KAD
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Numerous plot twists!
I watched this immediately after The Gift Season 1, and it just took me by surprise how good Season 2 is (I've watched a couple of Thai Season 2s which didn't live up to expectations).Season 1 was good and interesting, but definitely not perfect, with many logic lapses unanswered. Season 2 took the basic plot from Season 2 and soared. Rather than see Season 2 as sequel to Season 1, I feel that Season 2 is the meat and Season 1 was the prequel.
The start of Season 2 was slow and introduced several annoying characters from the new batch of Gifted students (so naive and trusting of the system! Why aren't they questioning what the teachers tell them? Why didn't they ask for their seniors' side of the story when they had direct access?). It didn't help that Third's potential was portrayed in such a scary manner - the lighting and angle. Wave was also anti-social, but he wasn't portrayed in that manner.
It's not just the new Gifted students. Even Pang got on my nerves with his indecisiveness.
But from ep 5, things got wilder and wilder. The plot went crazier and crazier.
[SPOILERS]
Ep 5 - The scene when the Gifted confronted Korn about what he did. The tears which overflowed Pang's eyes when he asked Korn the reason for his action.
Ep 6 - Where everything went crazy. Like, OMG WTS they killed off Korn just like that. And as if not enough, they killed off Time just like that. (Those were my thoughts at that moment, but we know that they survived)
This was where Nanon's acting shone most for me in Season 2. The scene where he stood in silence when Korn jumped off the ledge before his eyes. The single stream of tears rolling down his cheeks when Time died. And finally the outburst he had in his room, shouting and choking on tears on the floor. That was very convincing.
Ep 6 - I agree with the ladies that they should find Korn first to find out the truth, since given the authorities' track record, the fact would probably be glossed over if they found Korn first. However, I don't understand the ladies' blind support for Korn, because regardless of his reasons, he did spread the virus (in his own words) and that is a criminal act to be punished for. I don't get why Claire doesn't understand Punn here. To be betrayed by a friend, to be stabbed by a friend, isn't it normal reaction to get angry? I empathised with Punn here, but following his change in character in subsequent episodes, I felt angry with him for losing trust in his friends so easily.
[/SPOILER]
I think that was what worked for me in Season 2. There might be some gaps in the plot still, but those could be easily overlooked as the plot charged onwards with tons of plot twists in each episode.
There was no particular person who won my full support throughout Season 2. There were moments where I empathised with a character, and moments where I disagreed or feel angry with him/her. Rather than lose interest, I actually felt more engaged in the series because the characters were multi-layered and realistic. It's actually easier said than done, because it's easy to make the viewer feel annoyed with the characters to the extent that they stop caring and drop the series all together. Well-balanced in here!
I think another reason I found Season 2 better executed is the storytelling style. In Season 1, over half of the series was presented in an episodic style where we were introduced each student's potential in each episode. It wasn't easy to build a strong connection between episodes and make sure each character remains relevant to the plot beyond their episode. Season 1 didn't manage to do this well.
However in Season 2, woah. There was a strong central conflict delivered from ep 5 onwards and every episode goes to pushing towards the final resolution. Every single episode had a plot twist that caught me by surprise.
The acting of all of the cast members this time round was very impressive. Nanon, Chimon, Gun, Fiat had very intense scenes to act out and they fully delivered, going beyond their usual range of emotions and facial expressions.
I appreciate that the final episode gave closure, but was open enough to create thought provoking questions about the aftermath. Season 3 please! I think Pang opened a can of worms, and the gang should return to solve it!
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Worth the watch - view it as the prequel to Season 2, which is where the meat lies
This was an enjoyable show, and I was willing to overlook some of the logic lapses because the entertainment value and surprises throughout the series kept me hooked.The good stuff first:
1) The acting
I wouldn't say spectacular, but definitely good, across the cast. No cringe-worthy moments of awkward acting despite the average age of the cast. Definitely one of the better assemble of young actors and actresses I've seen!
2) The plot
Whilst a common plot for Japanese movies, I've not seen this type of plot much in a TV series - it's difficult to maintain the excitement and tension through the series. The plot twists kept me watching. Although some of them were given away early by rather obvious hints, a couple (esp in the final episode) surprised me.
Potentials not explored (pun intended :P):
1) Flow of logic throughout the plot
- How did the entire school forget about what happened post-Wave's attack?
- Why can't the director just manipulate the minds of the Ministry Board to get the funds he wanted?
- How did the director manipulate the minds of the school officers to capture Pang, without him touching them. In other scenes where he manifested his power, he had to touch the person. [Season 2 addressed this]
- Why did the director not erase all memories of Pang held by the Gifted class?
