Love in the Air (2022)

A waste of time

I've heard a lot of good things about this series so I started watching it with a good set of mind (and it has an 8.2 mark on this site, so I really thought it would be very good). However... I don't know if it's because I'm probably older than 99% of the people that have watched this series and that my taste have changed over the years I've watched BL but... this series is not the masterpiece people are claiming to be... And I could notice it as soon as the show started!

Let's start with Payu and Rain. Rain is an annoying child... First scene we see him in, he's panicking over the fact that his tire is flat. And even though I can understand that he doesn't know how to change a tire, he really looked like a damsel in distress (especially at the arrival of his knight in shining armour, Payu...). Also, I would have understood his reaction better if he was in the middle of nowhere with no signal on his phone. Here, he was clearly on a busy road and could easily call a garage to help. Next scene, he's trying to get in the pants of his classmates (who is a girl). So... did I miss something in between?... Because we see him fawning over a guy being all giddy with excitement and then, we learn that he is a very straight guy as we can understand from his judgemental remarks about Ple's brother. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know that straight guys can find other guys handsome but... he clearly wasn't fawning over Payu as a straight guy... Also, at the dinner party, I was expecting him to dislike Payu even after he recognised him (just because Ple was talking a lot about him) but no... He went straight back to the not so straight guy fawning over him again. And I won't talk about the fact that he forgets very quickly about his crush for Ple and wants to make Payu fall in love with him just because... This plot has no bloody sense... The editing is sh*t, it goes way too fast and Rain is a child! He acts like a kid since episode 1 and doesn't improve along the way. Let's also not forget that Payu tampered Rain's car at the dinner party for him to be able to do him... What a great relationship! And people liked it?... I thought we were past those kind of plots in a BL...

About Prapai and Sky... I don't have a lot to say. Unlike a lot of people, I prefered this plot and couple to Payu and Rain's (at least, they had something to tell with Sky's past). My problem dwells more on the acting. Sometimes Sky's actor was really crying and delivering his scene, but sometimes, no tears were visible and I felt like he was just forcing himself, which was not very nice to watch. That's a shame because Sky's past is really interesting and important, but I sometimes couldn't get into it because of his acting. As for Prapai, a lot of people complained about his stalking behaviour. Well, I would say that Payu tampered Rain's car... Why forget about that and not about Prapai's behaviour?...

As a whole, I don't recommend this series. There are so many better BL elsewhere, don't waste your time watching this.

Leia Mais

I definitely didn't get bored that's for sure.

Not gonna lie, I giggled when I saw the high rating for this show, if I could rate it in the negatives I would. You gotta hear me out tho, because I really want people to hear my thoughts (especially the cishet girlies that defend this show with their whole heart). This is a story written BY an mlm fetishiser FOR mlm fetishisers.

I'm going to talk about RainPayu first because I have a lot so say.
- Let me get it out of the way and just say Rain is one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered.
- I'm appalled at how easily you guys gloss over the casual sexual assault that occurs multiple times in the first damn episode, and what repercussions does Payu get? That's right! None! In fact, he gets rewarded with a submissive bf! What a world we live in! Hahahahahahhaahahhhaaha. It makes me so frustrated that it isn't even portrayed to be SA, it's portrayed as hot and possessive and yall just eat it up.
- It is difficult to listen to any of Payu's lines, they're all so corny I had to pause every 2 minutes to recollect myself.
- The only way I can describe RainPayu's relationship is that It felt like I was watching a straight high school couple, they really said let's take a hetero couple and make one of them a man. The gays do not claim them <3
- Neither Rain nor Payu have any personality other than being down bad for each other, Rain barely even does schoolwork despite being an architecture student (which infamously has you working 25/8, you don't even have time to eat let alone bone every night).
- Any BL where one of the characters utters the word 'wife' out of their mouth instantly gets a point removed.
- The start of episode 6 was when I had to pour myself a drink to ease my suffering.
- I am baffled at how people aren't cackling throughout all of their sex scenes... To me it's so clear that they don't know how gay sex works, and don't care they just wanna appeal to a certain audience.
- They tried to force dramatic plot into it but it just didn't work, I couldn't take any of it seriously. They shouldn't have gone for the whole dark kidnapping storyline if they can't pull it off.
- I have to give it to you, the hostage picture gave me a good laugh.
- The villain guy was so one dimensional, even disney villains have more depth than he did, it felt like I was watching a parody sketch whenever he was onscreen.
- When I die and go to hell, the demons are going to strap me down and make me watch the spanking scene for all of eternity, my personal hell.

