Only Friends (2023)

Vale muito a pena assistir!

Não tenho palavras pra descrever o quão esse elenco é maravilhoso e a produção é incrível. Gostei bastante e já estou muito apegada ao elenco. Espero que continue assim, pois minha avaliação não mudará facilmente. O First está impecável, como sempre, todos estão muito lindos?? Os personagens e história são maravilhosas e merecem 10 em tudooo

A trilha sonora é excelente e toca nos momentos certos, realmente não tenho o que reclamar sobre isso

Gostei muito do trailer e também da abertura, fiquei feliz em ver a Nonnie atuando, não vejo a hora de conhecer sua personagem melhor?

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A good BL that won't leave a lasting impression

Coming straight to points let me jot down the positive points first:
1. It had excellent entertainment value. I mean for people who enjoy chaotic drama, this was good.
2. It was realistic most of the time starting from how friendship and relationships can be in university days, especially amongst teens in 2023.
3. With so many actors, the drama could have major execution issues as all of the characters were linked to each other. They did a good job making it a hot mess that landed pretty well.
4. Love the fact that they were using "gay" and "bi" terms instead of making straight characters gay just like that. They also showed how difficult understanding sexuality can be and people at times mess up when they're understanding themselves.
5. I love the fact that Ton doesn't change in the end and atleast Nick accepts him how he is and moves on. Shows that some people should be alone while some should move on and never lower their bar.
6. The actor playing Ton did an awesome job cuz we all hated Ton to the core and as far as I know, the actor is a very cute and decent person in real life.
Now comes the negative points why it won't be remembered in the long run:
1. Chaos is good but there was nothing to learn from this drama. No message no nothing. Just chaos.
2. Anyone who's not studying in university will hardly relate to the characters cuz this infact is more like a sandwich of Queer UK webseries and any US teen drama. The concept itself is immaturity, so relating to the characters was difficult.
3. Some characters are too detestable and no backstory is provided so that we as audience atleast sympathize with them. Top and Ton being central characters are not detestable cuz they did the deed but the way they felt the remorse. I mean Top has a really shitty attitude and was too confident about himself althroughout flaunting dad's money whenever he could. No backstory about why he is what he is. Ton is rather down to earth but truly backstabbing and shameless which became irritating at times. Same no backstory.
4. The revenge sub plots fell short cuz nothing eventually happened. It was always nipped at the bud to add more melodrama.
5. I didn't like TopMew coupling. I don't know why it didn't work probably there wasn't much chemistry. Instead, I think SandRay were the star of the show. They need to have their own sequel.
All in all it was a good watch but I am unsure if I will recommending it to my friends. I had very high expectations and I guess that's why I am left a little unsatisfied.

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they have created heaven and hell for themselves...

when the first trailer came out, the hype was already there.this series felt different, fresher and rougher than the standard high school BL. And thankfully it delivered!
What makes this series so special is not the NC scenes,which while very risqué by GMMTV standards, individually are no more so than what other studios have been doing for a long time, but its characters. In particular, Boston, Ray, Sand and Nick are characters that most of us have probably met before or perhaps find ourselves in them.
That and the unsparing and revealing look at their dysfunctional relationships is what makes the series unique. It's not all sunshine and roses and not black and white. People struggle, act toxic, can't always define their feelings, have their own baggage of traumas. and hurt other people.
And that shows Only Friends like rarely any other series before and also the courage it takes despite all this behavior to get involved with another person and trust the feeling we call love.

Acting-wise, this series is always at the highest level. First and Khao can unleash all their talent, with characters as complex as Sand and Ray. Sometimes it's just nuances, a little shadow in their eyes, but they make you feel all the emotions.
But also in the scenes where the big emotions are asked for, the two deliver like no other and probably create some of the most emotional scenes in a drama of this year and with sand and ray have already created two iconic overly complex characters who combine vulnerability, security, selfishness and devotion in themselves
And Neo-Oh my God, finally give this man a leading role, because he is pure gold! He didn't just play the f*ckboy Boston, he was it! If you look at his other roles, he's probably one of the most versatile scene players GMMTV has to offer.
But Mark doesn't have to hide either, even if his role as Nick was a bit simpler, he was always convincing.And his character shines and shines more and more, the longer the series goes on.