- If Pang was willing to go all out to fight the system, wouldn't it have been more effective to broadcast the whole thing to the entire country? [Season 2 addressed this]
2) Integrating the students' powers into the central plot
- I see two 'climax' in the series. One is the fight against Wave and one is the final fight against the director.
- But in both instances, the series failed to tap on the potentials of the students to make them relevant. The entire series is based on their potentials and the system they are stuck in. Had the two been more integrated, with each student using their potentials to work together and bring down the antagonist, it would have been more exciting. There was an attempt at this, but the possibilities brought about by the premise of special potentials was not utilised. What was the point of Korn's potential? Yes, it gives him extra time, but we don't see him using this potential at all. What was the point of Jack and Jo's potential? We never find out.
- Also, what were the 'costs' of the potentials held by Pang, Wave, Korn, Jack and Jo etc? It would have made an interesting conflict point/trade-off exploring the cost they need to bear whenever they use their potentials.
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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?
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The acting made up for plot flaws
I got to know of the actor Fluke Natouch from Until We Meet Again, where his acting captured my attention, so when I found myself lacking something to watch, I searched his past works and chanced upon this. Boy, his acting even back then was good.The plot started strong and interesting, mostly because of the characterisations. The plot premise isn't anything fresh, but it is driven by interesting characters and the interactions between them.
[SPOILER BELOW]
One of my favourite scenes involved Bank asking Golf, "Am I like a girl? Why did Teacher choose me to perform something that is usually performed by girls?" and Golf replying, "Maybe it's because the Teacher felt that you're better than girls." "In what way am I better?" "Like how you were good to/fotr me."
[END SPOILER]
But after the part where they got found out by their family, it kind of faltered. The scenes that followed lacked a sense of congruity and logic got thrown out of the door. It was as if they didn't have enough screentime left to develop the story properly.
[SPOILERS BELOW]
For example:
1) Why did Golf suddenly got sent to America? He was still putting a fight against his father the previous scene, and the next scene we see is him saying goodbye to his class, obeying his father's decision to send him to America.
2) Why did Golf decide to out himself AND his brother in front of the class? He may be gone but he has to stay behind and live with being outed to his classmates. I guess this can be explained as teenage rashness, but this took the 'bittersweet' aspect out of the scene.
3) If the family's intention to send Golf overseas is to break the brothers up, why did they allow Golf to return to Thailand so soon? Why did Bank's mother comment about Bank not being as close to Golf anymore after Golf returned?
4) What's with the girlfriend? What's with the engagement ceremony? Golf seems to still harbour feelings for Bank, but then why didn't he explain the girlfriend situation? Why did he agree to stay at the hotel with her?
5) Why did Bank run off to find Taa (instead of the girlfriends he was closer to) when the above happened? Since when did they grow so close? We've never seen much interactions between the two previously, but we were shown many scenes of the girls showing support to Bank.
6) The coincidence that Golf's kidney is a match for Bank.
7) Lazy writing - accident, final stage cancer without previous syndromes
8) What's with the insertion of the scene after the accident, with Bank returning the ring to Golf, saying that he wants to go back to being just brothers? Where in the timeline was that supposed to fit in?
9) The time lapse between the surgery and the birthday party took away all the sentiments that could have been developed.
[END SPOILERS]
And I guess this is why I didn't feel much for the ending. But this film was still worth my time watching, if only for the acting by the main cast. It felt very natural, reflective of how someone of the characters' age would behave and act. Their acting made up for the gaps in the plot and kept me watching. It's a joy to watch this 6 years on and find that the actors I like right now had a good level of acting even back then. It's even more delightful to know that I can now turn to a part 2 to the story, and hopefully that will make up for the disappointments in part 1.
Part 2, here I come!
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Red Wine in the Dark Night
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WARNING: This may destroy Pharm/Bank's image but this will prove Fluke's acting range
I had put off watching this movie for a long time because of the odd premise and the reviews I read. But I really missed Fluke's acting and this one was conveniently on Netflix, so I went for me.Oh boy.
While watching it, I found it intriguing (and disturbing), but as the ending credits roll, I looked back and found it hard to pinpoint the key message of the film.
What did I just watch?
What was the movie trying to convey? It left me scratching my head.
Fluke's acting was impeccable. As the OST song (sorta) went, "Even if it's wrong, I'll still watch it for you".
A a character, Wine was a bag of contradictions. The opening scene set a trap for viewers by painting Wine as a victim - being told by his loved one, right after s*x, that he had never loved Wine and that he was just using Wine for his ass. And that coloured my vision of Wine's actions. Even though what Wine subsequently did was clearly wrong, I couldn't put it against him. To my horror, I was screaming for Wine not to release Tee because his trust will surely be betrayed again.
