Never have I wanted to die more than right now

I finished the series 10 minutes ago. I'm a fucking wreck but let's do it.
I don't know what's going on with Korean BLs lately but they've been HITTING for some reason. First, The Eighth Sense, then Love for Love's Sake, and now this one?? Why does everyone want me to kms??? No but seriously, they're doing something that I don't quite see in other countries' BLs, like Thailand's, for example.
I'll say this: I've only cried twice watching a BL. The first, watching Last Twilight, and the second, watching this.

So. What I liked:

- It feels realistic, even though I hope there's no-one on this Earth as unlucky as the poor protagonist. He falls in love, breaks up, gets broken up with, has happy times and hits new lows every now and then. He has sex, he has friends, he has family issues, he can be compassionate but also an asshole. I love it. I love Go Young not as a character, but as a person that might exist in real life. I could see myself being friends with him.
- Surprisingly sex positive, especially for a KBL. Even Mi Ae sleeps around and it isn't treated as something shameful or wrong (though she still gets mocked for it). I also appreciated the representation of someone who has to live with HIV. I don't know if they consulted people who actually have it, but as a viewer it felt quite genuine.
- The characters are all lovely. I was sooo invested following Go Young, I loved his friends despite their limited screentime, and I ADORED Mi Ae while she was onscreen. There's hints at backstories, complex personalities, all interwoven to create very believable characters.
- The main couple was amazing, show-stopping, incredible--- I just don't know what to say. The portrayal of puppy love (or the honeymoon phase) was mesmerizing.
- The existential dread and the feeling of being lost, unwanted, unworthy, etc- was too well done for my taste. It hit too close to home at some points.

BUT--

- The time skips can fuck with your head sometimes, it can be hard to tell how much time has passed between different scenes. And because the series covers quite a lot of time, it can feel like things are going at breakneck speed, especially when Go Young is going through different boyfriends.
- I do agree with other reviewers that, outside of his mental dilemma and shame with HIV, he didn't really suffer any side-effects from having it in his day-to-day life.
- Well you can probably already tell but this series is fucking depressing. Everything that can go wrong in someone's life goes wrong for Go Young, and it's so hard to watch him suffer through it all: loss of relative to cancer, HIV, multiple breakups, lost friendships, toxic exes, dead exes, the whole nine yards. I honestly cried less at my grandfather's funeral (/j).

Still, the series is amazingly well done. And incredibly acted. It's one of those rare occurrences where you forget that you're watching a character, not a real person.
Just, maybe don't watch if you're single, in your early 20s and in the brink of an existential crisis. It doesn't really help, let's just say that.

Leggi di Più

One of the best BL series of 2023

[Original review]

Oh my God. Where to start?
This was a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting to love a censored, probably bromance-y chinese series I knew nothing about (apart from the edits on TikTok that convinced me to watch it), but here we are. To be honest, I'm devastated.

When I started it, I didn't know it was an adaptation of an already existing series, so I didn't have that to compare it to. Immediately I fell in love with the funny and quirky acting, the pacing, the story and production. The actors have great chemistry, the music is amazing (I found myself humming along to that one song that was used in almost every episode lmao) and the story covers important topics such as found family, grief, messy divorces and remarrying after the loss of a loved one, jealousy, friendship and much more. I loved that the relationships were portrayed as realistic, nuanced and sometimes toxic (for example, Su Yu's mom and Wu Bi's dad's dynamic was really interesting to me). I also like that both actors for Wu Bi and Su Yu look like teenagers, even though they are 22 and 25 years old. I'm usually bothered when they cast actors who look way too old to play highschoolers, but it wasn't the case here, and I'm grateful.

Because of the censorship, this show is very different than other BLs I've watched, where you usually get a good amount of kissing, as well as direct admissions of love. However, this didn't bother me. It still doesn't. I understand how difficult it must be to put out BL content in China, and I appreciate the entire production team's efforts to avoid censorship while still getting the message across. In the end, we got plenty of physical interactions (wrestling, hugging, even a good amount of cheek-kissing! Which had me dying if I'm being honest), and their emotional bond is more than enough to satisfy my expectations from the BL genre.

Everyone should watch this series. Did it break my heart into tiny pieces? Yes. Will I still rewatch the hell out of it? Also yeah - except from that last episode, I think I might never recover from that ending (hence the rewatch value score is a little bit lower).
Hoping that we get a season 2. I need to know they'll be okay after what happened.

[Edit about a year later]
I'm lowering the rating bc this is objectively step-sibling incest. While I enjoyed the chemistry between the main leads and the found family aspect of it all, the incest is there and it would be a much better series if they weren't related (in any way). Still a pretty good series if you can ignore that.

