choerim
I just wanna praise the actors
The story is fine, but could've been better if it had more time to develop the romance. The relationship between the main characters is believable because the actors do a fantastic job and have great chemistry. However, on paper it doesn't make much sense for their feelings to be so strong as we don't see them interact enough for them to not just start falling in love, but actually love each other. Still, I want to reiterate that the actors absolutely sell the characters' strong emotions towards each other, both the romantic and dramatic scenes are upgraded from good to amazing because of these two. I hope both of them find success, would love to see them do another project together, though I don't know how likely that is.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart
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An enjoyable watch
Don't let the negative reviews let you write this series off before you try it for yourself. After I finished Star In My Mind I wasn't sure whether I was invested enough to continue, but I'm glad I did.Let me start off by saying that this show knows how long it should be. Too many BL series feel like they're trying to reach a certain number of episodes when the story would've worked better if it knew its limits.
This drama is sweet, witty, well-acted and the chemistry is on point, like, really damn good. The production is much better than Star In My Mind, which had some weird editing choices and audio issues in the first episodes. SIMM was nice enough, but I couldn't really bring myself to care about the main relationship. Here, however, I bought it from the start and thought the development was nice and organic, the balance between the characters talking and letting things be left unsaid was really nice. It could've used a bit more nuance by the end, but their actions were logical, both of them were riddled with insecurities for different reasons and it affected them in different ways. The actors filled in the blanks with their facial expressions and body language.
Obviously, it has tropes, but that's kind of the point. Most BLs are supposed to romantic comedies and I'm starting to see people expect something beyond that. It's great that there are titles that expand the genre in different directions, but still, most BLs always were and always will be romcoms, full of tropes, and one can only hope that the tropes will be utilised in a way that feels fresh and exciting and that's how this series, for the most part, managed to be. The biggest strength of Star and Sky as a duology is the way the characters deal with misunderstandings, instead of the typical jumping to the worst conclusions imaginable and blowing everything out of proportions, they act in character and in a way humans would. One could say the bar is low and one would be correct, unfortunately things like this are still all too rare in BL.
I rooted for the characters, believed their development, could read their emotions from their eyes and laughed multiple times at the jokes. Recommed if you want something simple and nice.
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Tens, tens, tens across the board
It may not be pure perfection, but it's taken such a special place in my heart, I'm unable give it any other score.I watched the series anxiously at the beginning of this year, cautious because I'm aware of how some BLs go. The summary of the plot made me worried of all the possibilities for non-consensual actions and toxic relationships, but god how glad I am I was wrong. Their build-up is complex and the slowly developing trust is beautiful.
I read the novel a few months back, which made me fall in love with the drama even more. The novel's best quality is how their emotional development is portrayed, from both perspectives, and for that alone I recommend it. However, the murder mystery aspect is much less developed - for one, Bun doesn't even know Jane, and the case is solved halfway through the book. The latter half is about Bun investigating who outed him to his ex, something nonexistent in the drama. It was still a nice read, but slightly anticlimactic. The show develops the mystery greatly, adds characters and gives depth and story to those already present.
I also couldn't not mention the ~vibe~ of this drama. All the forests and mists and wooden houses, the small town claustrophobic feeling of everyone knowing each other... I wanna live in Viangpha Mork, I don't care how corrupt it is.
I could talk about this show and what it means for queer represantation all day but I'll stop at this - it's a beautiful story of love developing in harsh circustances, between two well-written characters who have to balance their mistrust and life situations with how irresistibly they're drawn to each other. This is the healthiest romance where one person pulled a gun on the other, no question.
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Some people here aren't doing this series justice - it's good!
The reviews and comments led me to believe this was going to be a fest of miscommunications and bad comedic acting, but it's far from that. The acting is subtle, the chemistry feels natural, and the characters are understandable and nuanced. It's true that some dramas use bad communication to drive the plot forward and I find it as frustrating as the next guy, but don't forget that there are real people who find it very hard to figure out and communicate their feelings, and this drama falls in the latter category. Whatever lack of communication there is comes from their clashing personalities and ways of approaching someone they like, but they're both upfront about their interest in each other, and they don't intentionally hide things from each other for an absurd amount of time (aside from near the end, that felt a little forced). For the most part, I thought the tempo at which the information and feelings were revealed was organic and kept me invested.The directing was simple, but very effective. Often there was a scene with just two steady cameras showing each of the characters or one long uninterrupted shot, but that setup allowed a more natural flow of a scene and emphasised how good the actors are. I enjoyed how this budding workplace romance intertwined with the subplots stemming from their job as journalists for a tabloid, and I thought the characters were layered enough to make the main romance plot work well.
