We Are: Entwined Hearts & Uncharted Paths
Should you watch "We Are"? Honestly, it's a bit of a mixed answer. The storyline is quite simple, without much depth or intense drama. But if you're looking for a show that emphasizes healthy friendships and relationships, "We Are" does a great job of that. This was something I was really hoping for, and it delivered well in that aspect. The genuine connections and positive interactions between the characters are refreshing and heartwarming.While there are some enjoyable moments, the pacing really becomes an issue, particularly between Episodes 9 and 13. This section felt especially slow and could have been condensed, making the whole series tighter and more engaging, probably fitting better into 12 episodes.
So, while it might not be the most thrilling series out there, its charm comes from its simplicity and the heartfelt bonds it shows. If that sounds appealing to you, it’s definitely worth a watch.
"In this group of friends, even though university life is tough, life's ups and downs, plus love's twists, keep things always stirring.
We are... friends who argue but care so much about each other that sometimes, we end up flirting."
To be continued… (Character Review)
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GMMTV ensemble romcom
Overall: this was a Thai ensemble romcom with several sweet moments, but I wish they had increased the pacing. 16 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI exclusively for U.S., Canada and Thailand; on GMMTVs YouTube channel for everywhere else. The director's more recent BL works include: Absolute Zero, A Boss & a Babe, Between Us and My Only 12%.Content Warnings: hit, hits played as comedy, punches in the past, vomiting, manhandling, manipulation
What I Liked
- seeing many GMMTV actors again
- whale spout hairstyle
- took a taxi when drinking
- the friend groups
- sweet moments
- the bloopers at the end of episode 16
Room For Improvement
- some lackluster kissing which in 2024 and a major production studio meant that I took off a half point
- slow pacing, the story could have been told in 8 episodes instead of 16
- voice over exposition dump/main character intro
- the myriad of comedy sound effects did not make me laugh
- nonsense "plans", cliched poor communication skills
- art students transported important paintings without any carrying cases
- because there were so many couples I (and likely others) had favorites and tended to fast forward/skip other couples
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16 episodes, no plot in sight, and I'm eating it up
I imagine the conversation about how this show came to be going something like this…Writer A: Guys, I have an idea for a new story!
Writer B: Oh, fantastic! What’s the plot about?
Writer A: Ah, the plot? That would be good to have I guess. But screw it, we’re not doing a plot this time.
Writer C: Uh, okay… So if there isn’t a plot, what is the show about?
Writer A: Well, I had all these scene left over from other shows that didn’t make the cut, so I just kind of strung them all together to create a show. It’s about this large group of friends who are a bunch of idiots but a lot of fun, and cute boys will fall in love!
Writer B: I guess people love cute boys falling in love, so that works for me.
Writer C: Yeah, sure. So, since there isn’t a plot, maybe we should keep it short and simple? Maybe go with 8 episodes instead of the usual 12.
Writer A: I was thinking more like 16.
Writer C: But why? If there isn’t a plot, wouldn’t it be better to keep it short and sweet?
Writer A: Absolutely not. We have four couples in this, so we need more episodes.
Writer B: Oh, great! So that means we’ll have four incredibly well fleshed out couples that all get about an equal amount of screen time?
Writer A: Don’t be silly. We’ll spend a lot of time on two ships, and give the other two some scenes here and there.
Writer B: Are you sure about this? The whole thing kinda sounds like a very strange show to make. Will people really watch it?
Writer C: I guess they will if we get phenomenal actors. Maybe we should hit Khaotung and First up.
Writer A: Nope, we’ll get a bunch of mediocre actors and just make them do cute things and do puppy eyes very often, so people will look past the fact that some of them *cough Phuwin cough Marc cough cough* aren’t the greatest at portraying emotions. Not that the show really needs great actors anyway, because there isn’t really any meaningful conflict, so there aren’t many scenes of heightened emotions.
Writer B: I’m not sure, dude. But I guess if we come up with new scenes and stuff and avoid dead-ridden tropes, it might be a breath of fresh air.
Writer A: Don’t be silly. Why fix what ain’t broke? We’re going to use all the cliche scenes and tropes and we’ll run wild with them. Or do you guys have a better idea?
Writer C: Nah, thinking of something new and unique sounds like a lot of work. I say we run with what you got.
Writer B: Works for me, now let’s go eat something.
Writer A: Ah yes, eating. They do that in the show too. Like a lot.
