted and he struggles to carry emotions, which is fine considering he's very early in his career. This is not supposed to be any hate towards him, because it's not his fault. The production company should've either prepared him better or put him in side roles first before offering him the main lead in a show.
The two of them together are a cute pair. They do have chemistry, but I think it fell flat sometimes because Sea just seemed to be very focused on his acting. Once he feels more comfortable and natural, I definitely think they have great potential to become a wildly beloved ship. They've got a lot of chemistry behind the camera as well, so I think it's really all up to more acting classes, but I definitely wouldn't mind seeing them together in the future. I call this the JoongDunk effect, because they also have overflowing chemistry behind the scenes that fell flat in their first project together because of their acting struggles. It got a lot better in their second show, so I have hope for Sea and Keen too.

My main gripe with this series is (once again) the story. The first half of it is pretty boring. If it weren't for Keen stealing my heart, I probably would've given up on watching and just fast-forwarded through the whole thing once it's all finished. That part of the show was just your stereotypical GMM BL with all its usual tropes and cliches - plus the added element of wanting to become an idol. That in itself isn't a new concept for a BL either, but it's new for GMM, so at least there was a breath of fresh air. However, for a show centred around dancing and singing, I wish they would've gotten actors who are better dancers. The music was great, but I almost died of cringing every time they rehearsed their TikTok dance and at the audition. Like please, if that's the focus of your show, get people who can dance well and give them an actually solid choreography instead of whatever the hell that was (Edit: The dancing in the final episode was a lot better, so maybe it was just the choreo that made it feel so awkward). But anyway, the second half of the show then centred more around that idol aspect, but it was done in a very unsatisfying way. There were so many interesting ideas there, but we barely saw anything of the contest apart from all the contract drama about not being allowed lovers. That was explored a little bit but sadly not enough, and then suddenly they were a boyband and mega successful by the power of a one year time-skip. It's such a cheap way out when really, the story would've just started to get interesting. Why not show the repercussions of becoming famous, and what that means for your social life other than not being allowed to date? Why not show how large of a struggle it can be to make it big? Why not delve further into what it means to get shipped with your fellow band member, and what implications that has for the relationship with the person you actually like, or how it can compromise a friendship? Why not explore more about Moo's status as a nepo baby and how that's giving him a hard time being liked by the public? The list of what would've been interesting to explore goes on, but since they refused to delve further into any of that, I digress too.

If you ask me, the whole first half of the show should've been cut to focus on the idol life instead. Establish Moo struggling to pass auditions in the first episode, have him meet Yos and Tae at a dance studio or something, and have them land a spot in the idol competition by the end of episode one. Kang could've just been the caterer at the company and that's how him and Moo meet. Then they would've really had time to explore interesting ideas rather than spending half of the story replaying the same old uninteresting cliches. If Moo knew from the get-go that he wouldn't be allowed to date, him building a relationship with Kang would've been much more interesting in the first place.

They had something really good on their hands with Yos and Tae that would've been super interesting to dive into on a deeper level, especially after they became part of the same band. But sadly, they didn't do that. There were a few scenes in the last two episodes that scratched on the surface of shipping culture, but it wasn't nearly enough. I did like their storyline for the most part (minus the kiss while Tae is asleep, can't believe we're still doing that), though that's probably just because I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers with a lot of pining. That's mostly why I liked them, not because their relationship was set apart from others or because of overwhelming chemistry.

All in all, this was pretty adorable. Sometimes a little too cringe for my liking, but a lighthearted watch with many aww-worthy moments and solid music. Though it makes me a bit mad at what this could've been and what it ended up being in contrast. Sadly, this doesn't set itself apart from other GMMTV shows as much as it should've and could've. I'm starting to think that in the GMM writers room, whenever an interesting concept that requires careful and thorough exploration is suggested, someone's like "Nah, people just want to see two cute boys kissing. Let's solve it with a time skip and get back to the cuteness," which is very sad. They're standing in their own way of producing actually interesting and unique storylines.

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The future

From the very beginning I was hooked. The chemistry between Keen and Sea feels natural. The drama has this cute fluffy vibe that you can’t help but smile and giggle at. There are hella sound effects but they’re not obnoxiously placed and over powering the rest of the audio.
I really enjoy how outgoing, charming and shameless Moo is lol. His character really pairs and contrast well with Kang and his calm helping personality.
I genuinely can’t say how much I love this series *insert crying emoji*. It’s one of GMMTVs best rom com fluffy dramas that gets better with every episode.
I hope to see more of Keen and Sea! They’re going to do great things.

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