Peixe no Céu (2021)

Sweet and dorky

This drama is kind of sweet, well atleast the main couple is but more or less everybody else with a few exceptions got on my nerves one way or another.

The main couple is this really dorky immature, self conscious guy who falls for this super sweet (that is actually super sweet) guy. His best friend mr super popular has however had a huge crush on the dork for the longest time. Mr popular tries hard to get the attention of mr dork but mr dork just will not believe his efforts no matter what he does. But mer popular is VERY persistent borderline stalking him or is it getting him out of his shell... Well what ever it is most of the show revolves around mr populars attempts to get mr dork of his best friend and in to him instead while facing intense shipping and other peoples looks. Mr popular is however extremely sweet and caring and if we can look past the being way to persistens he is actually a model boyfriend and probably one of dramalands sweetest guys (so is his best friend).

The dorks brother is probably one of the most gross and stupid guys in the land of the bls, he had 4 good friends that may or may not be a mix of the guys in boys over flowers and fab five (ok 4) they are kind of sweet and do allot to help the plot move along. But also offensive and use unexeptable punch down, CA humor.

The highlight of this drama is the dorks parents who give us a lovely display of a happy marriage.

All in all sweet but not much more.

Leia Mais

Manipulation meets insecurity

Seriously.

That's the story of this show. The entire show is about Mork. Mork, who has absolutely no personality traits outside of loving Pi and who uses his supposed popularity to constantly pressure him into their relationship. From stalking him, refusing to give him any time to think or space to never accepting his no to refusing to actually be his friend to threatening to out their relationship if Pi, who has been chronically insecure and uncomfortable with crowds, doesn't do it for him.

Mork repeatedly makes posts about their non-existent relationship despite Pi's objections, including doing a FB live with the stalkers who Pi asked to stop before WITH MORK NEXT TO HIM. Mork also never accepts no, confesses to Pi in public multiple times and generally refuses to respect a single boundary Pi ever tries to have.

Pi's ever attempt to lay down a boundary is met by resistance, no matter how basic that boundary might be. It's honestly depressing.

I, honestly, find this to be the worst BL was a 'happy' ending I've ever watched. It's so bad I'm writing an actual review just to be sure people know.

Leia Mais

Praising the Series

The story is beautiful it starts off in a cute way, and it breaks all the expectations we created in the beginning.
The surprises are open-mouthed!
When we like someone, we can't really see anything around us anymore, the way they embraced this concept, and giving us a character –Pi– who was a real "Fish Upon the Sky" without knowing, to someone close to him, his "enemy"– Mork, and his feelings turning from hate to love, is certainly beautiful and applauding.
I loved the naturalness of everything in the series. And all the other characters (like Duean's gang– Koh, Yok, James and Jeans) Duean and Meen, theirs parents, and the plot twist made this series a pleasure to watch and listen to.
I loved!

Leia Mais

I tried to enjoy it

Let's start with the good (no spoilers):
I love phuwin and neo as brothers: it's so silly and their dynamic really does feel like they're brothers
i also adore louis and pond as brothers: i really did not expect it but it's very cute and very different from phuwin and neo's pairing as brothers which makes a nice contrast between the characters.
i also adored neo x louis but that's because i also saw them in the eclipse together. seeing them here as a more silly and innocent couple made me laugh a lot (iit made up for the time i wasted with pond x phuwin)
the ensemble cast of neo's friends was great: i loved how they gave phuwin's character advice and helped him build confidence.
the supporting sidecharacters were tbh the saving grace of this series because there was nothing enticing about the plot of this series.
i liked louis' voice for the ost and mix too!
the bad:
everything else. Especially the story for the main couple. there is no valuable message or meaning that FUTS wants to convey to its audience and instead just tries to throw a mix of well-known faces at you and hope you don't see that the characters have no chemistry with each other, the script is corny and cringe and the drama is unoriginal and bland.