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A nice, quick watch
Idk why there are so many negative reviews. It's not an amazing, revolutionary series, but it's watchable and you can have a good time with it, especially considering how short it is. I only started being interested in the plot and characters around ep 3 or 4, as the first few episodes are more from the perspective of a secondary character who kinda functions as a matchmaker but for the viewers' sake. Still, considering the later focus on the romance, I didn't mind too much.The acting is good, the chemistry feels very natural and the progression of the relationship was sweet and interesting, albeit not without genre-typical drama, especially near the end. The cinematography is nice, especially certain shots with reflections.
There's no problematic content, which usually makes or breaks a drama for me. The female character is sympathetic, even though she functions as an obstacle, we feel for her. There's no dubious consent, even though it's becoming more of a standard nowadays, enthusiastic consent still isn't a given. I especially liked the lack of a clear seme/uke dynamic which I find pointless and, more often than not, demeaning. I'd love to see these actors together in a longer drama, they were the best part of this one and made it watchable.
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A beautiful mix of sweet and bitter
I admire movies and series that deal with grief in a healing way. Peach of Time made me relive some emotions I might not have wanted to feel, but that only speaks to its' quality. It's not trying to be sad for the sake of sadness, it gives hope and closure. There were times I found myself getting close to tears, but then the scene would change and I found myself relaxing - there was a perfect balance in that regard. The aspect of mending relationships also resonated deeply with me. I empathized with all the characters - a rarity for me - and their relationships. I can't bring myself to go into detail or make a structured review, I just want to say that if you lost someone, this series might make you relive it, but it will also feel like a warm hug and heal you in some regard. All the actors are great, Choi Jaehyun is an absolute gem. I don't know if I'll rewatch this series, but I recommend it with all my heart.Vond je deze recentie nuttig?
Perfect at first, tedious to get through by the end
Two episodes in, I was telling my friends this could be my new favorite BL series. It reminded me of Manner of Death a lot, and I loved the mature, serious atmosphere. The dynamic between the two main characters was unpredictable and intriguing, and I liked that they were both portrayed as equals.Unfortunately, the series lost its identity halfway through when the mythical stuff began to mess with the priorities I thought were set out at the beginning. By the end, I was no longer interested in the romance, the plot or the characters. I hoped this show wouldn't be one of those which has to clearly define which character is a bottom and which is a top, both through physical traits and their past lives, but alas, that's what it was. Honestly, even with the mess this show became and how much of a chore it was to finish it, I would have had a much better time if at least they flipped that dynamic on its head.
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A great time from beginning to end!
I was very pleasantly surprised with this title. I can't count the amount of times I laughed out loud at a humorous scene, and I was very endeared by all of the characters. The scenes potraying the main characters' work lives brought a distinct flavor to this series that I adored. The progression of the relationship felt organic, and I appreciated that it was handled with maturity and subtelty. Adult BL characters are potrayed like emotionally illiterate teenagers way too often, and I liked that these two allowed their relationship to unfold naturally. I felt like I was watching actual queer characters in a queer piece of media, which is unfortunately a rarity in BL.Probably the biggest compliment I have for this series is that it subverted my biggest pet peeves when it comes to Korean BL series - the love triangle (square?) wasn't forced in for the sake of petty drama but handled with adult-level communication, and the series didn't lose its good pacing near the end as so many others tend to do. More series should learn how to handle conflict resolution from this one.
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A slightly different flavor of BL
I almost didn't watch this series because of a few negative comments, but I'm glad I didn't listen to them. I wasn't as into Until We Meet Again as other people seemed to be, but I waited for this series, because Team and Win seemed intriguing. By the end of episode 1, I was hooked.First of all, I have to commend the acting and chemistry of pretty much everyone in this series, because they're all more or less on equal level, with the leads being obvious standouts. I even find the side couples adorable. I have a soft spot for more femme guys like Prince, so I was able to look past some of the more awkward aspects of the writing in that sideplot. The commentary on actor lives and being gay in the industry was probably something many needed to hear, but it was a little on the nose. Still, him and Bee were really cute.
I like that the main romantic storyline isn't predictable and cheesy, but flows naturally with the personalities and insecurities of the characters. Their development is organic, starting as physical attraction, and coming to care for each other the more time they spend together, slowly getting over their fears of the painful sides of opening up to another person and learning to embrace each other. There were I few times I wasn't sure what the writers were trying to achieve, but it could've been down to the translation. Overall, I found the development satisfying and way more fun to watch than the usual "I'm putting off confessing my feeling because of reasons".
