KAD
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Go in with zero expectations and you may be pleasantly surprised
*Episode 1 - Ohm & Fluke*
I'm on the roll going through Fluke's filmography and having just finished My Bromance 2 before starting on Close Friends, I can safely say to production houses, "If you have a script that is horrible or a non-existence plot, give it to Fluke and he will save it from being a total disaster."
Not that I wish him yet another thin script. He deserves much better. Someone give him a good script, please!
[SPOILERS]
In this story, Fluke and Ohm play a pair of lovers. Typhoon (Fluke) is still in college while Pierce (Ohm) works as a music producer. He gets a huge opportunity to produce a song for a popular singer. To prove his capabilities, he spends most of his time at work and starts to neglect Typhoon. He forgot their 3rd anniversary, upsetting Typhoon who then wondered if Pierce still loved him.
I guess the episode wanted to deliver the message, that even though we may feel that the love has changed, it doesn't mean that it no longer exists. It still does, in a different form.
[END SPOILERS]
The plot is quite thin to be honest, but what can we expect when the episode is only 20 mins long? At least the message behind the story sort of resonated with me.
Fluke did a great job in the limited time and plot he was given, as usual. In every scene we see a different vibe and facial expressions: joy, anger, disappointment, hurt, fear and disbelief.
The song for this episode was quite easy on the ear too and that one liner summed up the message of this episode.
*Episode 2 - First & Ja*
I've only seen them in TharnType 2 and had really bad impression of this pairing (fault of the script, not the actors).
Their story here is really weird.
[SPOILERS]
First plays a cat adopted by Ja and we see the cat taking human form in its interactions with Ja. I suspect the entire premise is to satisfy some odd fetish. I suppose the cuddling and skinship are supposed to be sweet and squeal-inducing, but I just wasn't feeling it at all. This story is not for me and the constant "meow" voice overs didn't help.
[END SPOILERS]
In terms of acting, the plot development (what plot? The plot in this episode is even thinner than in ep 1) didn't require much range from the actors so this episode left zero impression on me. It was forgettable.
*Episode 3 - Max & Nat*
Have never heard of this pairing so I watched it with no prior impressions/expectations.
[SPOILERS]
Nat plays Mini, a freshman at college, who was forced to join the Judo club for the Freshy Games. He started to train under the sole member of the club, Godzilla (Max), and developed a friendship with him. Though initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to participate in the Freshy Games to try help Godzilla fulfill his dream before he graduates from college.
[END SPOILERS]
This is a very common plot but it is once again a victim to the short-stories style of this series.
The outcome of the Freshy Games will matter to the viewers in a longer series where the efforts of the characters touched hearts, and the relationship development will matter if there had been more time to show organic progress in their feelings.
*Episode 4 - Yoon & Talay*
Another pairing I've not heard of so fresh impressions here.
[SPOILERS]
Xiao Ping (Talay) brought his friend Peem (Yoon), who was very depressed after a break-up, to a temple to overcome the supposed bad luck and karma plaguing his love life.
[END SPOILERS]
The premise is quite interesting featuring various types of superstitious practices. I also like that we are shown the friendship between the two lead instead of forcing a romantic shade to it. In the limited time they were given, I could see how Peem might have developed/realised his feelings for Xiao Ping, instead of being told to accept it "just because the script said so".
There was a proper closure to this episode, which felt like the start of something (this could be a pre-series teaser).
One complaint: The ost track for this episode was abruptly inserted into a scene. Is it a KPI to feature the song in the episode? The insertion was too jarring and spoilt the flow of that scene.
*Episode 5 - Jimmy & Tommy*
I remember this pairing from Why R U and they were quite cute together so I was quite excited to watch their episode.
[SPOILERS]
The year is 1995. High schoolers Night (Jimmy) and Mekhin (Tommy) are pen pals from different parts of Thailand - Bangkok and Chiangmai respectively. Over time, they developed a friendship with each other. One day, Mekhin made his way to Bangkok to meet up with his pen pal.
[END SPOILERS}
Setting the story back in 1995 where communication channels are slow and limited added a nostalgic and poignant layer to this story. Hand written letters in the post, house phones and payphones, cassette tapes, printed photographs, old-school hobbies like folding origami stars.
The premise won my heart from the onset.
This is a very simple story but so precious.
The only imperfection is the final line: "I'm glad to meet you, my friend".
Not because of the platonic vibes which I was perfectly happy to acccept, but because the scenes leading to this totally hinted at something more than friends, so this felt like a slap in the face.