Staying with the characters, we also come to the biggest negatv point of the series, called Top and Mew. Their characters seem more like stereotypes, their relationship not so believable and their story arcs feel strangely flat, and even though their relationship becomes more intense, I just didn't warm up to the characters too much.

Apart from that, one parts were too rushed and other parts were obviously designed to make even more mess.
But even in these parts, Only Friends is more entertaining than the competition, making it, in its worst parts, an entertaining mess and, in its best parts, a beautiful, fragile, unpolished paean to love and thus an undeniable drama highlight of 2023.

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Too realistic to be realistic

First time here, I never thought I'd write a review, but 'Only Friends' made me want to share my thoughts because why not.

Only friends is a true queer experience. it's not just about surface-level representation, but about capturing joys, struggles, and complexities of being queer. Only Friends had a promising start, but it started to feel tedious and lacking in the later episodes. While I was disappointed with the direction the show took, I still have a lot to say about the complex and compelling characters.

Spoilers ahead



Sand : Sand has to be my favorite character in the show. He's the greenest flag, he has a very big heart and is the perfect ideal boyfriend. Despite everything Ray did to him, he still stood by him, and the way he took care of Ray. Sand stole the clip from Nick and gave it to Ray, which was hella wrong, but it earned my respect. He never thought about his own feelings, knowing that Ray would leave him. He cared so much about his friends. He is a true definition of friendship, love and trust. It is natural feelings for an ex, and there's always a soft spot, but Sand should have avoided Boeing. He shouldn't have used the word friend for him. But he is truly a good guy. I'm glad he got his happy ending with Ray.


Ray : Ray is one of the most troublesome characters in Only Friends, but I'm glad he didn't hook up without anyone, like Sand didn't also hook up with anyone either. His drinking and loneliness stemmed from his sad home life. He was the most miserable character in the show and he was always drinking during his scenes. But thankfully, Sand saved him. I'm glad he got over his feelings for Mew. To be honest, I don't think he loved Mew. He was just lonely, and Mew happened to be there for him. You can't say you love Mew and then sleep with Sand multiple times, that's not love broo. Asking Boeing to kiss sand was not only annoying but also wrong like tfff. Who does that? But I'm happy he realized his mistake. Ray's story showcases the struggles that children of irresponsible and neglectful parents face. It shows what it takes to escape that kind of life. I love that his story is the best in that show because it's so inspiring. And I loved seeing his cute side amidst all the Intense plotlines. It was refreshing to see a softer side of him.


Ray and sand : Ray and Sand's relationship's eternal, as shown in the show. They both realized what they wanted, and they were able to achieve it in the end. I love that they got a happy ending.


Mew and Top : Mew is the most innocent character in Only Friends, but he became more jaded after Top came into his life. Top did love Mew from the beginning, but he never trusted anything Mew said. Even though Ton showed Top the clips that he had secretly recorded, what happened two years ago was none of his business. Top having sex with Ton was not related to the clips he had seen but rather what Top wanted lol, especially because the kiss between Mew and Ton didn't even last ten seconds. Mew didn't immediately agree to date Top. It's clear that they weren't dating, and Top was just pursuing Mew when Top and Ton had sex in the car sleep, but I guess it's all about being realistic. He even had the gut to show his face to Mew the next day, it was also selfish and wrong of him to keep the airplane model from his ex. Like who does something like that? After Mew found out what happened between Top and Ton, he shouldn't gone out with Ray to spite Top. it was immature and wrong for him to change from a good person to a bad one, but heartbreak kills, so I get him. While it made sense that they got back together, I'm not sure that was the best decision. It's possible to forgive, but not to forget, and I think Top did change doe the better. He truly loves Mew, but he was stupid to make that mistake. I really loved Mew, but he made a huge mistake by allowing Boeing to gaslight him. I think it was very out of character for Mew to consider sleeping with Boeing out of revenge. It's good that Top was able to make him see reason and stop him from making a huge mistake. Top was truly sorry for what he did, life isn't always perfect, and he learned from his mistakes. I personally think their relationship could last a long time, maybe even forever. After all, we're all human, and we all make mistakes.


