The greenest of green flags?
I truly loved this drama from start to finish. Out of many BL dramas I’ve watched, I’m sure God is one of the greenest green flags. The way he cares for Diew, the little things, the way he listens, how much he loves him. It’s extremely adorable. This drama just shows that you shouldn’t change the way you are for anyone and there’s someone out there who will love you for who you are. It also shows how people have different ways of caring for people, God likes to show it whereas Diew’s mum seems strict but she genuinely cares for Diew. The second couple is also cute, and I wanted to see more of them. We also got a hint of a third couple… but we didn’t see much of them. I could possibly see this as one of those series which continues but with the other couples (like Until We Meet Again and Between Us).Being an ISFJ like Diew, I could see the things which made him uncomfortable and reasons he acted that way, so it was nice to be able to connect with the drama too. I just wish he opened up a bit sooner which he definitely started to at the end of the drama.
I’m sad this drama has ended because I enjoyed it so much. God has definitely popped up on my list of green flags and favourite characters, he’s a big fluffy cutie and definitely a golden retriever!! I would definitely recommend this drama!
Also, yes… I am also worried about Khun Shy… please give that turtle a whole entire pond.
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I felt the acting was mostly awkward and not nuanced.
The premise of this story is interesting the execution was lack lustre.A supposedly introverted student (with very dyed hair) tries to not be noticed?
A jock type student who loves loud extroverted friends and sport falls for his neighbour after a brief glimpse and a few conversations?
Issues of how these two extreme types make for a good relationship are attempted, however, the power dynamics are uneven and despite all the 'green flag' behaviour of God he overplays the benevolent protector to the point of nearly creating a 'Daddy' personna.
Luckily this is curtailed. I felt the jump to intimacy was premature, they had so little time together beforehand so this trip away and shared tent scenario seemed rushed, especially as we are led to believe Diew does not reveal much about his past or feelings.
The grandfather is terrific offering the whole hearted support in place of the dead father. The Mother is well depicted because her harsh expectations are what has added to her sensitive son's inability to voice his needs and to feel not 'normal' enough. The ex boyfriend reveal is a good explanation of what can occur when first love feelings get trampled on. Diew has already absorbed the not normal message from his mother and now it is repeated exposing his greatest fears. So the little turtle shrinks back into his shell.
The turtle metaphor is apt but like other viewers I wanted both Diew and the turtle to have more freedom.
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Monsters are loveable too
I went in with a completely different expectation and was pleasantly surprised. Not overjoyed but pleasantly surprised. The entire cast did a good job BUT... Big did great! I've always loved him and found that he was greatly underappreciated. He filled this role with such ease that it was great to see him shine. Bui/Proud also stood out in her role. Would love to see more of her.Pros:
Park exhibited the true traits of an introvert.
God and all of extroverts were believable also
The realtionship between Diew and his grandfather
Diew's reconciliation with his mother - heartfelt
Depiction of both extro and intro, showing both have areas of either trait.
God being patient with Diew
God protecting Diew as he did from everyone.
Conclusion of all storylines in an unrushed manner
Misunderstandings were dealt with without being too drawn out. Diew and God's rift. God's crying was a little ott but fixed by next epi. Also with Wan and Beer. Beer has the patience of a saint.
Big and Park looked natural together considering the size difference.
The way God looked at Diew...
Cons:
The pace wasn't rushed but it was toooo serene. Diew's personality overshadowed the entire show. It felt dead at times.
A bit preachy at times. Like a PSA.
Wan was annoying and too childish. Plus irl, he could do with more acting lessons.
Hated that the antagonist was a female influencer. Do all shows have to stick in the annoying female trope. Let's hope they know that anyone can be used.
Pi served his purpose but after apologising to Diew why did he still have to be shown as an idiot when speaking with God.
Using Pi as a tool for the drama between God and Diew was so boring. Had they used God to be in a situation where Diew needed to step up and didn't which caused great harm to God, would have been more effective. A true introvert has a great fear of the unknown and being judged. So him not breaking that barrier would have been their rift.
Series could have wrapped up in 10 epi....again too calm for that length.
Rewatch - nah. Though it was nice, once was enough. It's time BL move from a school setting to other areas. Hope to see Big in other projects because he has the ability to do more than this.
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If you're looking for angst, drama, or spice this isn't for you.