Leggi di Più

Cute, but dull and with serious problems regarding pacing and the story

To say that this series was a disappointment would be a huge understatement. I had high expectations for it after watching the first episode, and I legitimately thought it would be up there with Our Dating Sim and Semantic Error. It looked fun! Daring! Spicy! (considering it’s a korean series).
The three first episodes were great. The pacing could’ve been better, but we still had a lot of episodes to go, and there was plenty of time to pick up some speed.
However, the following three episodes were a mess. Just. A complete disaster. I don’t know what happened, or why, but they decided to fill 80% of each episode with pointless scenes and dialogue, unnecessary misunderstandings, a love square that didn’t really go anywhere and only took up excessive screen-time, and a whole lot of office meetings that I didn’t (or didn’t care to) understand.
The final episode saved it a little for me. I know many have found it rushed and sloppy, but I think it's cute and engaging in a way that episodes 4-7 weren't. It still doesn't bump it up to an 8, though.

The strong points:

- The visuals. Let’s be honest, the actor playing Choi Jun is a godsend - the man is truly beautiful. That helped me get through most of the episodes. As an artist, I just wanted to draw him.
- (Some of) the dialogue. It can be pretty funny at times. The ‘American style’, the ‘Why is it getting bigger??’, their banter at the restaurant table, etc etc. It’s kind of sad, because it shows that the series had the potential to be hilarious and entertaining all the way through.
- (Some of) the scenes the main leads have together, both when they're flirting and after they have started dating. It takes a while to get there, but once you do, it's kind of fun and daring for a k-drama. It's because of these that the rewatch value is higher.

Where it all comes crashing down:

- The acting. It’s not really that good. For Choi Jun, they relied too heavily on the actor being ‘sexy’ or whatever, and for Lee Jun, on him being cute. There are very few moments where the characters feel three-dimensional or natural, and they mostly feel very stiff and, well, acted. It doesn’t help that both actors have quite a blank expression, and don’t really emote with their face.
- The story!! Wtf was that? Why was Lee and Choi’s relationship explored so little? IT’S THE MAIN POINT OF THE SERIES?? Yet they barely talk about it, they barely interact outside the office. They are meant to be childhood friends who reconnected, yet feel like strangers that just dig each other. The fact that we barely see them together until the last episode is frustrating to me.
- Also, like I said, the love square was really unnecessary. Not only did it take away from the main couple, but it also made me root for the other two more than Choi Jun in their ‘quest’ to get with Lee Jun! I don’t think that’s what’s supposed to happen! And then they get an open ending, when they had me hoping they would get together for real.
- The pacing. The office setting was, in this case, a setback for the enjoyability of the series. They shot super long scenes where they are discussing perfume and brand deals with influencers, and it doesn’t really add to the plot. The same idea could be conveyed with much less screentime. I skipped multiple scenes because of this.

Overall, I would not recommend this series. Or, at least, I would recommend the first three eps and the last, but not the rest. The story is nothing new, and they didn’t do anything interesting with it, like I originally thought they would. This is the type of series where you can just watch an edit on YouTube or a TikTok and you'll be fine.

Leggi di Più

I see the Romance, but not the Dangerous

This was.... okay. Let's get into it:

The good:

- I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, Guy and Nawa SAVED this series for me. They were so entertaining, the chemistry was off the charts, and I was invested every time they were on-screen. I loved them. Their kiss??? Are you kidding me??? I think their romance was believable, they never really lost their banter but grew to tolerate, then like each other. I'm sold.
- Sailom and Kanghan have some genuinely adorable moments together. They're at their best when they're hanging out and just having fun.
- The first few episodes were good. Like, actually good. They were so different to other GMMTV series: they were gritty, darker and more bold in showing the reality of bullying. It really got under my skin - which means it was done well. I wanted to punch Kanghan so badly. It felt appropiate for the title 'Dangerous Romance', and even though I don't really like watching people get abused and bullied, it was realistic for the characters and the situations they were in.
- I also loved the (new?) trope of the bully getting his ass handed to him by the person being bullied. It was so funny, and clever, and it made me love Sailom so much. They tell us that he's smart, but those scenes show it as well. It made me see him as a resourceful, cunning and assertive person.
- Honorable mention to my boy Auto, he's made me laugh multiple times - love him as well.