Ton: Boston is a major red flag in the show. He sleeps with anything that breathes. He betrayed his friends for his own selfish desires, and he almost ruined Mew's life in the process. He is not a good person, and people like him deserve to be alone forever just like Nick said. I'm glad that Boston never forced anyone to sleep with him, but he is still a bad person!!! I know he can never change, he deserves all what he got trust me. Atom's actions were wrong, even if Boston was a bad person. It's not okay to lie about someone, even if they've done terrible things, I must admit I felt a little bit of pity for Boston. He has a lot of issues, and those issues are likely to affect him for the rest of his life.


Nick: Nick was the true good/bad guy in the show. Ton was so lucky to have him, but he was a fool to not realize what he had until he lost him. If it weren't for the car being wiretapped, the truth would never have come out. Boston didn't deserve someone as good as Nick. I'm glad Nick and Boston didn't end up together, Nick deserves better. He's not innocent, but he knows what he wants, and he acts accordingly. He did a good job tho.


Boeing: Boeing's character felt very unnecessary. He was just like a ghost in the show, adding very useless character added nothing to the plot. The pool scene was nonsensical and pointless. His entire character should have been cut from the show (if anyone is watching Only Friends I would recommend skipping his scenes)


The acting: The actors in 'Only Friends' did a great job with their roles, and their chemistry really shone through. Even though the writing was a bit messy at times, the actors were able to carry the show through. I look forward to seeing them in future projects that showcase their talents. It's clear that they love what they do, and they give it their all. My favorite pairing was first FirstKhao


Romances: No episode went by without me screaming and jumping up and down. The actors gave me butterflies. The romances were on point, which was the greatest thing about this show. All the actors cast were so fine and hot.

The story : the writer was when writing some parts, because it's all full of unnecessary kissing. What was the need for every character to kiss three or four people? The writing was mediocre at the beginning, but it got interesting in the middle and ended poorly. 'Only Friends' is a show about friendships but the theme wasn't executed very well. Everything seems very messy. If it weren't for the talented a actors, I don't think anyone would have been interested in a story with such a dark theme.


Overall, 'Only Friends' is one of the most emotionally impactful series from GMMTV. It made me cry hard and laugh out loud. It's not for the faint of heart. I don't think I'll get over it anytime soon. It showed us that life isn't perfect and that it isn't a fairytale, sadly. This show portrayed the complexity and imperfection of real life.

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Enjoyable and funny but far from a masterpiece !

There are a lot of good stuff like the acting, the messiness or people theories so I enjoyed myself.
But we need to talk about the sl*t shaming in this story. You cannot sell your story as really sexy, explicit and progressive and then have all characters who don't want to be in a relationship and just want to enjoy s*x be the bad guy in your story, they're just bad to be bad, no background, no reasons for their actions. They are just sl*t because life I guess (Boston best example). For me, it's really problematic.
That's being said, almost all characters don't really make sense too, they act to make the plot move forward :
- Mew calling Boston before having s*x with Top when they don't seem to be that close
- Nick putting the listening device in Boston car before the party for no reason
- Ray having a breakdown in front of everyone after telling the truth to Mew
- Mew hitting Ray in the face after the breakdown even if he does the truth
- Daddy Dan character just came and disappeared
- Boieng character same
- the token lesbien duo
- the r*pe accusation plot....
And it's just what came out of the top of my head.
Now, the relationships and characters !
- Mew and Top were really boring for me sorry, I don't like the virgin who's gonna change the bad boy from his bad habits because he's just soooo perfect. Not my cup of tea I guess. And I didn't like their characters as individuals too. I just remembered that Top used to take dr*gs and stopped thanks to the power of love ! With no consequenses
- Ray and Sand were cute but Ray did a lot of f*cked up things. Not respecting Sand boundaries and all of it being played as if it was funny just doesn't sit right for me. (The scene were Ray interupted Nick and Sand vacations after Sand told him not to come...) Or Ray calling Sand a bunch of names when he's mad and never really apologised for it either. Like there is nothing cute about this relationship if you think about it. They could have shown us the impact of that kind of codependancy but no. I'm happy they take Ray alcoholism kinda seriously even if he's pretty clean, his friends drink next to him as if he was not an addict, no discomfort... It could have been really interesting to also see the burning for Sand, being the only reason for someone sobriety is not easy.
- Nick and Boston were cute, I really liked them at first but they didn't get enough screentime in my opinion. It could have been really interesting to see their characters and the reason behind their actions. But I think the writer's opinions really shaped their story, especially for Boston.
And I'll finish by saying that if you don't know how to write about serious topics like addiction, abusive relationship, r*pe accusations, you SHOULDN'T !
But yes, It was an entertaining show ! So watch it if you want to have fun ;)