*Episode 6 - Copter & Kimmon*
First time watching this pairing as well.
[SPOILERS]
A huge fan of Jedi (Kimmon), Ray (Copter) won a VR headset which allowed him to interact with his idol under VR. One day, he made a wish to the VR Jedi hoping that VR Jedi could appear before him in real life. And he did.
Ray had fun hanging out with VR Jedi, but meeting real life Jedi at the coffee shop made Ray realise that everything between him and VR Jedi was just an illusion.
But VR Jedi assured him that real life Jedi would recognise him too and for sure will treat him nicely. When real life Jedi saw the VR headset, he recognised Ray as the winner of the fan competition.
[END SPOILERS]
What a fresh setting! It feels like a version 2 of Zettai Kareshi where the female lead purchased an ideal boyfriend robot.
The highlight of this story has got to be the super realistic comments Ray made that got me squealing: "(Jedi: Since I'm here with you, what do you want to do together?) If you put it that way, how can I have any good thoughts?", "(Jedi: Why don't you lie down to rest and sleep?) Who is going to be able to sleep?".
A very fun story and of all the episodes, this is the one I hope to see a full series being made out of!
*Conclusion*
For me, the episodes rank in this order:
Episode 1 - Ohm & Fluke (acting) Episode 6 - Copter & Kimmon (plot)
Episode 5 - Jimmy & Tommy
Episode 4 - Yoon & Talay
Episode 3 - Max & Nat
Episode 2 - First & Ja
I think I see why they ordered the pairings/stories this way. The hook at the start and the good stories at the end.
Story: 6 stars because of Eps 1, 5 & 6.
Acting: 6 stars because there wasn't awkward acting across episodes, and Fluke alone made me give it one star above passing grade for the overall cast.
Music: 5 stars because whilst the songs were catchy, they weren't utilised well to add to the emotions from a scene, sometimes even spoiling the mood (like in Ep 4). I reckon Ep 1 to be the only episode where the song was well integrated into the story.
Rewatch value: 4 stars because this series gave us Eps 1, 5 & 6.
*After-thought*
While typing up this review, something came to mind.
Fun fact: The backstory video clip for the New Jiew MV featuring EarthMix is 13mins long but it gave a full story arc and painted the characters with depth to make us care about what happened after that backstory.
So, was this series really a victim of its short-stories format, or was it just bad story writing?
I'm on the roll going through Fluke's filmography and having just finished My Bromance 2 before starting on Close Friends, I can safely say to production houses, "If you have a script that is horrible or a non-existence plot, give it to Fluke and he will save it from being a total disaster."
Not that I wish him yet another thin script. He deserves much better. Someone give him a good script, please!
[SPOILERS]
In this story, Fluke and Ohm play a pair of lovers. Typhoon (Fluke) is still in college while Pierce (Ohm) works as a music producer. He gets a huge opportunity to produce a song for a popular singer. To prove his capabilities, he spends most of his time at work and starts to neglect Typhoon. He forgot their 3rd anniversary, upsetting Typhoon who then wondered if Pierce still loved him.
I guess the episode wanted to deliver the message, that even though we may feel that the love has changed, it doesn't mean that it no longer exists. It still does, in a different form.
[END SPOILERS]
The plot is quite thin to be honest, but what can we expect when the episode is only 20 mins long? At least the message behind the story sort of resonated with me.
Fluke did a great job in the limited time and plot he was given, as usual. In every scene we see a different vibe and facial expressions: joy, anger, disappointment, hurt, fear and disbelief.
The song for this episode was quite easy on the ear too and that one liner summed up the message of this episode.
*Episode 2 - First & Ja*
I've only seen them in TharnType 2 and had really bad impression of this pairing (fault of the script, not the actors).
Their story here is really weird.
[SPOILERS]
First plays a cat adopted by Ja and we see the cat taking human form in its interactions with Ja. I suspect the entire premise is to satisfy some odd fetish. I suppose the cuddling and skinship are supposed to be sweet and squeal-inducing, but I just wasn't feeling it at all. This story is not for me and the constant "meow" voice overs didn't help.
[END SPOILERS]
In terms of acting, the plot development (what plot? The plot in this episode is even thinner than in ep 1) didn't require much range from the actors so this episode left zero impression on me. It was forgettable.
*Episode 3 - Max & Nat*
Have never heard of this pairing so I watched it with no prior impressions/expectations.
[SPOILERS]
Nat plays Mini, a freshman at college, who was forced to join the Judo club for the Freshy Games. He started to train under the sole member of the club, Godzilla (Max), and developed a friendship with him. Though initially reluctant, he eventually agreed to participate in the Freshy Games to try help Godzilla fulfill his dream before he graduates from college.
