First Time Finishing a Thai GL Series

I've watched little GLs in the past but this series is the only one I've finished until the end. These are my honest likes and dislikes on Idol Factory's 2nd GL.

STORY (6.5/10)
Likes
The idea behind it is creative, Wan and Kim's relationship IRL is sucky so Wan lets her real feelings out to her in her dreams. This is the main idea at the beginning of the show. A growing actress whose stylist is her childhood friend, but Kim was blackmailed by another growing actress, forcing her to work under her (Jessie) instead as she's a talented stylist. WanKim has always had a not-so-platonic relationship ever since high school but they've always kept it a secret as they don't know how the other one feels. After their dads decided to run away together, it made them have something to relate to and connect with on a deeper level. But I love how it made the viewers feel confused about who to even support anymore when it started becoming more complicated with Kim's mom's illness, her 'dying' wish to see Kim getting taken care of by marrying Marwin, and seeing WanKim having a moment 30 minutes from her wedding with him. I also like how it made the viewers 'try' to understand their dads, by placing WanKim in a very similar situation. A lot of WanKim moments weren't 'reality' up until episode 9. It's either in their dreams, one of them's asleep, or drunk. This makes the viewers feel as confused as Wan, that none of those are 'real', but Wan experienced it, so we kind of get her behavior. A lot of the characters here except for the comedic duo (Mon, Mali, Pat) aren't 2D, it makes us think. Anyway, the overall concept of the show caught my interest at the beginning, and it became even more interesting around episode 9.

Dislikes
Wan is very toxic, I started becoming annoyed at her somewhere around the middle. When she went to Marwin to tell him not to accept Kim as his employee, that was it. Very possessive, and selfish, but it made us feel like we're supposed to somewhat...support her behavior because she's the main character? Honestly, she doesn't deserve Kim ever at all, I don't know how Kim still likes her. Wan wanted to be with her because it made her happy, but was Kim happy? Still hanging out with her even though it'd result in a loss for Kim too, being rude to Jessie knowing she can release that clip of both of them, being rude to Pam (Dokrak's GF) even though it's wasting Kim's effort to allow Pam to let Dokrak be Wan's stylist, and her ridiculously childish behavior with Kim's employer. Man, honestly Marwin is a good guy, just blind in love to insist on marrying someone he met recently, plus some unintentional pressure he made. I can see that they tried to make us dislike him by making him ruin Kim's business and making him less polite. But it doesn't work like that, I genuinely would be happy for Kim if she honestly liked Marwin. Also, let's not view kissing someone while sleeping in a positive manner, it's one of my biggest no-nos. Wan is a bad friend, how are Mali and Mon still keeping up with her annoying behavior?! It's a good thing at least that after Wan got what she wanted, she isn't insufferable anymore. But I've gotta give credit because this made me feel interested to want to know what will happen

DIRECTING
I think this director, A, is great at the comedic scenes. My favorite comedic scene was in episode 6, when Pat was trying to ask Wan out using the papers, but he showed her the wrong side so it's just a blank paper AHAHAHH that one was directed pretty funnily to me, my type. Not only the comedic scenes but the beautiful scenes too outdoors with the view. A good example would be right at the end of episode 9 when Kim told Wan she's getting married while they're outdoors, I like the pacing. If I were to express my dislikes, I'm not a huge fan of the concept of Wan's dreams sometimes from the camera concepts. At some moments, the vibe of the song doesn't match too much with the scene which bugged me a bit.

ACTING (6.5/10)
Most of them are up to the surface level, some notable good ones are May, Heng, and Looknam though which increased my rating by 0.5
Fay
Not great especially at the start of the show. For a character who's supposed to be b*tchy, she doesn't have that gaze in her eyes or the corners of her lips. A good example would be Frung (Jessie), but more toned down since Wan is more cold. I could see a clear imbalance when her face was near May, especially in emotional scenes. But I have to say, the end of episode 9 with her emotional facial expression made the whole show more engaging. It was when she shed tears I noticed for the first time in episode 10(?), she's improving while shooting the show it seems. Can't forget about my favorite scene in episode 11, I didn't think she'd cry like that 30 minutes before Kim's wedding. Her lips shaking, her voice too, it made the scene even better. I'm glad her acting got better as the series went on, looking forward to FayMay's new series in 2024 Somewhere Somehow. But a bit salty that she hasn't done it since episode 1, could've made everything better as the main character.

