I’m in love
I can’t believe this became my favorite BL. I literally had zero expectations, and then they gave us the BEST character of the entire BL world: Pisaeng. The story is so good, and I love the fact that they changed things from the novel! And let’s talk about the cast: everyone was so perfect and fitted the characters perfectly.I laughed and cried so much during the whole serie, and I’m so happy that I decided to give this serie a chance.
Last thing: I’m for real in love with Pisaeng. I need a man like him in my life?
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Incorporates Many Aspects I Didn't Think They Would
(Very Light Spoilers!) Unexpected surprises in this series! A perfect slice-of-life genre!
I did not expect them to talk about life, discuss various relationships, autonomy of one's own body and love and choices, even older generation talking and understanding about their children's life.
I loved it.
Krist's acting can be a bit of cringey at times but I will give him benefit of doubt because I believe the character he is playing is supposed to be like that. Krist's character is immature, whiny and self-deprecating. While I can dislike the continuous negative self-talk, I can empthaize with him.Because only if you are in a disadvantaged position and a bit accustomed to stay in your own head, that is how you will act.
Also, it is Kawi's predicament that has made him cynical. His mother left him, his father is sick and they never had enough money and people tell him that he is ungrateful son because he has chosen a stream to study that is not very lucrative in job market (this part hit me the most because I find many similarities with my country and the people's mindset here) .
It is really easy to fall into self-deprecating behaviour. It is his own insecurity that makes him stay away from people in fear of judgement.
And as a side effect, that distance creates a rift among people who could have actually helped him.
Krist's acting has become very natural. He does not shy away from the bold scenes. Even though there is not much, he has become far better since SOTUS. I found Kawi to be a great character full of follies and foibles who slowly understands and rectifies his mistakes.
Gawin Caseky is brilliant. I am his fan since NOT ME Series and he did not disappoint.
Aou as Max is probably my most favourite character aside from Kwan. He plays the role of the conscience in the story, giving advice, pointing at the mistakes and lending a helping hand whenever needed. Aou looks fabulous, acts even better. Whoever designed his costumes and did the hairstyle deserves a raise.
I will add my precious feelings for Kwan. She is a great friend to Pear, protects her when needed, throws great sardonic punchlines and sees good in people even when those people have hurt her. The actress of Kwan Justina Suvanvihok is not a brilliant actress but she has been an assistant director and screenwriter previously. Colour me surprised!
Absolutely amazing how they gave space to talk about the side characters. I feel the female characters in BLs are often not much talked about in the plot. But we see a beautiful storyline for them too. I saw Aye first in A Tale of Thousands Stars as Torfan and while she had very little space to act her parts, she definitely shined. I am so happy to see her in this series where even though she is a support character, she has her own story and arc. And she did it deftly.
Overall I absolutely enjoyed the message of the story.
The shots, the lighting, the locations are well chosen. Especially the last scene where they are sitting in a beach, WHAT A SHOT! Extra props for Krist and Gawin's improptu singing. I loved the OST and bgms.
I gave it a whopping 8 out of 10. Well deserved.
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An underrated gem
I’ve had this series on my list since it finished airing. The plot seemed interesting, but honestly the ML pairing didn’t convince me so much, so I’ve been holding off on seeing it. And now that I decided to give it a go, I’m so mad I didn’t watch it before. I finished this in less than 2 days, that’s how good it is. It’s one of the few series that do the time travel concept right. I feel a lot of the series or movies that do the time travel concept fail by making it to complicated to understand or having production mistakes in the time travel back and forth. But in this series it’s well done. And I also loved that they included more of the LGBTQ community, and they showed a little bit of the real struggles of coming to accept sexuality. Not that much, but still an advancement from other bl’s that don’t even mention it. The only thing is that I love this for the plot, the production and the story. I wasn’t convinced of the chemistry between the ML. They’re both amazing actors, but I feel they don’t work as a on-screen pair. Sometimes it felt more like a bromance than a romance. But since I wasn’t convinced of this pairing since the beginning, I expected it. So it didn’t ruin it for me, because the rest was so good. Overall, this really underrated, it deserves more than the 8.0 rating and it will definitely go on my favorite bl’s list.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
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Turns out to be one of my faves
At first I thought this would be one of those cringe time travel series but turns out it was good!Can't deny the acting - actors delivered~
the reason of the time travel is a bit too shallow at first though but the story was good **chef's kisses**
Pear (female lead) isn't toxic too~ such a breathe of fresh air on bl's~ ep10 could have also been an end but tge last 2 eps gives us a much more additional story and an additional ending on everything?
the Time travel concept isn't too scifi too~ Idk what is it but it just seems so natural on the series and I love it!