This series is nothing new, nothing unique, it has no real plot or meaningful conflict, the characters aren’t really interesting, some actors are really struggling (mainly Phuwin and Marc, but Pond and Winny certainly won't win Oscars any time soon either), and one of the romances is dragged out beyond any point of reason. In short, it has everything I don’t like, and I ABSOLUTELY ATE THAT SHIT UP. If you ask me why, I honestly couldn’t tell you. Despite it dragging a little after a while, it was incredibly entertaining and adorable, and I honestly have not much more to say than that, so this will not be my usual in depth review.
The best part of this is by far the friend group. I’m convinced they all share one collective brain cell that hops from head to head, depending on the episode, and I love it. Okay, Fang may get his own brain cell, but the rest are definitely sharing. They’re just a bunch of idiots who do dumb stuff, but they’re so supportive of each other and they all bounce off each other incredibly well. The chemistry between the actors was great, so this felt actually believable unlike the friend groups in other shows. It also didn’t fall into the trap of forgetting about the friends as soon as the romance begins to pick up. The title fits perfectly because they really are, they just exist, which sounds incredibly boring and like a slog to get through, but it really wasn't at all (at least not for me). It was a joy to watch them and I could’ve probably gone for another five episodes just because they were so hilariously over the top and stupid and cute.
An honourable mention goes to Satang as Toey. He absolutely nailed the role and Toey is so insanely adorable that I squealed every time he was on screen. I just wanted to put him in my pocket and protect him from the world, and I loved how his friends felt the same and spoiled and protected him. So cute. Aou was phenomenal as Tan as well and despite the character being an annoying cringe fest, I found myself loving him.
That’s honestly all I have to say. If you’re a plot driven person, this show might drive you crazy because nothing really happens in it. But if you enjoy a bunch of idiots being idiots and having a great time together, then this might be for you. I honestly expected not to like this series at all, but it ended up on my list of shows I’d rewatch any day (if it weren't for it being such a large time commitment). This is not an objective 8, it's an 8 in terms of subjective enjoyment and entertainment factor. Objectively, this isn't anything great. So if you want to enjoy this, you’ll just have to give up on trying to watch this under a critical perspective, and instead embrace it for what it is, aka chaos x 100.
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How did this happen?
How have I watched 12 episodes and almost nothing with the main couple has happened? This series isn't winning me over and I feel stuck now that I'm 12 episodes in. I watched 11 & 12 on 2X just trying to see it through until the end but nope there are 16 episodes. Not to mention I'm not really sure why this is a NC rating because there nothing NC about it. No violence, no bad language, no drugs not even a heavy petting scenes. Any of those things would at least make this series a little more interesting. I'm also way more invested in ALL the side couples then I am in the main couple. I'm basically watching to see if chain and pun end up together and the simple fact that Tan & Fang are freaking adorable, seriously they are carrying this show.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Great show with a great cast
I went into this show with high hopes and I was not disappointed this show has everything a Romcom should have. It has great cast, amazing characters, wonderful storyline, great family/friendship dynamic, beautiful Ost. Plus it has funny characters so far my favorite character thus far is Tan.He is sooo hilarious the minute he spoke and the way he delivers his lines to the rest of the characters was just absolutely hilarious. He was so funny and even though there is only one episode out as if right now this show is wonderful. I have very very very high hopes for this show once it continues on being uploaded.
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An overstretched Nothingness
When I watched the trailer I didn't expect much, but it actually started really well. I ate my words for the first five episodes and I was so pleasantly surprised, but then it flopped. No depth was given to neither the characters nor the couple dynamics. Everyone in this story remained two dimensional from start to finish and it's a shame because all of them had so much potential to be fleshed out in 16 episodes. Instead of that we got a pointless back and forth between the two main couples for multiple episodes and almost zero screen time for the side couples, when there was so much room for development. Don't get me wrong, it does have it's fun and cute moments, but that's just it. Nothing really substantial. If they went for a 10 episode series it would work, but 16 episodes is just a waste of budget.The acting overall was fine. The actors did their job. For me, Aou and Boom really carried the show, even with their limited screen time. They are very experienced actors and elevated their roles.
If you're interested in watching something feel good with zero drama just to pass your time and relax that's a fine show to watch.