May
I absolutely have no complaints about her. Every time there's a crying scene, it just feels so real, she makes every sad scene even better. She also portrays her slightly tired/annoyed expression when with Wan well. There wasn't a single time I thought 'hmm this was a bit awkward' with her acting. awesome since the start. Of course, FayMay has decent chemistry with each other here, especially in the cute scenes.

Frung
Ever since the start, I knew what her character was supposed to be like from her intonation and gaze. Even though she doesn't have sharp and angular facial features like a lot of villains do, her acting itself can get the job done well.

PearPloy
Not sure if it's because they were introduced as an established couple already or what, but I didn't see much chemistry in them that it felt a bit awkward when they called each other 'my love'. Pam (Pear) is always annoyed at something, and Dokrak (Ploy) is just happy to be there. GrumpyXsunshine dynamic, but nothing else. Except for when their kiss was shown at Mon's club. Their characters didn't give them a chance to showcase much, their characters were pretty simple.

Songjet
As the comedic character, her intonation, exaggerated expressions, and body movements were natural. It didn't seem awkward or anything. Since her character is mostly whining about something, it didn't give much of a chance to showcase her acting either. But she can play a funny overreacting character for sure, a little bit bland though.

Looknam
As a comedic character, she did amazing. Her playful expressions, annoyance, etc etc no complaints. great great actress who is able to switch up in an instant.

Heng
No matter if he's playing a good or evil character while standing still without any expressions, we'll know right away what he's trying to show. Before the wedding incident happened, his expression looked very kind. Then when WanKim talked with his character, you could see he had bitterness in his eyes very clearly that you feel scared if he'll do something. Excited to see him in PoomSaint's show in 2025 'My Sweetheart Jom '

Poom
Playing a comedic 2D character, we didn't see him doing much other than smiling and looking like a lost kid, except when he had a workshop with Wan and Jessie in a serious scene. His expressions didn't seem 'deep' enough, mostly his gaze.

Tack
Even though he just appeared as a guest, I already know he's great at comedic scenes, I actually paid attention to the thing he was sponsoring LOLL

MUSIC (9.5/10)
My favorite thing about this show is easily the amazing music, both BGM and OST. The vibe of the BGMs is very soothing when they need to be. The theme song is also cute, got me singing along. Let's not forget about one of the OSTs sung by boy sombop, the king of BL songs with the title 'Awake'. whenever that song plays, my focus instantly increases.

Rewatch Value (8/10)
Well, the reason why it's high is because of how frustratingly interesting the show is with Wan's behavior. Will probably rewatch for memories in the future

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Detailed Rewatch Review

Rewatched my first BL to write a proper review 4 years after its release... I feel like I didn't watch it properly enough to appreciate it during covid era.

1. Story (7/10)
LIKES
FighterTutor:
The hardship they had to go through made their relationship feel even deeper, how they showed their love and care for each other. The process on how they went from enemies to lovers was great, the pacing of each character's expressions was just right. How their confusion and desire for each other was portrayed amazingly with the story. The issue they had with Fighter's dad added a whole new level to their story. The build-up done for their first kiss was just *muah*. I appreciate there not being any stupid misunderstanding that could've been avoided easily, they were mature with each other. My rating for this category is honestly, heavily carried by FighterTutor's story. If the series was only about FighterTutor, I'd rate the story an (8.5/10)

SaifahZon:
The other main couple that's the complete opposite with their relationship filled with mostly fluff. I absolutely adore Zon's awareness of him being in a novel and his comicalness. The beginning episodes portrayed their cute tension together as they're stuck in those situations are very adorable. This couple is perfect for people who like simple yet cute dynamics, their gentleness with each other is so soft. They were able to execute cliche scene with Zol's novel, pure entertainment from a student's fan fiction, which made it funny and not cringe at all.

