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reefpicker
It is a layered family drama, at the center of which is the love story of two young teenagers. The movie was controversial in Thailand because the two teenagers happen to be both boys ;) It is a sweet story, an almost fairy tale, but the ending is well, I won't spoiled it but it is still controversial to this date.
The movie is beautiful. The final scene always brings me to tears, not because it makes me sad, but because it makes me so happy for the characters and because it makes me realize how important love is in our lives.
I will end this review by saying, go watch if you haven't. You won't regret it, I promise.
BTW Viewers of this movie usually end up split into two categories after watching it: those who think it has a happy ending and those who think it does not. I am of the latter, as I think the ending is not perfect but it is happy for all involved.
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Off and Gun have a lot of chemistry and they are mischievous and funny. They will sometimes play pranks on their guest and on each other, make their guest do some crazy things and ask the most weird questions. Apparently the show is filmed in Off's apartment (at least it looks like a real apartment, but I am not sure). If you are a fan of Off and Gun, you need to watch this show! Also if you are a fan of Tay Tawan, you need to watch his lone episode (not the one with New, although that one is good too!). That one episode is hilarious and Tay comes off as a really nice guy. I repeat, if you are a fan of Tay, you will love it!
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You will cry and you will laugh but mostly...
... you will feel like you are falling in love for the first timeI could tell you this is the best BL I have watched this year, because it is the truth.
I could tell you that both male leads are amazing actors and extremely easy on the eyes, because it is the truth.
I could tell you that you missing this show is a mistake, because it is the truth.
So, instead I am going to tell you what I loved about this show and let you decide on your own if you want to watch it or not.
But first, I would warn you that it takes some time to get used to the online format. This is both the weakest point of the show and it is strongest point.
What I liked:
*The pacing. This is a fast paced show. It moves quickly from one scene to the next, from one event to the next. It is one of the best edited BL series I have watched.
*The acting. There is no one more deserving of an award than... pretty much the entire cast. Elijah Canlas, in my humble opinion, is a top BL actor. Yep, I dare say it. He is as good or better than Gun Atthaphan. It is amazing what Kokoy and Canlas pull off here. There is a particular scene in which Cairo and Gavreel fight that I remember thinking to myself, OMG this is so realistic that I am uncomfortable watching it, just like you feel when two people argue in front of you. There is another scene in which Cairo's world comes crashing down on him while Gavreel watches from afar. Both actors convey the emotions so perfectly.....
*The story. It is at times cliche but at times refreshing. It is as though they took the BL playbook and turned it on its head. But overall, this is probably my favorite love story after Love Sick and Love of Siam.
*The music. Ngayon still makes me cry to this day... and the other songs are pretty catchy. Watch the MVs! They are all pretty good!
What I didn't like:
*The cellophane kiss. You will know when you watch.
*They added some last minute conflicts to keep the plot going a couple of episodes past their original end date. It was OK overall because the story was beautiful but I think it could have been trim down by one or two episodes.
*Adriana So's Pearl gets her own story now (see Pearl Next Door) but I wish they had given her a bit more of her own story in this show.
So go watch it, if you haven't! You are missing out on some great story telling and a beautiful love story!
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This is a beautiful story, shot beautifully, with powerful and unforgettable performances. As expected, Singto delivers a great performance as Mes, but it is Ohm who steals the show as the adorable Thun. The supporting cast is good. My only complaint is that there is some stuff that I saw coming way too early and I wished they had done a better job of keeping the big plot twists buried and not foreshadow anything... Also the actor who plays the grandpa was in my opinion the only weak acting but he plays a minor role so is not a big deal.
Episode 5 and Episode 8 have some unforgettable scenes. Bring your tissue papers because you will need them. I wish this show had been longer, maybe 12 or 16 episodes and a part of me wished it had ended a bit different. You will have to see it to decide.
Overall, this was by far the best BL I have seen, and two particular scenes in Episode 5 stand out as top best dramatic scenes in an LGQBT show that I have seen, right below a couple of scenes from the US version of Queer As Folk. I think everyone should watch this show, that is how good I think it is.
So, go watch it. You won't be disappointed.
I didn't give it a 10 because of the grandpa's acting, the tendency to spoil the twists with foreshadowing and a particular scene that some may like and some may not but I didn't. It is a scene towards the end of the series, a dramatic pivot that serves to bring forward the truth about how Mes died.
