Confusing, Nonsensical, and Laughable

The two main leads are cute/hot, but that's not enough to carry the ridiculous plot that went on for much too long. Half of the episodes could have been cut out. Certain scenes were hysterically funny due to how ridiculous they were, such as so much emphasis put on a brief, forgettable incident that had happened years earlier. (Daonuea literally almost fell and dropped his glasses. They didn't even break.) And the "sexy" Heimlich maneuver in the restaurant. And ALL the sex scenes. Other scenes were so dull, I wanted to play them at high speed to get through them. (Some viewers commenting actually did that.)
I got the definite feeling the director didn't review any of the scenes after they were filmed. I've seen soap operas that were way better acted and put together and much more believable.
I wanted to like this show, but I just couldn't. It had it's moments, but they were sadly few and far between. They couldn't even get a good fake baby bump for the pregnant lady, and there was a flashback scene that hinted at child harm that was never explained. (Sure, Daonuea's mother left him in a park and he was raised by an aunt. But what about the creepy man who came up to him on the swings?) Things were repeated, left out, brushed under the rug. There were TONS of product placement. Even the outside view of the building where they work didn't match the inside. I'm pretty you'll regret watching it as soon as you hit episode two, but if you're really bored, give it a try. Nine is definitely some eye candy when he takes his shirt off.

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Sweet and slightly angsty friends to lovers story

I love a good pining-for-my-best-friend story, and this fit the bill. The two main characters definitely have chemistry, and I loved the way Gong hid his feelings for a long time before finally confessing. I know a bit of angst is almost always present, so I wasn't surprised when it happened. What I have issue with is the manner in which it happened because, although it could have made sense, the way it was written it didn't really. Gong had his reasons, but I feel we should have seen him go through them rather than be left guessing as Shou was. Still, the incredibly romantic finale made up for it.
The secondary couple was a wonderful surprise. These two also had great chemistry, and I found myself rooting for them. The addition of Ze's daughter made them even sweeter. All in all, this series (for the most part) dripped in sweetness and had many humorous scenes as well.

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Perfect

I came upon this drama by accident, and I'm really glad that I did. I mean, what's better than a gay-for-you, dad-falls-for-the-nanny boys love story? Nothing! This drama was just long enough not to leave you feeling cheated and so so sweet. And it didn't cave to cliched misunderstandings, thank goodness. I'll admit there was one part where I was afraid it would, but I was pleasantly surprised. And it manages the teacher/student older/younger thing without seeming creepy. I love the way Shi Yi Jie is steadfast in his determination and doesn't let anything get in the way of how he feels for Fei Sheng Zhe. You You is adorable, and the ending is HEA. What could be more perfect?

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Very Very Mediocre

What to say about this? I was excited to see it at first, but it didn't live up to my expectations. It contained a couple of scenes that were so utterly ridiculous, I just couldn't believe it. Fah, whom I liked in season one, turned into a narcissistic oaf in season 2. Prince did not have a personality. I didn't feel any real chemistry between them. It stirred but never took off.
It's hard not to compare this story, at least a little bit, with A Tale of a Thousand Stars. Just without the good plot and wonderful actors.
By the end, writers were resorting to a nonsensical conflict to keep the leads apart and taking up extra time with characters from the previous series. If I were Prince, I would have told Fah where he could go by the end.

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Can't get much better than this

This is stellar bl here, folks. Action, love, passion, sweetness, humor, all of it. Sure, we have to suspend disbelief at all those sexy sweet-faced mafia bodyguards and a few other things, but this show exceeded my expectations on all counts. Definitely worth a watch and future rewatches.
Be prepared to laugh, cry, and drool. Great acting, a pretty good plot, beautiful visuals. The three pairings had chemistry, and Tong as Tankhun was an absolute hoot. This is no cute little peck-on-the-lips-with-two-feet-of-space-between-them bl. Be prepared for adult themes and adult scenes.

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Not sure what the point was.

I loved the series, so of course I loved the movie, even though it was a recap. There is very little new footage, and, frankly, I was a little disappointed there wasn't an engagement. I really thought that was what was going to happen. No real rewatch value as there's nothing new to see except they graduate. Not even a new kiss.
But other than revenue, what was the point? I mean, they didn't get engaged, we don't learn anything new about them as a couple except they get a dog and feel they'll be together forever. No real scenes added. We did get to see a moment of TopTap and others and a couple of friends had a baby, but none of that merited calling it a movie, imo.