(spoilers)
oh gee another jealous ex-girlfriend who stirrs up drama at the end? who would've expected that? not me!
besides: wtf was up with the weird fan shipping thing??? i get that they're supposed to represent irl BL fans, but in the end in FUTS the shippers get rewarded almost??? like there are no consequences AT ALL for their invasive and obnoxious behaviour.
instead of spending time on the shippers, they could've spend more time on developing Mix' character or Mork, yk the actual love interest? all we know about him is that he's the best friend of mix and madly in love with Pi for years. but where is his personality? Like let him be funny, let him be actually caring and thoughtful towards not only Pi but also others, because he wants to be. LET HIM HAVE OTHER FRIENDS AND HOBBIES INSTEAD OF ONLY CHASING PI!!!
also i must say: i don't think pond acted very well in this series but im going to blame it on the script and directing bc this story just sucked and im sure he can act and isn't just a pretty face.

final verdict: don't waste your time. watch a different series.

Leia Mais

it feels mean

Listen I love pulp ridiculous shows with problematic characters, like I loved My Engineer, but FUTS is a failure at pulling that of.

I genuinely believe that if this story was done by a different director/screenwriter then I could have loved it. However, I feel like this director went into this show in bad faith.
In summary this show attempts to a lighthearted comedy filled with tropes and not meant to be taken seriously. I say attempts because it can't even manage that. Before I get into the negatives, I will say that I think the actors did as well as they could have, and I felt they were genuinely engaging and I would be glad to see them in other shows in the future. I also like the general premise of a shy, insecure person falling for someone the exact opposite and them both growing together, I also really like the rivals to lovers trope and how it could be used in this context.

Now to the negatives:
1. The comedy is about as subtle as a brick to the face, and there are many places that can work but this feels like what a 40 year old thinks people in their teens think is funny. It misses the charm and nuance that comes from comedy based around a group of peers or friends. In fact a lot of the humour feels mean, it feels like its reliance on making jabs at other characters, or worse in some cases. Which leads us to:

2. There is a part that is played for laughs that is racially insensitive towards Sikhs. This was called out when it aired and though I have criticisms of the response of those higher ups involved, I do have a hope that this leads to this not happening in future shows. The issue is that this once again shows a disconnect with the humour, it gives the show a low level feeling of being mean because of its reliance on punching down humour. It doesn't know how to be funny without being immature or trying to put someone else down.

3. I also feel like the pacing could use work, though I'm more forgiving of this knowing the set episode numbers. The middle episodes got realllll slow, which doesn't really fit the feel of the show.

4. The female representation. Not unique to FUTS, this is an issue in most BL series but there is a habit of BL series to either villainise, infatuated, or infantilise female characters. In FUTS, We see that with the 'twist' female character being the one behind things due to infatuation that they then got over in like 2 scenes. Of the very few other female characters they are toxic shippers which is reliant on the 'infatuated' element of villainising women.

5. Speaking of toxic shippers, They're generally bad and FUTS halfway tries to show that critically but does it with no pay off or development. They don't learn or get consequences. And here is another overarching element of FUTS: it is noticeable that the characters the show is trying to criticise with the shippers are either women or gay characters that are coded more feminine. Which brings me to one of my biggest critiques.

6.Mork. Just Mork. Mork is the prime example of my main critique of FUTS and its that I feel like the director went into the show in bad faith and was reliant on stereotypes. Mork's behaviour throughout the show is the light version of 'gay people are predators'. He is stalker-ish, dismissive to Pi's opinions and autonomy, manipulative and generally an uncomfortable character to watch. He spends the show pushing Pi's boundaries, talking down to him when he says he is uncomfortable and engaging in stalker behaviour but with the veneer of romanticising it. Pi isn't ready to tell people about their relationship, Mork says thats okay but acts otherwise. Pi is extremely uncomfortable with the shippers, so Mork goes to the shippers when Pi doesn't do what he want him to do.

I do not think it was the directors/screenwriters intent to be negative. I think they went in to this thinking they were making a show that was just a bit of fun. But the overarching feel of the show is that it was created by a middle age straight man whose view of gay people is unintentionally tainted by old stereotypes. Its not intentionally malicious, I think the director wanted to make a good show that did a gay romance well but didn't know how and so relied on water-downed versions of stereotypes without realising.
The result of this though is a show that feels like its mean to everyone and everything it could be with a beautiful assistant of over the top comedy distracting you from it. So if you want to watch it I say keep your eye on the beautiful assistant rather than what the magician is doing in the corner.

Leia Mais

it's cute & all but that's it..

