EllisInRealLife
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Worth it for the cast chemistry
I think Fish Upon the Sky is an easily digestible BL to get through because of the cast chemistry. Both Phuwin/Pond and Neo/Louis pairings look great together and are played wonderfully. And because all four of these characters are completely different, the pairings almost feel like you're watching two completely different shows when the stories aren't interconnecting (which they rarely do for majority of the show). That's probably why Duean and Meen's stories were told with a different aspect ratio but that honestly came off as an afterthought during editing. Some of those shots were an eyesore. But despite that, I still enjoyed their storyline a lot. I actually liked it more than the main plot.While the panicked gay vs confident gay trope never gets old, the forced conflict trope does. Pi/Mork just couldn't get their act together until the very end because of issues that I wasn't buying. Pi was hung up on Mueang Nan for way too long for merely existing. Nan never showed as much interest in Pi as Mork did, or interacted with him as much as Mork had; yet, Pi was still rejecting Mork because he couldn't get over Nan. If Pi was meant to spend so long having feelings for Mueang Nan, I wish the dilemma would have been written in a more believable way. His obsession with Mueang Nan was creepy if not completely nonsensical.
Duean and Meen's development was written with a lot more nuance. Duean starts off as a jerk but as the episodes go on, he becomes gradually more tolerable. I loved their slow burn romance that always seemed to hit the right checkpoints. Duean becomes a better person and Meen learns to not be a pushover. They really bettered themselves because of each other. It's unfortunate that Neo was forced to play him so off balance with the rest of the cast. Duean is a 4th wall-breaking character so he never gets a chance to be really vulnerable during a scene that had potential to be really emotional. Every time he apologizes to Meen, it feels goofy and it lacks the drama that Pi/Mork's journey had.
And Pi/Mork's relationship feels very rewarding in the final episode. I LOOOOOVE how natural Phuwin/Pond look onscreen together as a couple. Other dramas should take notes; Pi and Mork kissed more than once. It's crazy that I am genuinely astonished by more than one kiss in a Thai BL episode.
Fish Upon the Sky is not a must-watch but it is far from unwatchable.
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There's not much dialogue here. This film does most of its storytelling with showing, and not telling, which sounds better in theory than execution. Especially in the third act, where nothing that any of the characters do seems to make much sense.
At a few minutes short of being a respectable hour and a half long, this movie doesn't overstay its welcome. But it spends just about the entire first hour establishing the unconventional lives and relationship of two free-spirited roommates and occasional lovers residing in beachside China. So, by the time the girl enters the picture, we're already well into 2/3 of the movie.
That's where this otherwise slowly paced spectacle starts to engage itself a little more. Most of the film's dialogue takes place here but by that time, it's too little, too late. Just about all three character's actions and motivations feel shockingly sudden, given that the earlier portion of the film didn't explore them much outside of lingering and pensive vanity shots. The last 10 to 15 minutes were especially jarring with an ending that feels thrown together for shock value.
In closing, I feel it's necessary to mention that if you were watching in hopes of balanced bisexual representation, you won't get that here. Although the movie, to a detriment, introduces the female lead much later than it should have, the film aesthetically (and arguably, narratively) leans towards the hetero intimacy of it all. However, it's made in China so the queer destitution tracks. I'm sure that fault had more to do with censoring itself for cultural sensibilities and less to do with careless writing.
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I love that the first half was from Third's perspective, and the 2nd half was from Khai's perspective. I think that was a very smart storytelling decision to make the friends-to-lovers execution believable. Third's unrequited love arc was both heartwrenching and terrifyingly relatable. Usually, when characters make dumb decisions in dramas, like trusting untrustworthy characters, it's executed in such a cookie-cutter and naive way. But in TOL, Third really struggles with how often he expects more from Khai, only to be disappointed every single time. But Khai is very charming and always seems genuine, so I never really got annoyed with Third's decisions.
Even though the show never dragged for me, I think that objectively, it should have trimmed some fat. It could have easily been 8 to 10 episodes instead of 12. Or, at the very least, we should have gotten a different story arc for the last 3-4 episodes. All 12 episodes should not have been dedicated to the romantic pursuit. The subplots probably could have used more substance too. Two's subplot was fine, I just didn't think that he had that much chemistry with Un. And honestly, I never really knew where or when his feelings for Un started to develop. I actually had no idea that there was even a romance between them until the later half of the show and whether that was intentional or not, it was poorly executed. Bone's storyline had a great resolution, imo, but the overall plot was meatless. His entire storyline could have easily been told in three episodes. I also didn't care for the cliched last-minute girlfriend. *Because there's no such thing as a happy ending without an unnecessary and shoehorned romance*
Don't get me wrong, my gripes with the sideplots aren't dealbreakers. I never actively disliked much at all about the show while watching it but upon reflection, noted most of my complaints written in this review. I think Theory of Love is very enjoyable and criminally overlooked in the genre of Thai BLs.
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Great, short series. The concept could have used a longer runtime.