This is a mellow drama. I would say it is kind of comparable to We Are in tone, but with fewer couples and less making out. So, if you are looking for the angst of something like A Tale of Thousand Stars or Until We Meet Again, the drama of Bad Buddy or Love in the Air, or the spice of KinnPorshe or Venus in the Sky. You won't find it here. If you're looking for the catchy tunes of My High School President, you will also not find it here.What you will find is a chill, slow burn relationship between an introvert with extreme social anxiety, relationship trauma and a tense family situation being slowly healed by the unending affection, patience and positivity radiating from his golden retriever in human form neighbor.
Overall, it was cute. The friend group was great. I love when the friend groups are actually good friends. They also don't disappear as soon as the couple forms and are actually also supportive of Diew. And there were really great moments where they picked up when someone in the group (or even God) was making Diew uncomfortable and someone would step in to change the subject or help. It was such a small scene, but I loved it so much when they were on a trip together and it was clear Diew was feeling a little smothered by God. And yes, him and God talk it out pretty quickly and peacefully, but when they rejoined the group, one of the friends also brought Diew to sit next to them instead and when he was gone another friend told God that he was being too much. So, they may not have known God and Diew talked it out already, but they were still willing to step in on Diew's behalf.
There was a huge emphasis on communicating and while they both had moments where they tripped up and didn't do it, they did eventually talk things out. And again, with the big misunderstanding, God's friends came in clutch. He's sulking and all "I don't get why Diew said/did that" and they're just like, "well, I don't have the answers. Stop talking to me and go talk to him."
Also shout out to the product placement, 'cause it took multiple episodes before it clicked that the phone was being marketed. And it was genuinely working on me. Like some of the features it showed off (which were a little weird in context, but not unbelievable) had me curious about the phone and wishing my phone had them.
The acting felt a little awkward at times and it was hard to parse out if that was the character or the actor, since I'm not really familiar with these actors in other things. With God being in a band, I do wish there had been more music.
Also, the vet was a jerk and I just feel like there should have been some karma going his way. Especially since he didn't change. His whole apology was still totally focused on himself and occurred after he basically stalked and cornered Diew into talking to him. Like dude didn't even consider Diew's feelings in his apology to Diew for previously hurting his feelings.
And I feel like social media could have been used to develop them and their relationship more. Like we get little insights at how Diew is feeling from what he posts on social media and God seems to start posting more when he sees Diew posting, but I feel like it could have been used more to like...show them growing closer together in little "this made me think of you" ways that are not in the form of a giant stuffed turtle. Like if God posted a picture with a quote from the book thing bonded over. Or if Diew posted about like having a headache and so God left him a bag on his door with medication. Or even text message conversations. Like the post-it notes to each other were cute. It would have been cute to keep up that kind of thing (as post-its on each others doors or reading space, or changing it to texts/social media posts instead) even after they got together.
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Cute series, but had a few misses along the way
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.Overall, this was a very cute series with some odd execution choices. I was enjoying the nice relaxing pacing because it did not have over the top drama. Unfortunately, the pacing took a drastic turn in episode 9 because they decided to pack in as much drama as they could. Despite this, it had a very positive and uplifting ending.
On the positive, they did a great job in the beginning with introducing all of the characters. Well, with one exception that is. They also did a great job with color choices which created an aesthetically pleasing world. For the most part, the script was not bad. One of the good parts was the overall relationship development between Diew and God was sweet and didn’t feel rushed. Although the misunderstanding between them was weird at times, at least it was not drawn out and they eventually talked about it like adults. It was nice that the two side couples’ storyline didn’t overpower the main couple’s storyline, but both storylines also had some weak aspects. As for God’s friend group, they were ok. They were very annoying at one point. However, one of them did give God some good advice in episode 11. All of the actors did a great job portraying their characters and gave it their all. There were some inconsistencies within a few scenes with the placement of props and actors, but this was only minor. I liked the main theme song, but it is a little unrealistic that a band would use the same song over and over again for a competition.
Random Note:
The letters hovering over to note the different types of personalities in the first few episodes were annoying.
Am I the only one that noticed that God spelled backwards is dog in English. This is probably a coincidence, but I fond this interesting because Diew always tells God that he reminds him of a dog.
It was cute that the BL novel that Diew picked in episode 5 had the same name of the series.
The timing for the subtitles was horrible in the beginning of episode 12 on GagaOOLala, but was fine after the opening credits. I hope they fix this.
