Sotus S (2017)

A markedly improved sequel, but has the main couple been together for 2 years or 2 weeks?

I got into SOTUS because of SOTUS S. The prequel's plot didn't sound very interesting to me. The prequel of SOTUS S, simply titled SOTUS, is about two boys developing feeling for each other with the backdrop being that one is hazed by the other under a sus hazing system. SOTUS is a lot more than just that of course, and you can see my thoughts on it in my review for it. SOTUS S' premise however, sounded too good to be true. A BL drama that focuses on a stable gay couple balancing their commitment to work, school and each other? With that legendary premise in mind, I watched SOTUS in preparation for SOTUS S.

SOTUS S requires viewing of SOTUS, this sequel series takes place two years after the original. Arthit (Krist) and Kongpob (Singto) have yes, been together for two years! Kongpob is now a head hazer, and Arthit is about to start his first job at Ocean Electric Company. In the workplace, Arthit shows off a more reserved, shy side of himself and it's nice to see. Krist's acting again doesn't disappoint and he pulls off the fresh newbie role very well. What he goes through is entirely relatable for anyone entering a first job. Krist's character gets involved with a new cast of coworkers and they're all very fun and likable. The coworkers, despite being nice, still give the image of being unapproachable at first (either with reason or through Arthit's own framing of them as such) and it's such a minor thing that's done so well. Arthit's friends from university however, don't play a huge role in SOTUS S. While I did miss Arthit's friends, it just didn't make sense for them to show up as much as they did before. Not seeing Prem and Bright brighten (pun unintended) the screen anymore is a loss, but the workplace drama that their absence makes room for is really the highlight of SOTUS S.

Arthit (and eventually Kongpob's coworkers) are great. They're entertaining, and they give Ocean Electric a personality that the university doesn't have. Earth is quite frankly, the best. She's Arthit's coworker who starts off abrasive only to soften up as the show progresses. The other standout coworkers are Tod who recently returned from his studies abroad and is a total dudebro. There's Cherry who is an effeminate, openly gay character and is just hilarious all around. There's also Somoh who is the loud office lady with the annoying voice, and Durian who serves the office gossip to Cherry and Somoh. They're all very good at livening up the show and making you laugh. The coworkers all work as supporting characters in the sense that show up often and are each woven into the show's plot or a subplot. This is an improvement over the prequel where you'd wait for some characters to be of importance somehow only for the show to end and they barely got any focus. I did notice however, that Earth did have a plotline that seemed to be dropped but it was much less glaring than Waad's in season one since she doesn't disappear and instead simply gets a new plotline involving another coworker.

For Kongpob's plotline, we return to the SOTUS hazing system. It's sucks to say it, but it's not a surprise: the hazing plot is not very good. Singto's Kongpob isn't very believable as a hazer, and neither are his friends who now also take the role of hazers. It's also sad to see that they're perpetuating the system that they were under, and hated, in the original. In SOTUS S, the hazing is framed as "nicer", and in some moments it definitely is, but there are a couple of scenes where the hazing still shines out as cruel but the show pretends that it isn't by putting an upbeat rock track over it and having the seniors smile and laugh instead of sneer and chuckle at the juniors. Anyway, there's not much to be said here because much of the hazing plot is quite literally a retread of the original's hazing plot, right down to a new character who's defiant of the hazing like Kongpob previously was. The retreading goes right down to M still fawning over May a whole two years later. The character that defies the hazing system this time around is named Day, and he interacts with Tew as the older tries to understand why he's so averse to participating in the hazing. Tew and Day are one of SOTUS S' new subcouples. Thankfully, Kongpob's hazing plot comes to an end soon enough and he takes an internship at Arthit's workplace, Ocean Electric Company and this is where the show picks up. As with Arthit's university friends, Kongpob's take a similar backseat to introduce more characters.

Alongside Tew and Day being a new couple, there's also Nai and Yong. Nai is an intern that joins alongside Kongpob as an intern at Ocean Electric Company. Yong is already an employee at OEC and mentors Nai. Now that I've gotten to talking about Nai and Yong, I think it's important to talk about Arthit and Kongpob. For a couple that's supposed to have been together for two years, Arthit and Kongpob don't really act like it. I'm sorry. Yong and Nai have a lot more chemistry and feel like they're simply being themselves whenever they interact. They are so believable as a couple or even just as two guys that enjoy being around each other all the time. I can't say the same for Arthit and Kongpob. In the earlier episodes especially, the main couple is awkward, stiff and barely affectionate with each other. Arthit isn't a fan of PDA or excessive affection in general in-universe, but the awkward stiffness extends to even phone calls between the two and them seeing each other off to work. With Arthit and Kongpob being in a vacuum of sorts in the show's prequel, it wasn't as obvious, but it's really highlighted now with Nai and Yong acting as a contrast to them. Arthit and Kongpob's awkwardness in part does have to do with the show's plot and what they're going through but there are still times such as, again, them seeing each other off to work or the phone call, where their relationship feels unnatural and stiff. This stiffness isn't helped by the fact that some of the conflict that the main couple goes through, feels like something that could and should have been resolved earlier in their relationship with the appropriate lessons learned. SOTUS S at times treats its main couple as though they've only been together for two weeks as opposed to two years and it really stands out. Arthit and Kongpob do get genuinely sweet and tender moments, but I couldn't help but prefer Nai and Yong over them.

To maybe offset the awkward relationship energy, SOTUS S has these small university flashback scenes between Arthit and Kongpob where they're seen dating in university. These shorts show up at the end of every episode. They're short and sweet, but after a while they start to feel repetitive and make even the dialogue during the actual portion of the episode seem repetitive since the flashbacks hit on the same notes that the cute moments in the show do. Something about a reward, something about a punishment, Kongpob says something outrageous with a straightface that makes Arthit flustered and then Arthit tries to play it off, etc. The flashbacks do a bit more harm than good since seeing the "rhythm" of their relationship so clearly managed to diminish it for me somehow.

On the direction, the show has some noticebly pretty shots, mostly the night scenes. They're not screenshot and make your wallpaper shots, but it's still something that I found myself noticing this time around. The timewasting and padding problem that the prequel had is thankfully gone now. With the direction improved, I hoped that the music direction would as well, but it hasn't really. The show still has a lack of music. There's a new catchy jingle that plays (honestly a bit too much, but it's a nice piece) but the show still heavily relies on an instrumental version of its opening. The opening theme is a rock piece with a fairly generic instrumental behind it, so the appropriateness of the track in some scenes is a bit up for debate. I found it pulling me out of the show either because it felt inappropriate or because I couldn't believe that they were using it yet again.

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Holistically, SOTUS S is a marked improvement from its prequel. The workplace plot is a lot more interesting than the hazing, and the new characters at Ocean Electric lend a fun and friendly air to what could have been a boring workplace drama otherwise. The show on a whole feels more streamlined, and save for the hazing plot retread in the first couple of episodes, it's a much more fun show to experience. SOTUS unfortunately falters again with its treatment of Arthit and Kongpob. The main couple is treated as if they've simultaneously been together for two years and two weeks from the point of their behavior around each other and with some of the conflict that they find themselves in. After watching SOTUS S, you should take a look at Our Skyy episode 5 which acts as a final send off for the two. The two finally act like a real couple that's comfortable around each other and it's lovely to see.

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