The bad:

- The story just loses its steam after a few episodes - there's no other way to describe it. Once Sailom and Kanghan become friends, it's less about the bullying and more about their romance and secondary plot points. Which I would not mind if they had done it properly - instead, they redeemed Kanghan in, like, the THIRD episode, through a sad montage, and had Sailom forgive him almost immediately. They trusted each other SO FAST. This was the guy who a week ago was forcing you to kiss your friend and recording it!! Why do you trust him?? Why does HE trust you??? Kanghan never really faced the consequences of what he did, which was messed up. He didn't 'make a mistake', he harassed poorer students while being aware of his privilege and accused someone of being a p*dophile so that they would lose their job as a tutor. This is not something that can (nor should) be forgiven that quickly.
- About Kanghan and Sailom's relationship: it's just not giving Romance. They looked like friends with benefits to me. They have such a strong chemistry as friends, but the actors look a little bit uncomfortable when doing physically intimate scenes together. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things. Also, it's kind of toxic - Kanghan drops Sailom multiple times throughout the series, and shuts himself off completely without communicating. He fires Sailom knowing that he's financially dependent on him and that he'll have to resort to being an escort. He distances himself immediately after telling him he trusts him. I would be VERY insecure in that relationship.
- Potential? teacher-student romance?? Am I delirious or were they going for it?? Idk, I'm not a fan of this dynamic at all.
- Some plot elements were genuinely ridiculous, and clearly only there to create drama artificially. Why did the brother go to jail? (the boss' fingerprints were on the gun!! He was not wearing gloves!! Did the police not see that they did not match Saifah's???) Why did Name take so long to confess? Why did the boss start shooting at Sailom and Kanghan at the hospital instead of threatening to kill the dad so that they would go away? Why did he go in himself, instead of having someone disposable go in his place?
- The dad was redeemed too fast. I didn't care for him - he was an asshole for 90% of the series, and then I'm supposed to believe that he's a great guy who's turned his life around to be better for his son. I'm sorry, I don't.

Would I recommend this series? Not really. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as memorable as I originally thought it was going to be. I'll probably forget 70% of what happened throughout. I do think that the actors should be given more roles together, maybe not as partners, but friends? Their chemistry shouldn't go to waste.

Leggi di Più

I am so incredibly lost it's not even funny

Maybe I missed something, or the series is supposed to be this way, but I've never been so confused while watching a series. I genuinely had no fucking clue what was going on for like 80% of the runtime. I like taking notes while watching series, and for this one I wrote down "what is going on" like twenty times. I'm not even kidding.

The thing is, this is a SHORT series. So much so that I finished ep 5 and thought there were still a few more to come. Only today did I realize that it is, in fact, over. Which means that the confusion I felt at the beginning doesn't feel justified. At all.

Firstly, it's impossible for me to guess what the relationship between the two main leads is. Are they family friends? Family? Old friends who fell apart? Literally no idea. Between this and the constant flashbacks to their interactions in the past (which aren't explained either), I was a mess trying to put together a coherent storyline to follow. There's so much angst between them, and you as the audience don't know why that is. There's also a messy af dad in there somewhere, God knows why or how or anything, and I literally didn't care because I just met this man an episode ago?? Idk I'm still mad.

The last episode was the only one I felt like I understood some things. The drama was ok and understandable, and the tension between them when he kicked him out of the apartment was well built. The last kiss with the plausible deniability (closing his eyes so they can both pretend it never happened) was sad but also well done.

But like... that's it? I feel like this didn't have a plot at all, and not in a good way. I'd also like to add that that first kiss was so underwhelming it actually made me laugh. It's not that it was awkward -which it was, but first kisses tend to be awkward-, it's that neither of them moved or did anything other that just stand there with their faces pressed against each other's.

So, yeah. Kind of a meh series. It's not necessarily problematic, that's why it's not getting less than a 5, but I wouldn't watch it again.

Leggi di Più

I'm sorry

I'm going to be the one making the rating go down lol, because I've been scrolling for a while and all I can see are 10-star reviews.

To start with what I liked:
- Acting? Good. It immerses you in the story, it doesn't feel forced, nor scripted, and the chemistry is there (for all the characters). I love Lili especially, she really gave off younger sister vibes.
- Cinematography is also clean and curated, good color grading, and generally visually appealing work. I liked that.
- I guess the main couple has a lot of cute moments, you can really see the affection and love they have for each other, the way they would die for each other if needed. Their bond was apparent and strong.