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Short but Very Sweet

I'm a little surprised at the lower ratings for this series. It makes me wonder if they watched the entire thing. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it. I didn't much like the character of First due to the way he was treating Play, but once he stopped being a jerk, the chemistry between the two flared. I wish this had been a longer story. The love triangle was unexpected but I suppose needed to drive the plot forward and get First to see what he was feeling. I really loved the cute and sweet addition of Play's Usagi and his bad dreams. The only part I wasn't particularly fond of was Penelope's. She was meant to be comic relief, but that fell short for me.
The love scenes were surprisingly steamy. The moment Play gave into First's dominating kiss was exceptional, as well as the love scene in bed. The two leads definitely have chemistry. I think writing a shorter piece that's entertaining and whole is much more challenging than writing a longer one, so kudos to everyone involved. This was an entertaining, sweet, and sexy evening's watch with two new-to-me actors that lit up the screen. I would definitely rewatch and recommend.

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Unravels 70 percent in

All in all enjoyable, but there were definitely some things I didn't like about it. It's only 6 episodes, but the episodes are relatively long, so that's not what bothered me.

My problem with this drama lies with the two main characters. Valen's lack of proper communication drives me nuts, but I think that's a personal thing. It makes sense with his backstory, which we pretty much have to figure out for ourselves. I feel for him, but even after it's clear--to him at least--that he really likes Kaitoon, he has a weird way of showing it most of the time and isn't doing himself any favors if he wants to win Kaitoon over. (Doing something really sweet for the guy you like? Tell him it was your sister's idea. Want to take him someplace special? Don't let him know what's going on even after you get there--Valen's lack of communication reminds me of my husband, and that's not a good thing.)
As for Kaitoon, he's mostly likeable. More at first than later. He can be forthright to the point of rudeness, and at first I thought maybe this was the kick in the butt Valen needed, but later on it seemed too brutal. (Did he really have to point out to Valen that some of the bracelets were done incorrectly after Valen helped him out with them?) I'm assuming Kaitoon has so much on his mind with school, his job, and his bracelet business that this is the reason he forgets something important. Twice. But nothing is actually SAID about that being the reason. I'm not even sure if he likes Valen, to be honest.
As for the secondary characters, Nont is great, but he's wasted in his role forming a weak love triangle with Kaitoon and Valen (because who knows if Kaitoon likes Nont), but we don't know enough about him to feel anything but sorry for him in the last little bit of the show when we finally get an idea he has feelings for Nont.
King and Peat's story started out interesting but then became weak when it became apparent King is no longer feeling it. Enter a young guy who suddenly becomes a model for King's art and more confusion ensues.
While it was nice to see Jeff Satur again (Marwin from Ingredients), his role is useless in the story. I don't know if he's supposed to be interested in Kaitoon or what, and isn't that what Nont is for? Maybe in season 2 he'll get with the male model, or with Peat if King winds up dumping him. Then there's the odd guy who keeps flirting with Valen's sister, Pang. This is just unnecessary extra stuff that could have been used for other things, like plot.
The story jumps around too much. I'm sure the point of having Valen act in a play is so that Kaitoon can help him through it, but what about the EXTREMELY long wait before he delivers his last line? So weird and unnecessary. It wasted moments that could have been used for, let's say, character development.
And the swim club? Purpose? We never see anyone swimming. I thought maybe the club would be a way to get Kaitoon and Valen closer but nope.
So, in my opinion, not a total waste of time, but not worth a rewatch. The season 2 trailer of a Valen/Kaitoon love scene shows a moment of chemistry. Which gives me hope, I guess.

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Contrived Disaster!

