O Efeito (2019)

First and foremost I would have to say, The story of this drama alone deserves an A+. It was a very heavy themed and an extremely serious topic, that needs to be seen but something that people would rather avoid talking. I gave the story 9.5 coz it deserves an applause. It has shown the terrible impact of social media, the cruel reality and how it 'Effects' the life of people involved. But i couldn't give it full score as the length of the series was too short. I wish they had more episodes and delved a bit more into Keng's personal trouble and what made him lose his mind, or the development of shin and Keng's relationship, or the development of Shin, Bright and Pramote's frdship (their frdship has to be the brightest point in the entire series), Bright and Pramote's relationship, Shin's ordeal and his recovery etc. I was really shocked to know there was only 3 episodes esp with a drama so intense. I really felt upset that such an "IMPORTANT" drama which delivers such an important message was ended so abruptly.

ACTING
Hands down, i loved the acting of Oat. Oat as this guy who is craving for true love and care (having been neglected by his parents and friends only using him for benefits), has gone off his rockers after misinterpreting Shin's good intentions, was very convincing. It is really tough to act out a character who isn't lovable and is the target for hatred. I absolutely respect Oat for braving this role.
James, Yatch and the actor playing Pramote(sorry i dunno his name, but he acted WOW) did a great job too. Esp James who as the victim of all this effect has very strongly and very convincingly showed the nightmare that he has to go through and rightly conveyed the horror of all this. N the frdship between these three boys was very heart warming. Yet again m very upset it was only 3 eps.

MUSIC
The music was right. The bacground score rightfully conveyed the creepiness of when the pictures were clicked, as well as during the budding frdship of Keng and shin, the sweet romantic score was beautiful. I like the music but at times it would be unreasonably high pitched and placed at wrong time.

REWATCH VALUE
Though, the story is amazing and the actor's acted brilliantly, unfortunately, such heavy themed drama u can't watch again and again. As it is pretty depressing and hard to digest. Though, if the drama had more episodes i might have

Leia Mais

This is a subjective review. It is my opinion on what I thought about this piece of work. You may agree or disagree with my opinion. I am not here to discourage anyone from watching anything, please follow your own instincts about what you would like to see.

Finally decided to watch the last episode. I was scared too after some of the warnings people were writing, but I was able to just suck it up (buttercup) and watch it. I'm glad I did.

If Rape, Bullying, Cyber-Bullying, gossip, rumors aren't your thing, then this drama isn't going to be on your list of must watch. This drama also deals with societal and family pressures (especially in Asian culture) I will say prepare yourself mentally to watch some scenes that might trigger something.

This was an emotional filled roller-coaster of a mini-drama. It was a bittersweet reality check that often doesn't get told in the BL world. Statistically, women and girls are abused and raped at an alarming rate, however, for men and boys those numbers are not a clear-cut because majority of them do not report their abuse and rape. The ramifications of such violence against a person, be a woman or a man, is so far reaching that it doesn't end just when the act is done, but the effects are felt for years. This drama touched on some of the traumas that victims go through, such as; shame; guilty, depressions, suicidal ideations; isolation, anxiety, PTSD etc. It also showed how some people still view rape as "business as usual" when Keng's parents believed that the offense could easily be fixed with money. Now, while some may frown upon Shin's acceptance of the money, I believe that him the victim, should get to decide how he wants to cope with his victimization.

Characters were well portrayed by the actors. The story itself was really good and I was pleasantly surprised when finally a heavy topic such as rape and assault was not glamorize or romanticized as a trope. It was handled very well. I felt despair for these characters.

I also loved that the directors and writers highlighted without putting in our face, what a healthy relationship could be...Pramote and Bright were the opposite of Shin and Keng. Though we didn't see their development, there were subtle hints that they cared for each other and Bright's personality and how he put Keng on notice about his sick behavior showed that Bright would always have Pramote's well-being in mind, unlike Keng. We get caught up with the violent and psychotic nature of Keng and Shin's story that we almost missed the point that there are healthy same sex relationships as well.

