Sotus (2016)

SOTUS for a little while... BL all the way.

Okay, 1st watch, I was like really disappointed in the show mainly because of its title. I expected way more drama (more on that below) because after watching the first episode, my excitement was like 10 on a scale of 10 but then, after seeing the second, third episode... it dropped like to level 2. Now 3 years later, after watching all those 2Moons, GenYs, 2gethers, BadRomances, CutiePies, DarkBlueKisses, FishUponTheSkies, IAmYourKings, IToldSunsetAboutYous, KinnPorsches, LoveByChances, TharnTypes and Why R Us... AAND many other, semi-amateurish "series", I re-watched this. I think today, we all can agree this was actually quite watchable, LOL.

First episode really explored the SOTUS theme. It was thrilling despite the cast being questionable (while Singto rightfully gets your attention, Krist Perawat is not a great actor and - along with all the "seniors" - is kinda too sweetfaced for the role LOL, especially when he needs to yell the loud voice you can tell that it's a strain for him:) and after a looong time of boredom, I was excited to watch something. There was even trance music playing at the end of 1st epi (THAT never repeated;) But then, like I said, it dropped quite dramatically. When using the word "dramatically"... There I sadly touched the main problem. The series itself is actually NOT very dramatic. Which is what this show, this "drama", really needed to be.

When you watch the behind-the-scenes episode, one thing you can understand is that the reason for the leading couple's great chemistry is the actors were good friends already. The other is that whole crew was enjoying the shooting with much laughter in between the takes, and the scriptwriter kinda forgot to actually think of some DRAMA!! We then have some unrelated bits like someone doing laps in the rain, or someone running into the ocean but that's not enough. Perhaps the producers got scared of the controversional hazing theme (there is a written warning in the opening of each episode, a warning that, after a few episodes, is not even needed) because then we soon turn strictly into a boy love and SOTUS is NOT the story anymore.

Luck is the main couple here is this strong, because the story sure is weak. After this series, there was an explosion of more BL trying to be similar to this one, like '2 Moons' series, which subsequently did not bother to have ANY STORY AT ALL. After all, loving skinship is all the boy-love fans really want, right? Nope! I would loved to explore the SOTUS theme more here, there could be so much more drama around the two boys before they confessed one to another. But, you cannot dislike Kongpob for being early confesser:) I just love his character (though I like the other actor more) and I'm sure I am not alone. Though the main couple does not have strong story, at least they have cute story. The dynamics of them being superior/inferior, which is repeatedly clashed with the "inferior" boy being the one who does the "courtship" and often worries whether the "superior" boy is okay, is cute. As for the main theme, bottom line is despite all scary stories running in the "media" about juniors dying during hazing, it's shown in episode 8 that juniors could easily overthrown seniors, had they just laughed. In general. This particular case, all the 5 main hazing seniors LOOK gay. So it does help the BL aim of the drama surely. Not the SOTUS one...

By the way, there is even a sequel series, called SOTUS S (although there is NO HAZING in there, anymore) it explores the relationship, again. Not the SOTUS. Just so you know.

But the relationship is WORTH exploring. I'm not complaining about it, just the name of this series perhaps should be different. If this would be a full-blown SOTUS-related drama WITH the boy love incorporated to it, then it would become a legendary show. This way, it is just a BL. A good one, thanks to the main couple. But not a great one: I still hoped it to be a bit more tempestuous, might prefer the 1st kiss not to be this mellow... Like, in that bridge scene, where Arthit says things to Kongpob, also Kongpob could say a few things back. There might be a passionate hug instead of the kiss, which looks like Arthit wants to bite Kongpob because he got an order to lock lips with him at that point. Not to mention the timing when the kiss happened. They were both far from the SOTUS warzone already. In short, I'd prefer this BL with way more dramatical setting. But there I am repeating myself. In this series, Artit IS still a head hazer (and not sitting at desk-job like in the tedious sequel series) so I say one must enjoy it to the fullest, even if the story does not offer you much. As viewers do adore this couple and clearly can fantasize enough fanfiction on their own:) So in a way, doesn't really matter that the series did not fully deliver. 9 stars out of 10.

Lees verder