While I've watched bls from gmmtv & really liked few of them , my overall opinion about the company & the type of bls it produces isn't that good. So I tend to avoid watching their contents. When I decided to watch this series I just wanted to see how it is & didn't have much expectations. Honestly I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first few episodes but the series as a whole wasn't that fun for me.
The main lead Pi & his stupid antics during the first few episodes were so much fun to watch.
& then Pi's bro Duean.. he's such a crackhead always leading his bro to embarrassing situations with his dumb aadvices. also his love story was funny too. & the way the story switches between the main couple & the second couple was interesting & hilarious. But then as the story moved forward everything stopped being fun & I realised I wasn't enjoying it anymore. The couples are cute & all but I couldn't form any emotional connection with the characters & I realised there's nothing new in the plot that I haven't watched before.
Still I decided to complete it because I didn't have much episodes left to watch. At one point I just wanted to know how everything is going to end & I kept fast forwarding & skipping scenes.
Yeah it's cute & all but honestly the story don't have much depth. Watch it if you want something light & have lots of time to spare. You may or may not enjoy it. It depends on your mood & taste.

Leia Mais

Another Typical GMMTV series

This series was hard for me to get into only because it had aired right after one of GMMTVs greatest BL series ever, so going from a dramatic and serious tone to this comedic and crazy setting was a bit difficult for some reason. Sadly, this series didn't leave anything impressive for me to remember it months down the road, and it will surely be forgotten about after another handful of series are watched. It was another typical BL series with a boring plot, an even boring-ier setting, and one-dimensional characters plus a stalker.

Let's Dive In.

let's start with production and plot. As for settings and whatnot, nothing new, but, I really did like the OST. The plot was pretty simplistic and something we've seen played out many times before. There is nothing ugly about wearing glasses or braces, but I knew they needed something to drive the plot, so I was willing to look past that. One thing that I really enjoyed about this series was the way they changed the proportions of Duean and Meen's screens when they were on. It felt like I was watching another series but in a good way. I liked also how they had their own title to each episode, and really appreciated how much work was put into their screen time. A big pat on the back for that part. The craze-BL- fans' side plot ruined this series. I literally am begging GMMTV to stop these ridiculous crazy-BL-fans plots in literally every BL they make (TOTS is an exception cause it was a MASTERPIECE). The other side plots were not important and were just like any other series we've seen before. I was hoping there would be this big moral at the end of the series about loving oneself just the way they are, which we sort of got, but not in the way I was hoping for. It was more of, as long as you change the way you look than past you was okay.

Moving onto characters. this is unusual for me to start with the parents, but that's where I'm starting. I was absolutely in love with Pi's parents. They themselves had such a good relationship and I loved how flirty the dad was with the mom. I like how they were both super accepting of Pi's older brother's boyfriend, and the relationship with Pi and his mom. Moving onto Pi, I loved Phuwin's acting in this. He did a fantastic job at playing with the comedic side of this series. I think I liked him best when he did have braces and glasses more than when he was "fixed". Although Pi was a good character, he was still pretty typical and was far from my favorite. Moving of Duean, Neo's acting in this is 1000x times better than in Tonhon Chonlatee. Neo played this character almost perfectly. His actions, the tone of his voice, his emotions. I'm very proud of how much he has improved. Duean was one of my favorite characters. He was a little mean and hot-headed at times, but I just loved the choices that Neo made with this character, and how soft he was around Meen. Onto Meen, by far my favorite character. He was so pure and lighthearted that it was hard for me not to like him. This was my first time seeing Louis and I am a huge fan. The emotions of Meen, the actions of Meen, and literally anything else were so precious that I was just too excited for him and Duean. I loved his little water bottle around his neck and the way he held his bag when he walked, urgh, literally just everything. Moving on the Kitty gang I believe they're called, nothing spectacular or anything, but I got to see one of the twins, so I'm pleased with what we got there. Bam was an excellent friend in the beginning until she just wasn't by the end. I wish they wouldn't have had her sabotage Pi and Mork's relationship and just had her really be a supportive friend. Mueang Nan was amazing, but I might but a little bias just because I love Mix so much. We didn't get to see much of him after the first few episodes, but what we did get was really good. All in all, these characters didn't have much of a personality outside of being someone's love interest or a side plot. I would've loved to see them being anything else other than what they were.

