ronson_stan
STORY
The premise of YYY is one of the weirdest out there--like, who came up with this? Even though its zany, they tell a good story with colorful characters. You'll feel invested in the main couple, Nott and Pun, who start off as a fake relationship turning into something real. There are many scenes that are surreal and out there, but don't let it put you off, underneath all that humor, there is real love story going on. I also like how it pokes fun at many BL tropes, like obsessed fujoshi's, the dreaded "Episode 11," and non consensual sex, and the series end up saying a lot of profound things. The only criticism I have with the story is that I wished they delved deep with the main characters' relationship with the other tenants because by the end of the series, you can feel how close they gotten to each other, but they never explain why.
ACTING/CAST
Even though not the main star, Poppy (Porpla) steals the show playing a yaoi-obsessed cross-dresser who at first comes off as dictatorial, but is actually a motherly figure to the tenants of her apartment. The scene in which she had a heart-to-heart with Pun (played by Talay) is one of my favorite scenes and showcases Poppy's acting skills. Talay's performance as Pun captivates you with his angst and longing looks, and this is supposed to be a comedy show! I love Yoon's performance as Nott, the confident hero of this story who despite his skills, have many insecurities. Even the supporting actors are great. My personal favorites are Korn and Bababig, who plays Wang Chao and Mahan, respectively, the Chinese brothers who sows chaos in the apartment. They play their characters with crackhead energy, and I hope to see them in future BL series.
MUSIC
The soundtrack is mostly stock music and some songs from WHY RU, so nothing really special here; however, I enjoyed the theme song. It's catchy and has a rhumba feel to it.
REWATCH
This series have a lot of hilarious and memorable scenes: when Porpla busts in to take back her cell phone, only to see Nott and Pun "sleeping" with each other, the laundry room scene, the Chinese opera rehearsal, the drunken discourse on non consensual sex, and the hypnotism scene (referencing to Make it Right) to name a few. I loved the roof top party scene--it was poignant and showcases the dynamics between the characters. These scenes are worth watching over and over again.
Don't let the humor and wackiness fool you (har har). This series packs a lot of heart and is good ol' story telling. Watch it if you want a good laugh, and if you want to shed a couple of tears.
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My Engineer came out around the same time at 2Gether, and it was natural for the latter to overshadow the former. A comparison is inevitable, and My Engineer succeeded in many places where 2Gether failed.STORY
My Engineer does not offer anything unique in its premise. Its starts off with many Thai BL tropes: someone tricking another into a relationship, unrequited love, fujoshi's, and engineering students. But what it lacks in originality, it makes up with thoughtfulness and subversiveness. The main characters are well fleshed out and have their flaws, something that Thai BL shows rarely incorporates into their plots. Bohn is a spoiled playboy who thinks he can get what he wants but finds himself out of his depth when he falls with Duen, a shy, naive, but thoughtful medical student who thinks he himself is not worth it. These flaws help drive the plot, and the climax did not feel contrived and feels natural from the slow buildup that occurs throughout the series. Even the supporting characters have depth. Most of them have family members who are rooting for their ships, which is both endearing and hilarious. Despite starting off with basic BL tropes, they end up subverting many them. The Top/Bottom debate was one classic example as well as how the show handled non-consensual sex. More humorous was how the series showed how delusional shippers can be.
ACTING/CAST
The cast is solid. Cooper (Bohn) has experience with another BL, MyBromance and plays his character's bad boy personality with aplomb. Talay (King), who also stars in my other favorite BL series YYY, does a good job depicting the perceptive genius who can point out everyone else's problems but his own. Perth (Ram) slays his character by the way he stares and glances alone. Even the weaker actors manage to make their characters convincing. Poy (Duen), is the probably the greenest of them all (and apparently bombed his audition, according to the director, Lit). The actor's personality is similar to the character's--which was one of the reasons he was cast--but the boy managed to pull it off. His interactions with his costar Cooper is one of my favorite parts of the series. Ryan (Mek), had his voice dubbed because he is not a native Thai speaker, but he makes it up with his facial expressions that displayed his pinning for his co-star Boss (you also get used to the dubbing by episode 4). Speaking of Boss, kudos to actor Intouch for making their relationship on-screen believable despite the huge language barrier.
MUSIC
I enjoyed the music and the OST. The chorus of the songs addresses the theme of series: that love has no rules. The song by Merry Dancers x GOH M is my personal favorite and carries the angst that the series can bring.
REWATCH VALUE:
To me, I know that a show has a high rewatch value when I go back to watch scenes that I find hilarious or heart warming. The show had so many recurring gags, and I can name a few: Bohn's friends betting against him, the simultaneous "chai's" whenever a character asks their friends about something, the delusional fujoshis imagining something that didn't even happen, family members trying to get their ships to sail, Duen inadvertently making Bohn jealous, Tang shading Ting's face, Tang bemoaning over everyone falling in love except her. I can go on and on, but these themes and patterns makes this show worth watching again and again.
Again, a comparison to 2gether is inevitable because they both came out at the same time and they also had similar scenarios. The love triangle between Boss, Mek, and Fon was handled well and treated the one who lost out (which I won't spoil) with respect and without villainizing that person. The love, affection, and tension between Bohn and Duen had a natural progression that built up through the climax and resolved at the end. It made sense and felt very satisfying (without the uh, let's just say, platonic interaction in the end). It may not get the same number of views and fans as 2gther the Series, but My Engineer The Series had good execution and deserves a second season.
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