A slow burn that creeps up on you & steals your heart

This story (and the romance) is truly a slow burn. The impact of the sentiments from this story just slowly creeps up on you; and before you know it, your heart's been stolen.
I really enjoyed watching this series! It's important to note, that I don't normally like slow burns so that's really saying something.

The acting and the cast of characters is fantastic. There's a lot to love here. Mix's acting in particular stood out with all of his micro expressions and Tian's sass. Khaotung was also soo cute.

I didn't love the pilot episode so if you're in that boat, keep going it gets so much better. ATOTS really played with my emotions; it had me laughing, crying, sobbing and cackling. All in the best ways possible and dealt out some pretty deep wisdom. Definitely unexpected and memorable. It left me with the feeling of hope.

My Rating: 9.26/10 stars

Also that song at the end about the wind was absolutely beautiful and fit perfectly.
Edit: I found the name of it! –> ลม (Wind) by Num Kala

Leggi di Più

Such an ambitious project; I can't wait to see what Idol Factory does next!

First off, this was such a cool project for Idol Factory to take on. The thai mythology aspect was interesting and very unique as that's yet to be done in a BL production to my knowledge. It seems that I may have an unpopular opinion about this series as I'm not rating this a 9.5 or 10 stars but I've gotta say that I'm so glad that IDF decided to create this. Hopefully it's another step forward so that we'll get more dark and complex BLs in the future!

I loved the opening action, the fight scenes were really well done and the shots are pretty aesthetically pleasing. I had no issue with the acting. The character are likeable enough and both couplings had good chemistry as well. This series has so much to include, there's the crime, the police investigations, the fight scenes, the mystery, the mythology, the romance and the lore to be established about Tharn's abilities, as well as the past lives aspect. Nevermind the human relationships part with this big cast of characters. That's a lot to juggle in one show especially considering that this is only IDF's third production, so big props to them!

That being said, beneath the novelties and all of the aspects mentioned above- the flashiness of it all, if you will- it's decent but is falling flat for me. The show doesn't seem to know what genre or tone it wants to be/hold and shifts it every episode or so. At multiple points, it was boring and kinda draggy and then sometimes, it's just really really CAMPY out of nowhere?? Sure, that could be chalked up to the contrast and sum of all of the different aspects that The Sign has set out to include and while it could surely be smoother, that's not the issue at play here. At first, it keeps it interesting but it's not consistent enough and didn't necessarily feel the most cohesive to me; it was weird. It feels like there's different directors alternating between the episodes.
The writing and storytelling isn't great, it's the same issue that I had with GAP; it's trying to do way too much without the quality writing aspect that's needed to bring it all together for what the production really deserves. The characters are likable but not memorable. They don't have that much depth and I find them to be underdeveloped which in turn means I'm not that invested in their stories. I'm definitely someone who enjoys character driven stories so I need the characters to be compelling enough so that I can connect with them and care more about their storylines.

The CGI was great especially for the budget of the production but the costumed mythological flashbacks felt like an odd 'stage play' (as someone else had mentioned in the comments while airing). It really took me out of the scenes and distracted from their importance; it was also frankly a little painful to watch. But I've gotta say that The Sign has really mastered the art of strategically blocking NC scenes which some of the bigger BL production companies have yet to master *shade intended*.

My favourite characters were probably KhemThongthai, Nee and Nee's cat, Namami. Namami is my favourite. But as of right now, I've currently lost interest in The Sign after episode 8. This series is just really missing something and I can't quite put my finger on it but I'm fairly certain that it has to so with the writing. I do like this series so I'll probably pick it back up when I'm more in the mood to watch it. I am happy to hear though that so many people here are enjoying this show because it does have a lot to offer and will keep you visually entertained, if that's what you're looking for!
This show has a handful of really good concepts, so much potential and I could see the artistic intentions behind some of the storylines and production choices, but unfortunately, it just wasn't all that to me.

My rating would be about a 7-7.5 out of 10 stars.
(If I do pick this title back up again, I'll make sure to edit this review :))

Leggi di Più

EarthMix is the highlight of the show

For those of you who have reservations about this actually being a BL. Trust me, it definitely is. I was actually really impressed with how well the story handled the body swap; it's not usually a trope that I enjoy.
This was a decent and fun, short and sweet road trip show. It doesn't blow anything out of the water, it's not spectacular but it is cute and enjoyable, even in light of the poor writing.

