O Eclipse (2022)

A wastage of a great cast

The Eclipes is a wannabe ”The Gifted”, minus the fantasiacal aspect of the series and most importantly, minus the strongest aspect of The Gifted, an actual enemy.

We have Akk, the perfect school boy and prefect, under the command of Teacher Chadok. His one and only motive is to uphold the reputation of Suppalo as the top school in Thailand. The biggest obstacles in his path are a trio of protestors who demand that the school rules be modified to a modern version which supports students more in their endeavour to be freer. A new addition is the new school boy Aye who is from the rival top school in the country.

Akk, who idolises his predecessor school prefect and worships Teacher Chadok does his best to stop these nefarious elements but Aye is a new sort of obstacle. He's somebody Akk can't figure out. And his own feelings whenever he's around the cocky Aye are a jumble of "I hate him" and getting alternately flustered and impressed by Aye's shamelessness and outrageous courage. And as Akk falls first, Aye too can't help being drawn to this school prefect who seems to be so perfect on the outside but is crumbling on the inside.

I have nothing but admiration for Kahotung and First. This is both of theirs, as I would call it, "first proper main roles". Tonhon Chonlattee (Khaotung's first main role) and The Shipper (First's first main role) were a huge disservice to these actors and a painful memory most viewers wanted to erase. They brought the best of themselves to the screen here.

Broken souls recognise one another and Aye sees just another lost boy in Akk. They become a safe space for each other as Aye tries to unveil the mystery behind his uncle Dika’s suicide, who is known as a traitor in Suppalo, while Akk tries to deal with his emotions and newfound revolutionary ideologies.

That brings me to my biggest problem with The Eclipse. Where. Is. The. Plot. I loved how they presented Akk and Aye with the "us against the world trope" but it all kind of falls flat when you wonder what are they even fighting for? Aye for one isn't into the protest, he's just trying to find out about his uncle and thinks the protest is linked to it. He does have a strong free will and reads 1984 and all so there's that, however he does not join or take a leadership role in the protest.

For Akk this is a part of his character development. He has a huge redemption arc which is done so very well that I wonder why on earth these script writers couldn't come up with a better story line because all I see are some dumbass teenagers who want to wear chokers and slashed jeans to school.

The "dumbass teenagers" as I call them face near death experiences attributed to the "Suppalo curse" and eventually we stop focussing on the protest against the rules and turn to a protest to find the one behind the curse. This of course makes more sense as the school did not investigate properly into who was behind those actions, but I can’t help but feel annoyed at how the rules were just brushed over. Without an idea of the rules, without an understanding of the alleged infringement on their rights, I feel no sympathy for these kids at all. I am even more mystified by the behaviour of these adults who actually catalyse the protest with how they deal with the protestors. Call their parents suspend them and send them home. Done!

There is no real enemy in The Eclipse. Even Teacher Chadok is later made out to be a victim of sorts. Uncle Dika’s death is unrelated to all this. It's like the writers didn't know what to do with the story and end the protest so they took a random left turn into shitville ending. There's a grand exposé which yes, I did not see that one coming, given how utterly stupid it was.

After twelve episodes if you ask me what was it all even about I'd say Akk and Aye because they were truly the only thing this drama had to offer. There were portrayals of suicidal thoughts, onscreen suicide and open talks on depression (Trigger Warnings for these) which I definitely appreciated; this is yet another gmmtv series which has been very positive about being lgbt.

There is a side gay couple who made for cute filler scenes but in the very end the inconsistent actions of one of them, followed by the poor explanations he had to offer, ruined their story for me too.

As a character driven drama, The Eclipse is definitely great but the plot aspect is not so much and ultimately character growth does derive from the plot so I suggest leaving your brain at the door for this one.

It is very hard for me to rate The Eclipse.

Story? Giving it a 5/10 as a compromise for how poor the plot was but how well written the character arcs were.

Acting? Have a 8.5/10. KhaoFirst, you dropped your crowns, hope there are more main roles projects for them in the future. I take points off because the side actors were so bad, particularly Teacher Chadok.

Music? Nothing spectacular but The Eclipse does not have the sound effects which many viewers dislike and the background noise balance is way better. I noticed it during the beach scenes where in most dramas the waves usually sound too loud.

As for re-watch value, I will rewatch certain Akk and Aye episodes. The second book in this series is in the works but if a second season is ever made (can't imagine why), I don't think I'll be watching it. I don't regret watching The Eclipse but the drama in itself is very forgettable and the worse part is that it could've easily been so much better.