For over a year, I have seen "Where Your Eyes Linger" at the top of so many people's favorite BL lists. I was always intrigued by the concept, cliched as it may be. I was deterred from watching it for a long time because I didn't like the idea of such short episodes. And while I still stand behind that after watching all 8 episodes, I will say that it's still quite enjoyable, regardless of the short runtime.To be honest, my reservations about the short episodes could have been challenged if the bodyguard aspect wasn't included in the plot. For one, the characters are only in high school, but it is stated multiple times throughout the series that Kang Gook has been Taejoo's bodyguard for 15 years. Having a child be a bodyguard for another child requires backstory. There was no backstory revealed throughout the entire series. Nevermind the fact that Taejoo never seemed to be in any imminent danger. So, why did he have a bodyguard at all? For the sake of the short runtime, having Kang Gook just simply be a friend who is protective Taejoo, or having him only be a bodyguard for a much shorter period of time would have been a better fit. I don't necessarily feel like giving the characters 15 years of companionship really added anything to the story except justification for a codependency that was never fully explored or emphasized.
However flawed the execution of the bodyguard aspect may have been, it doesn't ruin the show. I found everything else about the series to be quite enjoyable. The acting was phenomenal. The actors really sold me with their chemistry and sexual tension. Great visuals. OST was always spot-on and pulled me right into every intimate or intense moment. There were multiple times throughout my single sitting that I googled songs from the series.
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Great ideas, sloppy writing
Cause You're My Boy isn't one of the most regarded selections in the BL genre but many from the community have a soft spot for FrankDrake's chemistry and after watching this show, I understand why. Where this series fails in the writing compartment, it makes up for with genuinely heart-warming interactions between the main couple, Tee/Mork. There were so many moments that felt truly intimate. I appreciated the way that the boys would openly discuss experimentation and curiosity about sexuality and boners.I also had an appreciation for the environment, despite the apparent low production. Cause You're My Boy is one of the only shows I've watched so far that depicts Bangkok as the busy, high-traffic metropolitan that it is. There aren't very many quiet moments on the show. Even in bedroom scenes, there are still times that traffic can be faintly heard. However, the sound mixing was sometimes noticeably lacking. Thankfully, it was never a major distraction. Along with the technicalities of sound in post-production, there were some very bad editing choices. For example, one scene in which Mork is covered in post-its and Tee begins removing them with his mouth. He takes one from his right cheek in the wide angle shot but in Drake's coverage, the post-it is still there.
I wish I could just say that much of my issues were with post-production but the writing was all over the place. The story was sometimes hard to follow because people would do things without explanation. Early on, I was completely unsure at how Mork and Tee viewed their relationship because there was no consistency. Sometimes, it would seem like Tee was pursuing Mork while Mork was hesitant and in the very next scene, the roles were reversed. The characters acted with no nuance or build-up.
The one storyline that had good foreshadowing was Mork's sickness, but even that got dragged down by lack of explanation onscreen. Mork's nosebleeds were indicators of his declining health but they were cleverly disguised by his wild thoughts of sex. Excellent allusion to the storyline but then they never even bothered to reveal what the actual illness was (YT comments say that it was Leukemia in the book). Mork's hospitalization was executed very poorly. I didn't even realize right away that he was hospitalized for a long time until a later scene.
A storyline that I thought suffered from poor development was Au's feelings for Mork. I liked the storyline but I thought there should have been more done to allude to that in the beginning. All hints leading up to the revelation came halfway through the show. And then when Mork reveals to Tee that he may have slept with someone (never saying who), Tee was completely unbothered. That wasn't very realistic at all.
There was a storyline with Bambi and Ching that came out of nowhere and then went nowhere. In fact, as soon as there was some apparent tension between the girls, they went missing for the next few episodes until the last episode where they have one single scene to hug it out.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this drama to someone who wants a coherent story but if you're in it for the sweet moments then I say go for it.
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There's something decent hidden amongst the clutter
Kiss Me Again is... decent. There are some moments/episodes/plots that I really enjoyed and others that I found objectively bad or problematic. In my opinion, KMA suffers most from its bloated cast and uneven pacing. For a show with 4 main couples, I don't think that every single pairing should have been involved in a love triangle or square. There were many times while watching when a supporting character would appear and I would completely forget what involvement they had in their respective storyline.None of the hetero pairings felt like an epic romance to me. Thinking back on how flawed Kiss the Series was, the one thing they did right was Sandee and Thada's relationship. As nonsensical as the drama dragged, their relationship felt epic. Kiss Me Again is all the drama with none of the epic. Except for Pete and Kao.
Not only do Pete and Kao work well as romantic interests in this series but their storyline feels the most environmental. Pete/Kao and their friendship with Sandee, Thada, June is extremely enjoyable. The absence of the complete gang in the 2nd half of the show was felt. I even liked Mint's character development throughout the show. It's unfortunate that her story didn't continue in Dark Blue Kiss.