The elephant in the room:
This is just plain incest. Let me compare it to Stay With Me, which also had some incest-y tones to it: there, the two guys meet as teenagers, not knowing they are related. They become friends, maybe something more, then find out they're stepbrothers. So technically they're related, but haven't grown up together, and don't see each other as brothers. Even though that's still a questionable premise, it isn't as scandalous as this one in Unknown. Yuan has been *raised* by Qian since he was a child, and sees him as a hero (and older brother). Qian acts like a brother and father figure to both Lili and Yuan as they're growing up. I could see Yuan maybe developing feelings for Qian as some sort of unhealthy coping mechanism, but in NO way would that make it acceptable for Qian to reciprocate those feelings. He is YEARS older than Yuan, has treated him like a sibling since childhood, has protected him from abuse and poverty. He should know better. He is an adult, his prefrontal cortex is fully developed, and he knows (should know) right from wrong.
The fact that they're not biologically related doesn't mean anything. That would make it okay for adopted siblings to engage in intimate relationships. They were raised as such, and therefore it's incest. Point blank. Yuan needs therapy and so does Qian - and maybe Yuan should have stayed in the US. Maybe some distance from Qian would have made him come to his senses. If they had been ANY other thing - neighbors, childhood friends, family friends, coworkers- I would have been okay with it. Hell, as I've said, even stepbrothers can get a pass if the series is good (and they didn't grow up together). But this is just not it. I'm surprised by the lack of shock they received from the people around them. What makes it worse is having seen Qian with Yuan and Lili as literal children, which makes me kind of queasy because they change their actors to younger ones but not Qian's. So I couldn't stop picturing that poor teenage boy falling in love with his adult sibling.
I say this as someone who has adopted cousins. Not biologically related is still related. That's all there is to it. There might be chemistry, there might be love, but it's still weird as fuck.

Leggi di Più

I really didn't like this

Okay. I've seen people justify the relationship portrayed in this series by linking it to BDSM practices and dom/sub roleplay. Right off the bat, I'm going to say I know very little about BDSM. But, as I understand it, it has very clear rules and sets firm boundaries in order to guarantee that both parties involved feel in control of their body and their autonomy. It uses safe words, and always respects consent.
This was not present in this series. There was no consent. Segasaki was grabbing Yoh and throwing him on the bed whenever he felt like it, without asking him if he even wanted to do that at that moment. He even ties Yoh up at one point, without consulting it first.
I'm confused about how they wanted me to feel about this couple. Should I ship them (I don't)? Should I be concerned for Yoh's safety (I was)? Should I find Segasaki's attitude attractive (I don't)?
Honestly, this was just incredibly hard to watch.
Yoh had no development at all. He's a very meek character, very soft-spoken, lets others walk all over him, and is easily influenced (or rather manipulated). He doesn't question Segasaki's possessiveness of him. He doesn't fight back when he's forbidden from seeing any other person that isn't Segasaki, be it a man or a woman, a friend or an acquaintance. He cooks for Segasaki (whatever food the latter asks for), and sleeps with him when the other feels like it. He doesn't even KNOW Segasaki likes him until the last episode or so - when Segasaki tells him directly (and Yoh thinks 'I thought I was worthless'). I'm just- this is so bad? Someone please save this man??
Yoh also never emotes. He has no emotions other than surprise, submission and slight joy (let's mention that the happiest I've seen him was when he was hanging out with his friend's husband). There's nothing else.
Segasaki is just despicable. Maybe it was intended, maybe it wasn't, but I just can't stand him. I've already said that, but he's so possessive and controlling and kind of uses Yoh like he's his personal toy. He's all over him when he's jealous of the 'editor' (which doesn't even exist), then ditches him and ignores him after a misunderstanding (and doesn't let Yoh explain anything). He tells Yoh his life is 'his', warns him not to 'run away' while on top of him and tying him up, and ends up blaming the misunderstandings they've had on Yoh (apparently he does things on purpose to confuse Segasaki and make him jealous. ...Okay).

So. I guess I didn't like this series. I actually kind of hated it. If its intention was to portray a toxic relationship, I don't think it was made clear enough. And if it was meant to represent BDSM, I think (again, not an expert) it was done poorly.

Leggi di Più

Pretty mid tbh

I finished it yesterday at 2AM, after watching it all in one sitting. And, honestly? I can't remember 70% of what happened.
I do think that they had some cute moments - they have chemistry (nothing out of this world, but there's something there), and their scenes together were entertaining to watch.
I think maybe I was just bothered by the age difference between the actors? It's a pet peeve of mine, especially when one looks young-ish and you can tell that the other is in his thirties. Which is weird, because they're only 5 years apart - either Da Un's actor looks older than his age or Si Won's looks way younger. I honestly couldn't tell you. To me, it looked like a grown man hanging out with a college freshman.
I did like the first couple of episodes, they were funny and okay - but after that I just stopped taking notes.
Also, I didn't really get the hatred that Si Won felt towards Da Un?? Like yeah, I get it, you're poor and he's rich, but he hasn't done anything to appear as unlikable or snobby?? Da Un was always quite polite, even though I was expecting an incredibly smug rich asshole after reading the synopsis. He did annoy me when he asked his mom to choose Si Won's project when it wasn't even that good - I get that he was trying to help, but in what world did he think that was going to go over well?