Most of the characters, to my surprise, felt genuinely queer, which a lot of BLs fail to achieve, or rather don't even try to achieve. Aside from a few moments where I thought "Was this written by a straight person?", most aspects of their identities and relationships felt realistic to queer experiences.
There are things that bugged me, like the roots of Win's hair being very inconsistent and some scenes feeling too long, but those were far and few in between, and all of it was easy enough to overlook. What also annoyed me was that even after they slept together multiple times and even started dating, Team would still be like "wtf are you doing" when Win got too close and initiated physical contact. I know it's a BL staple to have one character be forward and another shy, but seeing it so many times without a change in dynamic over time is tiring, and I hoped I wouldn't have to watch it again.
Overall, it was a way more enjoyable experience than I anticipated, and now I'm off to read fanfics about these characters cause I got attached.
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Reminded me of what it felt like to be a teenager
Though I've never experienced a love like this, I know how quintessentially queer of an experience it is. To have your teenage love be reciprocated, but have it happen at the wrong time is also just a universal experience.Part of me wishes it was longer and had a happy ending, but that's not what the story is about. It's about the beauty and pain of youth, how queer people hold back a lot more with our feelings because there's so much that could go wrong.
The cinematography, music, acting, everything was top notch. I only wish there were better subtitles, I looked all over and it's the same translation everywhere but some scenes are not subtitled at all. Regardless, it feels like an important drama to watch, just to take a break from all the BL tropes and watch something more grounded and realistic.
This series combines love and warmth with reality and heartbreak in a beautiful way.
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So this is what falling in love feels like
I have no idea how to structure this review so I'll start by saying I'm baffled by the amount of negative reviews. Did we watch a different show, are our standards that different or do we just look for different things in BLs?If you want a fast paced action, drama, plot twists and high stakes, this isn't for you. However, if you want a down to earth, natural slow burn with great chemistry - look no further.
During the first episode, having read the reviews, I was conflicted and tried to nitpick flaws in acting etc, but by episode 3 I was so immersed I forgot why I had these issues in the first place. Maybe the acting was a bit awkward at the beginning, but by the end it's so good you forget about it.
The tone and cinematography felt more like a Taiwanese or Korean BL if they had longer runtimes. The only Thai BLs it reminded me of were Nitiman (realistic characterisation and progression, slow and down to earth plotlines, good communication) and the first half of Bite Me, before it tried to pull a dramatic angsty twist (the warmth, the slow burn). Out of these three however, Love Area is the most succesful.
The story and characters felt very natural, simple but logical and well thought out. I always enjoy when a character doesn't say the obvious thing in a dialogue but something slightly next to it, tinted with their character traits and way of communicating - this drama was full of it.
The chemistry was also amazing, all of it culminating in that last scene which not only left me wanting to immidiately watch part 2, but also made me feel like I was watching something very emotionally and physically intimate, even though all they were doing was laying down on the sand as waves washed over them. That scene alone upgraded my score to a 9.5 and made me realise how masterfully done this romance is.
Can't wait to watch part 2, I sincerely hope the love eminating in part 1 carries over and makes me fall in love even more.
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Niti Man Society and Lover
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Watch it if you're tired of communication issues being the driving force in the plot
The relationship between the main characters is rare in that they actually talk through their issues instead of avoiding each other for the sake of drama.The actor playing Jin is absolutely amazing, you can read every emotion his character is feeling from his eyes. The other main is a little more stiff, not sure if that's a choice for the character or just lack of skill, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment, the chemistry was very much there.
Another thing that rarely happens was that I liked every character, none of them felt like they were just filling space, the friend groups were fleshed out well.
If there's ever a second season, and for the sake of the side characters I hope there is, I'm definitely rewatching the first as well.
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Sweet, lovable and aesthetically pleasing
I don't care what anyone says, this is one of the most consistently good Thai BLs.The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the casting and chemistry of the two mains is superb and I agree, they have one of the most natural and sweet relationships. Individually they also seem to be great actors who understand their characters well.
I understand some people's annoyance with the storyline or writing but I simply don't agree. I like that they're both capable of being smart and dumb, the decisions they make are understandable and in character. They're not perfect people and that's what made them realistic and made me want to root for them. Don't get me wrong, above everything it's a romcom so don't expect everything to be ultra realistic, but I feel like Enchante doesn't put on its rose tinted glasses as much as some other dramas.
Bottom line is the characters are logical, their feelings for each other make sense, their actions make sense, I like them as separate people, I want them to be together and I want to rewatch it. If that's the low bar I have for Thai BLs, so be it.
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