serious, refreshing, cute story with a lacking end

The first gripe I have with this series is the actor of Taichi. While he is not bad, his voice is nothing compared to the actor of the movie version,. Now 7 years later they could have used the same actor because Kohei also did not look like a "freshman".. And second the finale was a disapointment especially if you have read the manga. It was Taichi going to Kohei not the reverse, it was him to confess and in the manga they had THE kiss we were all waiting for. Which would have made this series perfect, but for reasons unknown they changed it. ?

The rest of the series is very good with some lengths but compared to all the thai crap we had this year, this was a well written script, refreshing, serious but still cute. Overall this is a recommandation and worth your while even with a finale which was not as good as it should have been.

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medicore story/acting, some cringe/fluff, neither fish nor fowl

The trend of lazy writing continues with this show. They had a good novel, the first episodes where interesting and then they buchered the story especially in the finale. That was so lame and so badly acted, just unbelievable.

There are some highlights like cute moments, building up friendships, supportive parents, but there are very cringe moments (very fake guitar playing) and many communication issues (you see it and think "wtf is he doing?"). The showrunners could not decide to make either a comedy or a mature drama and so they decided to go the safe route delivering us the worst of both worlds. If there are too many comendy elements (with of course lot's of stupid sound effects) it's hard to take the story seriously, on the other hand the finale showed they did not really like doing it in a serious manner, so it felt extremly silly and unbelievable. They had an interesting premise but in the end it got from good to bad.

So for me it's neither fish nor fowl, just a medicore show, leaning more to the bad side. If I had not seen this show, I would not miss a thing, but there are even worse shows out there. ?

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What an action firework...

While this series has sci-fi elements, it's more a spy thriller with suspense, Who betrays who is the question. James Bond would search for a superweapon, they search for a supermutagen which turns a human into an nearly invincible superhuman,

The story is interesting, the plot-twists not always expected and good acting. This series has outstanding cinematogrpahy, VFX and action/fighting sequences. I have not seen such good VFX and fighting scenes in a series, but I guess it was expensive as hell, so we get only four episodes. That's the reason this got a 10 from me.

If you dig action but expect an interesting story as well, this is for you!

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What Campus...

While I don't mind low-budget productions, an empty campus without any other students is just ruining the premise of the title. And what's with the over the top lipstick in the opening scene (and other), but forgetting to face-powder the one actor in the next? I don't really feel a professor who gives "love" advice. And finally why end a series with a cliffhanger? Sometimes I was reminded of Thai shows with the silly sound effects which are still annoying as hell.
This was an easy story but I guess the third person could have been spared and they should have more concentracted on character building. So few cast was a downer for me, but at least we get sensible kissing scenes which don't look forced at all.
So, this is an ok show with some length in the story telling and for me some unneeded scenes and a cliffhanger. I suppose an ex will come up in Season 2, if there is a Season 2.

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Strong beginning, bad ending....

This show started strong in the first episode and the second gave a glimpse of what could be an outstanding show. But the writers missed it.
While Sea was really good acting a nearly blind person, he was not so great with the fluffy moments. Jimmy did grow in his acting but he could only do as much as he was given from the script.
The problem is the writing, the 180 turn from "enemies" to "lovers" was much too fast, the character development did just happen over night. Mhok should have much more struggle with his trauma and a spoiled brat does not turn 180° overnight also.
The side characters all did a good job
Production value and music was very good, but that does not help with the storytelling. The last two episodes are strange and the "happy ending" was too much. Day should have stayed blind, they should not have seperated in that way they did because Day was back to his spoiled brat days only thinking about himself.
The premise of the show was very good but they butchered it for "fan service" to make the show fluffy.
It's still enjoyable to watch when you don't expect exceptional story-telling.

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That was entertaining!

That was my first japanese GL and I have to say, it was fun. While they had lots of comedy elements, they also tried to be mature and serious.

I loved the dynamics and chemestry of all the actresses/actors with the only minus point for me: the lackluster kissing... Either do it or don't but pressing lips together is a big no-no for me regardless of gender :) The second cringe moment was in the finale with the FLs kissing in the office. I guess they could have done that much better.