If you want to enjoy this to the best of your abilities, you can't really take any of it too seriously. The story is no stranger to plot holes and at times it could get a bit frustrating. Some of the writing choices (particularly towards the end), were illogical and kind of felt like a cheap cop-out but I'll admit it.... the EarthMix scenes and their chemistry made up for all of my frustrations and the poor writing; but only just about. Watching them bicker, bond and remember why it was that they used to care for each other was quite entertaining to watch.

I loved Mix's acting in ATOTS; I didn't love it here as much as I did in ATOTS but it wasn't bad. He didn't have as much to work with but he did a good job and did what he could with what was given to him with his character. On the other hand, with Earth you could see quite an improvement in his acting and range. I was pleasantly surprised! The portrayals of Win and Lin by both Mix and Jan were convincing and pretty good!
It was kind of hard to grow an attachment to any of the characters, as you don't really get to know them until the last third of the show which was disappointing because I wanted to care about them but ultimately it was due to the way the story was told.

The EarthMix scenes make this show enjoyable and worth a watch. Without them, ehh maybe not. It was pretty average.

My Rating: 7.65/10 stars

Leggi di Più

Seeiw was only tolerable about 12% of the time...

This series had so much potential. It definitely had it's enjoyable moments but I found that it was overhyped.
The content quality of the episodes were unevenly spread out and at times, it was really really slow paced. They spent far too much time focusing on the before rather than the after of the time jump. If they had had more episodes to work with, that would've been fine story wise but because it wasn't, it felt very uneven. There also isn't too much of an overarching story arc; it's kind of more of a slice of life.

Santa's acting was fantastic. I especially enjoyed seeing Cake's jealousy which was hilarious to watch and at other times, it felt so real and raw. Episode 11 was by far my favourite of the whole series. I am looking forward to seeing his future projects!
Unfortunately I could not stand Earth's whining while crying and there was a lot of that. IMO Earth also looked too old to play a 15 y/o prior to the flash forward. To me, he couldn't pass which was extremely distracting and I could not get over it. I mean he's like 27 so I don't think they should've tried to make him pass. (This has got to be my least favourite performance of his that I've seen, as I did enjoy his performance in Until We Meet Again. So check that out if you haven't already!)
If you don't happen to get hung up on the actor's actual age and aren't bothered by his crying style, then I think you have a solid shot of enjoying this series way more than I did!

Overall this series was decent. It was nice to see the throwback of what technology and life used to be like before technology had progressed as far as it has today and it was sweet to see how close the boys' relationship was; they had good chemistry. If you finish it, this series will pull at your heartstrings. Production wise, they seemed to have a substantial budget but this series just wasn't my cup of tea and I don't ever see myself rewatching it.

My Ratings
Before the time jump: 6.35/10 stars
After the time jump: 7.1/10 stars
Overall: 6.71/10 stars

I haven't been on this page since the finale premiered and at the time, the consensus was that everyone adored this series but that the last two episodes were meh. Omg I'm so glad to see now that I'm not the only person who didn't love this series. I thought I was the odd one out🤷🏻‍♀️

Leggi di Più

A masterpiece: a truly underappreciated, hidden gem.

If you're looking for something fast paced- then this isn't for you. Moonlight Chicken is stylistic and very aesthetically beautiful, it's a warm and sometimes angsty slice of life of everyday people just living life and trying to make ends meet.
It brings up issues of poverty, class, hardships and tragedy; the lack of opportunities, interpersonal relationships and how even when there's love and good intentions, poor communication can make one feel trapped and miserable. This series takes its time to introduce and go through these topics with these very real and very human characters that come from diverse stages of life. The sense of community and family is super present here and it's really made me laugh, cry and feel with these characters which is honestly so special. If you like to watch complex and believably flawed characters navigate complex interpersonal relationships, then this is for you!

With a cast like this- gosh this show was blessed AND it's a P'Aof directorial? Yes, please! It also includes the perfect song choice which is sung by Ford Allan.
In my opinion, each and every actor held their own but they all have such different characters that it makes it harder to appreciate their craft and each of their portrayals. Even the side characters are masterfully crafted and portrayed; and are ready to steal your hearts!

Earth's performance of uncle Jim is a more subtle one yet it's purposeful in this low-key character. It's easy to miss it. Mix is able to embody the open minded and charismatic Wen who's searching for something more. He's understanding and such an essential part of the cast.
This was GeminiFourth's first significant supporting roles- as this was filmed before My School President- I wouldn't say that they'd stolen the show like other users have, but I'd argue that Li Ming and Heart are just as much of main characters as EarthMix's Jim and Wen. Phenomenal and very commendable performances from both of the boys especially as rookies in this very experienced and established cast of actors. They were both able to hold their own and definitely held a lot of the spotlight with their charming storylines. I was really amazed at how Fourth was able to portray the intricacies of Li Ming's emotions and internal frustrations; I adore all of the characters in their own light but Li Ming is definitely my favourite! Gemini's portrayal of a deaf boy was so spot on and completely believable; after having watched the behind-the-scenes of MLC, you can really appreciate all of the preparation and dedication that he'd put into his first significant role. Very impressive and definitely payed off.
Mark's Leng/Saleng was a great addition to the cast, and so were Aey, Chokchai, Lookwa, Papang and View in their respective roles. And then there's First. He committed so much to his character and when he shows up he absolutely kills the role; there's not much else I can say without spoiling it.