Krist as an Uke is such a cutieeee too?
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Refreshing Thai BL series
The story depicted in Be my favorite is really fun and different from the usual BL stuff. The addition of fantasy elements - time travel - is not overpowering and it makes the story stand out.The characters are mostly depicted in a realistic manner and I have to say that personally I really enjoyed the portrayal of Pisaeng. Gawin is a really mature and his skilled actor. I really love his subtle way of expressing emotions, never over the top, never exaggerated.
Kawi's character is a little more colorful, a little more tropey, but I think that Krist showed a good balance between being serious and funny. I wasn't a fan of Krist or his character at first, but as the show progressed, he definitely grew on me. Also he's actually really cute even though at first I only saw Gawin's charm.
The pacing of the story is fairly balanced, not too fast, not too slow.
I have to admit that as much as Ioved the way they handled things with Pear, from their admission that they love each other, and Kawi's realisation that he actually fell in love with Pisaeng, and he had no feelings for her anymore, I feel that they allocated way to much screentime to the resolution of Pear's story. I mean, let's be honest here, most of us want to see more of the guys story, and I just feel that they could've cut short all or most of her scenes after they came out to her as a couple.
Overall, I rate this BL at 8/10 especially for the realism and the solid acting of the guys and side characters. It's definitely worth a watch, a very cute, refreshing love story.
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A Heartwarming Blend of Relationships and Time Travel
This series easily secures its spot as one of my favorite BL series of 2023, thanks to its captivating plotline that delves into a range of relationships between characters. Going beyond the typical romantic focus, the series masterfully explores the dynamics between a father and son, parents and their daughter, a son and his mother, and the bonds of friendship. This heartwarming series stands out as a feel-good watch, void of any antagonistic elements, and instead, centers on the growth of multiple relationships that viewers can't help but root for.Centered around the protagonist Kawi, a modest and self-deprecating student harboring a crush on Pear, a popular girl in school, the series takes an intriguing twist when Kawi discovers a crystal ball that grants him the ability to travel back in time. His attempts to alter events brings him closer to Pisaeng leading to a realization that destiny might have other plans.
The series' brilliance lies in its well-developed characters and the underlying message of cherishing our time with loved ones. Kawi's journey to secure a connection with Pear inadvertently leads him closer to Pisaeng, and their evolving bond is beautifully portrayed. Pisaeng's struggles with self-acceptance resonate powerfully, drawing strength from the support of friends and family. Kawi's motivations for time travel extend beyond romatic gain, as he attempts to save his father's life and mend relationship with his friend Max. Pear, portrayed as a compassionate and empathetic individual, navigates her own challenges, reconciling with her mother and forgiving those who have wronged her. Similarly, Kwan's journey towards healing from a toxic relationship with Knot adds depth to the series.
Kawi's charismatic and endearing personality steals the spotlight, credit to Krist's commendable portrayal. Fluke brings a patient and understanding demeanor to Pisaeng, allowing their chemistry to shine through. Notably, the characters of Pear, Kwan, and Max are thoughtfully crafted and skillfully portrayed by the cast, enhancing the series' overall appeal.
In conclusion, "Be My Favourite" excels in its storytelling, largely due to its intricate character development and the inventive use of supernatural time travel. As relationships evolve and intertwine, the series captivates viewers with its heartwarming exploration of connection and second chances.
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Is it my favorite?!
Well, no. Though it did manage to pleasantly surpass my expectations. For the past year or so GMMTV has mainly been full of disappointing Bad Buddy regurgitations, or overly ambitious productions that miss the mark. Be My Favorite managed to have the same cheesy charm of a classic GMMTV BL, but set itself apart with great chemistry, believable acting and decent writing (and somehow very little product placement?!).The best part of the series is definitely Krist and Gawin. I wasn’t really a big fan or even familiar with either of them before this series, but this duo worked out really well! Their chemistry didn’t feel stiff, and you are always waiting for the next moment you see them together.