And finally, I wish they had explored more with the theme of physical appearance, pretending to be someone you're not, being overly worried about how you look or how others perceive you, pretty privilege and the halo effect, etc. I thought that's what the entire series was going to focus on (and it kinda did, but not as much as I was expecting). I would've liked seeing Si Won relax and gradually stop putting on a facade, or seeing a different side to Da Un which wasn't as perfect as he was presented at first.

Leggi di Più

Best BL I've watched so far

OK so Bad Buddy was one of the first BL series I watched (the very first being Where Your Eyes Linger), and it quite literally ruined the entire genre for me. I mean it in a good way - it was so good that the rest just pale in comparison. The chemistry is overflowing, the acting is amazing, and the pacing is just perfect. It also subverts a lot of expectations that the casual BL fan will subconsciously have, such as sub/dom roles or a straight-except-for-him main lead, for example.

What I liked:

- OhmNanon have the best chemistry I've ever seen in a series, full stop (including those outside the BL genre). They were good friends at the time of filming, and you can absolutely tell. They are comfortable around each other, have a good rapport, quick banter, and don't shy away from physical intimacy. The fact that they are formidable actors on top of that, and are capable of delivering emotional scenes and the illusion of being in love, just helps sell the story being presented to the viewer.
- The story is not new (enemies?-to-lovers has been done many a time), but this just proves how anything can be entertaining if it's done well. I find the use of tropes to be very clever, as they are introduced to be questioned later on - an example of this would be Pat calling Pran his 'wife', and Pran calling him out for it. They don't waste a lot of time on the two hating each other, which I appreciate, because it usually drags on and can become quite boring; instead, we get two guys that want to be closer but are held back by their families' long-standing feud.
- GL couple!! It's so refreshing to see, and I need companies to start investing in more GL content as soon as possible. Pa and Ink are adorable, and I just wish we could've seen more of them - or at least a kiss, or anything. I hoped that Ink wasn't going to cause a rift between PranPat, and she didn't, and then she got a girlfriend instead? I'm sold.
- One of the few first kisses where neither of them is drunk, or high, or questionably out of touch with reality. Honestly, it surprises me how rare it is for this to happen - consent seems to be non-existent in a lot of BL series. So, points for that - and also for having the best kiss scene ever. It was not too long nor too short, there were no pecks or closed lips or open eyes, the hands actually did something, and neither was standing like a wooden plank. Seriously, I want to thank whoever directed this scene just for that.

What I liked, but not as much:

- Product placement - but that's just a Thai series problem, as I've come to realize lol. They are not subtle at all - I swear I've seen that damn printer ad in like three different series (I'm looking at you, My School President). I understand they have to pay their bills, but I wish they'd try to make it look more casual.
- I literally HATE Wai. You're telling me I have to like him after he literally outed his best friend? He's petty, whiny, and overall annoying as hell, and I will NOT hear anyone out about this. He deserved more backlash for what he did than he got. He didn't even apologize?? Nah. Hate the guy, I'm sorry. Korn was a much better friend.
- Had to skip the singing sequences, but that's just a personal preference. I just can't watch them. Whenever I see a guitar on a Thai BL series I want to scream. Also, I know Nanon can sing, but they did him DIRTY in some scenes.

Overall, just watch the series. Do it. It's, in my opinion, one of the best BL series out there.

Leggi di Più

I... am speechless

I just finished this and not gonna lie, I am in shambles. What the hell was this and why did no-one warn me?? I was expecting it to be all cute and simple, Our Dating Sim-style, a nice little watch for the weekend before starting uni again, and here I am, 1AM and crying over a videogame character. That's just great.
I wasn't expecting it to be good at all - I initially watchlisted it because I watched Boys Planet and Woongki (the guy who plays Kyung Hoon) was in it and I loved him. But oh my God I got so invested, I actually watched five episodes one after the other in one go.

Things I liked (a lot):
- Acting. It was AMAZING- the two main leads have a lot of emotional scenes, and they handled them perfectly. Their acting was so natural it didn't take me out of the story at all. The rest of the characters were pretty one-dimensional, but I liked their performances as well. Woongki is so cute with those glasses, I hope he stars in more series.
- Story. It's bizarre as fuck, you don't see it coming at all (as I mentioned already), you think you're signing up for a cutesy romance series and you end up having an existential crisis. The videogame premise is super interesting, virtually not like anything I've ever seen before, and it adds a lot of stakes and pressure to the situation. You also start not knowing what tf is going on (why is he talking to that dude, are they friends? Why is he in this game? etc), and eventually (kind of) figure it out. My interpretation of the weird-ass ending was that he'd k*lled himself and he'd been in a sort of limbo while he was playing the game, and that dude was Death and was giving him a second chance to fall in love and be happy. I liked that. Hell, I'm not one to enjoy stress, but between this and The Bear it seems like I might like it more than I thought.
- Romance. It's slow, it's cute, and seeing Yeowoon grow to love Tae Myung was so entertaining - his little smile towards the end whenever they were together made me so happy. Them getting together and it not being that big of a deal was actually kind of refreshing, like I kept waiting for a big confession scene but before I knew it they were breaking up lol