Moving onto Mork who gets his own paragraph because he was the worst person ever. I see everyone praising Mork and thinking that he was the best boyfriend ever and how they wanted someone like him, but if this were real life, I promise you that Mork would've been sent a restraining order. There was nothing good about Mork at all. Sure he liked Pi and he was a decent boyfriend, but the excessive stalking made me completely lose any love that I had for this couple. For example, Pi minding his business in the cafe just casually drinking his coffee until he spills it and then leaves for two seconds just to go clean up, which was perfect enough time for Mr. creeper to swoop in and buy him another coffee. How did he know he was there? How come Mork would just randomly be wherever Pi was? This turned me off for real. And it didn't help at all that Pond's acting was stiff as a board. Being pretty can only get you so far. He had one factual expression and that was it. I would give him the benefit of the doubt because he's a rookie actor, but Mix is just as new as he is and Mix is fantastic. Besides Mork being a stalker, he was still not the overall perfect boyfriend that everyone was praising him for being.

Since the beginning, I wanted Nan and Pi together, and that just never changed. I really could care less for Pi and Mork. Their entire relationship was just boring and I felt no chemistry between them. The fact that their entire relationship was being broadcasted everywhere for these crazy obsessive fans was also a huge factor in my dislike for them. Nan just seemed like the better choice for Pi in my opinion, and I was kind of hoping those series would surprise us and have them end up together, but nope, no hope there. Meen and Duean were the cutest. They didn't end up together until the very end, but I still loved their dynamic. I loved Duean and how caring he was for Meen, and I liked how Meen cared for him too. I don't know why they made him out to be this super annoying person in episode one, cause after that, we don't see him act like that again.

Some other nit-picky stuff. All the kisses between the couples were super stiff and cringey. If there is to be a season two, then I hope these actors learn how to kiss or they'll be in trouble. The long stares hurt my soul so much, it added such awkwardness into the atmosphere that was super hard to get rid of.


Overall, this series will probably end up being forgotten about. I would recommend this to a person trying to get into BL, cause at the end of the day, it was still super lighthearted and an easy watch.

Leia Mais

the potential was there....

....but then they made mork basically not respect any of pi's boundaries. i just. why did pi fall for mork??? because in my opinion mork certainly did. a couple of things where i would be like "okay nope goodbye" even if he had nice moments in between

the lowkey stalkerish behaviour?? engaging with the shippers even though pi is clearly super uncomfy? him being kind pushy about pi liking him? like damn let the guy breathe... idk that kind of behaviour just doesnt sit well with me

it also felt rlly sudden that pi changed his mind and decided to date mork. did they realize that they ran out of episodes and needed to bring it to an end?
the writing in general isn’t great. the actors are doing a decent job but they can only do so much if the writing sucks

also wtf was that whole shipping thing, it was so creepy, pi you should have called the police

i did laugh at a few moments and i rlly liked the actors' performances but that only made the show bearable, not good

Leia Mais

Finally a well done BL comedy

For me this is the best BL drama of 2021 and i´ve watched a lot or at least the most popular ones (included Lovely Writer and ATOTS) , is a solid comedy bl, the script was okay, the acting is good so that means the directing is good too, there is no movie or series with a good acting and bad directing, both are conected, unless the cast included Meryl Streep.

Is a feel good comedy since the begining til the end, that consistence is rare to see in dramas these days even in korean ones.
The main characters have intersting personalites and they´re definitely not two dimensional, you can see their good and bad or flawed side, so when people said "GMMTV" ruined some character just sounds ridiculous to me because every character made mistakes and show humanity during the whole show, Pi being insecure, Mork being too insistent, Duean being inmature, Meen being naive. But it was cool to see that, there.

I feel taht this Show had a lot of references of popular culture, and even tought i couldn´t catch all, were used in a fun and interesting way.
About the editing for me it was okay, i mean, ther wasn´t unnecesary scenes, the pace wasn´t boring like in other dramas, and IDK so much in this field so for me the cut was fine.

The music is really good, fun and fresh here.

And finally i definetly could watch this any time, in a sad day ofor after being so busy just to feel good and change the mood.