The English subtitles on GagaOOLala were ok. There were some grammatical errors and they kept spelling the character God’s name wrong (Got) in the first 3 episodes. There were a few times that English subtitles were not shown when printed content appeared on screen. GagaOOLala also did not edit out the break credit between the episode sections.
********Spoiler Alert********
Wan and Beer’s storyline was interesting, but was underdeveloped towards the end. Their conflict resolution was very weak and lack luster.
I would have also liked just a little more screen time with Win and Game. Just enough to see how their relationship development throughout the series.
It was horrible how God’s friend group treated Diew in episode 9. What made it worse was that God did nor said anything about it and that Diew forgave them so quickly.
I like how Diew did not forgive his ex-boyfriend for how he treated him in their relationship.
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Old-school BL that belongs in 2020
Wow, I thought this type of BL was extinct. It was like I time travelled back to the BL heydays of 2020 when things were largely fluffy. But I don’t mean this in a bad way.The male leads in Monster Next Door are just so shy and innocent that it feels almost old-school in terms of its style.
Diao and God live next to each other but Diao, being super shy and introverted, avoids speaking to God face-to-face. Instead, they communicate by chatting on their balconies and leaving cute post-it notes on each other’s door. Aww. Don’t expect anything emotionally deep from this show. It’s not meant to be a profound romance or to evoke complex feelings.
Nothing much important goes on except for the progression of their romance and their changing relationship, which is so sweet that it’s almost syrupy. Towards the end, I also got a bit bored by the nothingburger conflicts but this show is perfect for when you want to relax after a long, tiresome day.
I was also rooting like mad for the second couple and wouldn't have minded more scenes of them!
Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/10/16/monster-next-door-2024-bl-review/
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Hidden gem slice-of-life
What do you get when you combine the most green flag pairing in BL with good communication, realistic character arcs and solid chemistry? Monster Next Door.This is most likely going to be a comfort show for me, it’s really lovely.
I am literally shocked by how well done this was. It was surprisingly well paced. A lot of BL have the curse of the 11th episode but they managed to skirt it. They had some conflict but they resolved it, communicated properly and then there was time remaining to build back up the good vibes. My heart is left warm.
The personality MBTI thing at the beginning was kind of weird and it does have its slightly cringe moments but it’s all pretty forgivable. Like the show did low key have people treating introversion like a terminal disease lol. Really my only major gripe was that it was a little long. Probably could have been trimmed down to like 8 or 10 episodes.
Anyway, if you’re looking for something light-hearted and lovely, look no further. This is 2024s sleeper hit.
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A Endearing Romance between an Introvert & an Extrovert
The central premise of “Monster Next Door” revolves around the age-old question: Do opposites really attract? For Diew (Park Anantadej) and God (Big Thanakorn), the answer is a resounding yes. On the surface, the two seem like opposites. Diew is quiet, introspective, and keeps a small circle of friends—his best friend Game, and his beloved turtle, Khun Shy. God, on the other hand, is outgoing, popular, and thrives on social interaction. Yet, despite these differences, what shines through is their mutual care and understanding. They embrace each other’s true selves, communicating openly to navigate their differences.Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/19/monster-next-door-series-review-ep-5-to-12/
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Quite curious about this when it's aired. Now it's finished let's watch this...Story about God, an extrovert man & Diew, an introvert man. Both of them attended the same university & next door neighbor in the dorm, but they never met, cause Diew is an introvert man, who don't like to go out and socialize with other person, except for his class.
Their story start when God move to Diew next door & had a party with his friends at his room until late at night. Can't take it anymore, Diew slip a note under God door to shut them up. Feeling guilty with his action, the next day God send some snack with note to Diew door, but been rejected by Diew. Curious about his next door neighbor, God keep sending Diew some snack of course alongside the note & Diew keep rejecting it. That's how they their relationship built up over time. From note to note until one day, God decided to break their norm & start talking to Diew from their balcony. And from that day on, their relationship start to steer into something more....
That's pretty much the story. Now what I like and don't.
What I like:
+ God really a green light man. He ask for Diew permission for every action that involve Diew. And he really respect Diew boundary.
+ How Diew & God shape each other into a better person. Like how God bring Diew out of his shell.
+ The little introduction of Personality Test. INFT or INFJ, etc... Although is so quick & not really give a full view of the personality & easily been forgotten.