Others:
1. The guest roles of TharnType and Make it Right's couples were a very creative way to show how their world had changed to a novel story
2. How Zon's parents had a confusing attitude to him was a good way to show how when you're in a novel, the side characters will strangely support whatever is related to your lover (In reference to them allowing Zon play music with Saifah but not writing fictions even though both doesn't contribute to his GPA)
3. Tongta and Tutor's sibling relationship is very precious, scripted well

DISLIKES
FighterTutor:
It wasn't shown enough why exactly Fighter liked Tutor in the first place, why did their first meeting during orientation make Fighter develop slight feelings for him? Trolling him was cute in Fighter's eyes but not to Tutor apparently. Fighter did Hwa wrong and it wasn't emphasized enough, even Zee said himself his character wasn't a good person XD. Tutor being Hwa's best friend acted out-of-character taking part in the relationship knowing he cares for her. I didn't like how FT's relationship when they were enemies were mostly harassment done by Fighter. He cornered him when it was night time at campus, hugged him when preparing Hwa's cake, and kissed him during Hwa's party. Even though, those unwanted moments by Tutor made him realize his feelings, it's unethical. Their relationship was mostly physical, it was almost like only lust, sometimes too much around the last episodes. The issue with Fighter's dad successfully proved it wrong though. During this issue, their tension wasn't shown enough since Tutor's sick scene made me almost forget that they weren't on good terms.

SaifahZon:
Even though they're supposed to be equal to the other main couple, they felt like a side couple during the later episodes which I can understand due to covid issues as they mentioned. My question is even if there were no disruptions, what story and plot would've been added that would contribute in their relationship growth? With FT's deeper story, it made them stand out way more. How SZ initially got close was due to the cute boy fan club with Soda and Luktan which his friends and the seniors totally forced on poor Zon. Imagine having to show affection to the guy who doesn't feel guilty about your ex cheating with him. And remember that time Zon had to take Saifah's towel in the locker room and he cornered Zon, attempted to flash him?! Poor Zon was so scared he hid inside one of the stalls. Another time was when Zon was sleeping before their rehearsal the music show on the couch, and Saifah literally kissed him. This is not a cute act and shouldn't have been portrayed as one. Their accidental first kiss during their fight was a bit crazy, I wanted to excuse this scene with Zol's novel but that was before she even started writing. During the last episode, their emotional bed scene together felt a bit off. The whole time their relationship was based on simplicity, so their deep emotions then made it feel off.

JapanTanthai:
Their affection was so unexpected that it felt like Tanthai was using Japan to get into the soccer team. Absolutely no reason for them to start liking each other, for some reason they already enjoy close-proximity presence.

DewBlue:
I thought Dew had a split personality from attempting to hit Blue, to helping him practice soccer. Literally the only reason why he didn't hit him was because Champ stopped him at the exact time. If Dew wanted to soften up to Blue, it wasn't portrayed enough. How was Blue not visibly afraid of him? ChampBlue literally feels better since Champ is a green flag who can take care of Dew's youth well.

DayHwa:
Day attempted to take advantage of her when she was drunk during her party, the only reason why they didn't kiss was because Hwa looked away. Not only during here, but also right after when Fighter broke up with Hwa. He knew she was in a vulnerable position in need of a lover who would support and care for her, as the third-party he took still part in the mutual kiss. I don't even know if Hwa likes Day for him or because he was able to utilize her heartbreak at the right time. Also, Hwa forgave Tutor was too easily. He was a part of her heartbreak, even though it probably wouldn't have worked out without him anyway.

Zol:
A university student, 18 years old, but writing romance fan fictions of real-life people actively hating on each other and publishing it online. Not only she didn't ask for their permissions (excluding Blue for some reason), she lied to Zon about deleting his name from her fiction. It's okay for a bad character to exist in a story, but it was downplayed as an okay thing that I don't like.

Others:
1. Tutor's past for being rich could've been emphasized better, it was random and easily forgotten
2. There were some cringe scenes, but it was backed by the idea that they were in a novel
3. Zen was.... just there. Not sure what this character was for. Did not contribute much to any plots, or entertainment

2. Acting/Cast (8.5)
LIKES
ZeeSaint:
Easily the best acted couple in this series. I want to appreciate Saint's ability to express various emotions in a very natural way playing a character who shows his emotions. How he portrays Tutor's discomfort and tension with Fighter is absolutely my favorite part of his character, heavy on the tension during their first mutual kiss while studying and the emotional scene at the campus during night time when Tutor said no one understood him. One of my favorite acting showcase scene would be when Fighter begged Tutor to tell him why he ghosted him at his condo. I never thought I'd ever see Zee's character weeping like that, it was a very emotional scene and both actors did great. Another natural scene from this couple was at the last episode, when Tutor admitted to being possessive after Fighter took off his shirt at the beach. It was absolutely adorable. ZeeSaint's chemistry in WHY R U the series is just perfect, the way they look at each other, and their affection. There are not enough words to comment on their bed scenes, it is not awkward at all and I want to applaud them for delivering such scenes.

