Magic sorcery going on here!

I started it because of the possible Bi rep I was told about. I did NOT expect to walk away from it SO amazed by this short Thai drama.

I don't like sports. Like, at all. In real life I detest whenever football season comes around and fans around me lose their shit. In school I couldn't for the life of me understand the appeal. I found basketball, football, tennis, etc, etc, etc, to be absolutely boring and pointless. "How could you enjoy this crap?"

So, when an anti-sports person like myself falls in love with a drama centered around/about sports, volleyball, you know it has done a damn good job. Seriously, by the end of it I was cheering and stamping my feet like I was one of those fans in the bleachers rooting for my team. I just have to note that the music is energetic as hell and only made me even more passionate.

This was intense, badass, subtle (I'll get to that), and engaging. And the comradery and bond between the teammates was so satisfying to watch. It's a 9/10 overall and an added .5 for making me become engaged in a sport. Because, how did they do that? Lol.

Regarding representation, it was everything I could have hoped for and so much more. Throughout the majority of the drama we get basically no clue as to Puen's sexuality (until near the end). He's focused on playing volleyball, and so are we. We don't think to stop and ask that question. We are given hints that Jern has feelings for him though. During one episode (6) she has a moment alone with him where they get talking about relationships. She asks him if he has a type and he says "All's okay." Then she proceeds to ask about height, weight, skin type, etc. And he just repeats what he said before. Then, she asks, "Girl or boy?" And he gives her the same simple smile, shrugs like it's as easy and inconsequential as the other questions she asked, and says "If it feels right, all's okay." So, Pansexual, not Bisexual. My jaw dropped from how easily and casually this was done.

This is a drama not centered around romance and yet they made the conscious decision to include this scene with these lines. They didn't have to do that, but they did it anyway. They included a Pansexual ML in a non-romance drama who doesn't have a kissing scene or a confirmed partner by the end. Am I happy? You bet I am!

Now, onto the subtlety I mentioned above. That would be Puen's feelings/potential romance. Because that is something where if you blink you miss it. So, don't blink! Whatever you do, don't blink! Blink and you're dead! If you get that reference I'll love you forever. Lol.

Singha and Puen are shown to be best friends who are incredibly close. Only during the last few episodes are we shown that, at least on Puen's part, there was something more there.

During Ep 7 there is a parallel shown between Jern's confession to Puen, she said her type was him, and a flashback scene with Puen and Singha where Puen seems to give a confession by saying, "You're the one whom I really wanna be with." Both of these characters make a confession that the other person doesn't understand because they don't see them as more than a friend. Like I said, if you weren't paying attention you wouldn't see this.

Then, during the finale we get a scene between Puen and Than that parallel's the scene I mentioned with Puen and Singha but specifically regarding their body language. Puen and Singha had been sitting on the court and when Singha leaned back a bit more their hands touched. Puen was the only one who acknowledged it. He looked down at their hands, back up at Singha, and then smiled and looked into the distance thoughtfully. During the finale, Puen and Than are sitting on the court and after talking they both lean back, smile at each other, and the angle widens to show their hands are quite close but not touching. Fade to black, roll credits, and the drama has ended.

Okay, enough of the parallels. Who do I think feels something for someone? Well, I think it's safe to safe Puen was in love with Singha, but it was one-sided. And, through many many subtle hints and moments from our main ML's and also from other characters, one specifically being Jern seeing Puen and Than interacting and her face/reaction being very telling and another being Singha's lines to Puen that felt very coded to put it lightly regarding Puen and Than's relationship, I think there is a romance brewing between Puen and Than. If we were to have a second season I would not be surprised if it would show they had just started dating.

Needless to say, there is a shit ton of subtlety regarding Puen's feelings/possible romance! And, I'm not even covering half of it really! I'd keep going with my observations but we'd be here forever. And, my wrists are starting to ache from typing. Lol.

So, in conclusion, this was fucking amazing. If you like romance and you don't mind extreme subtlety that keeps you on your toes, you'll like this. If you like dramas about strong friendships, you'll like this. If you like dramas about sports, you'll like this. Basically, just go watch this fucking drama and please come rant positively with me about how good it was and how you felt so amazing when you were able to put the pieces together from subtle moments! I have so much more I could say!

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