There are very many terrible production choices. From editing, to framing, to sound mixing. At the beginning of ep 14 (which I began immediately after finishing ep 13) when So runs to Sanson in the hospital, showing concern for Sansuay, I had initially thought I accidentally skipped an episode. I had completely forgot that Sansuay got into a car accident in the previous episode because 1) it ended with a cute/sweet PeteKao phone call and 2) the execution of the accident was unconvincing. It looked like a tiny bender fender; nothing worth an overnight stay in the hospital. But, I'll admit, Sansuay's car accident was more convincing than a couple of fake kisses. Mint "kissing" Kao was painful to watch, as was Sanson and Matt's first "kiss".
Even when the kisses actually happen, they can be slighted by poor editing. For example; the PeteKao kiss in the pool. Kao goes in for a kiss while Pete is dripping wet. Pete's hair is wet and stuck to his forehead but as the angle changes to a wide shot, he's suddenly damp and his hair is no longer sticking to his face. Great scene but not-so-great editing and continuity.
Sanwan/R was a very problematic storyline for so many reasons. For one, R was a pushy person. And I hate that he made so many comments that she looks better without glasses, which isn't even true. She literally looks the same. It's annoying and rude. Don't even get me started on when Sanwan was almost raped. It ended with R getting stabbed and hospitalized and the perpetrator didn't go to jail or anything. He just apologized a couple episodes later and walked away. Like wtf?! I'm not sure how things work in Thailand but in America, when a person is hospitalized with a stab wound, a police report is filed by requirement.
Sanson/Matt was equally as problematic. While they did have pretty good chemistry, I just never understood why Matt liked Sanson. It was very crappy of her to try and out him to his mom. But, I appreciate the bisexual love triangle-ness. There was never really any confirmation on Matt's sexuality but I'd like to believe he's bisexual. It makes me appreciate their storyline a little more.
Sansuay/So had "epic romance" potential but there was some episodes that missed them completely and for most of the first half, they were stagnant. But despite that, the Sanson/So kiss reveal was still very shocking to me. I honestly don't have much negative to say about this pairing or storyline. I mean, I could have done without the love triangle (which had a very anti-climatic ending) but it wasn't as prominent in this storyline as it was in all the other ones. And I think it would have worked better if they got together much sooner while Sansuay dealt with a more personal conflict. It sucks that, at the core of every storyline is only the pairing that comes from it. The only characters that I felt had any personal growth was Mint and Pete (even though Pete's development is retconned in DBK).
Overall, it's neither the best nor the worst. I didn't fully dislike any storyline but moreso disliked certain aspects or developments within the storylines.
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If you've read my review for SOTUS, you will see that I absolutely was not a fan. I thought it was incredibly overhyped, as well as just minimally produced and uneventful. However, I'm glad that Krist and Singto's chemistry was strong enough through the rough writing that I was still interested in following their journey because SOTUS S delivered in every way that SOTUS didn't.I always knew that I liked Krist and Singto's chemistry together but I wasn't fully convinced of Kongpop and Arthit's relationship by the end of SOTUS. It felt underdeveloped. But with SOTUS S, we get to see them together. I loved watching them discreetly navigate their relationship in a professional setting. I loved the nuanced development of Arthit slowly beginning to show affection towards Kongpop publicly. It began from the very start and finished on an incredibly sweet end. It even makes me willing to overlook a couple scenes where Kongpop and Arthit interacted as a new couple (a couple that hasn't been dating for 2 years; a couple that are still learning someone).
The 2nd season improved immensely on production also. The sound-mixing was so much better. The color correction was a lot better AND consistent. But with that, I have to mention that the best thing that came out of the 1st season was that the female characters were written with personalities and felt like an important part of the show. Once the focus of SOTUS S shifts completely to Arthit's work environment, the female cast consists of Arthit's colleagues. While I can say that they don't have interchangeable personalities, I'm afraid I can't find much else positive to say about them. But, to be fair, I didn't really care for any of the supporting cast. I would have much rather had side plots involving the college seniors, though I can understand how following so many different internships wouldn't be smart. Which is why, objectively, I can't fault the writing. The least we could have gotten was some M/May development after seeing the entire setup for it in the previous season. The lack of payoff is unsettling.
Overall, I can see now why SOTUS is so hyped. Even though I didn't enjoy the first season much, I can even understand how it can seem somewhat of enjoyable on a rewatch when you have complete knowledge of Kongpop and Arthit's journey.
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Beautiful gowns
While maintaining its beauty and poignancy throughout its 150-minute run, I'd be a liar if I said that the lengthiness of this coming-of-age film wasn't felt after the 2nd hour. There's also an issue with the movie biting off more than it can chew. There are a few storylines with no storyline feeling like it takes precedence over the other.The romance between the two male leads feels like it should be the main focus of the plot but for me, it felt like a subplot to the storyline with Tong's family. And without spoiling much, I'll just say that that entire storyline felt implausible and out of place in this move.
And then there's the ending... and don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining about the ending because it wasn't the ideal happy ending. I'm complaining because it ended on a bittersweet note just for the sake of doing so. It set itself up perfectly for the happy, ideal ending and then, for no reason, it took a left turn. It was a transparent attempt at being "realistic" but failed due to its very own plot and character development.
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