But overall an entertaining show with some laughs, production quality was very good too, costumes especially for Ayaka always interesting. So, if you never have tried a GL, this one is good starting point!

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That was painful to watch....

While the actors did the job, they were asked to... the overacting, overfunny stuff was just painful to watch.
In some of the serene moments the show would have been ok to watch and you see a glimpse of what the actors are capable of. But the direction/exectution/writing was the worst.
And why do they need stupid noises for any comedy style show in Thailand? That's sooooooo annoying.
If the show has true comedy no noises are neccessary to convey it. And why do they need to recycle the "comedy" music all the time? Is there no reason to do something new?
This show feels like a advertisment spot with some story around without seperation compared for example to "Last Twilight" where the spot is on the end and you can skip it. Also extremly annoying.

The writing of the main couple is very shallow, giving the side couple the much more interesting story arc.

Overall the second worst show of this year which you could skip without any worries.

And why can't I vote a 0 or at least 0.5? So my 1 should be a 0.

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Why is it sooo bad?

Oh my god, that script.
I can't help it but thinking this is script has nothing to do with real gay life.

A man confessed to a boy (just visually, not implying the boy is not a man) and the man get a confession from a girl and then decided to date her even when he is loving that boy. Where does that happen? In a heterosexual woman writers fantasy? Then all the drama with the ex who is just an asshole happens and it felt sooooooo forced. And then they cut kissing scenes especially in the finale where the kiss is part of the story. While I have no problem with cutting fan-service, it's a no go if it is relevant to the story.

So overall I feel sad for the actors who did their best, even if they are inexperienced and felt a bit stiff at times. We can only hope the next series will be more realistic and not just fantasy. It's not the worst show this year but still bad alone from the storytelling. If you have not seen it, you can safely skip it.

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Refreshing different...

This years BL shows were mostly disappointing (story), but having said that, this show is different. While I personally don't care about makeup or fashion, it shows a different world (for me). The only cliché is, all male makeup artists/beauty advisors are gay. ?

Both MLs did a good job portraying their characters and it was fun to watch them grow together. A minus for me is the lackluster finale were the drama feels forced. I would have wished for a more emotional finale with some hot scenes like in episode 3 and more background for Toma in episode 7.

While their story is not as interesting as it could have been, its sensible and enjoyable. The directing and execution overall is very good. When you are tired of the 100th school/university 08/15 story, this show offers something different at a mellow pace with some cute and fluffy moments and you can come down from a stressful day in your life.

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Much better as "Cooking Crush" but still wasted potential and not a real BL

The lazy writing is a trend 2024. Conflicts will be resolved in matters of minutes, the story is "safe" without much of controversy or social critisim, I am still not a fan of the Thai version of romcon, especially episode 4 was soooooo over the top I was barely able to watch it.
The story also lacks of a real BL story, they meet in passing, they get in love in passing, the have two episodes to get closer but with many misunderstands inbetween (because there must be drama) and then Jane left for five years. I find it a bit unrealistic that someone leaves, does not contact his love interest in that time and then everything goes back as it was before when Jane returns, Because the writing is lazy they have also a hetero couple, where they injected drama by making the girl lesbian for an episode. One episode and one meal later, everything is as it was before but the male part is more considerate now. Think what would have happend if they taked about their feelings and grievances before, we would have four episodes less!

We had worse shows this years, but to rate this show with a 10 is beyond me. It's just a safe bet for GMMTV to produce something tame without any really interesting story plots. When I compare this to "Not me" nobody can tell me that this show is in any way better or deserving a 10. So the fangirl overrating continues and it's one more reason why lazy writing prevails. This show could have been so much more, but it isn't, I am not even disappointed because I do not expect anything anymore from GMMTV.

Overall the story is shallow, the acting is good, the overacting is cringe, there are some truly funny moments, there is a lack of fluff but the series is at least not boring. It's an ok show with too less BL and too much time spend on the hetero couple to call it a BL.