I actually really liked the main character Kawi. He is a total asshole, but also cute and endearing. I understand why Pisaeng was drawn to such a puzzling character. Though I will warn you that Kawi is a little stupid and misguided at times, but it makes you cheer for him when he takes a step in the right direction. I’m also just glad to have a main character who isn’t lukewarm and plain.
Pisaeng starts as a bit of a mystery, but it’s quickly revealed that he is just 100% boyfriend material. I have no complaints.
I can’t say the plot itself was revolutionary. The story had a lot of overused cliches and some parts of the story were downright stupid and redundant.
What really made this drama stand out to me was its ability to get my heart racing. It literally had me giggling and kicking my feet. So be prepared to enjoy some surprisingly touching and charming moments, and buckle in for the corniness, stupidity, and embarrassment of a true romcom.
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Have you lived your life to the fullest with no regrets?
One of the fews BLs that justifies good story doesn't need excessive sex appeal to market it.PLOT & GENRE DISTRIBUTION : - All the genres are well balanced in this story, you'll not feel anything is left out. Plot flow is interesting and you'll not feel bored. Nothing feels rushed and you'll feel satisfied but the filler episode could have been done in better way considering the uniqueness of concept. Climax of this drama is my favourite part when our MC learns that somethings cannot be changed, only the paths can be differed. The 3rd spin to future when Kawee becomes famous and is ignorant towards life is the peak of this drama, every possible dynamics you expect happens here.
THEME : - Living your life to fullest, second chance, knowing & loving yourself and embracing your mistakes are the concepts behind this in my eyes as this one can have various interpretations and possible messages can be drawn from it depending on your own experiences. Time-travel is not the unique concept, but given the execution and story it's logical and exciting.
ACTING & CASTING : - Dialogue delivery is really good, like you laugh when you need to and no one overacted their role. Krist as Kawee was well casted and acted, I have watched a lot of his work and he is a decent actor. I felt most of the Kawee's emotions. Confused, scared, lonely, sad, happy, goofy, you can see it all coming but except love, I can't feel his love for pisaeng but I liked their friendship more. Fluke as Pisaeng was well casted and decently performed again and he has one impactful scene with his mother that left an impression on me. I have watched him before but I can't remember much. Other actors did a good job as well.
CHARACTERS & DEVELOPMENT : - All the characters represented were realistic except Pisaeng (reasons below) apart from the fact in real life you hardly get second chance.
> Bodkawee - He is introvert, shy, reserved, had low self-esteem and struggled while approaching people. He had a negative view of world, that everyone will leave him and judge him for who he is, that's why he was scared to face his true self and became self-proclaimed loser. After helping him on his first day praemai becomes his crush and he feel in love with her then he mustered up his courage to confess it to her but things went south, so when he got a magical second chance he left no stone unturned to achieve his desired outcome even-though universe was against it. After he traveled back in time, on outside he did changed into more approachable and tried to achieve all those things he couldn't earlier but on inside he was still insecure about people accepting him and with all these piled up emotions Pisaeng became his first friend and also his emotional punchbag ^^ Unintentionally he turned mean and selfish towards Pisaeng as he was frustrated with results of his efforts. Even after he was drawn to him, he denied his feelings and got scared to show his true self as he was conscious about people around him and became dependent on alcohol. His 30-yr soul in his 20-yr old couldn't be of much help as he haven't experienced much in life previously, so he came out as goofy and sometimes childish when he tried to change. But by the end you could see him becoming more calm and understanding. His love for his father was unconditional as he tried to undo the inevitable. Embracing his mistakes and learning from them is his biggest strength. I felt he was asexual to be stopping all of Pisaeng's advances but they didn't dived into it and pulled he was not ready arc. (which is also important tho)
> Pisaeng - What a saint is he, isn't he? This boy really has the patience of a saint, as you his love for Kawee remains unwavering in every spin to future. He is always there for him. No matter how cruel and selfish Kawee became but this guy supported him at every turn. And oh boy! when he cried in climax I saw him breaking down and feeling shitty after Kawee pulled another "oh I need my friend I'm heartbroken" He was sweet, caring, loving, lonely, supportive and best friend material ever. His character has an arc development of finding yourself. They didn't pull gay for you idiocy, but he truly tried to discover his sexuality and to understand himself. His dynamics with his mother and Max were applauding. In true sense he was Kawee's angel and not the mysterious uncle. Him distancing himself from Not showed how much friendship, respect and integrity mattered to him. That being said, they made him too perfect without a flaw which is unrealistic. Also, when he was asked why he loved Kawee he would say "because you're cute" come on there is always a reason, that pretty much implied to me he was there to love Kawee and was unrealistic.