(sorry for the mistakes

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Love hexagon

GOD!! what did I just watch!! my literally going crazy but I can't just stop watching it . I don't perticularly understand what this drama is about Problems before love? Problems facing in love? dating life? ( absolutely not) . Non of them are actually dating. Even top and mew didn't confirm their relationship but call themselves boyfriends and sometimes not .

TOP:-
such an a*shole . he can't really love anyone and get bored with them soo soon . but I guess he have some special feelings for mew but still he he cheats on him whenever he doubts him or get bored .

MEW:-
Nerd?? I guess not ! May be in further episodes he might show his true colours. He can't be that innocent to date a top tier .

RAY:-
I can't really confirm his character because everyone are saying he is using sand but I think he is just a coward how can't express his true feelings. because in episode 5 he showed his feelings for sand and he might actually fall in love but Boston suddenly created a dispute. But I agree that in starting episode he is really such a Playboy who wants to play with sand feelings.

SAND:-
MY MOST BELOVED CHARACTER from this whole drama . He literally deserves better. I can't see him sad. I wish he'll get what he deserves. Why would anyone hurt him like that ?? he is too good for anyone.

BOSTON:-

The most hated character. If he likes top then why would he sleep with nick . if he thinks Nick is special then why would he again go to Top . Okay but , why the hell would he interfere in Ray's relationship. He is the person who literally ruin all the relationships .

NICK:-
At first he was my favourite character. I mean he still is but I guess he changed a lot . now everytime I see him he either sleep with Boston or do some pathetic thing for Boston or obsessed with Boston. I wish he would leave Boston and find him own happiness.I want to see Boston to beg nick to love him lol.

so the mind map i pictured from this messed up relationship is ..

Top likes mew , mew likes top, Boston likes top and thinks Nick is special, nick is obsessed with Boston, Ray liked mew now he is slowly developing feelings for Sand, Sand absolutely love Ray

( I may change this after all the episodes are released)

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Oof, it's painful

I'm struggling to make it through this one. I can commend them for trying to make a "grittier" BL, but if I have to see much more of Boston's face I'm going to lose it. Also, no one is likable. Even Sand and Ray (who I'm still watching it for), are messy as hell. I guess if you can let go of the mess and just embrace the melodrama, it's fun. The acting isn't terrible and the music is good.
However, it's hard watching these characters come up against the same "stuff" that's been holding them back, over and over again, not face any real consequences of their actions, and then do the same thing all over again the next day.

Just don't show me Boston anymore.

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The most painfully realistic BL GMMTV has ever made

Only Friends is the sauciest BL GMMTV has ever made to date (definitely as adult as adult gets for GMMTV), and this should raise some initial alarm bells. So many BLs have gone down this route, in a desperate hope that extended, cringey scenes of two handsome guys going at it would make up for the lack of an actual storyline.

But no. No, thankfully, this isn’t that kind of BL.

While you can expect a storyline full of action (....!), you can also expect some marvelous twists and turns in the narrative, woven together with stunning visuals. Thanks to the stellar acting of a stacked cast, the show delivers on emotions when it’s most needed.

There’s just so much going on here. But FINALLY, GMMTV has given us a BL with realistic characters and complex motivations. 

The narrative sloshes around the lives of a group of friends, each messed up in their own way. Yes, there’s really no other way to describe it except for “slosh”, partly because the relationships are so messy and entangled, and also because they’re sloshed (drunk) half the time.

I liked this show so much because the relationships were so intricately thought out.