Leia Mais

Started Out Promising, But Then…

Okay so this BL series started off really promising, but unfortunately I feel like as the episodes progressed further, I found myself becoming more annoyed. This review will be lengthy (Sorry)

What I liked:
DUEAN AND MEEN
- The highlight of the series was this pair. For most of the series their relationship was used as more of a comedic tool, not much drama. The two characters compliment each other’s personalities well. Unlike with the main pair, this relationship seemed to develop naturally on its own with unrecognized feelings beginning to grow between both characters. Duean’s comedic dialogue with the narrator was always hilarious. What I like the most about this pairing is that it didn’t turn into one of those typical ‘the manly, assertive type and the fragile, naive type’ while it’s intended that Meen’s character is naive and innocent-like, it is not cringey. And Meen often asserts himself with Duean. Would love for them to have their own series someday honestly. The portrayal of the characters by the actors was great. The actors themselves showed great chemistry with one another.

THE CHARACTER OF NAN
- Probably my favorite character of the series, despite having VERY limited screen time. Nan is understanding, open-minded, supportive, level-headed, and just overall so kind that I think everyone in the world would wish for him to be real and their friend. Nan plays a part in getting our two main protagonists together. However, I found myself sometimes not even minding if Pi had ended up with Nan. But would then quickly dismiss such thoughts because Pi is just... Unfortunately Nan is an under appreciated character that isn’t given enough screen time despite the writers of this series clearly implying that Nan has his own personal story that affects him, one which we never get a glimpse of details about until the VERY LAST EPISODE. Overall, just the best character of the series to me.

DUEAN’S FRIENDS
- These are a group of characters that, just like Nan, did not get much screen time. However, they definitely are like-able and memorable. Duean’s group of friends are loyal and supportive not just to Durean but also Pi. While they are often used for comedic relief, they also do well in giving Duean and Pi advice when needed.

What I didn’t like (Oh boy):

NORMALIZING TOXIC SHIPPING
- This is probably what I disliked the most about this series. The cringey shippers. At first I feel like the writers were doing well in addressing the harmful impact that the actions of these toxic shippers can have on the lives of the individuals they fetishize. Having Pi consistently express discomfort at their harassment was something I agreed with. However, that expression becomes redundant to his character arch and the story at the end of the series. Despite the harassment, stalking, invasion of privacy, all seems to be forgiven on behalf of Mork and Pi to the shippers because of a simple slideshow of pictures, TAKEN WITHOUT CONSENT, of Mork and Pi before they had come out as a couple to the world. Within the last minutes of the last episode the shippers are once again, for some reason that isn’t necessary at all, given screen time having them lurking behind a tree stalking another pair to fetishize about. This part of the plot definitely wasn’t necessary at all considering it doesn’t seem like there were consequences given nor had any character learned anything valuable from these experiences.

MORK’S SEEMINGLY OBSESSIVE AND MANIPULATIVE TENDENCIES
- Okay so overall, as a character, Mork was decent. I didn’t like the character nor did I dislike him. Beginning the series I found his pursuing of Pi respectful, not so pushy, sweet even. However as the series started reaching toward the later episodes I starting becoming more annoyed with his actions. He just became a lot more pushier, almost obsessive. It first started with the stalkerish behavior; consistently appearing in places that Pi is in. Then the whole ‘fake lover to make the person I’m pursuing jealous,’ is overused, and manipulative. I feel like it’s just counter productive in a way (at least in real life situations it probably would be). Yes, Mork is successful in making Pi jealous but that doesn’t mean Pi couldn’t have (and rightfully so) began even doubting Mork’s feelings for him after he’s consistently pestered him about said feelings. Maybe it’s just me but I think if someone is confused about their feelings for someone and looks unsure or uncomfortable with that someone’s advancements toward them, that confused person should be given space to relax and reflect. Not manipulated by a plot ‘oh look at me I’ve moved on so quickly from you despite earlier in the day reinstating my love to you.’ The whole thing of Mork’s engagement with the ‘fans’ that fetishize a relationship between them two is also I feel very manipulative.