> Praemai - This woman is goddess to be forgiving everyone left, right, centre. But eventually she is most confident, level-headed, sincere, kind, caring and definition of true friend but her only flaw is she expect so much for people around her but to get disappointed and this started with her mom leaving her to make progress in her career. As she said "I'm maybe disappointed, but I'm not desperate" She owned herself, knew her own worth and could differentiate right from wrong. Her putting people in their place when they are wrong is her strength. She grew up to mend her issues with people around her in composing manner which made her stronger. In climax, during wedding scene she was complete opposite of her true self, where she compromised with her life, which justifies you don't know what future holds.
> Max - He was guide to our main characters. His radical mindset made him clear minded and he was confident in his advices. He was the best supportive Kawee could have after his father. He found his own peace in working for the cause. And his stylist need a raise. lol.
> Not - His demeanour was everything, he expressed his feelings with his body language. He was not a lost cause, he was distracted from right path and as Kwan told him off he had his positive traits and you can see that when he encouraged Kawee but he was hell bent on not acknowledging them. He mindset was still immature for love so I guess it was right for him to not end up with anyone.
> Kwan - This character was short but had an impactful presence. She didn't became lovelorn and cherished her friendship with Pear and put stop to Not's impure intentions, it was enough to make assumptions about her character.
STORY : - Story was well-structured, it wasn't creative but made sense and was enjoyable. It's pretty much straightforward and not difficult to understand. A boy who tag himself as loser gets second chance to change things and try hard to align everything from love, family, ambition to friends. One of the strongest part has to be romance, although both actors played their roles well but together their wasn't much spark.
1st Act pulls you in but was a little (ignorable) stretched. 2nd Act and Climax was interesting and engaging while 3rd Act was satisfying but not great
There were somethings I wished they had explained them more and just didn't shrug it off because it has to happen.
PACE : - Every scene was as long as it should be, it was medium paced and let the story to develop.
EXECUTION : - There were fillers in last eps which could be done in better way. They wanted to show more of their romance but it didn't landed. It has consistent tone flows well.
Direction & Cinematography : - Direction is Good, giving each scene deserving time and was without random and abrupt shots. There wasn't much to cinematography but lightings where needed were well done. Max had some great outfits, I would love to buy them. hehe.
Music & SFX : - Music was good, I loved the opening song "REDO" and "Unable". At some places I thought SFX were weird but overall they were alright.
Did I enjoyed it? Yes.
Is it the best? No.
Did I care about the character? Yes, especially Pear.
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Kawi and Pisaeng truly struck a chord deep within us.
The drama has always aimed to show us Kawi's perspective – how he needed to reshape his romantic fate, take charge of his life, and mend his friendships. Yet, at its core, "Be My Favorite" is Pisaeng's story. Pisaeng is genuinely the catalyst for the unfolding changes. He's become a guiding light for Kawi, a constant and reliable presence that illuminated his path. He's the one who showed Kawi that he doesn't have to fear his true self, that he can be confidently authentic. Pisaeng is the guy who reminded Max about the importance of fighting for what's just. He's the one who helped Pear turn the page without compromising her self-esteem. Pisaeng is the one who severed ties with Not to escape a toxic friendship. He's the one who gave his love without expecting anything in return, ready to make sacrifices – a patient soul. For all these reasons, we adore him.Initially, I had reservations about the actors' performances, as neither Krist nor Gawin entirely won me over in their previous works. However, in this series, they proved compelling, albeit sometimes inconsistent – which I attribute more to directorial choices than the quality of their acting.
Was I eagerly awaiting each following Friday? Absolutely, because this story, punctuated with calls for social justice, managed to maintain a lightness from start to finish.
Side note:tTheir mutual trust, along with some of their conversations, will stay with me for quite a while.