JimmyTommy:
I absolutely adore Tommy's portrayal of a comical and jumpy character in a romance novel. His devastated, confused, and scared expressions were very entertaining and funny to see. Jimmy's portrayal of a more nonchalant character was nice, he fits playing a character who likes to tease. JimmyTommy/Mii2 is awesome for bromance or platonic relationships regarding their chemistry. However, I'd like to make their kiss scene at the last episode an exception. A bit shocking to see how they kissed after getting a fluff and simple impression of them.

ParkSeng:
Even though I'm not a fan of their plot together, I can't deny that they have a decent chemistry. They weren't given much to work with, but I wonder how they could've been if otherwise. Park could portray feeling flustered from having a junior being physically close to him, and Seng's eyes were glued to him well.

Others:
1. Max can act angry well, Nat also portrayed a cute younger character well
2. Perth (Zol) can naturally smile real good during her fangirling moments, it's a bit contagious
3. Cheer (Tongta) was only in the show for a bit, but her acting and delivery was on point! Such a pro
3. Poppy (Junior) is a memorable side character who can express wittiness very well with his voice, body movements, and face
4. Tonnam (Natee) acts as a funny and expressive character like a pro
5. Janistar (Hwa) acted her breakup scene with Fighter really well, specifically the heavy breathing

DISLIKES:
ZeeSaint:
When Fighter forced himself to Tutor's condo and Tutor himself, it was kind of awkward. It was too gentle for an assault, not sure if it's supposed to be this way signaling that maybe Tutor didn't try resisting and Fighter didn't want to be aggressive. Then, I know Fighter is supposed to be a colder character who isn't expressive to just anyone. But during the emotional scene when Fighter confronted Tutor at campus resulting in Fighter apologizing if he made him uncomfortable, his expressions were too bland. His lover was crying right in front of him yet he didn't express enough.

JimmyTommy:
Even though they're an equal main couple, it'd be better if they were a side couple in this series. I love it when they utilize their existing chemistry to act on playful moments and flirting, but maybe not deeper situations. Tommy seemed a bit awkward during happy/cute scenes, and Jimmy's facial expressions can be improved more. Their kiss scene at the last episode lacked a bit off a natural physical proximity. I can't help but compare it to ZeeSaint's scenes, but it's not a fair comparison to be honest. If I'm not wrong, either the director or acting coach mentioned how most actors here lacked experience except for Saint.

MaxNat:
Not a fan of their chemistry here, maybe their plot together also affected my opinion on their chemistry. They were fine individually as their own characters, but I don't see a 'them' from this series itself at all.

3. Music (9.5/10)
LIKES
This series has A LOT of OSTs, around 10. Not only they have many OSTs, but many BGMs were also provided. The BGMs weren't only modified melodies of their OSTs, but actual totally different ones. You know when you notice that a show keeps reusing the same songs for specific scenes? WHY R U doesn't noticeably do that. They don't only serve quantity, but also quality. I love how the 2 main couples have their own 'anthems', where it's:
How Many Reasons Make Me Love You? by Pantherist for SaifahZon, and
Is This Love? by Tom Isara for FighterTutor

DISLIKES
The only thing I hope could've been done was allocating the OSTs throughout the series better. Some of them were played way more than the others that I couldn't recognize some of the songs when trying to listen to it.

4. Rewatch Value (4.5/10)
Since this is review is based on a rewatch, that says something about it. But I doubt I'll rewatch this show again, I was just feeling nostalgic. This show attempted to make almost every character end up with someone, this made the show feel forced at those parts. But if you remove scenes that don't necessarily add anything to the plot like the side characters who are almost completely unrelated to the main plot, I'd rewatch it. However, I wouldn't judge a show based on its rewatch value. Some shows are simply more fit to be rewatched by me (short stories, or mystery thriller genre).

4 years ago, I was still new to the BL world and preferred a more gentle couple like SaifahZon. I guess now I like couples with a deeper visible bond together, my heart is now on FighterTutor. Overall, If the only couple here was FighterTutor there's a high chance I'd rate this series a 9.5/10 .I really miss ZeeSaint together as well as JimmyTommy.

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Explaining My Ratings (Likes & Dislikes)

My first BL after a long time, I made a MDL account just to review this lol. Still can't believe they paired Perth and Chimon together, so unexpected yet memorable.