I originally dropped it after episode 6, but my friend was begging me to finish it because SkyPrapai's storyline is apparently so much better.
- Sky was the only saving grace of this show.
- Prapai lowkey unintentionally took advantage of Sky in their first meeting, but like I said, unintentionally. Great! They're already doing better than RainPayu (the bar is on the floor).
- Abow this is so hypocritical, how the hell does she have the nerve to have a character get assaulted but present it in a positive light and then in the same show have an SA sob story... I'm flabbergasted.
- There's not much to say about SkyPrapai, they don't have any of the major flaws the main couple has, the whole show should've been about them.

Overall:
- The pacing of the show is kind of unbearable, the episodes could be half as long and still have the same plot beats and nuance (not that it has nuance in the first place).
- The noise gating is really jarring at times, just overall the audio quality is disappointing (why are the kissing noises SO LOUD in the mix).
- Music is forgettable.
- Source material is written by the author of tharntype, that should've been everyone's first red flag.

"Just don't watch it if you don't like it" most of my points are not about personal preferences, they are genuine concerns I have about the perception of mlm couples and the exposure that mame keeps getting from her writing. There are so many better shows you could watch.
It's so exhausting hearing so many people defending this show, just because it's fictional doesn't mean it has no effect on real people.

Leia Mais

NO.-

NO.- NO.- NO.-
I DON'T CARE IF IT'S FICTION, BLACKMAILING SEX IS NO, ALWAYS WILL BE NO AND FUTURE ACTIONS WILL NOT UNDO IT.
- NO.- NO.- NO.-
I cant believe I saw in a drama in 2022 the manual of "How to love your rapist".
First half barely decent I said ok let's have a try beside all the obsolete cliche of harassment, "husband-wife" etc
Second half...NO.
I can't be entertained by normalizing forced, blackmailed sex and then translate that into a twisted stockholm syndrome.
"Since he won't get out of my head, I won't let him go" says the one who forced someone to have sex with him.
How can someone read this and think "oh so cute! Keep up hunting your prey!" REALLY?!
Rape exists, blackmail exists, abuse exists but in NO WAY you can make me see them as "natural" or transforming.
NO.- NO.- NO.-

Leia Mais

Had Potential, Bad Writing Wrecked It

LIKES:

Location shots, sets and cinematography were all good. Colour pallet was well chosen for the most part. [Wardrobe sometimes over the top in colour, but for the most part well chosen.]
Decent acting for first timers and the actors were well selected for their rolls.
A story where the leads know how to ride motorcycles. [I’m biased on this, because I ride a motorcycle too and find guys who do so, simply hot! LOL].
The actors actually open mouth kissed and not just did pecks, like in some BL shows.
I liked the chemistry of the couples, even though Rain was a little annoying.
FX: all makeup was well done (bruised knuckles, pale sickness look, etc.). Even the makeup to accentuate the mouth or eyes, was tasteful.

DISLIKES:
Production:
Background noise (rain, vehicles, etc.) was often way too loud and it was hard to hear the actors. Thankfully I read subtitles too. Pacing issues all over the place; too many moments where the actors are standing around and staring out into space, when it could’ve been used to give more depth to the story.