Leia Mais

The eclipse

nice to see First and other familiar faces. I like the tone and the story. acting is good and just generally the chemistry is amazing. I am frustrated I started it as it means I can't binge it. this is a binging series otherwise you don't get so hooked and feel the slow burn between the two leads. I will defo rewatch to get that excited feeling I got. it's so call to see First like this, he often does dark roles or is the main hitter in something fighting like... so a bit of romance is nice for him . I don't know of I'm just filling up the 500 word thing I genuinely am happy with the show and just wanted to express so in 10 but it wouldn't let me. so I will went on a tangent

Leia Mais

Nice cast, promising plot... gone bad

I expected a lot from this series (and at first i enjoyed it) but the ending disappointed me so much: they were treating so many important topics and then everthing was ruined by: hole-plots; a bunch of situations happening without a reason and terrible behaviours!

1) Thua's plot twist destroyed every interest i had in the 2nd couple: all the characters acted like he never did anything bad.
2) Outing is something i would never excuse, it's such a delicated topic, i hate how they handled it.
3) Dika's relationship with the Headmaster (or was it a teacher? idk) felt unnecessary.
4) The three protesting guys could leave the school if they did not like the rules, or the Headmaster could expell them.
5) They mentioned that behind Akk's behaviours (regarding the curse) stood the Headmaster but then - when all the situation with Dika came out - they seemed to forget it (the Headmaster did not even apologize, he resigned at least).

And i could continue... but i won't. I'll just remember this series as a good (but imperfect) bl.

Leia Mais

It is a must watch and cry.

This drama is literally in my top 2 now.
The story, acting,ost, production- everything is just the best quality and top notch. The character development is just immense and well thought out.

Yes, the overall story of the eclipse and these students not agreeing with rules such as wearing uniforms and no phones seems unreasonable.
I felt like the whole thing settled down really fast like just in one episode really fast and kinda reminded me about how the drama "Not me" was also settled in such a weird, simple & fast manner.
The heavy emotions displayed when akk was outed infront of the whole school just disappeared so quickly. Like they just moved on.

But I'm focusing more on the akk and Ayan as people story and not factoring in the whole eclipse theme cause it reduces the reality the story contains otherwise.

The story hits home a bit with Akk ( first) not being able to accept himself and his sexuality and Aye( khaotung) is someone everybody needs to be and all of us need.

The line teacher Saini said ," Kids have their own problems to deal with. They are not as carefree as we think" just really made me bawl my eyes out.
The OST hits different in the last episode and honestly I have never felt so understood and have never related to any other series before.

also kanthua singing the 2gether OST was the cherry on top.

Leia Mais

Disappointed is an understatement with the Nonstory.

The acting was the only thing that saved if for me. I was so excited for this series when I saw the trailer. I was craving another series like Not Me, and I thought this would be it. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Instead of being excited for each episode I found myself bored out of my mind each episode. Literally nothing happened story wise until the very last two episodes when we finally got to the juice of the story, and it still ended uop being a disappointment to me. This series looked so promising in the beginning but failed. I'm still confused with some of the characters motivations esp Thua's. I think The Eclipse relied too much in the couply and cute sceens that they forgot the plot of the story. I shouldn't complain because i loved the moments between AkkAyahn and KanThua but when that's all I get in a series that's not enough for me. I need plot and like I mentioned before The Eclipse had none.

I only kept watching because I loved the cast. Khaotung, First, Neo and Louis did and incredible job with what was given to them. And the chemistry between all four was out of this world. Again, they were the only reason I kept watching because if not for them I would have dropped this series a long time ago. First showed what great talent he is, after watching him as the spirited Yok in Not Me, it was a pleasure watching him as the troubled and broken Akk. All the awards to this talented young man. He's gonna go far. What can I say about Khao? He just proved why he's my second fave in GMMTV next to Gun Atthapan. He can tackle any kind of character. I loved him as the Alpha and seductive yet vulnerable Ayan. Neo whoa! I watch him as the goofy and funny Up on Vice Versa at the same time as I was watching him on here too. The change in his acting demeanor was amazing another that showed how talented he is. Up and Kan were night and day and that's all down to Neo's hard work. Louis was amazing too and NeoLouis chemistry just got better with time. It's time these two helm their own series. I think they've proven that they are ready.

The music is another thing I loved for this series. Esp Khao "Over the Moon". Overall I give this a 7.0 and that's only for the acting. Will I watch this again? probably but not any time soon. Anyway, I can't wait to see what the future brings for this talented cast.

Leia Mais

I’m in awe with the chemistry between the lead actors….