1. Story (6.5/10)
LIKES
The start of the story was very interesting with the intense bullying and genuine hatred they had for each other, it made me become more curious on how they would ever softened up to each other. I liked how Sailom would stand up for himself, showing how even though he's poor, he'll stand with the truth and not bow down to Kang. I absolutely love their fluff scenes together.

How the show portrayed the horrible life Sailom had to endure made the viewers have a deeper connection with him. I also appreciate how there's no stupid misunderstanding here that can easily be solved. The fact this show added a cute meaning to 'windmill' and 'wind' is cheesy and adorable. I'm thankful that Pimfah didn't lead Kang on, they both knew she wasn't interested in a relationship and she stood by her words. Additionally, I don't have any complaints I can think of about Saifah and Name's storyline together.

DISLIKES
How Kang and Sailom softened up with each other didn't make much sense to me. Kang would act out-of-character at comedy/light-hearted scenes. He lowered his ego at the early episodes for the sake of the storyline. Are you telling me someone who spread fake information about Sailom being a pedophile is willing to soften his behavior when he was forced to study with him?? Kang also had strange behaviors like acting way too upset with Sailom when his brother confessed to killing his dad, I get that he felt mad but he expressed it like Sailom was the murderer.

It was also strange how Kang liked Pimfah (the lock scene) when he barely showed his feelings to her but way more to Sailom. Pimfah liking Sailom was also not portrayed enough for it make sense, and Sailom admitting to Kang he liked him when/since he gave his umbrella back when they were little? It felt thrown in randomly. I'm also not much of a fan with the way Kang announced to the whole school he was dating Sailom, it felt nerfed down when it's a big deal. Nawa and Guy's story was your expected 'enemies to lover' trope, but more could've been shown to see how they softened up rather than a time skip. Pimfah and Nabdao's growth wasn't portrayed much so I couldn't feel a connection with them as a couple, it felt platonic (or it is supposed to be platonic?).

2. Acting/cast (5.5/10)
LIKES
PerthChimon are able to express hatred really well, Perth is great at acting as a bully and Chimon could express standing up for himself. Their fluff moments felt natural to me, especially the playful and emotional scenes like hugging and teasing. I love KangSailom's bromance moments, Perth has the ability to express his chemistry well from what I've seen with his other ex/partners (Saint, Santa). Even though several people have expressed how Chimon is better off being a bully than a cute character, I believe he acted witty charmingly. JJ is also well fit being a bully, he has the gaze for it. Nawa (Pawin) is damn good at making expressions used to annoy Guy (Marc), the way he moves his eyebrows and the corner of his lips. NAWAGUY'S KISS SCENE OMGGG they are so damn good at it, shocked me crazy at the last/one of the last episodes. I didn't expect much from a side couple since they progressed very slowly but damn that kiss was awesome.

DISLIKES
PerthChimon kissing scenes felt rather awkward. Since they're both known actors, I had higher expectations, but their kiss looked like how several old BL series used to be when people would watch any that was available. A bit disappointed to say the MC's kiss was worse than the side couple. Marc's expressions felt dull and unnatural especially during scenes when he was angry and sad . June (Napdao)'s character was too basic that I couldn't feel a connection with ViewJune here. All Napdao did was smile around, I thought ViewJune was kind of awkward here. I'm aware that Pepper (Name) is supposed to be this 'cool guy', but the moment he came to Saifah after he got shot was kind of cringe due to his 'cool guy' character.

3. Music (8/10)
LIKES
I really love the official OST, 'Wind' sung by Chimon is my absolute favorite (sounds similar to 'Bluestone Alley' from piano tiles 2!). I loved how the OST was used at the end when they were at the windmill field together. 'Wind' and 'Sunset' (sung by PerthChimon) are songs I'd definitely continue to listen for a long time especially during night time or while driving. I'm literally listening to it right now.

DISLIKES
Not much actually, but I'll make a comment on the BGMs derived from the OSTs. I felt like there wasn't enough variations of the songs and seemed repetitive. It's not a big deal though. The music category seems fine to me, the highest rating out of all categories.

4. Rewatch Value (3.5/10)
This is a rather memorable series in my opinion, will be one of the series I think of in the future. But I doubt I'll rewatch it. I like this ship, I know both actors and they're both cute. I'll remember this ship, probably see some clips of them again when I miss them, but not rewatching a whole series. Well this was an interesting first and last series with PerthChimon, my first BL after a long break. Thank you for reading, feel free to update me on any mistakes I might've remembered wrong that i mentioned here.

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