OK, I will tell you more but POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT:
Ohm and Singto's acting was superb in the scene but I felt the supporting cast, and the writing was not up to par with previous scenes. Once more, it is a scene that Ohm totally steals and he is great but it reminded me too much of a Spanish telenovela. The other thing related to this that brings the rating down a notch is that the resolution for what happened in the past didn't seem to fit the actual crime. I have read this is typical Thai culture and family values. They want everyone to sing kumbaya at the end but it was irritating to me as a Westerner. Like why didn't Prai get mad at the grandpa, why was forgiveness so easily handed out?
So there you go, that's why it is a 9.5 and not a 10.
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An example that money is not what makes a good series
I thought it was good, though I also felt it was bit formulaic and unrealistic. However, overall, this series had its heart in the right place and I think Thai BLs should learn from this series. I think --this is just MY OPINION-- that art needs to do more than just beautify. Art needs to be an expression of someone's thoughts or someone's soul. I think one should not write something unless one wants to say something. Boss and a Babe is a typical example of vacuous and insipid storytelling. My Story is also in that category as well, though its saving grace may be how truly BL its second couple seems to be. Here, however, no matter how manipulative it may have felt at times, the story was telling us something.It also surprised me how much this production company did with what seemed like a small budget. A lot of things were added to this post-production and a lot of thought went into the color scheme. I don't think you need a lot of money to do these two things well (you do need talented people). Also, the audio was generally good. I really liked the way the story itself was told. This was in my humble opinion, very good directing.
Raynold Tan is very hot, but I think he is still a bit green when it comes to acting. Tommy Alejandro is competent and I think he will go places if he is given the opportunity. On the other hand, Tan is such a hottie I know he will be given opportunities just because of his looks. Tommy is a good looking guy, but after observing the fans reactions online it is clear to me that he doesn't have the right look to triumph in The Philippines, which is unfortunate.
Rabin was more popular with the fans, and at first I liked him a lot too. However, with time it became evident that he is not a good acting partner for Tommy. Tommy is a much better actor and I think that at least Raynold is better than Rabin. Rabin was a bit wooden during crucial scenes. Just my opinion.
Overall, competent acting (except for the supporting cast which was generally not good), clever cinematography and storytelling, good directing, an original story, and good set design and wardrobe, makes this one of the best BLs from The Philippines since 2020, perhaps THE BEST one since 2020. The plot did become predictable at times but it was not derivative. It was more like, the writer didn't know exactly how to hide his cards all the way to the end. Instead, we got very obvious foreshadowing and built up of tension. The ending was satisfactory, if not a little open. I wonder if they would do a second season if given the opportunity.
I give it an 8/10. One thing that could be better is the romantic built up and the acting chemistry between the main couple. Other than that, very good effort from the production company and crew.
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Not a BL
Going into this show, the one thing you need to know is that this is not a BL. At least, it is not a BL in thr strictest sense. Instead, this is a BL-stylized story about the dangers of homophobia.The story is unoriginal but the acting elevates the story. I found some scenes to be well written while others were a bit cringey. Karissa Tonglico (Sandee) stands out as one of the best actors in this show in my opinion. The two times I got emotional was because of her. She is good. Both male leads and supporting actor Z Mejias are excellent too and do a good job with mostly predictable and corny lines. Darwin Yu is believable as the nerdy Shake.
I did not cry much in this series because I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters. Sandee and the baby brother are the only characters I seemed to connect with.. I think this is the fault with the story: it expects us to care about characters we hardly know. The director here needed to put more weight on the BL elements and let the chips fall in place for his homophobia-is-evil tale. His message was loud and clear but it overshadowed all the BL elements.
Overall I would not recommend this series to anyone unless they love tragedy and drama. Definitely, there are other much better BLs out there.
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Itazura na Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa
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I expected both characters to grow from throughout Season 2, but unfortunately for the most part this did not happen. Kotoko is still insecure, Naoki is still having trouble communicating with Kotoko, they live in the parent's house during the entire season, and it is not until the very last episode that I felt like the characters had shown some growth. It is like the writers decided that the same dynamics that worked for season 1 would work for season 2 so they didn't want to mess with the formula.
Many of the situations portrayed are ridiculous and unrealistic. The very first half of the season does show some potential but it quickly devolves into a rehash of some of the things we saw in season 1.
Overall, I found this season boring, and repetitive. There were a few funny moments and a couple of sweet romantic moments but they were few and far between. There are no interesting secondary characters that one would like with the exception of one, very attractive, male nurse who acts as the second lead at one point. The end of the season felt rushed, almost anti-climatic.
I loved season 1 and I watched season 2 out of the devotion I had to the characters but if you don't have the time, I had say skip Season 2 or watch the first couple of episodes then skip to the last one. Nothing much happens in between that is of consequence.
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