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Bad acting, bad story, just bad

What I felt after the first minutes was that this show is "steril"... It feels like the desinfect spray they use all the time (because the story plays during/after Corona). The acting is lifeless, except Cakes brother (Tee). Many actors are too old for their roles or at least look too old, especially Cake. After the first episode you will get the gist of how the story will end, when the "bitches" appear. It was so predictable and so lazy again. And whats with all the reverb in many scenes? While the production quality itself is mostly good, there should have been also audio-editing for removing reverb. But with such bad acting and no chemistry at all there was no chance in hell this could be good.

So in short, just skip this show and watch something else, it's just a waste of time. How this show can have a rating above 7 is a mistery for me. Is it ok for people watching this crap just because it's BL? It's beyond my mind. The year 2024 is a sad year for Thai BL, producing crap en masse with only a few really good shows and mostly just medicore ones.

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Great acting but clichés and cowards

While it's good to see a prequel to Unintentional Love Story I'm not completly happy with the story.
First, I don't like clichés like "we are both guys, so it does not matter" ? When can screenwriter just skip such BS.
Second, I am not a fan of cowards, in my eyes both of them are. Kim runs away from his love of his life and Go does not admit his feelings and does not communicate them. Because of the non-communication the end is what it is, even when both understand what they feel.

So I am a bit split If I really like this movie... Production quality was top notch, the acting was also top notch but the story left a bitter taste in my mouth. While not every love story does need a happy end, this end is especially unsatisfying.

Overall it's worth watching even when it will not satisfy everything.

Edit: After some reflection, this story is inconsistent with the original series "Unintentional Love Story", because if you see ULS you will recoginze; a) Did Kim really go to an university in Seoul and if so, what did he study? He should be a doctor in ULS but he owns a coffee shop. b) Go tells Kim, that he always breaks up with his girl which means they never have kissed or had any closer than friends relationsship before. He did that in this story too, he knows his feelings, so he would not have dated a girl again imho. If that would be a famous franchise I would say this story is not canon.

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Not as bad as some reviews make you believe...

After two years I watched the series again to review my initial rating and it's better than I had in my recollection.

First of all the master question: Are they all in a toxic relationship. The answer is no. It's not a toxic relationsship for both couples. In the beginning it's controlling and harsh but not toxic. You may feel that way, but they are not constantly fighting, there is no abuse besides some harsh words in the beginning. The big problem for them is communication and insecurity. All of them are insecure of themselves.

While they dragged the story out a bit and they resolve their issues close to the end, this story is better than most crap we get nowadays. The story has a logic to itself, it goes not out of bounds with silly things which would not fit, and even the ads are not that much in the face as nowadays. Yes they do a lot of fan-service but in a sensual way and not just for doing it, it fit's in the narrative. They also did not overdo the comedy bits, so the series has a good flow. I only feel sad, that the third couple did not get enough screen-time. Many say there was no character development, but I would disagree. The conclusion of the show is to be yourself, to not hide yourself from yourself or others and they just accomplished it. It's a very positive note for me.

The story itself is not stellar, but again compared what we get in 2024 especially from Thailand, the production quality is stellar, the music is great, Nunew's singing is exceptional. All in all an entertaining show, which does not try to give you only good vibes. I was surprised, that I find this show now much better compared when it released, but that's ok for me :)

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Every year a top notch production from Taiwan

Last year Taiwans BL industry had "Kiseki Dear To Me" with the highest production value and this year it must be "Unknown". They also had a troubled background story with some mafia elements and general hardships for at least one character. While the story is not perfect the series conveys all the feelings very well. Chemestry between the leads was also top notch imho and they kept the intimate scenes to the story where it mattered. Only LiLi left something to be desired, not really grown up to the end.

To read a review where I'm told I'm weired because of "incest" even it isn't "incest" was even more weired for me. Does incest even count between same sex? Incest is only not allowed because of gen deficits the children will get, see Europe and Habsburger :)

While not perfect this show transports all the feelings in an expectional way, with a top notch production value and cinematography. I can overlook all the the little story problems especially at the end. I would have prefered to see the surgery and not LiLis baby. Regardsless a show to recommand.

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