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Time-Travel BL Done Right
This is one of those series that does things right for better or for worse, but mostly better.(Wait, what could possibly be worse about doing things right? Well, it just feels so safe and doesn't take risks that some other series might take. I am reminded of series like Bad Buddy here.)
The time travel premise is used well and fully exploited, and with the nature of the time travel being supernatural rather than scientific, it avoids having to be too logical. It's a wise move that Kawi manages to get his father to go for a heart surgery when he travels to the past but doesn't get to prevent his father from dying, As one of the scenes seems to suggest, there are some things that cannot be avoided or brought about (such as winning the lottery) but there are also many things that can be shaped by personal effort.
Kawi and Pisaeng are an adorable couple, but the cutesiness isn't overdone. There is a good balance of serious moments and light-hearted ones throughout. I don't know how deliberate it is, but I somehow don't get the sense that Krist and Fluke are going to be the sort of pairing that will stoke the fantasy of fans, the way many BL actors are meant to. (Perhaps this often does not end well, and it is just as well.) Krist and Fluke have played their roles well, and in my opinion, Krist's performance in Be My Favourite has exceeded that in SOTUS. His acting may seem to some a little exaggerated at times, but I feel that it is according to the demands of the role.
What this series excels in is the side characters, who are interesting without being distracting. I like the portrayal of Kawi's friendship with Max, for instance. Although they are really good friends, the portrayal doesn't get too idealistic because of the time travel premise. Max, who is gay, falls out with Kawi at one point due to a misunderstanding that Kawi doesn't like others to think that he is Max's boyfriend. In the original timeline, their friendship is not mended, but in other modified timelines, they become close friends again. Another interesting character is Pisaeng's mother. In many BL series, a parent who can accept that their child is gay is idealised, but not here. Despite her acceptance of Pisaeng's homosexuality, the mother and son still have issues to sort out. Then there is also Not (classmate of Kawi and Pisaeng), a talented writer who is also an asshole. Not does not turn out to be the villain of the series (there isn't any), and he also doesn't really suffer for his assholery. (Quite realistic, I guess.)
If I must have complaints about the series, perhaps it would be that a lot of the positive points that I have mentioned feel a little calculated. Yet, even then, the series must be given credited for being able to handle everything skillfully. There is a scene towards the end when Kawi is hospitalised and the doctor asks if Kawi has any relatives to be contacted despite being told that Kawi lives with Pisaeng, who is his lover. While other series with less skillful scripting may have the characters directly discuss the issue of marriage equality and remark on how unfair it is, the finesse with which the issue is handled here is commendable. We can feel a sense of the how the lack of marriage equality affects gay couples without the characters commenting on it directly, and this is the way to go even though the series as a whole does not really seem to be focused on such issues.
For me, Be My Favourite ranks up among the best Thai BL series from late 2022 to 2023, together with My School President. While My School President really excels in telling a compelling and lovable story about innocent high schoolers, Be My Favourite its its more mature counterpart. They are both signs that the Thai BL industry can really up its game if it bothers putting in the effort.
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A typical GMMTV show with more eating than actual time travel
This show is definitely not my favorite, but it’s not entirely unenjoyable either. I would classify it as a very typical GMMTV BL, and thus a perfectly mid show. Most GMMTV shows are in that range of "not great, but not horrible either“ for me, and Be My Favorite is no exception.Acting / Chemistry:
For me, the main reason this show didn’t crumble under the weight of its flaws is the acting. Gawin and Krist are both great in their roles. Krist pulls off the awkward and whiny Kawi so well, but he’s also delivering a great performance in emotional moments. I actually like him in this a lot more than I did in Sotus. Gawin has been great in anything I’ve seen him in, so it comes as no surprise that he’s doing an excellent job in the role of Pisaeng as well. He’s naturally charismatic, and he knows how to deliver emotions when needed. The performances of the entire cast were really good, and they definitely saved a lot of what went wrong with the writing.
The chemistry between the romantic leads was decent. They’re not one of my favorite pairings, but they do have more chemistry than other pairings (cough Pastsenger cough). To me, it was just lacking the real butterflies that come with other ships, so I don't crave more of them together, but if they were paired again, I wouldn't mind either.
