Fhalanrak (2022)

Kinda actually a really good series!

I truly do not understand all the hate that this series got. The only thing that I saw that was unrealistic in the show was the support that the two ML's got from their friends and family, because that doesn't happen to the extent that was portrayed in the show. Support is often there, but rarely do people go to such lengths for someone else's happiness. At one point, Fah was talking about a side couple and (to paraphrase) he basically said --I know how they feel but it's not my business. They'll figure it out.-- That caught me completely off guard. I mean, it's a drama and you're not going to get involved?? But it worked with the character's personality. (Heh, my example may not sound like support, but in my opinion it was.)

The cast is all new actors, and honestly, they did a great job. The director kept the show moving and the writers didn't let us sit with scenes upon scenes of slow dialogue, as is often the case. Occasionally there were some pauses when the characters were talking, but it was more like natural conversation than a lot of BL's I've seen. The plot included the necessary drama, emotional growth of the characters, varying locations, and several different types of relationships. I've seen comments about the toxicity of the MLs relationship, but it seems to me that the toxicity was more self-induced than anything else.

I think the fact that they had to fight themselves as well as each other in order to find a happy middle ground for a relationship made this so much more realistic. Trust, love, jealousy, lust, passion, hope, disappointment, pain....it was all within these 12 episodes. It's nice when people can have a perfect relationship, but often it's a facade, hiding the truths and deceptions of one or more parties within that relationship. Having to work together towards an understanding of each other, through trials and tribulations, makes for a better bond than taking everything at face value. This leads to my favorite line of the whole series: "I'm trying."

I saw some comments about how bad the kissing was, and I can only assume that those people don't realize that not everyone kisses the same, and oftentimes you have to adapt to the kisses and physical touches of your partner. Personally I think it's refreshing to see people portray the intimate actions differently. And different moods call for different actions. For instance, being thrown into a wall and kissed hard can be thrilling and passionate at times. Other times, it can just hurt. LOL. I'm not trying to make excuses for the acting or directing. I actually liked the kisses. They were reactive, and not just dead fish lips.

There are very few dramas that I will rewatch, but I can guarantee that I will be revisiting this one. I let the comments sway me and waited, but I'm glad that I finally watched it. Although it does still have the effeminate 'I'm going to break them up' characters (which is a trope in itself) as well as the oh so recognizable fujoshi-type character, for the most part I enjoyed the side characters as much as the main leads. This show didn't leave me all in my feels and hugging myself in comfort or happiness; rather it left me more contemplative... but satisfied.

I do wish Tar would have had his happy ending though...

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