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Bland, bloated, boring
One of the worst BL’s I’ve seen, “We Are” has enough story for about 4 episodes of an average BL, which got stretched and diluted to ridiculous 16 episodes, with hardly any plot and almost no substance. There’s an obscene number of filler scenes with characters – usually in a big group – gathering to do something, going somewhere, standing and waiting for something, taking a group picture or participating in what (each and every time) seems like a poorly improvised party, fake and lifeless. Development and story progression are utterly absent, with the in-show flow of time indicated mostly by exposition. I suppose that lack of progress gets reflected, in an ironic way, in the series’ title – “We Are” refers perfectly to this weirdly static show.As if that wasn’t bad enough, the show has a throng of one-dimensional characters that are dull, annoying, unlikeable, uninteresting or forgettable and unimportant. It’s baffling that with 4 couples and additional supporting cast there are no stakes, no emotion nor any tension between characters. Some of that results from poor script, but mostly it’s because of bad or lackluster performances and absence of any chemistry between the main cast.
Pond and Phuwin, as usual, fail to deliver anything remotely interesting together; during all 16 episodes I laughed exactly twice – both times because of something unexpected Phuwin did – that (and his stunning looks) is his contribution to the show. At least this time he didn’t portray an obnoxious character. Pond on his own seemed less wooden than normally in a BL – and that’s the best thing I can say about his performance.
Aou, whom I’ve seen giving one decent performance (in “Be My Favorite”), tries to be funny, but all he does it being irritating; Boom is simply there, doing less than a guest appearance would. Similarly, Marc and Poon could have been replaced with two human-sized cardboard cutouts and I wouldn’t see any difference.
I left the worst for last: Winny and Satang, by far the strongest cast members, don’t do anything to elevate the show; I even felt they dragged it down. Satang’s Toey is self-centered, infantile and painful to watch, while Winny’s Q comes across as unlikeable. I watched “We Are” mainly to see what WinnySatang can do when upgraded to main couple status (or almost-main couple, as PondPhuwin were the actual and only main couple) and I was disappointed with the outcome.
The BTS footage, shown during end credits of the last episode, was more interesting to watch than everything that preceded it in ep. 1-16.
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A Drama with No plot but full of Cheese and Fanservice
Subjective Gut Rating: 7.25I decided to watch “We Are” because I wanted something simple and light-hearted, a stress reliever. With that in mind, I made the right choice. “We Are” is so easy, and too easy of a watch. It’s a drama full of fluff, cheese and cringe.
Unfortunately, the drama does not hold my attention. “We Are” has no plot whatsoever. The whole drama is about a big group of friends hanging out, pairing up with each romantic partner, professing their love and kissing their loved ones. While I enjoy seeing the tight bond of these friends, especially the 5-some of Peem, Q, Tan, Pun and Chain, I cannot consume 16 hours of just hanging out. The drama is way too long for its lack of content. It ended up not really what I am looking for, but this might just be the right one for you.
The acting of the cast is OK. There really isn’t anyone who stood out as being excellent. The big selling point of this drama is Pond and Phuwin as the two main leads. I enjoy their chemistry and their scenes together. They are obviously comfortable around each other. Pond and his handsome face and loving gazes are what keep me going and not dropping it.
I also feel that the introduction of such a big cast at once causes some confusion. I was trying to figure out the first 5 and then the drama introduced another 6 guys to the mix. Aside from the main romance between Peem and Phum, I really didn’t care for the other pairings. Some characters are more annoying and cringey than others. The drama has many unnaturally long gazes and slow motion shots for every single supposedly romantic gesture or kiss. It’s somewhat trying to manipulate how the audience should feel.
“We Are” is a pure fanservice drama. I don’t think I’ve seen a drama with so many kisses from all romantic pairs, and so many “I love you” spoken. The kisses on the lips are actually not bad, much better than the pecks on the cheeks or forehead (don’t they know you should also extend your lips a little?). I would recommend this drama if you are a fan of the cast.
Completed: 7/29/2024 - Review #468
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hope it goes well tbh
I'll be writing a review for each episode here. Then I'll rewrite and conclude everything when it's done.
EP 1 - The plotline doesn't particularly stand out. After this episode, I anticipate that it's going to be a mix of chaotic, funny, and heartwarming scenes. The comedic elements are hit or miss for me. To be honest, I initially started watching for PondPhuwin. However, I unexpectedly find myself adoring WinnySatang, and this goes for the other couples, too. I hope that they balance the screen time for each pairing. And may I just say—Pond looks especially handsome with this hairstyle!