Things I'm on the fence about:
- That being said, the story can be a little bit confusing at times. Maybe I'm just slow lol, but it seemed like there were some loose ends? Like that A or B choice he had to make at the hospital, after failing to choose between his grandma and Yeowoon - the second one. I don't remember what it was, but he had a time limit, and I don't think he actually chose anything? And then: at the end, Yeowoon is in his room and finds the pen and wants to save him, but I don't really get what he actually did? Did he save Tae Myung? Was that why he was revived? I'm guessing that version of the story got deleted, and that's why he wasn't in absolute shambles when Tae Myung called him at the end, so what was that for? Idk, the ending had me crying and everything but I was also a bit lost.
- The AGE GAP. Was that really necessary? Just have him be 20, you can be depressed at 20 (trust me, I know). No need for him to be a DECADE older than his counterpart. I GUESS he's 19 in the videogame, but mentally he's still 29, and he treats Yeowoon like a kid. That was funny at first, when they were becoming friends, but later on it felt weird as shit. I didn't really like that.
- I guess some of the charactarizations were also confusing at times, like for example: is Yeowoon a sad, lonely loser or is he a star of the track team with a ton of followers and brand deals raining on him? Is Tae Myung a bad boy who intimidates all the bullies or is he a nice guy that never uses violence? I never understood why they were so scared of him.
- That's more of a nitpick, but the breakup almost at the end wasn't necessary. You just hurt Yeowoon more than was needed and you shoot yourself in the foot in the process. Great.

Conclusion: amazing, showstopping, never seen before. Would absolutely recommend. I'm now contemplating how sad and meaningless my life is, which. Great.

Leggi di Più

What even is going on rn

I have to give kudos to this series for being the first one to have a scene so disgusting I teared up lmao - but more on that later.
I'm tired so let's just get into it.

What I liked

- The acting is fine, it didn't take me out of the story for the most part. I think the main leads have decent chemistry, and the other couples (kind of) as well. It's watchable, enjoyable at times, super cute at others, you get what I mean. Kind of a rollercoaster, but not bad overall.
- You add domestic scenes to a series, you got me. Nothing else to add. It was so cute
- I like that they chose somewhat morally grey characters for this series, seeing how literally everyone had issues with internalized homophobia, violence or both. It's a bold choice, and I respect the team for that. And also, the emotional turmoil Tae Yi was going through after his brother's su*cide was an interesting premise.
- Some of the physical comedy is really well done. This series has some hilarious moments, I admit that
- The girl? Loved her. She was amazing and called her brother out for being a fucking idiot. She deserved better though, Tae Yi treated her like absolute shit and she was so nice.

What I didn't like

- First off, don't come for me with the "He's dealing with internalized homophobia, ofc he's going to be toxic" or even the "The show doesn't frame it as a good thing", because I've seen enough of it on TikTok and I'm so tired. I'm not mad about the main love interest (and every other man in the damn series) having this issue. Toxicity can be portrayed well on-screen, and it doesn't have to make a show worse. In this case, though, it's just handled terribly. I'm sorry, but where are the consequences?? Like at all?? Tae Yi does some God-awful things (if I need to name one, touching Seo Heon under his shirt while aggressively asking if that's what he likes, while saying he's not into it and that he's not a *girl* - I'm dedicating a separate bullet point to this one), and he doesn't really pay for them. In my humble opinion, he should have gotten his shit rocked more than once. The "bully" tries to rile Tae Yi up by essentially assaulting Seo Heon without his consent, and all he says is "I'm sorry"???? Yeah man I'm not buying it.
- Okay now THIS FUCKING SCENE. I. Am. Fuming. Maybe I'm just a crybaby lol but I had never been so appalled by a scene in a supposed romcom. Literally made my hairs stand on end. Like, the fear in Seo Heon's eyes?? Terrifying. I hated Tae Yi so much for that, and I didn't really get over it. What's worse is, the show tries to make you forget about it like ten minutes later?? As if he hadn't done THAT at all??? Like no, I'm not rooting for them to get back together, this man has slammed MC against a wall multiple times, bruised his wrist, screamed in his face, given him the cold shoulder - and now the shirt thing? Yeah no. Some scenes in previous episodes were cute but this man needs (more) therapy and a restraining order filed against him.
- Just. Every man is a red flag in this series. The bully IS a bully, and a hardcore one at that. He fucking kicks Doyoon until he bleeds, for God's sake!! And let's not forget the fake flirting and sexual harassment he put Seo Heon through just to get back at Tae Yi. He was fucking awful and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
- The ending is just a mess. They rush to give the characters a happy ending when they don't deserve it, and it wouldn't have come naturally like that. It feels so forced. And the reveal? Like okay, the brothers were involved with each other, but why does that make Seo Heon break up with Tae Yi?? IN THE LAST EPISODE??? Do you see what I mean? There's no way that could've been done well in the span of one single (and the last) episode.