The characters in Only Friends illustrate different aspects of self-destruction and how the utter lack of self control can lead to awful consequences.

It also hints at redemption - maybe, just maybe, even those capable of the most f***ed up behaviour are capable of change.

Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/01/only-friends-2023-bl-review/

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Very messy- but good.

I would like to start off by saying I am definitely watching this strictly because I love FirstKhao’s chemistry. That being said, I find the main couple boring. ForceBook is great together, but I am not really a fan of their relationship in this series.

After finishing episode 3, I was shocked. I really don’t like Boston. He is obsessed with Top. And, he is playing with Nick. Giving him false hope by saying things about going further with their relationship, then getting with Top… no.
And even knowing that Top was trying a serious relationship with Mew, he didn’t care.
Top isn’t innocent either. He was tempted from the start to get with Boston, and it was obvious. Literally what was the point in getting all angry at Ray for talking to Mew, then going and hooking up with Boston instead of taking care of Mew, whom he got drunk then left to fend for himself. I just really hope he gets his act together because I don’t like this cheating trope.

BUT!!! FirstKhao’s acting is just phenomenal. We just got a glimpse of it in The Eclipse, but i’m really shocked to see how great they are in this. I already loved the chemistry they have (probably because they’re actually friends irl) but it’s just BETTER this time. I really like this show being more mature than other GMMTV bl series. It’s more real.

Ray’s character, though, I’m on the fence about. He’s so into Sand but is still in love with Mew? Hmm… And he’s already started playing with Sand’s heart, and just him leaving and choosing Mew over Sand already hurt him. I just hope he doesn’t do anything wrong to Sand. He better figure out what he wants before actually getting into something serious with him, because if not, that’s just messed up. It’s kind of nice though, to have Khaotung play a character that makes me question.

Really looking forward to the remaining episodes. (I might edit this as I watch them!)

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A very realistic description of the gay scene... unfortunately!

Having experienced the gay scene from the inside, I can tell you that it's unfortunately just like in the show: everyone sleeps with everyone else, fidelity is a dirty word, friendship is a concept, alcohol flows freely and drugs are all too easy to come by.
The series can't be faulted for its desire for hyperrealism, and in that sense it succeeds. But we're not here to watch a documentary, and Only Friends doesn't have the stature of an Oscar-winning film, so a little levity would have been welcome. The characters are in 100% toxic mode at all times, and we'd have appreciated it if this had been softened by a bit of a bitchy moment. I was expecting to watch this series all smiles with a glass of wine in hand and found myself sighing and thinking "someone get them a psychologist!".

Apart from Sand and, to a lesser extent, Nick, the characters are not really likeable: Mew is falsely candid and rather bland, Top is infuriatingly "I want to control everything", Rey is ultra-toxic, Boston is the epitome of the well-built bitch who doesn't give a damn about anything, Nick is touching but goes too far in his actions. Then there's poor Sand, in whom I kind of saw myself.

As for the acting, Neo and Mark are excellent. As for the others, it depends on the moment.

In conclusion, I'd say it's a good series, but if you have to compare it to Friendzone, which is in the same style, Only Friends is worse.

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loved it.

My friends made me watch this series and I loved it. The cast is great, especially First and Khao are just incredibile, immense chemistry and they’re both very good actors, always believable in their performances. The story is very nice, intrigues of friendships and romantic/sexual relationships that never fall into ridicule, and the plot twists, unexpectedly, were definitely surprising. The several relationships feel overall natural, and all the conflicts take the right amount of time to be resolved, nothing ever feels rushed. And last but not least, is a very hot series, lol, many interesting scenes indeed…
I would definitely recommend!!

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It shows real world or...

It really shows real world outside of our dramas. It not about bl but a person. His emotions, living ways and so on...

But at some points i found this show is really crazy u find any characters hooking up with each other but i kinda expected it.

Everything has come to MIDLE. Nothing compled like a hole drama i think but this also shows that life can change any time and cs of anyone.

It's good to watch but not to rewatch nevertheless u want ur head goes crazy


PC i want to know why did the director end them like that really want.. cs their casting contains really good actors. Maybe this way director thinks they can attract viewers

All of the my opinion..

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