+ Teach everyone to respect each other boundary.
What I don't like. There're some nonsense that been forced...
1. Instead of just giving up, God keep really curious about his next door neighbor & start build up some feeling for him. You never meet a person, yet that person give you good feeling & make you fall for them. NONSENSE!!!
2. The way God is so jealous of Diew ex. Oh come on.... How long they been together, no more than a year, but God already pissed cause Diew won't tell him everything about his life.... God is a really green light from the very first ep, but his non sense action of jealousy really took the sharp steer into red light zone....
Overall that a little bit disappointment in the ending really effect my score. But still this is a good drama to be watched.
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Green Forest Characters
I'd like to address a few of the reviews before diving into my own.Diew's hair colour suits him a lot, I have no idea why people are calling him a clown, it's a drama, why in the world are y'all focusing on the turtle's cage, pretty sure he has a nice big home after the shoot (Diew is a college student, he can't get a life sized tank in his accomodation).
The drama is very similar to the soft but absolutely adorable drama's I've seen lately, "takara no vidro" and "hidamari ga kikoeru" however if these drama's aren't your cup of tea you wouldn't like 'monster next door'.
Both the MC's are soft and understand one another, there's no aggression, and they respect each other's boundaries. It's a lot like real life. Even with wan and beer it's not easy to go from a friendship to romance, ofcourse it's going to be a little awkward.
There is some drama with diew's ex, they have no issues at all, so you can't really blame them for going for the age old ex drama. However, they don't take too long to resolve it. Nonetheless it's been great.
I've constantly been smiling and laughing throughout.
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just disappointing
when I began monster next door it was instantly a favorite for me. The first four episodes were adorable, I loved how much of a green flag God is, and I found a lot of comfort in Diew because he actually reminds me a lot of myself. I was super excited because this plot seemed new and interesting, but after around episode 5 or 6 things just kind of went downhill. First of all, the acting from a lot of the cast is not good. God's friends all irritated me and did not really have any substance to them. The side couple was very confusing for me as they'd have these huge scenes and then we wouldn't see them again for two episodes. Also, there were a lot of conflicts that just were completely dropped. For example, God having drama with the main singer of the band, then it was suddenly switched and they became friends? There was no huge resolution or anything that I can remember, but maybe I missed it (also the fact he started dating Diew's best friend out of nowhere was pretty random and unnecessary). The other issue with this series is the amount of filler scenes there are in these episodes. I genuinely think that if these were condensed down in to 8 20-minute episodes most of the problems with this drama would be gone. There were multiple parts I wasn't even able to pay attention because I was so bored, but once the actual plot picked up every once in a while I enjoyed it a lot. I think that the hour long episodes were too much, but this is not a new thing for WeTV so I'm not very shocked. Also the OST was awful.But, there were still good things about this series, which is why I gave it a 6:
-I LOVE Big and Park together. Their chemistry is amazing, they look great together visually, and I see tons of potential for them and their acting careers. They were honestly the reason I stayed for this show as long as I did.
-The storyline about Diew's ex was interesting. I liked how much background they gave, and I wish the series was more revolved around Diew overcoming his trauma and learning to communicate.
-God is a wonderful character and is well written, I love how much of a green flag he was and that this show does not romanticize toxicity like some BLs end up doing
-The first four episodes are just perfect and so funny, especially the mini storyline where they draw on the library desk, that was super cute.
Overall, I dont see myself watching this series again or finishing it. I hope that Bigpark have better opportunities in the future, though, and I will definitely support whatever they are in next.
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a chore to watch
perhaps i'm being too harsh on this series, but it felt like a chore getting through this series. i'm not sure i liked anyone at any point, just maybe putter's cameo was nice?character-wise, all of these characters were pretty flat to me. i wanted more fleshed out personalities, and i felt like diew was hardly ever accommodating to god. often times, it felt like a very one way relationship, and god doing a lot of the work to get anything going or even discussed, but i also understand there were some things that made diew the way he was--i just didn't like it at all.
wan was also grating to see, and i again don't know if i'm being overly harsh, but he was one of the most annoying characters in this. i dreaded having to watch anything about him.
i don't know, i found myself very disconnected from the entire series, cast, and story. i just couldn't get into anything about this. the most random things would immediately take me out of the story all the time, and i can't say this was much of an enjoyable show for me. maybe i'll have to revisit this at a later time, but for now this is not something i liked.
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