Writing:
Terrible writing/script. Barely any plot, stretching along a theme and then not concluding it [Payu supposed to be a badass, even says he has a devilish side, and it never appeared. Sky having trauma and it never being addressed, just glorified.] We the viewer, barely get any character (or their backstory) development and there was hardly any growth either. Also the gossiping landlady didn’t add anything to the story and was just annoying. Another thing was that Payu was supposed to be bisexual, he even says it, but this was never shown, not even as a flash back memory, so why even say it, that was plain dumb.

Directing:
Why spend so much time watching the guys stand around and stare into space, especially in the final episode! Super delayed reactions and where there should be more action, they cut it out. Is that bad editing, writing or directing or all of it? Now one seriously bad part in the directing is that both Payu and Prapai were supposed to be these awesome motorcycle riders. But neither of them would lean the motorcycle over when going into the curves, not even slightly. They shouldn’t draw attention to the riding, with zoomed out shots, if they aren’t going to show the riding properly. It made those guys look like beginners (and they probably got a ten minute tutorial on how to ride). If they wanted to make it seem like they were going fast and dipping low into the corners, without the riders doing so (or paying for stunt doubles), then zoom in at an angle so it looks as if they are leaning the bike way over.

Music:
It was okay, but often ran too long in some scenes and then you couldn’t really hear what the actors were saying.

OVERALL:
Some didn’t like the acting, but I think they did the best they could with such an under developed story and script. Also for beginner actors, the intimacy/chemistry parts were well done. I would recommend it as a good introduction to BL genre. Might just watch the kissing scenes or bits where I liked the chemistry, but wouldn’t watch the whole thing again. I hope Boss and Fort star in more romances, especially BL, but even if it’s with a girl, I’d watch them again. I also hope that in the future serious topics at least have an after message about where to get help, if something similar has happened to you. They need to be more responsible with this type of content.

Leia Mais

Basically p*rn

Okay, first of all, if you're into the no plot, just sex; go ahead. Your decisions don't bother me. What makes me upset with his show is that none of the characters are characters!!!! My favorite thing in media, is for characters to be fleshed out. To have hopes,dreams, fears and sadness. These characters are just people having sex. I really hate the domineering man/naive submissive boy trope, because to me it just feels like sexualizations of kids. It just annoys the crap out of me, because this show is only getting good reviews from people sexualizing bl relationships! :/ I know so many great bls where the characters are themselves, THEN romantic interests. I'm just disappointed ☹️

Leia Mais

PrapaiSky are the standard!

PayuRain: 3/5
They were nothing special to me. They were enjoyable and cute but I wasn’t avidly interested. It took me till episode 5 to be invested in their story; I really enjoyed them once they were together but i thought the journey to get there wasn't anything special or very entertaining. I think they got together a bit too quickly and needed more emotional intimacy, especially since Payu was a bit manipulative of the situation and in getting Rain to peruse him.

PrapaiSky: 5/5
They really carried this series for me! They're in my top 3 favourite couples of all time, I could literally talk about them forever! They fill my heart with so many emotions i can't even describe it.

So many scenes were all time favourites for me, I couldn’t pick just one… “I want to see your lovely smile…”, the notebook scene, Sky ringing Pai after he has a nightmare, “P’Pai… can I really love you?” UGH THEY WERE ALL JUST SO GOOD!

Sky is so relatable… I want my own Prapai… I cried so many times… I wish we could've had a million episodes with them. I have already rewatched their section of the series 3 times <3

Series overall: 4/5
It was a perfect balance of fluff and angst. For newbies the actors are fantastic (especially Fort, he is a beautiful crier, and Peat portrayed Sky’s trauma and emotions so well) And finally I really like the atmosphere of the soundtrack.

Leia Mais

Like Jisoo said - "Not Bad But Not Good"

I have very mixed feelings about this BL. Probably the most mixed I've ever felt for a BL series. For one, we have to consider that this is a MAME series, which is already negative, and for that alone cannot get at least a 10 out of me. But in regards to everything else, I don't know -- I'm seriously conflicted. So join me on this very bumpy roller coaster that is gonna just be me writing my real-time feelings while still trying to figure out how I'm going to rate this.