I am disappointed, especially because I really liked a couple of the episodes in this one. I'll be rewatching those because they were the cutest, most entertaining shit I've seen in months. But the rest? A mess.

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Loved it (with a caveat)

I honestly wasn't expecting much from this series. I usually accept that these kinds of series are going to be a 7 out of 10 at max, and move on afterwards.
However, I really enjoyed this series. It's not perfect, but it's one of the most enjoyable out of the last few ones I've watched.

The leads have good chemistry, and they both look considerably younger than their actual age (27?? Literally how?), which makes it easier to believe that they are young and inexperienced. Their scenes together are adorable and carry most of the series. If they weren't there, consider 80% of the rating gone.
I also love that we got a decent kiss. Their first kiss is fine, but very kdrama-esque (as in, it's short, tight-lipped, and a little stiff) - the second one is great. Good job on that front.

The music was also a pleasant surprise. The first song specifically was really good, and even though we hear it multiple times throughout the series, I didn't get tired of it. The last song was also okay, albeit maybe not as memorable.

The production is great. The shots are really pleasant to watch, the color grading is immaculate, and their clothes tend to match their surroundings. It's just really aesthetic and visually appealing.

I think the weak point of the series is the story. At times it felt too dramatic and the characters weren't communicating properly, which was very frustrating. The main couple had like four big fights with the respective make-up scenes, which got a little too repetitive for me - Just talk to each other?? It's not that hard??
I also disliked the teacher the second I saw him, personally I thought he was attracted to Han Baram because of how touchy-feely he was acting with him. It made me uncomfortable, considering that the actor that plays him looks much older than the other two. And then he had the audacity to act surprised when Han Baram developed a crush on him? Like, be ffr, you were all over him a second ago.

Overall, I would for sure recommend this series. It's cute and (relatively) light.

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Wtf was this

How this series has got such good reviews, I have NO idea. Wtf did I just watch?
Ok, let's start with what I liked:

- The chemistry between the two main leads is impeccable - no complaints there. They're comfortable with each other and it shows. If I ever were to re-watch the series, it would probably be just for them.
- The female friends were amazing, it's so refreshing to see that they aren't secretly thirsting after the guys and have their own personalities. I loved them both.

Now, the rest:

I skipped 60% of the series because I could not, for the life of me, watch any of the scenes with the other couples in them. What's up with the 20 year age gap between the actors of Farm and Bright?? They look like they could be father and son?? I'm sorry, I was disgusted every time I saw them together onscreen. I just couldn't. And on the other hand, why was the professor/student couple a thing? I really didn't like that, like at all. She looks, again, super old compared to Phubet. And she's his teacher?? Like how?? How is this allowed???

Also, why did the girlfriend have to be a complete psychopath?? Were they afraid that people would feel bad for her if she was a decent person? I mean, if I were in her position I would be pissed too, because Knock kept going back and forth and being super indecisive - but then they went and made her crazy, toxic and manipulative, as if to justify Knock cheating on her with Korn. Wtf?

Overall, I would not recommend this series. Like I said, the only thing that makes it worth watching is the good chemistry between the main leads. I wish they would do something along the lines of 'Kiss me again: Pete-Kao', where they cut all the scenes exclusively between the two guys and posted them as a special. That would definitely make my rating go up a few points.

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How have I not watched this sooner??

So. I might be in love.
This is my first time watching a reality TV series from Korea, and while it's vastly different from the ones I'm used to (mainly Drag Race, Big Brother and Love Island), my God is it entertaining to watch.

Above all, I think the cast is absolutely perfect. They are so loveable and genuine and they look like they enjoy spending time together. They're also so different and unique and bring different talents to the table, which I enjoyed when watching them perform. They're sincere in their emotions, care for each other, and earnestly try to do better not only as individuals, but as a group - I really appreciated that.
The music is GREAT. Man, I've never been a kpop stan, but I'll be adding a lot of these songs to my playlist lol. And the choreos are super intense and engaging, and the camera work during the performances really adds to the dynamism that they exude.
Lastly, I had so. Much. Fun. I've laughed a lot watching this series, and that NEVER happens. Shows like Drag Race never hit the spot for me, that type of humor is not my style at all - but it wasn't the case here. The reactions were great. Maybe they were a little bit over the top at times, but hey, that's reality TV for ya. I'll be quoting 'You're a BIRD' and 'Take me home tonight- gimme gimme' for the rest of my life, thanks.