But Wine is not a victim. Even in the case of Boy, Wine was the one who approached Boy. They were willing buyer and seller (gosh, this film!!) of s*x and benefits.
What about Night? Did he really love Wine? Or was it also a for-benefits type of relationship?
Towards the end of the movie, I had the idea that perhaps Night isn't real. Perhaps he was just a fragment of Wine's imagination. Because he sorely wanted to find someone who loves him and will never leave him, crushed by the prank Tee pulled on him in the deserted building, Wine just imagined a person who's survival relied entirely on him. The stakes are high - perfect to exhibit mutual love and commitment. Also perfect for revenge against those who did him wrong. We also see Night wearing the same clothes as Wine. Is he an alter-ego, the hidden, ruthless side of Wine? Is that why he has to be hidden in the dark and cannot go under the sun? This would also explain the illogical final scene - the guitar and Night appearing in the cell out of the blue.
But then I recall that even outside of Wine's memories, there was someone who saw Night (the student at the phone booth). So perhaps that split personality theory doesn't stand either.
I'm really confused, but not motivated to think deeper into the movie.
The highlight of the film is definitely Fluke's acting. Although this was made several years back in the early years of Fluke's acting career, he did a very good job in his portrayal of this multi-layered character. Gentle and passionate towards Night, guilty yet cruel towards Tee, sly and manipulative towards Boy - he was all of that, and more. A psychopath? I shudder.
(Bonus is the kissing scenes. One could really feel the heat of their desire from through the screen. Very professional!)
The last Fluke work I watched was My Bromance, and I was shocked by what I saw in this film. What versatility!
Perhaps the theme of the film is best summarised in the lyric of the OST:
"Please know that someone can do everything just for you. Because I love you with all my heart, nothing can stop me. Even if it's wrong, I'll still do it for you."
It's a romantic idea to think that one can do anything and everything for their loved ones. But what if that "everything" is wrong? And what defines what is wrong?
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My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later
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Watch the 2018 teaser and the official MV. Pretend this sequel series never happened
I watched this (and the movie) for Fluke Natouch, aka one of the best actors in the BL genre. Why, oh why did this production do this to such a great actor? How can anyone waste such talent?I'll put this upfront.
The lead actors did their job. The supporting actors (I mean Nuea and Tar because I've only watched their scenes amongst all the side couples)....were ok.
Unfortunately, they were given scenes to act out, not a story to tell.
It's the writing and editing that made this yet another disappointing sequel.
SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
How not to ruin a much awaited sequel:
1) Do not introduce a bunch of new characters which don't play any role in the central plot/are barely related to each other, whom the audience doesn't care for.
2) Do not break up important, emotional scenes from the central CP with scenes from the new CPs, whom the audience doesn't care for.
3) Do not fill 80% of the screentime with the new CPs, whom the audience doesn't care for.
4) Do not skip the time between scenes and rob the main characters their chance to portray growth and emotion aftermath of those key scenes.
5) Do not break up the CP which fans are watching the sequel for without giving proper character development and resolutions to conflicts which make the break-up acceptable to fans.
6) Do not threaten to break up the said CP and then introduce a fairy godmother to suddenly change hearts and decisions. A forced happy ending is worse than an organic 'bad ending'.
--- Overly ambitious with too many side pairings ---
I feel cheated by the sequel. They could have just focused on Bank and Golf, and make it a movie instead of an 8-episode sequel where Bank and Golf are mere 'special guests'. In fact, the editing (or maybe the screenplay itself was written that way) was so choppy, I had to check different sources to confirm that the one I was watching is not a bogus one with parts left out. There was no closure of scenes and links to explain how Bank and Golf's behaviour changed between scenes - Bank in particular since he is understandably under more stress and shock from the turn of events.
How am I to watch their scenes when at the back of my mind is, "Golf had stagnated at their relationship from 5 years back but Bank, having thought Golf was dead, has moved on to a new lover." With that in mind, all I saw was the uneasiness and awkwardness on Bank's face when Golf showed affection during their time together prior to Golf finding out about Arm.
Actually, the different places where they now stand at posed a very good conflict to explore, but the series failed to make the best out of this potential. Instead, it introduced a bunch of characters I cared nothing for. If a second CP is necessary, just introduce one and build them up properly; don't be greedy and end up with a bunch of CPs which are just glossed over. I lost track of how many....4 side CPs? Just too many!
