1
Jessica
Through the looking-glass
Better than Expected But Not Perfect
STORY:
I went into this knowing it's source material and pretty much got everything I expected out of a Mame work. Surprised? No. Disappointed? Eh. I've accepted my fate with her works at this point.
The story has your classic Mame checklist of elements she seems to include in most of her works. Sexual harassment and assault disguised as tsundere kickstarting an OTP romance? Check. Sexual harassment and assault also (and perhaps confusedly, to the newcomers) being used to characterize an evil antagonist? Check. Unresolved trauma that can be healed by a handsome savior's kiss and warm smile? Check. Did I leave anything out?
The story is broken into two separate but interrelated arcs, with the first half of the show focusing on one couple (Payu and Rain) and the second half focusing on the other (Prapai and Sky). I enjoyed the latter more, though they weren't without their faults as well (mostly Sky acting far more cringey than he did in the beginning, when he only popped up every now and then). Payu and Rain just seemed purely like a fantasy played out in real life. There was no depth to the characters or plot, and the romantic set-up was laughably unrealistic. Further, the Rain and Payu at the end of the series would have never acted the way Rain and Payu at the beginning of the series acted, and vice versa. These two characters were inconsistent and had no individuality and persona outside of the two-dimensional tropes they were playing. As it was, this couple was bland and forgettable, not offering anything more than what we see all the time in your basic BL.
With Sky and Prapai, teenage me (who went through an ~eDgeLoRd~ phase) would have eaten their tragic, angsty love story up. Thirty-one year old me appreciated the darker tone, but also cringed from time to time at the melodrama of it all. I felt like the story was succinct enough and I liked that there wasn't a lot of filler, but this is also one where the antagonist just turned into a wimp when confronted by Prapai, and I feel like in real life, that wouldn't be the case. But again, I know that BLs don't often go for realism.
I think it also doesn't help that the "tops" (for lack of a better word) are supposed to be older and suave and charming. Self-assured and advanced in their careers and financially independent. The problem is that they cast baby-faced men in their early 20s (who quite frankly are rarely if ever at that stage in their lives), which causes me to suspend even more disbelief than I already do.
Other minor things that annoyed me was everyone referring to Rain as "Payu's boy" and the like (gag), the unnecessary dialogue where characters are literally just thinking out loud or telling us viewers what they are doing (which we can clearly see from watching the show), and the overall subpar writing quality.
ACTING/CAST:
Aside from what I noted above about casting actors who are probably too young for the types of characters they play, I thought overall the leads did well. Fort, who played Prapai, did the best in my opinion, followed by Peat (Sky) and/or Boss (Payu) (I can't decide who did better), with Noeul (Rain) coming in last. Fort was the most natural and consistent in his character (which could honestly be due in large part to writing or directing), and Noeul was a little bit too chaotic (but again, maybe it's the writing or directing).
The couples did all have good chemistry with one another. This was a series where the bed scenes were spicier, which is a plus, and there didn't seem to be any awkwardness between the pairings.
OVERALL:
Surprisingly, not a terribly offensive offering from Mame, but definitely includes her unrealistic yaoi fantasies coming to life. Breaking the series into two halves (essentially) kept it fresh and interesting and probably cut down on a lot of filler. It was an okay watch, and I'd recommend if you're looking for something with good smut. Definitely do not watch this for the plot or writing. At the end of the day, it's just another Thai BL that takes themes which could otherwise be interesting and different and cheapens them by turning them into fantasies rather than exploring them fully.
I went into this knowing it's source material and pretty much got everything I expected out of a Mame work. Surprised? No. Disappointed? Eh. I've accepted my fate with her works at this point.
The story has your classic Mame checklist of elements she seems to include in most of her works. Sexual harassment and assault disguised as tsundere kickstarting an OTP romance? Check. Sexual harassment and assault also (and perhaps confusedly, to the newcomers) being used to characterize an evil antagonist? Check. Unresolved trauma that can be healed by a handsome savior's kiss and warm smile? Check. Did I leave anything out?
The story is broken into two separate but interrelated arcs, with the first half of the show focusing on one couple (Payu and Rain) and the second half focusing on the other (Prapai and Sky). I enjoyed the latter more, though they weren't without their faults as well (mostly Sky acting far more cringey than he did in the beginning, when he only popped up every now and then). Payu and Rain just seemed purely like a fantasy played out in real life. There was no depth to the characters or plot, and the romantic set-up was laughably unrealistic. Further, the Rain and Payu at the end of the series would have never acted the way Rain and Payu at the beginning of the series acted, and vice versa. These two characters were inconsistent and had no individuality and persona outside of the two-dimensional tropes they were playing. As it was, this couple was bland and forgettable, not offering anything more than what we see all the time in your basic BL.
With Sky and Prapai, teenage me (who went through an ~eDgeLoRd~ phase) would have eaten their tragic, angsty love story up. Thirty-one year old me appreciated the darker tone, but also cringed from time to time at the melodrama of it all. I felt like the story was succinct enough and I liked that there wasn't a lot of filler, but this is also one where the antagonist just turned into a wimp when confronted by Prapai, and I feel like in real life, that wouldn't be the case. But again, I know that BLs don't often go for realism.
I think it also doesn't help that the "tops" (for lack of a better word) are supposed to be older and suave and charming. Self-assured and advanced in their careers and financially independent. The problem is that they cast baby-faced men in their early 20s (who quite frankly are rarely if ever at that stage in their lives), which causes me to suspend even more disbelief than I already do.
Other minor things that annoyed me was everyone referring to Rain as "Payu's boy" and the like (gag), the unnecessary dialogue where characters are literally just thinking out loud or telling us viewers what they are doing (which we can clearly see from watching the show), and the overall subpar writing quality.
ACTING/CAST:
Aside from what I noted above about casting actors who are probably too young for the types of characters they play, I thought overall the leads did well. Fort, who played Prapai, did the best in my opinion, followed by Peat (Sky) and/or Boss (Payu) (I can't decide who did better), with Noeul (Rain) coming in last. Fort was the most natural and consistent in his character (which could honestly be due in large part to writing or directing), and Noeul was a little bit too chaotic (but again, maybe it's the writing or directing).
The couples did all have good chemistry with one another. This was a series where the bed scenes were spicier, which is a plus, and there didn't seem to be any awkwardness between the pairings.
OVERALL:
Surprisingly, not a terribly offensive offering from Mame, but definitely includes her unrealistic yaoi fantasies coming to life. Breaking the series into two halves (essentially) kept it fresh and interesting and probably cut down on a lot of filler. It was an okay watch, and I'd recommend if you're looking for something with good smut. Definitely do not watch this for the plot or writing. At the end of the day, it's just another Thai BL that takes themes which could otherwise be interesting and different and cheapens them by turning them into fantasies rather than exploring them fully.
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