I was very excited for season two of this series only to be left disappointed on so many levels.
Top of the list: I was so angry at Pha for leaving Wayu without an explanation in season one, that, if asked, I would have totally said Thanu was who I wanted for Wayu. I wanted Pha to return and want Wayu back and be denied, but because he'd been a d*ck, NOT because he was terminally ill and trying to shield Wayu from the pain.
I could still have handled it if the reveal to Wayu had been handled better. In short, Wayu and Pha's former relationship was left completely unresolved. They never had that talk they needed to have--not on Pha's deathbed and not even in the last episode at the gravestone. I felt that in that scene Wayu returned a gift that, I suppose, in so doing made him feel able to sleep with Thanu. (Can you hear me rolling my eyes?) Pha should have explained to Wayu why he did what he did. Wayu should have explained to Pha that he understood but his feelings had changed. Instead, he just stated his feelings changed, Pha got depressed, stopped seeing people, and went off his treatment and then died. Wayu saw him minutes before Pha died, Pha asked him to sing to him, and he didn't! What the hell?
Thanu's character got on my nerves. He moves like a slug and acts like Jesus. I got so tired of seeing him standing, so patiently, so lovingly, so forgivingly. Just. Waiting. His almost kisses with Wayu were eventually replaced with the most careful, chaste kisses IN THE WORLD OF BL. (And that's saying a lot.) Which brings me to my second top-most beef.
What in the hell was the point of the plot of Thanu and Phai in season one? I mean, it's all fate and destiny until the producers decide the fans want Wayu with Thanu instead of Pha (but only because they think Pha was being a jerk to Wayu by leaving him without an explanation.) The whole thing was so obviously contrived to keep Thanu and Wayu apart.
Then, we see a glimpse of interest between Sandee and Phai, but that goes absolutely nowhere. (The 3 years Later at the end pretty much assured us of that.) That brings me to my 3rd disappointment.
Evidently the Jack/Koh pairing didn't get very far in the THREE YEARS between their budding relationship and graduation. What a disappointment! They were so promising. I'm assuming there's no Gen Y 3 featuring Sandee/Phai and Jack/Koh. (I'm sure the writers would have ruined it anyway.)
Pok/Tong, thank goodness, got together, but I really wanted more from them. And speaking of more...
This show was supposed to be about Kit and Mark, but the writers kept them away from each other for a good majority of the series in the most stupid, contrived manner. Who needs to PRACTICE being away from each other? DUMB. So dumb. And after Covid, I had no desire to see two people Face-timing.
While the actors are all great and cute as buttons, they couldn't save the series from the fact that the majority of it consisted of the writers keeping the couples away from each other. I have never been so annoyed and disappointed with a series before. In two words, It Sucked.

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Sweetest Smile I've Ever Seen

No, it wasn't perfect, but I liked it. It's one of those university series that shows friends and has drama, and I found it enjoyable. Some people will hate how it got a bit overly dramatic, but I didn't mind that.
13 long (45min) episodes that I binge-watched in two days. I'm not sure why I hadn't seen this series already. The boy who plays Lukchup makes the series worth watching because he is sweet as pie and has the most beautiful smile. Not kidding. It could light up a room. I loved how all his friends tried to protect him.
Some viewers will love it for the cooking--it was a cute premise---the cutie guy cooks food that the picky popular guy actually likes, and the picky popular guy falls in love with cutie, who has had a crush on him for years.
We had the overly done snotty girl wreaking havoc, but no break-up! Yay! I was sure that was going to happen, probably after a dumb misunderstanding, but nope. Some danger, which I really liked. Each guy had a great friend group that really stuck up for each other and eventually formed one big friend group.

On the not-so-good side, this show was a little too thorough about some things for my taste. For instance, they spent two episodes on a club scene. A lot of weird dancing and characters staring at each other from across the room. The expected drunk scene (but no toxic rain scene--yay!) Flashbacks we really didn't need to see. Some characters got more storyline and screen time than I thought necessary.
The couple who we saw the least of (like, I'd forgotten about their initial possible spark, it had been so long ago) had the best kiss out of all the couples, including the leads, who never got past the new stage, even when they were shown five years later at the end. We got a proposal for them before we'd ever seen their lips touch. A weird kind of plot point formed too close to the end to be believable, especially due to the scene where the character laughed evilly. Ram should have been much more proactive when things started happening to Lukchup. He kept thinking it would all go away when he should have gone online and torn up some people's asses.

All in all, this was a long, entertaining watch and enjoyable if you like university stories, a little angst but not to the detriment of the couple, cooking Thai dishes, loyal and over-protective friends, a sweet character paired with a charming, faithful character, a side mf couple, and a little weirdness. I recommend it.