What mattered most wasn't dealt with, and it pained me as I watched the Bank/Golf/Arm scenes in the sequel. Worse still, I was forced to watch a sequence of those CPs spending happy times together at a point in the plot where I ought to be weeping with one half of the CP I was watching the sequel for. The worst thing was, there was no satisfactory pay-off at the end of all that pain.
In the final make-up scene where Bank was finally showing some hints of romantic happiness being with Golf, the lapse in continuity from his previous reactions towards Arm and Golf made it difficult for me as a viewer to connect. By then, Bank as a character had lost his charm. Also, I wasn't convinced of his love for Golf anymore. He even said it himself, "Precious love cannot replace a precious relationship". And we know he chose the latter.
No, wait. He didn't. Arm made the choice for him.
--- Character actions and emotions do not make sense ---
So Bank now loves Arm, in his own words. But why? As the audience, we've seen how Bank and Golf fell for each other. Though illogical, we accepted how Golf pretended to die in exchange for what seemed to be the only way to a future with Bank. It moved our hearts.
If the sequel had wanted to resolve the conflict of choosing between a short-term "love" and a long-term stable relationship, the least it could do was to show us how the new lover won Bank's love, right?
In the teaser, Bank was shown saying, "First love is not easy to forget. It has been 5 years, but I still cannot forget him." The scenes where Bank went to revisit places with memories of Golf, and his 'grave', left a deep impression on me.
So how did Bank get over that first love and accept Arm?
Perhaps the sequel thought that with the 5 years that passed, fans have forgotten those feelings from My Bromance 1. But it should consider Bank's own words: "We don't know how long a person will remain in one's memories. But in order for someone to stay with us forever, we have to keep them in our hearts, not just in our memories."
How am I to believe in the central conflict where Bank has to choose between his two loves, just because Bank at one point tells us, "Bank loves Arm. There is really nothing between Bank and Golf. Bank and Golf are just brothers"?
The memory montage in the last episode was a joke. In the part 1 120mins movie, there were so many tiny details, moments which set our hearts fluttering: Golf noticing an eyelash on Bank's nose and removing it for him, Golf's many silent moments watching Bank.
But in this part 2 8-episodes series, there were no memorable moments. The happiness I felt from Bank when he was with Arm....I don't sense the same from the scenes he shared with Golf.
For me the most memorable scene associated with the sequel is the teaser where someone asked Bank how long he is willing to hold a secret love for someone. He replied, "Forever."
This was the Bank I loved. I was searching high and low for that in the series proper. If only the series had expanded on what was presented in the teaser.
My last complaint about consistency irritated me to no end that in such an important scene, there is a lapse in logic. In episode 9, where we see Bank and Golf spending time together after their reconciliation, Golf gifts Bank with the ring he retrieved from his grave. Yes, the one Bank left by his grave, which I thought was Golf's. In the movie, we saw Bank wearing a ring after that so I'd thought he took his and left Golf's at the grave. This was further confirmed in the sequel when Golf asked Bank why he wasn't wearing the ring he bought him. But in this post-reconciliation scene, Golf took out that ring and put it on Bank, while Bank took out his and put it on Golf. So....I guess all along the ring left by the grave was Bank's, while Bank took Golf's so that he can carry Golf everywhere he went. Please, is it too much to ask for consistency at least within the sequel?
--- The only good thing about the plot ---
At least we found some answers to the questions from the movie regarding that lady who appeared out of the blue with Golf when he returned from America. This sequel was announced in 2018, after the BL scene begun to take flight in Thailand. I wonder if such closure had been planned during the movie back in 2013/2014, or if this was just an after-thought to plug the gap.
Even to the every last second, the series had to put a big question mark on my face. Why did Arm have to die? Does it change anything if he didn't die?
--- In conclusion ---
What a waste of the acting talent that is the two Flukes. Especially for Fluke Natouch, who has been the more active one in recent years. I know he is capable of so much more. Both Flukes delivered their scenes well, but there is only so much they can do when the writing is bad. A good actor can only connect with the audience through a well-written character and plot. Similarly, a well-written character comes to life when acted out by a good actor. I'm only giving 3 stars in the acting category because of the two Flukes, and mainly for Fluke Natouch.
The lack of character consistency and development sucked life out of Bank and Golf as characters, destroying the persons I grew to love from the movie. They failed to get me to empathise with them and I felt......nothing.
To the production: You had Fluke Natouch on your cast and you delivered this. Shame on you.
My recommendation is to just watch the teaser (released in 2018), the official MV and then episode 9. That's good enough closure to the movie.
3 stars for music, solely because of the existence of the MV which combines all the GolfxBank cuts.