EP 2 - The whole "master and slave" theme is starting off strong. The way Phum looks at Peem, it's clear he's enjoying himself. I liked the scene where Peem asked his Professor for advice on his artwork because he's anxious about its message. He wants to shift from his simple style to a more complex one, similar to Q's. Interestingly, Q also expresses concerns about the complexity in his own art and desires to convey simplicity, like Peem's artwork. I appreciated the professor's comment about students comparing their works, and his response to Peem, "what's not good about simplicity?" genuinely comforted me. It's also nice to see Peem's character depth as he occasionally lacks confidence in his work. Anyway, the chemistry between each couple is on fire in this episode. Peem drunkenly complementing Phum's looks while unknowingly holding onto the roses Phum bought for him. Q's gentleness in shooing away bugs so Toey can sleep peacefully on his lap. Tan confidently initiates and flirts, while Khaofang secretly enjoys it. The sweet scenes from each couple are giving me heart attack! The chemistry is already established, and it's only Episode 2. You know what that means? It leaves room for some classic misunderstanding tropes.
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
So excited when this come out. The trailer look very interesting & entertaining. Many familiar face & couple as usual, so not so much surprising about the pairing...Story about 4 couple & at first 2 group of friends. Peem & Phum, Toey & Q, Tan & Khaofang (Fang), and lastly Pun & Chain. Their originally from 2 group of friends, Peem's friend & Phum's friend, but by the end of this drama they all merge into 1 big group of friend.
The story begin with the fight between Peem & Phum. And with Tan as the middleman to merge each group, their journey begin... Ep 1-10 is pretty much to establish their friendship, we get to know each character. From ep 11-16 is when the relationship get deeper. Especially Peem - Phum & Toey - Q.
1st couple. Peem & Phum
The story begin with the fight between Peem & Phum. Phum who accidentally messed with Peem's painting but didn't want to apologize, made Peem's angry & kick Phum in the nut. That incident pissed Phum & made him decided to give Peem lesson by made Peem become Phum's slave. And with that, their wheel of story begin...
Because of Peem become Phum's slave, Phum got close to Peem & got to know him. Phum got to know how genuine Peem with his feeling & his friendship. Yeah Peem is one good & positive man, he's not really pissed with Phum who made him his slave, but Peem act as Phum's friend. And Phum's who raise with money, didn't met many people with genuine friendship. That made Peem become special in Phum's eye. And of course slowly but sure, their feeling become special to each other.
2nd couple. Toey & Q.
Toey is Q's mantee or junior. And from the very first ep, we already can see how Toey looked at Q with admiration eye. Q on the other side is still not sure. Although slowly but sure we can see that Q also have special feeling for Toey. Especially when their friend tried to made Q jealous by making Toey has special bond with Chain.
3rd couple. Tan & Khaofang (Fang).
The story open with Tan who had feeling with Fang, Phum's brother. We see how he tried to persue Fang through Phum. And soon we see Fang also return Tan's feeling & they become couple.
4th couple. Pun & Chain
The slow Pun with Chain. Really cute yet frustated with this couple. Through out the entire drama, we can see how they treat each other special, yet nothing happen until the last episode. Haha...
That's pretty much about the drama. Now let's discuss what I like & don't like...
What I like:
+ All the couple is so adorable...
+ They're not only tell story about each couple, but also a little about family. Epecially Phum's family
+ I like they really take time to establish each relationship & the progress of each couple. Epecially Peem - Phum & Toey - Q.
+ Not only focus about each / one particular couple. But still also them as a group of friends. This the 2nd time GMMTV with interesting drama that's also focus with group of friend.
+ Nothing jealousy over the top & no over protective...
+ The good music...
What I don't like:
- Too much episodes. Usually GMMTV only has 12 ep max, this has 16 ep. Yes their couple is much more than usual, but 16 ep still a bit much. They sometimes prolong the event.
- Sometimes Tan is a bit much for me, the way he act around Fang, make it become annoying
Overall I really happy with this drama...
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Got me laughing out loud
I definitely came for PondPhuwin but I stayed for the fun chemistry of the group. I’m glad to see AouBoom again.To be honest I wasn’t a big fan on Winny at first. In the beginning his character felt lacking. He always seems to have this look on his face like he’s got no thoughts going on back there lol. Satang is one of my favorites so they cancel each other out I guess hahaha. However, Winny and Satang have grown on me and Winny’s character Q definitely gets better towards the end. I might even dare say he’s one of my favorites.