I really feel that this drama wrapped up what can happen with people in such situations in a realistic way. Though the ending is not what I had hoped for, not having clarity as to what happens is better than what the books this is based on tells us.

I don't see myself watching this again. Once is enough for me, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good series...it was and that the actors and the team behind it really did their best to give us an in your face not glamorized series about topics that are often taboo or brushed under the rug.

Leia Mais

First at all, sorry if I offend anyone but I wanted to say it. So I saw there should be 15 episodes but it changed into 3 episodes which is VERY disappointing but I suspect why it happened...people may complain and did not like how it happened in second episode which I understand because it may remind some of people who went through the rape and it's is a traumatic but I gotta remind, this is just TV show is not a reality. It is just a story about these couples and how they go from there. If it does remind them, I recommend not watching it any longer. Sorry if I offend to some people but books, movies, and TV are just to watch different of good or bad stories but feel free to say anything about it but why it stopped at 3 episodes? Again, I'm so disappointed with this show, so short. So I can't wait to watch another BL show! Cheers!

Leia Mais

The effect others have on Us

This drama is so beautifully written. The actors do a great job on their end. The way "The Effect" deals with such a sensitive issue is praise worthy. Nothing felt over the top. The choices each character make in the drama makes sense. It is a must watch if you don't mind something dark and nerve-wrecking. At the end of the first episode, I thought it is going to be a typical BL with A liking B but C liking A and doing something unethical to get A's attention, but I was mind blown to which extent the show was taken to. Also I should mention that Shin's friends were my favourite. They are there beside Shin during all his ups and downs. People around them may talk shit about Shin but his friends are there to support him and even fight for him. Beautifully written and must watch.

Leia Mais

This is REALITY (TRIGGER WARNING)

I'm not going to lie, I come to have expectations when I watch most BLs. I want to believe they all will end with the main couple getting together and living happily ever after.

When I watched this I did not get a happily ever after, I got reality.

It started off like most series do. It had the same concepts: There's the Junior, Shin, who looks up to someone, maybe has some sort of feelings for them. Then the Senior, Keng, who is either hiding his feelings and sexuality but as soon as he meets the Junior, he realizes he can't fight it anymore. There's also the friends, and this series definitely has the good friends and the bad friends. The good friends who support you and fight for you, Pramote and Bright, and the bad friends, AKA Man, who do things that make everything worse.

Episode 1 had me thinking it was a normal series. There was the awkward moments, and the scenes where you think "Oh they might hug" or "Oh they might kiss". But there is also the story line behind the main couple that shows the jealousy and anger of rejected love. Man was jealous because he saw the way Keng looked at Shin, and instead of being a good friend and being understanding he decided to use social media to force Keng to come out as gay. Not exactly the way you want to get someone to accept your feelings. The result of social media is what starts this train wreck. The "effect" faceless people on the internet have is astounding. And as a result, Shin starts to step back from his relationship from Keng.

Episode 2... now this episode started out showing the consequences of social media. What else could Shin do but step back. But his friends supported him. (BEST FRIENDS EVER) They stood by him while social media crucified him because he was a "nobody" while Keng was "popular". I won't lie, at this point, I was hoping that Keng and Shin would talk it out and remain friends at the least. So coming up to the end of the episode, when Keng was at Shin's house and they were talking, I was very unprepared for the results. For Shin to step out of his comfort zone and be honest about his feelings was good and should have been received with understanding... but Keng, already having his own issues concerning family and feelings did not receive it well at all. And sometimes that is the reality. You won't get someone who UNDERSTANDS, and if they already have their own mental health issues you ARE going to get anger and resentment. Keng response was horrible and also a little sad. When he raped Shin and afterwards told him he loved him... God that broke my heart, because to me it showed that he really didn't understand AT ALL.