Characters:
I’ll start with the positive—Pisaeng. I adore him, and he deserves the world. He’s very easy to like. That’s partially because Gawin lends his natural charm to the character, but also because he was really refreshing. It’s not like he was super well fleshed out, but he was a genuinely kind and caring guy, and he had a lot of emotional intelligence. In many ways, he reminded me of Ayan (from the Eclipse), who might be my favorite GMMTV character up to date, so that’s a huge compliment. I loved watching Pisaeng on screen, and I was rooting for him.
Kawi on the other hand was horrible. Okay, that’s a bit harsh. I actually liked him in the beginning. But the longer the series went on for, the more I started disliking him. At the start, he was just this awkward, self-deprecating guy who was actually quite cute. However, as time went on, his "I’m such a loser“ attitude began to get annoying. He also became a pretty big asshole in many moments. He was only concerned about his own emotions and thoughts, completely disregarding other people’s feelings. Him then being like "I’m such a bad guy, I feel horrible, boohoo“ didn’t help. If you’re aware that you’re being a douche, maybe try not being one next time? But then he did it again. He was also very judgmental, which didn't help his case. It got incredibly frustrating. Especially since Kawi always needed someone to point out that he was in the wrong, but never realized it by himself. I know he was written that way on purpose, but it’s just not great for a main character you’re supposed to root for. Krist also being naturally charming did help, but even Krist can’t make me enjoy watching this whiny little prick. All of this wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing if there was severe character development. Him starting out as selfish and judgmental, but then growing and opening his horizon would’ve been great. But that didn’t really happen. Or well, it did by the power of montage and time-skip and time travel magic. But that wasn't enough for me. Kawi was the main reason I really started disliking this show about half way through.
On a more positive note, I really liked Kawi’s best friend, Max. What a shame he didn’t really have much of a storyline to himself, but only served as Kawi’s emotional trashcan. He basically helped Kawi function and act like an at least somewhat decent human. You know how in Pinocchio, the cricket acts as Pinocchio’s conscience? That’s basically what Max was to Kawi. He was patient enough to put up with Kawi’s attitude. What an angel. Couldn't have been me.
Pearmai was fine. I appreciate the attempt at fleshing her out as a character, for example by giving her a difficult relationship with her mother. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a lot more than most other BLs do with their female characters. She wasn’t portrayed as a villain either, which I was super happy about. In general, she was really likeable and I would’ve loved to see more of her. I hope more BLs will take this approach with their female characters, rather than having them be two-dimensional villains that only exist as objects in the way of the boys love aspect.
Romance:
I was in favor of the romance because I wanted Pisaeng to be happy. And for some reason unbeknownst to me, he finds his happiness in Kawi. I also liked the general idea of Kawi travelling back in time to get Pear to like him, just for him to realize it was Pisaeng he was meant to be with all along. That actually makes for a really fun and cute story. However, because I really disliked Kawi, I found it hard to root for the romance. Especially since Kawi’s constant self-deprecation and Pisaeng serving as someone to assure him that he’s not a loser seems pretty unhealthy. Also, Pisaeng constantly having to give in to Kawi’s wishes and demands while Kawi is being stubborn also seems problematic. To me, it felt like one of those relationships where 10 years down the line, Pisaeng will probably have given up on anything he had going for himself, in order to make Kawi happy, while Kawi is not even willing to do as little as compromise. They had very cute moments, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t think Kawi was ready for a relationship at all. As we got to see in the future, it luckily didn't turn out this way. But that's probably because Kawi did an unexplained full 180 and is apparently entirely different in the future, thanks to the power of montage and time-skip.
I feel like this show would’ve greatly benefitted from a side couple (whatever the Not-Kwan-Pear love triangle was doesn't count). Spending all the time with Kawi and Pisaeng was A LOT, so a side couple to mix things up would’ve been great. Anything for me not to be trapped with Kawi for the entire episode would’ve been appreciated honestly.
On a different note, I was genuinely surprised by how little I minded the love triangle between Kawi, Pisaeng and Pearmai. Normally, I hate love triangles in BLs, especially if they involve a girl. Usually, because it’s tied to a lot of toxic jealousy and the girl being the villain of the story. But in this show, I actually thought it was handled very well.