Last but not least, Khaotung's performance as Gaipa/Kaipa (apparently his character's name is Kaipa but the subtitles call him Gaipa. It's confusing). It's no secret that the guy's a great all 'round actor but his performance here has got to be my absolute favorite role of his yet! He's not a main lead but he almost feels like he is. His performance was phenomenal and lovable and I just don't have any more words for it. Please just trust me in this one!


As of writing this review, I've finally gotten around to rewatching this underappreciated, hidden gem; this series really is like a warm hug that just so happens to also encompass all of the emotions that one could ever possibly feel, during a hug.
I'm loving this rewatch just as much as I did when I was watching Moonlight Chicken premiering for the first time last year; for me, this has a huge rewatch value. I've just got to say that I'd forgotten just how angsty and painful some of the scenes and relationships can be. It really is such a journey and a joy to experience.


My Rating: 9.876/10 stars

Leggi di Più

The OG PatPran are back baby!!

Not too bad! I just finished the singular Bad Buddy episode and it wasn't bad.
I'm impressed with Ohm and Nanon's acting, you could barely tell that they'd had personal issues bts and I only noticed bc I was looking for it. I can't quite describe it but I do have to say that in PatPran scenes, there is a slight lack of Ohm's blissfully, at ease, carefree and almost whimsical, improvisation glow; not that the characters called for it anyways. The lack of carefree-ness and the smidge of awkwardness was a bit more obvious when comparing PatPran's chemistry with Pat and Wai's one scene. Pran's eyes still had heart eyes for Pat (at moments) but was missing a sparkle... that being said it wasn't lacking anything and I doubt the casual viewer would notice anything was up; this is just my nitpicking observation. I had been really curious as to how their acting would hold up so props to the boys! The episode was kind of dumb and a bit empty but also fun; this has to be my 2nd favorite OS2 story yet though. It was nice seeing and finally recognizing all of the supporting characters' actors!

I have to say, hands down that the Drake easter egg was my absolute favourite part of this episode. The nod to Korn having a Mork moment from Cause Your My Boy just made me so unbelievably HAPPY.

Leggi di Più

This series is such a delight! Wholesome, sweet and refreshing

This series is such a delight! It's the common trope of childhood friends that have grown apart yet this story is told in such a wholesome, sweet and refreshing way. I think it quite accurately showcases the mental gymnastics and struggles of figuring out your feelings as an LGB person. We are three episodes in as of right now and each episode just keeps getting better and better!

I hope that this series is able to maintain this momentum that they've built so far throughout the rest of the remaining episodes.
My only complaints so far are that ever single week the episodes are too short which makes the wait for the next episode even more difficult. Definitely worth a watch!

Leggi di Più

I was not expecting to struggle that badly getting through the first episode of this show...

I was not expecting to struggle that badly getting through the first episode of this show.. And I've sat through my fair share of bad series. I know that this seems to be the unpopular opinion so far though so if you've enjoyed it, I am so entirely happy for you! But for me, was not vibing with any of it. None of the characters seemed to have any ounce of charm, they were actually pretty annoying and the episode was so long; it just kept going in circles for forever. By the end of ep1, I was left irritated and so done with it all. Safe to say that I will not be sitting thru another episode. DROPPED.
The acting wasn't horrible but it also wasn't good. The premise is basic enough and had potential to at the very least, be decent but the way that they'd approached it, along with the editing, didn't do it any favors at all. It actually really harmed it. As for the subs, they were confusing but there's been dramas with much worse translations so I personally didn't really see that as a problem, though I guess it didn't help.
I'd give this a zero (or 0.5) in Rewatch Value but mdl doesn't let you enter anything less than 1 star. And of course here's the disclaimer that this was just the first episode, and that anything can happen in the following episodes; I truly do hope it gets better but I for one will not be sticking around to see if that's the case. One episode was *more* than enough for me lol

My Rating: 2.63/10 stars
Edit: and oh yeah for anyone curious, I even watched it on x3 speed

Leggi di Più