I absolutely love this BL. Wow…Just wow…It makes me so happy. I just finished watching episode 6 so this review is my opinion so far but literally my jaw dropped multiple times especially in episode 6 (no spoilers I promise). The way that the lead actors look at each other and communicate so much without much language is astounding. Im stunned by the raw emotions acted out on screen.

Maybe it’s just me and I understand that it’s still airing so It could come later. I know that Akk is under pressure but I don’t fully understand why he does what he does. But I guess that makes sense for his character. He holds his pain to himself and puts on a front as if everything is okay when it’s not. He refuses to tell anyone about it. He abandons his own needs and his own self for others. There is a missing backstory there and I imagine we’ll get into it later when more episodes come out. I don’t really know Akk other than what he lets people see or those brief instances when he cracks and you see a little bit that is real.

What is really cool is that in the beginning of the show, you think that Ayan is the enigma. He is the new transfer student from a rival school. He colludes with the school protesters. He has secrets that Akk is unaware of. He sneaks around campus. He is mysterious. Yet, he navigates with assurance and confidence. He understands who he is. He is fully aware of his emotions. He speaks what’s on his mind. He knows what he believes in. He is honest with himself. It isn’t him that’s the enigma, it is Akk. The drama flips and it is Akk who is the suspect of questioning because we don’t really know who he is because he doesn’t know himself. Gah!!!! Such a good show.

There are so many layers that I barely touched in this review but I love that the school functions as a commentary on the systematic problems faced in larger society and you see a spectrum of experiences. It ranges from characters too scared to cause disruption to the status quo and to those who purposely dissent. There are people like Ayan with the privilege to rise against injustice. There are those like Akk who work within the corrupt system because it’s the only way he can be a player in the game among the privileged. I could go on and on. I’ll leave it here and say I’m super impressed by the quality of the show so far.

Update:
Okay I will first start off with the negatives after finishing the show. But don’t let the negatives deter you because I still think this show is still worth watching even if it didn’t end as strongly as it started.

There were several plot points that left me questioning many things about the show but I’ll only tackle a few here. In my opinion, it felt like a rush to tie things up neatly at the end. It was too neat to the point where it seemed unbelievable to me after all the hurt the “curse” has caused people. Out of all of them, there were 2 things that I couldn’t really get my head around and I can’t say it straight without spoiling. So very generally it had to do with a twist in the show about a character. To me it felt out of character. There were hints and drops throughout the entire show to make you see what this person did. So when the reveal happened it wasn’t like it was totally out of the blue, but I couldn’t believe this character would have the guts to do what they did knowing what we know about their personality and what they stand for. So they did these things for the sake of truth by throwing their own values out the window? By outing other people. Also, there wasn’t actual consequences for that character and several other characters (both students and teachers). I mean real consequences. Which is why I ultimately believe it was a rushed ending to tie it up quickly (Trying my best not to spoil). A second thing has to do with what happened in the last episode. I don’t think Aye should have said it first at the table. You’ll know what I mean when you make it to the end. It’s something Akk should’ve broached first. I mean it worked out in the end. But for someone like Aye, I felt like he should’ve known not to.

With that out of the way and while it’s not perfect I still like this show. The lead actors blew me away. I was so impressed by their performance and it makes it even better that they are friends off-screen. There were some truly and I mean TRULY beautiful scenes that left me absolutely stunned and speechless and I’m so grateful that a show like this exists on screen. Yes the plot gets questionable toward the end and I wish that it clinched it all the way through. But, still enjoyed it.

Leia Mais

expecting plot twist but lose the base story

it seems too focused on the plot twist about mr. chadok story up until ep.11, meanwhile all the unexplained story, it just like being cut in the middle. while aswell the other side they trying so hard to explain things/quote a message (which for me, i already understand)
a bit lack of detail and timing. sound and scene transition a bit odd somehow.
base of the story is interesting, actually. it just the execution is not strong enough. as a viewer, the expectations we have for a movie is always different, and for this series it feels like “am i understand it right?” while watching it. because some story feels like overlapping on the other. there also some acts represented in some of the episodes, that feels like it doesn’t make sense (?) no matter how i think about it and probably people will just ignore it. means, it becomes holes in a movie, though it is not a big one. and one last thing is for people who loves mystery movies, it’s easy to guess who is behind all the terror (other than what akk did)
well, i’m expecting something like nerves wrecking and more tense but it ended like this. but over all good pair, good actors. especially khaotung, his acting skill is great i can confirm.