Also, I want to talk about how they had the perfect opportunity for some asexual representation. To me, it genuinely felt like Kawi had no interest in sex. I would’ve loved it had they actually made him ace. But instead, we got a super awkward sex scene that made me feel so uncomfortable to watch, because Kawi was looking like he didn’t wanna be there (at least in the beginning). So instead of ace representation, it turned into yet another BL where one character wants to cuddle, kiss and have sex, while the other is portrayed to be reluctant to any of that for no explainable reason.
Writing / Storytelling:
Let’s start with the time travel aspect of it all. I’m simply not a fan of time travel shows in general. That’s because it’s extremely difficult to pull it off in a way that doesn’t leave 100 plot-holes. I think they were pretty clever by not really focusing much on the time travelling as a mechanism itself. At least they were until episode 11, when Time Travel Man showed up, and lectured Kawi about how he can’t use time travel to win the lottery, because that apparently depends on destiny. If you haven’t won the lottery so far, you weren’t destined to win it, and you can't win it even with time travel magic. So, according to that, apparently love isn’t based on fate then, since you can just travel back in time to fix it? Usually, BLs heavily steer into the direction of love being entirely destiny-based, so this was actually an interesting thought. But still, it left me with many questions. I wouldn’t have been too bothered by everything, if it weren’t for these glaring issues:
(1) When Kawi travels from the past to the future, he gets there with no memories of what happened during the past ten years, and then gradually gains back those memories. This is proven by the fact that in episode 7, he doesn’t remember his apartment or how he’s on bad terms with Pisaeng. But how is it then that he somehow did know the lyrics of a song he had assumably written within those past 10 years? He arrived backstage of his gig, not even remembering he was a famous singer. So how the hell does he remember the lyrics? I guess by the power of plot-convenience.
(2) They kinda broke the time travel mechanism in episode 10, when Pisaeng spun the time travel thingy, but somehow nothing happened? Why did he not travel to the future, like it happens with Kawi? Does that mean the time travelling ability is tied to Kawi specifically? I could’ve accepted that with a frown, but then in episode 11, Pisaeng spins it again, and he actually does travel in time. This made no sense to me.
(3) I thought the whole purpose of time traveling was for Kawi to right his wrongs, and then go back to the future. But apparently, he just stayed in the past? I wasn’t aware he could even do that. The whole show seemed to steer into the direction of him eventually having to return to the future, and that was just dropped entirely. To me, the end of the show would’ve been much more satisfying if Kawi had travelled to the future again, instead of the whole almost death and Pisaeng time travel arch.
The writing of conflicts wasn’t always great either. The issues weren’t as offensively bad as in A Boss And A Babe for example. But oftentimes characters’ motivations or moods changed from one scene to just a few scenes later without any reason or resolution. For example, Pear got very upset with Not for basically having pressured Kawi into a love confession, and recording the whole thing. She even calls him out in front of his friends, seemingly very angry. Then, without any resolution to that, Not gave her his book to read, and she thanked him and told him he was doing great— the bad blood seemingly having vanished into thin air. This wasn’t the only instant either. Some fights between Kawi and Pisaeng were left with no resolution too. They just suddenly got along again. It probably isn’t as notable if you watch the show week by week, but it gets very apparent when binging it. The whole love triangle story between Not, Pear and Kwan was dropped completely without any resolution whatsoever. I could not tell you if Not and Kwan ever actually got together, or if they stopped their fling entirely. Not that I really care about what Not does or who he’s with, since he’s an asshole, but leaving it unresolved is still unsatisfying.
In a similar manner, there are things that just happen out of nowhere and are left with no further explanation. For example, in episode 8, Max thanks Kawi for "helping me realize I should stay here and keep fighting“. But we saw none of that actually happening. Kawi was just using Max as his unpaid therapist, but we didn’t see anything about Kawi helping Max. The story didn’t show that, so the dialogue was clashing with what was actually happening. Similarly, in episode 9, we suddenly find out that Kwan and Not have a friends with benefits situation going on (or something like that). That also came out of the blue. We knew from that one time of travelling to the future that they would eventually have an affair, but there was no reason to believe that was already going on in college. Us finding out very late in the show that Kawi apparently is into music when it was never alluded to before also felt very sudden. These things could’ve been implemented in much better ways that wouldn’t have left you feeling like some brand new piece of information was just thrown at you out of absolute nowhere.