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One of the Few I Rewatch

I'm not much of a rewatcher, but this bl series I'll go back to again and again. The first half of the series are about Payu and Rain, and the second are about Prapai an Sky. Both stories are good, but the second is my favorite. I love the Abused, Untrusting Boy who changes the Playboy into the perfect bf trope so much, as well as angst and hurt comfort, which abound in the second story (and most of Mame's work). Prapai and Sky really deliver. I could melt the way Prapai looks at Sky, and Sky's little pout is unbelievably cute. (Yet Sky is strong. He's been through so much.)
Also, both stories have amazingly realistic sex scenes, too. I mean, there's a good reason the series is rated NC-17, which doesn't always seem to be the case with bl's. Blew my mind. There's a particular love scene between Prapai and Sky coupled with the most beautiful music that is incredibly moving. Unbelievable chemistry for both couples, and the friendships on the show are sweet. I love how Rain tries to take care of Sky.
Of course there are going to be issues with any bl. None of them are perfect, but I rate mine on my personal enjoyment, and I loved this one. Plus, nothing was left undone at the end, which I appreciate. (We even get a special episode.)

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Very Mediocre

If you want something that's just sweet and is kind of silly, this might be okay for you. I know a couple of people who enjoyed it for that. I went into it curious due to the cat thing, but although I kind of enjoyed it for a while, I wound up disappointed. How much can you watch a guy swat at a cat toy?
The wigs. It may just be me, but I hate it when they use wigs in BL's. It never looks good. I think they even had a wig on a little kid in one scene.
The cat MC seemed way too innocent to be in any kind of a relationship. By the time the series ended, I was actually happy nothing happened between them, even though MC1 said he was in love with MC2. Because...ick factor. I couldn't even imagine them kissing.
The secondary romance. One guy had a brain injury that prevented him from showing emotion. This made it pretty much impossible for the romance to develop. I mean, we could never tell what the guy was thinking.
The girls didn't interest me at all, although the hamster thing was cute for about a minute. Add in the beach scene near the end, which was forced as hell, and the whole thing pretty much bombed for me. BUT! If you want cute and sweet, don't care that they MC's never get physical even for a kiss, and have some time to kill, go ahead and try it.

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Could have been a 5

When I started watching this show, I immediately didn't think the leads had chemistry. I felt the secondary couple had more potential. By the end, I'd changed my mind on both. Finally, around episode 4, the two leads began showing signs of attraction. Honestly, I only have a few complaints that keep me from giving this sweet romance a perfect score.
One is the misunderstandings were carried on for too long. I'm not fond of them in the first place, and to keep them going that long was just too much, particularly when it worked to keep everyone apart.
Another is that Maze was too d*mn mean. How can he stand there at the end and claim that Phab left him when he downright pushed the guy to go to Japan? Told him he wasn't good enough to work for him or be with him? In an info dump near the end, Neung, after FINALLY revealing that he only thinks of Maze as a brother, it is revealed that Maze has a thing about being left behind.
The third is that, while I'm okay with a sweet romance that stays with the chaste kisses, I absolutely hate when they stand a foot apart when they do it. I'm sorry, but nobody does that.
By the end, I was totally rooting for the primary couple but didn't really care about the secondary. Not much time or effort was given for their romance. (And Yacht played THARN? The whole time, the captions said THAN.)
I could have completely done without the whole fight between managers. It was boring and didn't add much to the plot.
Speaking of not adding to the plot...why the big deal about how Phab got hurt while saving Neung from drowning? When Neung's in the hospital, they show Phab lifting his shirt to show a gigantic bruise. Then they show a flashback of how he got that bruise while saving Neung. Later, back at the office, a coworker accidentally touches Phab there, making him flinch. But nothing else was ever said about this. I thought it was going to become a big deal--like Phab had some kind of internal bleeding and Maze was going to feel like a jerk for ignoring him. But that never happened. Nothing happened. It had no purpose at all as far as I could tell.
Good story for the most part with sweet and moving moments, but it needed work, so 4 stars out of 5 for me.

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Cute and Touching

I started watching this a while back and stopped after episode one because I didn't want to watch something about Covid-19 and social distancing--I read and watch romance as a form of escape. But I decided to give it another try, and I'm glad I did.
The adorable leads made the show. What good actors for such young guys. There are some real tear-jerking moments, so be prepared for that.
The only negatives were that I wished for more time face-to-face without masks and about 50 less repeats of the word "baby." I also would have loved a more permanent happy ending, but I think they're gearing up for a season 2.
There were several side-stories that were really worthwhile, including the one with Cai's ex bestfriend and Gav's ex-boyfriend. Themes are acceptance, jealousy, loss, guilt, loneliness, and coping with the pandemic.

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