Disclaimer: the Japanese drama is not just one of my all time favourite BL; it's an all time favourite for any TV series. I am hugely biased, I can't pretend otherwise.

That said, I think this ended up being perfectly calibrated for the GMMTV audience. It has leads with sweet chemistry, plenty of opportunities to use the platform to push Thai culture to the forefront, and as many boxes of Lactosoy as possible. The storybeats are similar but not exact to the manga and Jdrama, and this is enormously sweet and suited to comfort watching. I can see why many people prefer it.

But, like, go watch the original too.