In this regard, another thing was Pisaeng suddenly playing the guitar and singing to Kawi in episode 7. Why the hell did that happen? Well, I know why. Because Gawin is a solid singer, and GMMTV has this agenda of pushing all their actors into a singing career as well. But in terms of the writing, it made no sense. We had no reason to believe Pisaeng had any interest in singing or playing the guitar. It was entirely illogical for him to suddenly serenade Kawi, and should’ve been cut. Not every single character needs to sing in your shows, GMMTV. Please stop forcing it in when it makes no narrative sense, I’m begging you.
I already mentioned the friendship between Kawi and Max. It was pretty badly written. For one, the story starts with Max being mad at Kawi. He then suddenly changes his mind about being mad (god knows why) and they’re back to being best friends. If you just make him change his mind without Kawi really having to work for it, why start off their relationship with any conflict at all? It was pointless and left entirely unexplored. We’re then supposed to believe they’re both helping each other and are there for each other. When really, all we ever see is Kawi using Max to complain about life. It felt so insanely one-sided that I really felt sorry for Max. I don’t think there’s a single instance where Kawi asks him how he’s doing. It’s just Kawi here, Kawi there, Kawi everywhere.
Another random thing that bothered me was the amount of scenes we got of characters eating. I know that being a foodie was part of Kawi’s character, so I don't mind more eating scenes than usual. But after a certain point, it just felt like a lack of creativity. Like please, there are other scenes that can serve as a basis for characters to talk to each other. They don’t have to be eating every other scene.
The worst offence in my opinion, however, was their annoying way of storytelling. The amount of times they cut away from a scene, just to show how that scene ended in a flashback five minutes later, made me want to rip my hair out. They did it for dramatic effect, I suppose, but it only took me out of the story with the constant flashing back and forth. It’s just unnecessary and makes it more difficult to follow the narrative. Just let the scenes play out, and then move forward. It didn’t happen all the time, but it happened often enough for me to really get annoyed by it. And there were even instances when scenes ended very abruptly without us ever finding out how they ended at all. Which in my opinion was still better than the annoying back and forth between present and flashbacks.
Positives
- I liked the relationship between Kawi and his dad a lot. It was heartwarming, and the only moments I actually liked Kawi were when he was with his dad. However, this actor in my mind will always be the mafia boss and dad of Kinn (from KinnPorsche). So I had this head-canon that the mafia business of Kinn’s dad went really south, and he had to take on a new identity. So he started a new life, with a new wife, and a new kid.
- The show had some solid comedy in it.
- As annoying as he was, Kawi felt like a pretty unique character, and not just like the stereotypical character GMMTV goes for in every other show.
- Them not making Pearmai the villain of the show just because she’s the girl was very appreciated.
- The line "Parenthood is about more than just raising our children. We have to grow with them.“ That was the best line in the entire show. It was said in a scene that was entirely useless and senseless, since it was the only scene we ever got of the parents alone. But I’m glad it was there, for that line alone.
- I liked how it opened with Pear getting married to Pisaeng, and ended with her getting married to someone else. That was a nice full circle moment.
Final Thoughts
Initially, I liked the show. For the first few episodes, it felt fresh and funny. However, the longer it went on for, the more I started disliking Kawi. And it’s just really hard to like a show when you constantly want to yell at the main character. This, paired with the weird editing choice of cutting away and then flashing back five minutes later, really took away from my enjoyment. The writing wasn’t great. It wasn’t as bad as in other GMMTV shows, but a lot of it could’ve been an easy fix, which is always very frustrating. It seems as though GMMTV puts more effort into making all their actors sing and dance these days, rather than actually putting that effort into solid writing. With all of that weighing the show down, around episode 9 I just wanted it to be over.
It was not my cup of tea, but I see why other people enjoy it a lot. There were enjoyable aspects there, for me they simply got overshadowed by the bad. But I was watching this with a very critical eye, I’m aware of that. If you’re someone who views BLs maybe a little less critically (and if you don't find Kawi as irritating as I did), then you’ll probably enjoy this. As I said, it’s a very typical GMMTV show, so if you’re into most of those, you’ll probably be into this too.
This was quite difficult to rate for me. I really didn’t enjoy it much, but giving it a very low score just because I personally have vendetta against Kawi doesn’t seem fair. Therefore, I’ll just rate this somewhere in the middle ground, like I would most other GMMTV shows.
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