Honestly when the directors have Phuwin act “mad” it’s a bit awkward to watch (don’t hate me, I love him) but when his character Peem is just talking to Phum, he really shines. Honestly Phuwin and Ponds chemistry is just off the charts. But honestly they have better chemistry better off screen lol. The directors had to have told Pond and Phuwin to pull back bc they weren’t chemistrying like they were chemistrying in Never Let Me Go.
I really like Marc and Poon together. I wished we got more of them together. I really didn’t like how Goofy they had Poon’s character at first but he grew on me.
The group as a whole have such warm vibes and natural chemistry and it’s expected when a group of friends enjoy their job and each other!
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Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
We Are... Bored After the 11th Episode
I actually really enjoyed this a lot, initially. The set up of the characters, their dynamics, the start of their relationships, I really really enjoyed it. However, once you get past the 11th episode, with some little hidden gems in the latter, this series falls completely on its face. We Are is a fantastic, extremely long romcom about everyone on campus being gay.Let's Dive In.
Again, the build-up of all the relationships was definitely my favorite part. Once they all get together (besides one couple) they just kind of fall off completely for me. But before I get into each couple, I'll talk about some other production things. One, the filter on this is actually ridiculous. They all looked so pasty, and not a, "we want to look pale," more like a, "We are the color of white paint." Oh gosh, it was so bad. At times, I had to lower my brightest so that they looked somewhat of a natural skin tone. We get these hidden shots sometimes of their natural, gorgeous skin, and I needed more of that.
This is 16 episodes long, and it just didn't need to be 16 episodes long. The last two episodes are of them going on trips back to back, and had Tan and Fang not had what they've been serving this entire series, I would've skipped it. There's so much dead space that the characters are quite literally doing nothing besides kissing and teasing one another. This could've easily concluded in episode 12 or 13.
Anyways, onto the couples, and I'll start with my favorite, Tan and Fang. They were everything to me. The stoic uke and bubbly seme, literally my favorite trope ever, I absolutely loved it down to pieces. Aou, hand down, played the best out of all the characters. His personality doesn't waver, he continues being supportive and protective and clingy, and I loved him. Their kiss scenes and everything in between were perfect. There wasn't even a second when I didn't want to see them on my screen. Moving onto Q and Toey, Their initial build-up is the best part of their relationship, especially Q coming to terms with his feelings for Toey, and how they navigate those feelings together They don't necessarily lose me, they just get a little stagnant after a while, and then I'm not so obsessed with them anymore. However, they also have that same bubble seme, stoic uke trope, so I did enjoy them enough.
Okay, and to no one's surprise, if you've seen my reviews for another PondPhuwin series, they were my least favorite established couple. First, they take way too long to get together, and this is coming from somebody who absolutely adores slow burns. I think they get together in episode 12? Maybe 13? It takes a minute, and it's an absolute horror. They kiss at least a bajillion times before then. and at some point, I was screaming at my computer every time Peem looked so surprised and appalled when Phum kissed him. Like, dude, this is your like 15th kiss, please stop playing with me. Again, the thing about Pond and Phuwin is that they have no problem with the physical aspect of their romance, but when they're not kissing, they just don't click. I don't know what's not clicking about this couple for me, but quite literally, I still, after every series I've seen them in, can't get into them. They still look like best friends told to kiss. But either way, Peem kissing Phum when he does for the first time felt completely out of place, and I'm still not sure why or what about Peem makes Phum just fall head over heels. At least with the other couples, there's a backstory to their connections, with them, there's nothing but a small, frivolous tussle in the beginning.
Anyway, they slightly tease another couple, but they get a pretty sorrowful ending. Then, the twin and some other guy have a moment, and then that's it. overall, a lot of this goes well, and a lot of this goes not-so-good. But, I think I enjoyed watching this series more than I didn't like watching it, so it's getting a 7 out of me.
Ratings;
Story: 7.5/10: At some point, it gets pretty boring and draggy, but for the most part, I didn't mind it.
Acting: 8/10: Aou plays the best of all the characters, with Santang coming in second place. Everyone did a pretty good job, but again, and like always, Pond has this way of acting that I'm still not a fan of.
Music: 6/10: Didn't pay it much attention, to be honest. Also, so much singing...why?
Recommendation Value: 7/10: It's good, I liked it, then I didn't like it as much. Tan and Fang are why I'd recommend this to anyone, the other couples, ehh.
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