I've seen other reviewers mention the production company, the voting system and the editing. Being relatively new to this genre of reality TV, I honestly cannot speak on this because I didn't even know Mnet existed until like a week ago. The voting system didn't really bother me, to be honest. At first I thought it was going to be excessively unfair to the G team, but it ended up being quite balanced in the end. I have to admit, though, that some trainees were eliminated when they shouldn't have been (I'll never get over Jay nor Haruto I'm sorry), and others stayed around for an astonishingly long time (Takuto was super cute, but let's be honest, what did he even excel at?? How the hell did he get through the first round?).
The editing I did notice. The repetition and constant replays were a little bit annoying at times, and I get that they were trying to get everyone's reactions, but maybe it's not needed to hear the same fucking audio bit back to back like five times?? And I also didn't like how they left out a LOT of performances. One of the trainees called them out on this in one of the songs and honestly, I felt so bad for him (and others). Imagine working so hard and then finding out that you're not even onscreen for three fourths of the episode. I think this could be solved by either 1) reducing the number of trainees at the beginning, so that everyone can be onscreen, or 2) having longer episodes / more episodes.

But yeah. This was a great watch. I'll be watching 103227 edits of the series for the next three months, if anyone's looking for me. I'm hoping for a season 2 but idk if it's ever gonna happen.

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My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined

First off, I want to preface this by saying that I had (kind of) high expectations for this series - I've seen it recommended EVERYWHERE. And then I watched Only Friends and FirstKhaotung were amazing in it and I just got more excited to watch this one.
It didn't, unfortunately, live up to what I was imagining (or hoping for). Here are my thoughts:

- The story (which was kind of the main selling point for this series) is incredibly weak and flimsy. They do a great job the first episodes at pulling you in and making you wonder what the hell is going on at the school: why is the principal so strict? Why do they run the school like an authoritarian regime? What is the curse and what does it entail? What does 'The eclipse' mean? Who is Ayan? ---- These are all great questions. Having watched the entire thing, though, I can confidently say that the answers to all of them are so frustratingly simple it actually hurts my soul. The curse wasn't a curse, it was fabricated (obviously). The eclipse is just there for the aesthetics. The school is strict because they are old, repressed and angry. Ayan is a sad kid with uncle issues. That's it.
The protests against the school's leadership are so unimportant and have so little effect it's almost funny. We are TOLD (not shown) that they are a big deal and it's impacting the school's reputation, but throughout the series we only see the same three guys weakly yelling dumb shit and holding up signs. Honestly, they couldn't have found less threatening people to be the face of a student revolution. Also, why only THREE? Did GMMTV run out of extras to cast? Do gays with signs pose such a threat in this fictional universe??
- Unlikeable characters. As it turns out, Akk was the one behind the curse. You're telling me he was trying to harm students into silence by dropping flower pots on them and setting things on fire?? Are we supposed to be okay with this?? Same with Thua - but I'll talk about him later on. Akk doesn't end up publicly owning up to what he's done, and he doesn't suffer the consequences of his actions. What he did is only discovered when Thua outs him in front of everyone, and even then Akk's friends save his sorry ass. Akk also turns a blind eye to Ayan's actions (when he knows he's stirring the pot and instigating the protests), while being incredibly strict with the rest of the students and essentially being a massive tool.
- And now onto Thua. OKAY. I am MAD about this one. See, by episode 10 he was my favorite character. He was nice, and shy, but was concerned about the rest of the students and saw the flaws in the system, and tried to distance himself from it. His scenes with Khan were also adorable. And THEN they felt the need for some drama, and of course they had to ruin the only good character in the fucking show. Of course. Turns out he's also doing shit to scare everyone into obedience, and was responsible for the more extreme acts directed against the trio leading the protests. He also randomly outs Akk and Ayan to the entire school and board of professors?? Because that's needed I guess??? This was not it. This is character assassination and oh my God, do I dislike it--oh. Now everything's okay and no one remembers and Khan forgives him and they're together? Nice! I guess I'll forget everything he did then!

In conclusion: I am so tired of this. They could have done better. First and Khaotung's chemistry is so much better than this. This is a problem I see with a lot of Thai BLs, they try to innovate and have more dramatic storylines but forget to actually develop said storylines and live up to the hype they themselves create. It's disappointing, honestly.

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