Let's Dive In.

Let's forget this is a MAME series for a second so I don't immediately decide to hate this series because of her alone lol. But if anything, I think this series leaned more in "ehh" plot-wise. I hate when a plot gets weirdly turned into some crazy out-of-the-ordinary scenario, and this series had quite a bit of those. Rain getting kidnapped, Sky walking into a set-up rape (us seeing him get raped good lord), yeah, a bunch of those scary ones. Other than that, I get lost in what the plot was supposed to be. Rich illegal street racers fall for uni students?? Yes, I think?? Nothing really happened and there wasn't any real conflict. It was really just a happens-as-we-go type of thing, which I didn't mind too much with this series. Really, the plot is what I'm least conflicted on, and more so these couples.

Payu and Rain were surprisingly pretty good. what really takes the cake are their NC scenes which are done very nicely. I don't have much to say about them, were they toxic? For sure in the beginning, but it seems to get better by the end.

Who I'm really conflicted with is Sky and Prapai. For one, Prapal coerced Sky into having sex with him. Then continues to pester Sky into dating him until Sky's forced to give in. But then he says all the right thing to Sky and becomes super soft and respectful, and you forget about all of that, but it still looms in your head like, damn, he's not a good person. Especially when Sky is being raped and when Prapai is "saving" him, he's just being forceful and mean. I think this is where I broke my, "I like you have a cupcake" with them. Outside of that, I think the actors had nice chemistry and had played out their NC scenes the best.

Actually, now that I'm writing this, I don't think I liked it all that much. Outside of the actor's chemistry, the NC scenes, Payu being shirtless, and maybe PraPai sometimes being a gentleman to Sky -- I didn't really enjoy the series. Cause if all of these things were taken out, I would've probably dropped this series by episode 2.

Rating:

Story: 5/10 - I don't know why I gave this rating either. While the plot is lacking, it's still somewhat followed this personification of weather and comparing it to their stories at the beginning of each episode, and I did appreciate that. The other two points would go to the chemistry of the couples, but outside of that, I don't really remember when the story get's "good" per see.

Acting: 8/10 - Pretty good. They know how to have chemistry with one another, which is important. Nouel needs a bit more work, and I would say the same for Fort too. Other than that, the cast was decent.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it, but that means it wasn't distracting.

Rewatch Value: 3/10 - it would only be to watch the NC scenes if I'm being honest.

Watch it if you want. Think less plot and more chemistry. That's what I should've done. I don't necessarily recommend it unless someone is looking for a spicy series, and then this would be my go-to.

Leia Mais

Great chemistry and not much else

What can I say lol, it’s a MAME drama. You get what you expect for the most part.

The story is split in two and the quality of the production pretty much tanks with the second couple. I’m not saying it was ever a high-end production, but it was passable. The second half just clearly didn’t get the time or money to be very good.
The sound editing is atrocious the entire show lol. You will hear the actors bump the mic pretty much once a scene. The phone calls have better sound quality than the live scenes, so it seems like the phone call is happening in person lol it’s kind of jarring actually.

Neither story has any plot, really. It’s lowkey soft core porn.
Frankly, just accepting that for what it is, and cutting it off at the first couple, I would have rated it a 9 or something lol. The first couple had really great chemistry, which is really all you can ask for when the story itself doesn’t have anything going on. For the most part, they aren’t especially toxic and are just two dudes in a consensual relationship.

The second couple… well. It’s implied in their first interaction that Sky has a history with being sexually abused by his partners. And I could just tell that they were not going to treat that subject matter with the care that it needs… because it’s MAME.
And, of course, I was proven correct. It’s basically treated as a plot device for their romance.
I did like Sky, before they essentially sacrifice his personality for the sake of “vulnerability”. Sky can still be strong and Independent while also working on being more vulnerable with the people he loves. But that would be too complex for this show, so he is infantilized instead.

Let’s not even talk about the shoehorned in assault scene in the last episode. Just why?