Rewatch value of 1 star only because it ride on the goodwill from GolfxBank from the movie. Even for Fluke Natouch I wouldn't rewatch this as an independent work.
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This could be a movie, but as a series the plot was all over the place
I came here after watching The Gifted Season 2 and going through Nanon's filmography. What a mistake.I was so excited when I watched the first 4 mins of ep 1 and saw that Chimon and Ohm were also in this series. AND Fluke Natouch also had a small part.
In the end, even Nanon/Chimon/Ohm's presence didn't make me enjoy the series. After Fluke made his appearance (I loved his cocky persona in his cameo), I had no interest to continue watching it further.
I used the word "crazy" a lot with The Gifted Season 2, but in a good way. The craziness there generated plenty of plot twists and adrenaline filled moments. The craziness here messed up the plot and left me with plenty of questions.
By episode 5 (or so), after Title's sub-plot, it became clear that each episode was dealing with a different crime, but in a way which doesn't contribute to the over-arching plot in an organic way. Those crimes just sprouted out conveniently along the way.
I couldn't see proper character development in our Blacklist group either. After just one prep talk, Andrew was willing to call Traffic leader (just after he said he will never see him as leader, in the same episode). Also, the motives of each Blacklist member to take the risk being part of this group were unconvincing. It was also hard to root for them when one's reason to follow Traffic's decision was just because "the teacher said so", and when the said leader didn't challenge the teacher's decision to let a mere student take risk by sneaking into the lair alone. As the series progressed, it became clear that the students were dealing with something dangerous - disappearing students, underground casino, physical attacks, drugs! For a teacher who claimed he felt very guilty for causing a friend's brain injury and didn't want to see it happen to his students, does it make sense to let his students continue investigating further? The teacher contradicted himself and the motivations of the student were also too weak to make me care about their success.
The numerous love interests were also bordering on ridiculous. What are the chances of a group of guy friends also dating another group of girlfriends? I don't even know why they fell in love with each other apart from "the script said so". Take the romance out of it and the story can still remain intact.
I also have to complain about Nanon's perpetually furrowed eyebrows. What happened to the range of expression he showed in The Gift (even in Season 1)? We know he is capable of more.
What a disappointment.
I stopped at episode 7, so perhaps the show picked up after that (total of 12 episodes), but it couldn't retain my interest in it long enough to keep going.
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Overrated: A waste of the acting, the music, the cinematography
I've only watched 3 episodes of this before I dropped it, so the plot might have picked up since then. Alas, as a TV series consumer I am not obliged to hang around until the series start to engage my interest.I wasn't interested in this series to start with, but ep 1 auto-played after Not Me's final episode ended on Youtube, and I was enticed by Nunew's English voiceover at the beginning, hence I started. Perhaps this is one of its strong points - the publicity. Even after I've stopped watching the series for a few weeks, Youtube would push the newest episodes to my 'playing next' list whenever I watched some other BL series.
Cutie Pie started with a promising premise, but failed to deliver. There was no logic. The fundamental plot (Kluea's grandfather being so open to betrothing Kluea to Lian) contradicts the over-arching worldview in this series that LGBTQ is still not accepted by society and they can't get legally married or be entitled to rights enshrined in law arising from a legal marriage.
The scenes (caveating that I've only watched up to ep 3) were very sweet and sent me squealing. Except that, at the end of the squealing, I'd look back at the episode and wonder what was the point of the episode? What was the plot development? And that was when I lost my interest.
There were questionable plot points too. For example, forcing Kluea to move in with him, having spycams at home to check on him (even though he averted his eyes when Kluea took off his clothes unexpectedly), and kissing Kluea in the car when he is obviously too drunk to even recognise Lian. For a series which later hyped on a s.scene big on 'consent', where was the consent in the car kiss scene? Was the incapacitated Kluea able to give conscious consent, regardless of whether he does really want to kiss Lian? There is such a thing as date-r*pe or even r*pe within marriages, if, the party doesn't consent to it at that particular point. And to leave Kluea hanging there in the days which followed without telling him about the kiss? That's so toxic.
The cinematography and colours are pretty, and the OST very well-produced. I have the MVs looping on Youtube. It's a shame that the script didn't pull its weight. A series can be light and fluffy, but still tell a good story.
I may get flamed for this, but in my opinion, the series is overrated.
----------edited post final ep ----------
I read many fans raving about the last bit where the chracters spoke openly about LGBTQ rights, so I went to watch that part specifically. Though I was impressed by what the series tries to do, I didn't get why they had to do that. A well written plot should have fully developed this key meesage throughout the series and all that's needed is one last 'tagline' to sum it up at the end. Why so preachy? A good story shows, not tell, what it stands for.
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