[END SPOILERS]
This is a very common plot but it is once again a victim to the short-stories style of this series.
The outcome of the Freshy Games will matter to the viewers in a longer series where the efforts of the characters touched hearts, and the relationship development will matter if there had been more time to show organic progress in their feelings.
*Episode 4 - Yoon & Talay*
Another pairing I've not heard of so fresh impressions here.
[SPOILERS]
Xiao Ping (Talay) brought his friend Peem (Yoon), who was very depressed after a break-up, to a temple to overcome the supposed bad luck and karma plaguing his love life.
[END SPOILERS]
The premise is quite interesting featuring various types of superstitious practices. I also like that we are shown the friendship between the two lead instead of forcing a romantic shade to it. In the limited time they were given, I could see how Peem might have developed/realised his feelings for Xiao Ping, instead of being told to accept it "just because the script said so".
There was a proper closure to this episode, which felt like the start of something (this could be a pre-series teaser).
One complaint: The ost track for this episode was abruptly inserted into a scene. Is it a KPI to feature the song in the episode? The insertion was too jarring and spoilt the flow of that scene.
*Episode 5 - Jimmy & Tommy*
I remember this pairing from Why R U and they were quite cute together so I was quite excited to watch their episode.
[SPOILERS]
The year is 1995. High schoolers Night (Jimmy) and Mekhin (Tommy) are pen pals from different parts of Thailand - Bangkok and Chiangmai respectively. Over time, they developed a friendship with each other. One day, Mekhin made his way to Bangkok to meet up with his pen pal.
[END SPOILERS}
Setting the story back in 1995 where communication channels are slow and limited added a nostalgic and poignant layer to this story. Hand written letters in the post, house phones and payphones, cassette tapes, printed photographs, old-school hobbies like folding origami stars.
The premise won my heart from the onset.
This is a very simple story but so precious.
The only imperfection is the final line: "I'm glad to meet you, my friend".
Not because of the platonic vibes which I was perfectly happy to acccept, but because the scenes leading to this totally hinted at something more than friends, so this felt like a slap in the face.
*Episode 6 - Copter & Kimmon*
First time watching this pairing as well.
[SPOILERS]
A huge fan of Jedi (Kimmon), Ray (Copter) won a VR headset which allowed him to interact with his idol under VR. One day, he made a wish to the VR Jedi hoping that VR Jedi could appear before him in real life. And he did.
Ray had fun hanging out with VR Jedi, but meeting real life Jedi at the coffee shop made Ray realise that everything between him and VR Jedi was just an illusion.
But VR Jedi assured him that real life Jedi would recognise him too and for sure will treat him nicely. When real life Jedi saw the VR headset, he recognised Ray as the winner of the fan competition.
[END SPOILERS]
What a fresh setting! It feels like a version 2 of Zettai Kareshi where the female lead purchased an ideal boyfriend robot.
The highlight of this story has got to be the super realistic comments Ray made that got me squealing: "(Jedi: Since I'm here with you, what do you want to do together?) If you put it that way, how can I have any good thoughts?", "(Jedi: Why don't you lie down to rest and sleep?) Who is going to be able to sleep?".
A very fun story and of all the episodes, this is the one I hope to see a full series being made out of!
*Conclusion*
For me, the episodes rank in this order:
Episode 1 - Ohm & Fluke (acting) Episode 6 - Copter & Kimmon (plot)
Episode 5 - Jimmy & Tommy
Episode 4 - Yoon & Talay
Episode 3 - Max & Nat
Episode 2 - First & Ja
I think I see why they ordered the pairings/stories this way. The hook at the start and the good stories at the end.
Story: 6 stars because of Eps 1, 5 & 6.
Acting: 6 stars because there wasn't awkward acting across episodes, and Fluke alone made me give it one star above passing grade for the overall cast.
Music: 5 stars because whilst the songs were catchy, they weren't utilised well to add to the emotions from a scene, sometimes even spoiling the mood (like in Ep 4). I reckon Ep 1 to be the only episode where the song was well integrated into the story.
Rewatch value: 4 stars because this series gave us Eps 1, 5 & 6.
*After-thought*
While typing up this review, something came to mind.
Fun fact: The backstory video clip for the New Jiew MV featuring EarthMix is 13mins long but it gave a full story arc and painted the characters with depth to make us care about what happened after that backstory.
So, was this series really a victim of its short-stories format, or was it just bad story writing?
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