Sigh, oh well.

Leia Mais

Didn't feel the hype. Unpopular opinion.

Well this is awkward...

This started off as a solid 4 star read for Payu/Rain story, but it all went downhill from there since Sky/Pai story started. Not to say that this was not a fun watch - because it was. I was just expecting more.

*ahem*

You're confused. Well here i explain it.

I was expecting a chemical and passionate story about two people falling for each other like Payu/Rain but what what i watch is superficial and cheesy words and gestures.

It was supposed to be a "slow burn" romance but It felt... repetitive, dull, dry and rigid. That's how I'd define for this second couple story.

Didn't feel the hype.

I really think a lot of people, like me will enjoy this... I also think a lot of people will love this story for what it is - just like I have. Unfortunately, I speak for myself when I say this story just did not do it for me.

Leia Mais

The chemistry between both pairs will take you to heaven

One of the bestest bl drama.The cunning nature of Payu the cute dumbness of Rain is one of the attractive part in this series.How Payu makes Rain woo him and makes him his boyfriend is so cute and how Payu understand Rain's feelings.
In one of the episode Payu is ready to give up his pride to save Rain and ready to kneel down in front of Rain's kidnapper makes us love Payu more.How Payu announced Rain his boyfriend and Rain accepted it in front of friends make us fall with this couple?
This series have 4 main protagonists makes it differ and the writer gives importance to all equally makes it special
When we consider Pai and Sky...The way Pai woo Sky makes me smile like crazy.The way he held him in his hands when Sky scares and cries and say "i love you" take us directly to heaven
Sky's character is also so sweet .how he is scared of Pai gets bored on him shows how much he loves Pai and want to be with him forever
The actors are so handsome and their Acting makes us feel it's real
MUST WATCH
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Leia Mais

Tharntype 2.0

If I had known this story was written by the same author as tharntype, I would have never even gave it a chance. What even is going on in this show... If you're looking for fluff, consensual relationships, non-toxicity, and a strong plot? Sorry, this ain't it. If you're looking for some good steamy scenes then this might be up your alley if you just ignore everything else wrong with the show!

To start off with the plot? There is none. If that's the kind of show you're looking for I'd advise you to skip this. Outside of the romances there is absolutely nothing going on, well besides the occasional bad guy that usually then gets involved in the romance plot. Dare I say the show is just complete fanservice, and cringe (not the good kind).

The one thing I'll give this show props for is the intimate scenes, they were well done in my opinion. However, when given the context and consent status of these scenes...


NO MEANS NO
STOP MEANS STOP

That's right about where my nice thoughts for this show ends.

The beginning of this show truly got me hyped, there was something so good about it that got me hooked in, and almost immediately all my interest dropped. It's like they spent all their time on a really good hook for their essay and didn't know where to go after that. And yet again this show delves into the galaxy of dub con and non con... they can't keep getting away with this. Whether including this is realistic or not, the problem is that non con is not dealt with the way it should be. It should be criticized and shamed on, but here it is romanticized and sexualized and there are no reprecussions for the perpetrator. I'm seeing some say that Phayu touching Rain without consent was okay because he didn't go the whole way?? If someone doesn't want to be touched, then you don't touch them, that's that. Now how does this show THAT DEALS WITH A CHARACTER WHO HAS BEEN SA'D simultaneously have dub con and non con?? It's just not adding up and giving me flashbacks to Tharntype that did the exact same thing.

Albeit that I did technically stop watching every second legimately at episode 6, I skipped around a bit having some hope left for this show. So maybe I don't get to have a say about this show because I didn't fully watch each and every single episode, but I also know right from wrong and how you should treat another HUMAN BEING.


1ST COUPLE THOUGHTS

For the first couple, they honestly didn't interest me. The first few minutes of the episode intrigued me and got me excited for them and that was about it. The chemistry between them was palpable (and i dont necessarily mean this about the actors) and got boring around episode 6 like im not getting concerned for Rain getting kidnapped like I should be.