Episode 3 was also a hard one. This episode showed the aftermath of the rape and once again how social media still made a VICTIM INTO A PERPETRATOR. Faceless people on the internet had their own opinions about things they just didn't know. Sad but true reality. How do you force yourself to speak up when no one wants to listen and all you want to do is fade away. Shin attempted suicide was heartbreaking, because WHAT ELSE COULD HE DO? In his mind, there was nothing left... I do have to say though, that his friends and his parents were the best support system anyone is this world could ever have. They supported him and defended him, through everything. They also didn't try to tell him to get over it. They just said they would be there for him to lean on. THAT is the BEST support you could ever get.

I won't spoil the ending though in case anyone else is reading this. I did very much enjoy it though.

If my kids were older I would let them watch this, because it gives a view on how rape just isn't male-female, it can be same sex. It shows that even behind closed doors, no one is perfect, there's always going to be someone out there who wants what they can't have. That mental health issues are real! Even if you can't see it, even if you don't think someone can have it, even if they tell you it's all in your head... it's real. And also that social media can be a platform for bullying, rumors and hatred. Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's real. Use your words wisely.

10/10 would watch again , but honestly I'm going to have to wait awhile.

Leia Mais

BL goes to the dark side

Today was one of those times that I REALLY wish I had read MDL comments before watching something. Several issues that I struggle with in Thai dramas were in the forefront here. It felt like an anti-BL story that started off sort of cute (like "Until We Meet Again,"). But then it spiraled down/ mutated into a cautionary tale that explored the serious ramifications of unclear sexual preference, general self-focus/entitlement, social media bullying, faux friendships, self-blaming (wrongly claiming responsibility), denial and ultimately even rape.

I'm not sure how/why I continued viewing this painful story. Watching it felt like a sort of penance for enjoying other Thai shows. As someone who gravitates toward happy endings (and yes I know that's not realistic, but this is my cathartic preference), this was the antithesis of that. Rather than the light, fun and slightly titillating dramas that I've enjoyed, this was heavy with only one redeeming quality: friendship. It did explore what a true friend was (Keng's relationship with Man lacked mutual respect while the friendship with/between Bright and Pramote with Shin was marked by earnest respect and loyalty despite the circumstances).

If I had to summarize everything simply, I'd say that the fantasy of young love was cruelly juxtaposed with plausible reactions and mass hysteria. So many people were focused on Keng and what they wanted him to be rather than accepting his interest/disinterest. That very public fixation transformed what could have been a beautiful friendship into a tragedy. As Bright said "what you think might happen in a drama...but in real life it's not that easy."

Leia Mais

Unwanted Love

Unwanted love is unwanted love. The Effect deals with the consequences of unwanted love. A subject matter that’s too often glossed over in many BL series Thai or otherwise (see the start of two main storylines of Make it Right and arguably two of the storylines in Love by Chance). This was a difficult watch but definitely worthwhile. Although it starts off like your typical teen series, don’t expect it to be that. The Effect’s storyline is deep and at times difficult to watch, but it’s told in a very mature manner. James Prapatthorn is a stand out in his first leading role in a series. It’s not easy for a young actor to have to portray all the levels of emotions his character goes through in the series. The depth and subject matter is a definite change of pace from your normal drama that deserves your time.

I rated the music a bit low. The main soundtrack for The Effect sung by Boy Sompob, the king of the BL OST, is up there with most of the OST from other series; it’s not Shake but, it’s good. Where I take major points off is the background music in some scenes is downright inappropriate. The music is supposed to help convey mood. In this series, sometimes the music that they chose was counter to what was portrayed visually. It’s alarming in a bad distasteful way.

Leia Mais

Honestly speaking after the death of Sulli and the Go Hara when I watched this show somehow it helped me to understand what they were actually going through... I wish this show was compulsory to watch... So that people learn what their words actually did to others lives...just because we have advanced technology and living in social media digital world we have no right to post anything without knowing the reality and who we are to judge...I think we have lost enough people to stop now...
Story, as I said is so beautiful and well connected...
Acting is really powerful...
Music disappointed me somehow but with this story and acting who give attention to music

Leia Mais