Leia Mais

It Just Didn't Click

I'll start by saying I'm First's BIGGEST fan, and honestly if he wasn't the lead in this I probably would have dropped it long ago. Hell, I might not have even watched it in the first place if not for him. And First definitely did not disappoint! He gave this role his all and played a very complex character BEAUTIFULLY. Honestly, all of the acting in this show was great and pretty much the best thing this show had going for it.

For much of the show, though, the story just didn't click for me. The chemistry and the plot just... couldn't hold my interest. I can't say there was no chemistry between First and Khaotung, but I didn't feel it. I can't say the plot (before episode 10 or so) wasn't good, but I could never get myself to care about what was happening. If First hadn't been the lead, I probably would have stopped watching— not because it was /bad/ per se, but just because I didn't /care/.

I did have a lot of issues with the last few episodes (namely episode 11), but on the whole the show was alright. It just really didn't work for me, personally.

Leia Mais

Powerstruggle and the lies told, seen though lies through the eyes of teens

❤️This drama is so good showing some of societies structures, behaviours struggles... Seen through the eyes of teens... okay maybe not through the eyes bus since the story is about a guy named aye it felt right to say that. ❤️

It shows us some pretty powerful social criticism as it is very easy to see parallels to how people talk about some of the fights and movements out there... As well as how structures and power is held.. All in the form of a school instead of society. Lies told in the name of keeping the peace and keeping things the way some people think they should be. Making references to George Orwell's 1984 (one of my all time favourite books) showing extreme lengths people will go to out of fear and so on… Making way for some pretty amazing dialog and a bunch of very powerful scenes.

The scenery in this drama is very pretty so is the cinematography, even though we get to spend a whole lot of time in a pretty generic school building the editing and lighting makes sure each episode has at least a few ecstatic scenes.

The characters in this drama are relatable, lovable, fun to watch and show very few annoying tendencies. Even Neo Trai Nimtawat who normally plays an over the top character that gets on my nerves goes from slightly annoying to lovable. And there are some pretty amazing pick up lines too.

The leads have great smiles and great chemistry, one of them almost seemed to grasp the notion of consent reading into his partners signals, and actually using word such as may I… But then he goes and does something a little bit boundary-less, making me question his knowledge after all… he is however very attentive and…Well there is no dead fish kiss in sight. As well a sa whole bunch of real emotions done right.

There are some unpredictable twists here and there, I am not sure I actually liked them but they did definitely catch me off guard so kudos. Also people it is not okay to out people no matter the purpose is.

Bingabilaty high,
Entertainment high
Important message- high
Heart flutter- decent.

Definitely one of the best youth dramas out there and I highly recommend it

Leia Mais

sinister boarding school, haze the one you love, suspense, high school setting, coming of age

BL does gay Blacklist with a good boy/bad boy pairing (paladin/rogue). Starred First (The Shipper) & Khaotung (Tonhon Chonlatee) plus the side dish pair from FUTS NeoLouis (neo was shockingly good). This is a good show but the cast was excellent and the leads were absolutely flawless. They portray a nuanced and multifaceted burgeoning relationship: philosophical (and socio-political) conflict contrasted to moments of empathy; flirtation contrasted to moments of genuine affection. This show has the sophistication of Not Me and balance of Bad Buddy - the best we can expect from GMMTV. Aye is so damn pushy but with emotions as well a physical affection, he exposes his own vulnerability as a kind of benevolent attack on Akk to instill trust and self-worth and safety. Akk is just so scared and closeted. This whole narrative is less about love than it is about courage and tenderness. Whether that is courage to live or courage to love. The eye contact with these 2 is beyond eye fucking into something more like eye soul-mating.

However, 3/4 of the way through, the pacing started to feel off and I got frustrated with the plot. I don't think this show will hold up to a binge watch, with the twists both predictable and totally out of no where (in a bad way) and the resolution rushed. It felt like the first half of this drama rested on
Khaotung’s acting and the second half rested on First. In both cases, the actors remained entirely in control of the narrative, it’s just that First got shafted by the fact that his section of the story was curtailed. Despite these flaws, this is an enjoyable watch, with an ending that features verbal consent and a funny blooper reel.

Leia Mais

This would have been great if GMMTV cared about good writing.

The poor writing and direction that has been a staple of most 2022 GMMTV BLs could not even spare First and Khaotung. After looking over the promising synopsis and cast, I am disappointed we ended up with a very shallow mystery political plotline, and a charming but cliched high school romance.

I think the cast is great. The acting was the only thing that made this script seem slightly believable. Khaotung being the standout actor, and Neo exceeding my expectations. Ayan is my favorite character. He is clever but kind-hearted, and I loved seeing Khao’s full range of acting.
Kan’s character turned out to be far more multifaceted than he seemed. Neo made the most of subtle facial expressions and movements. You could always tell what was on Kan’s mind without it being explicitly said.
First is a phenomenal actor, but Akk’s character writing was not strong enough. He is cliched, stubborn and dense. Despite this, First did the best he could, and you can’t help but root for Akk.