THE EVIL FEMALE CHARACTER TROPE
- Speaking of the ‘fake lover to make the person I’m pursuing jealous’ plot… Okay so the writers had me fooled believing that they wouldn’t place the typical evil female character trying to come between our two main protagonists. But… that’s exactly what happened. When the female was introduced as Mork’s friend and ‘pretend lover’ I wasn’t particularly happy at all. As I mentioned before this whole plan seems counter productive and manipulative to me. However, then it seemed like the female was genuine with her motives, trying to get the two together. Until literally the last episode where she illogically admits to having feelings for Mork, therefore tries to sabotage the main protagonists’ relationship. 10minutes after said sabotage she’s helping Mork get back together with Pi… Honestly I felt she wasn’t needed in the series at all. The writers just used this evil female trope to create illogical and unnecessary drama. Also she was rather annoying as Mork’s pretend girlfriend. She also does not face any consequences for her actions, and half asses an apology…

UNNECESSARY EXCESSIVE FOCUS ON CERTAIN ISSUES OVER OTHER MORE VALID ISSUES
- This is probably what I found most irritating about this series. Issues that seemed the most interesting and would give more depth to the series, were either given a backseat or literally introduced in full display within the last episodes. For example, Pi’s insecurities. Beginning the series, Pi had relatable issues such as being timid and insecure. However these valid issues seemed to be overshadowed with the writers consistently displaying Pi’s feelings for Nan, then his doubt of his feelings for Nan, then his denial of his feelings for Mork as Mork becomes more pushy and obsessive. It would have made the series more relatable, easier to feel sympathy for Pi, had the writers focused the whole ‘denial of feelings for Mork’ montage more associated with Pi’s insecurities about himself and not clinging onto his feelings for Nan. Just having him consistently deny and reject Mork because.. He just wants to??? Felt really unnecessarily prolonged. The writers started doing what I just suggested within the last few episodes of the series. AND this only seemed to be triggered into action because of the evil female trope and the toxic shipping, not something he’s been dealing with consistently throughout the series. (Side note; instead of showing back and forth chasing and rejecting between Mork and Pi, the writers should have cut that short to give Nan and his story more screen time, but I digress.)

PI’S LACK OF LIKE-ABILITY AS THE SERIES PROGRESSED
- At first this character seemed relatable, like-able, quirky. I even found him to be really adorable in the beginning episodes. But then I just started becoming increasingly more annoyed with his actions and his character as the series progressed. Just like with the character of Mork, I didn’t like nor dislike this character. It was just more of a ‘Meh’ feeling.

Overall:
- This series I would classify as average/decent. It had a lot of potential to be better especially with the issues the writers were trying to introduce but then gave a backseat to. The side couple shined brighter than the main couple, for me. Unfortunately so much drama that could have been placed within the earlier episodes was subjected to the last two episodes and felt unnecessary or rushed. (Side note; the pacing of this series was kinda strange) The acting was decent as well, there were a lot of cringey moments that had me having to pause and reflect but there were cute cringey moments as well (Duean and Meen kings of cute cringey moments). I personally wouldn’t watch the series again, at least not all the way through. Maybe just Duean/Meen and Nan moments I’d rewatch only. I’m aware there will be people that do not agree with my points and feel otherwise. However, I ask that my opinions about this series be respected and I will also respect the opinions of others. The final thing I want to say is that NAN DESERVES HIS OWN SERIES PLEASE.

Leia Mais

Another 2gether thing

I wish I had known this is by the same writer as 2gether and TOL, so I didn't have to waste my time. Not bad, per se, just not my cup of tea.
This is comedic, a little exaggerated kind of comedy.
Both main characters are stalkers, basically, which is alright. Good acting, good-looking actors.
The story is kind of crappy though. Stalking your crush is one thing, but not protecting your crush from other stalkers and even encouraging this bad behavior is just awful.
Mork doesn't take no for an answer, he dared to call Pi's feelings towards Nan as obsession, while he himself has been stalking Pi from the get go. There's also the whole issue with the chatting with Pi anonymously while also talking him irl without telling him he's the same person, though that's resolved early-ish?

I understand Pi's aversion to 'friends' given his experience -betrayal, bullying, taken advantage of-, so I understand he wouldn't want to become friends with Mork either.
IDK, I'm too tired for this and I don't want to analyze this series further.

note: Deuan and Meen are not too bad though. Interesting characters.
note 2: Mix is so damn good-looking and soft and adorable here. I'm glad he didn't play main CP in this omg thank God. He's perfect as the perfect dream guy Nan.

Leia Mais