I dislike the "I'm not gay, I like girls, oh but I'm gay for you" trope. People can question their sexuality and not be sure about what they're into, but I just think Rain's switch from saying he's not gay to falling in love with Phayu so short after that is too fast. If they hadn't had made the 2nd couple a sole focus for the other half of the series, they could've made Phayu and Rain a slowburn. Then again would I really want to see that.

2ND COUPLE THOUGHTS

I was really intrigued by the second couple for the longest time because I really liked Sky and their story didnt even start until ep 8 I think...? So, I watched that episode only to be imensely disappointed that Sky was essentially blackmailed by Pai to have a one night stand, consensual or not you don't have the right to have sex with someone just because you helped them....

Some more skipping and stuff, Pai not knowing what the word "no" means... I saw all of Sky's trauma and past in ep 13 and I honestly was about to cry at some point, this guy has been through a lot and deserves much better (and when I say this I AM INCLUDING PAI too, boy needs therapy before he gets into another relationship honestly...) and when Pai comforts him saying "I'd never do those things to you." ... Good for you Pai, good for you being able to do the bare minimum in a relationship, however instead of saying YOU would never do those things can you just comfort your boyfriend who is currently reliving, and willing to tell you, his trauma..

It's just so conflicting cause they can present good examples of a healthy relationship and comforting your partner who's been through trauma, such as the "tell me when you're ready", but then they mix it in with this weird shit that's just manipulative and while what they say is nice, I guess, I feel like it's just not the right time to say those things.

I GOT SO MAD WHEN PAI SCREAMED AT SKY. This poor guy is reliving his trauma and shaking and you got the fucking nerve to think he's cheating on you?? I completely understand that Pai didn't know the situation at this point but he can also read a room RIGHT?? If I see that my partner is literally shaking and about to cry my first thought isn't going to be to yell at them right in their face. I would also just like to add that Gun didnt get hit nearly enough times.

For the record, I truly think that Sky should not be in a relationship for his own well-being, he's got some serious trauma that has been repressed and having this dependency on Pai is not healthy. I'm sorry it isn't like the fantasies, love does not fix trauma.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

I really dislike the infantilization of some of the characters in this story, more specifically Rain and Sky. This is a weird trope that needs to die, and yes I completely understand that some relationships are like this irl HOWEVER when it is presented this way with every relationship in these bl shows you can clearly tell its a stereotype to make sure you know who's a top and who's a bottom. Like what even was that spanking scene with Phayu and Rain, I was uncomfortable to say the least. Pai and Phayu calling them "babies" irks me. You can't tell me there's not a power dynamic going on here, more specifically with the age.

Both couples were more likable when they were secondary characters, they seemed to act more normal, more human..

Phayu and Pai are walking red flags. Pai is literally a stalker, his actions in the beginning are unacceptable and he has little growth after that. Getting a spare key to his crush's room was not cute or sweet, it's an invasion of privacy. Changing sim cards everytime Sky blocked him.. Are we supposed to want them to get together or?? Pai was literally cuddling with that guy at the bday party, I'm not hearing it from ANYONE.. Phayu constantly forces himself onto Rain before they're in a relationship even as Rain has expressed his disdain. In the end Phayu always blames Rain for not behaving and that he was asking for it, EW.

Phayu being mad was supposed to be hot I guess, but I was left feeling uncomfortable and concerned for Rain's safety at times. His actor has charisma and yes is attractive, however it's hard to feel any positive emotions after the things Phayu has done.

Truly if someone has a hard time understanding why people are writing harsh reviews about this show then apply some of the things these characters do into real life. They would be penalized, and the problem is that the show makes it seems like their behavior is okay. I wouldn't have a problem if they made stories like these if they didnt romanticize the hell out of non con, dub con, and toxic relationships and rather they critiqued it.

Sorry for how disorganized this whole thing is, I've never written a review before but I had to let out my annoyance with this show.

Leia Mais