The romance was the main draw that kept me watching this series, though it fizzled out into something standard. First and Khao had great banter and chemistry. Thua and Kan also had quite the interesting relationship, and one of my favorite kiss scenes of all time.
Unfortunately by the end both couples degenerated into common tropes and cliched roles. Though I was disappointed, nothing was exceptionally bad (let’s ignore the accidental kiss), and I still found their relationships endearing.

One of the things I noticed first was that this “strictly governed leading all-boys school” didn’t seem very strict at all. The only “strictness” that was emphasized in the story was dress code and no phones in class. These are very common school rules. The only time the rules started to seem extreme was towards the very end when free speech and protesting started to get limited. I also thought that the World Remembers group would be a bit more of a threat than three guys protesting the dress code.
A few characters mentioned that Suppalo had a point system. I think if they should have made something like a highly competitive point system the main tension of the story. Then the other rules could build on top of that tension, and the dissension among the students would be far more believable.

Now the so-called “mystery.” Throughout the story you are warned about the dangers of the Suppalo curse, but it’s never really specified what the Suppalo curse will do aside from some vague harm. The stakes are never established so the viewer is never fully invested in the mystery.
I think they should have kept Ayan’s motives secret for longer, or involved Dika a little later in the storyline. This would have improved the mystery aspect, and help pacing feel less dragged out towards the end. Instead the writers opted for poorly set up plot twists to make the “mystery” feel exciting.

Now for the plot twists. Spoilers ahead. Throughout the show I was always underwhelmed by Thua’s character. He is soft spoken and a little boring, but I could still see his appeal. Based on how Thua had acted for the majority of the show, I thought Thua is a smart character who would rather directly confront rather than cook up a two-faced plot. I don’t think the plot twist was worth going against his established character. But seeing as the conflict was quickly resolved and thrown under the rug, I suppose it didn’t matter much either way.
Thua’s plot twist I could almost see coming, but when Chadok’s reveal happened I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Did they really expect us to believe that the most unlikable character, the person who pushed Akk to threats and harassment, was actually a big romantic? The writers attempted to redeem the last person they could shift the blame on. The viewers are left with a mystery that has no culprit, and only the “rules” to blame.

The final thing that caught my attention was the poor sound mixing, music, and editing. There is a lot of background fuzz during dialogue. The soundtrack is okay, but highly repetitive. I noticed a lot of weird cuts and timing. Some notably being the awkward fade transitions and cuts during the middle of kiss scenes. While these things are not a deal breaker in my book, a lack of refinement in these details further cheapened an already cheap plotline.

As long as you don’t come for an engaging plot, enjoy the flirty rebel x straight-laced student romance. Relish in the perfection that is Kan and Thua’s kiss scene, and reminisce over Ayan and Akk’s dreamy kiss in the dorm that was too good to be true…

Though this series has it's faults I can't help but remember the good. So if you like anyone in the cast, this isn’t going to be a particularly bad watch, but don’t get your hopes up for anything revolutionary.

Leia Mais

the eclipse was a really special show.

the tone and mood was perfectly contradicting from one moment to the next- there was the mystery / curse part of the show, and the youth / romance drama part of it, and i enjoyed both immensely.

now, was the eclipse a perfect show? definitely not. there are lots of valid criticisms to be made against the plot of the show and how they could've made it stronger, but for me at least, the show really delivers its core message well by drawing the right metaphors and not making things too unrealistic or dramatic.

like, the show still very much feels grounded in reality despite the grandiose themes of rights and revolution it's aiming to tackle, and i actually appreciate that!

it's like the show allows you a choice: you can look past the surface and into the intricacies of the plot and the metaphors they're drawing up (for example, the fact that orwell's 1984 is literally a major plot point in the series and therefore obviously a source of inspiration for the story) OR you can choose to take the story at a surface level, where it's a tried and true coming-of-age love story focusing on themes such as friendships, family, and redemption.
notice how even the 'surface level story' highlights indubitably important and worthwhile themes? exactly.

the eclipse is worth watching both for its heavier themes, and for its lighter ones, because they are both done SO fucking well!

apart from that, the cast is just amazing, and makes it real easy to forgive the narrative faults of the show ♡

overall, the eclipse was an absolute joy to watch and witness, and i personally adored every bit of it!!! ??

Leia Mais