Last Twilight (2023)

Amazing.. but it's complicated

Last Twilight is one of those series you start preparing for the worst, only to be pleasantly surprised, then get whacked in the face with emotional turmoil, and finally finish it and lean back into your seat feeling like you're disgustingly single (even more than when you started).
What can I say, it's just that good. The acting is honestly out of this world, and don't take that lightly. I especially took note of Mhok's actor, I've seen him in Bad Buddy but he didn't shine as much back then. Here, his eyes are so expressive and he sells his part SO WELL. The rest of the cast is also great ofc, the woman who plays the mom was giving it her all with the crying scenes omg.
The story is tender yet bold, taking on the challenge of following a disabled character. Since Moonlight Chicken, I'd been wishing GMMTV would release another series with a similar protagonist, just to broaden the spectrum of experiences that they portray. Day is immensely charismatic, he demands your affection but not your pity, and he grows so much throughout the series by learning to live with his blindness and crafting his life around it. I liked the book concept, how they follow Me's story to reflect on Day's situation in a poetic manner. The twilight metaphor is beautiful once you come to understand it as the audience.
Mhok and Day's relationship develops naturally and with an incredible amount of chemistry. They are so so good together. I cannot stress this enough. And the supporting cast does an amazing job at adding depth to the plot with their respective stories. This is one of the few series where I've rated episodes a 5/5.

There were multiple things I was not a fan of. Frustratingly, Last Twilight loses me towards the end -in the last three or two episodes. A series that has championed natural and grounded relationships suddenly loses its grip and starts throwing tropes at you -the 'going abroad' trope, the 'breaking up in the second to last episode' trope, the misunderstanding and miscommunication. It was disappointing. And, in the last episode, things go by so fast and characters change their minds so quickly that it gives me whiplash (I'm looking at you, Day).
The thing is this: last episode, and they haven't seen each other for THREE YEARS. That's a looong ahh time to not see a person. But they somehow reconnect as if nothing happened. The problem they had three years prior is still there, even if you still like each other! Mhok is still overprotective and too worried that he'll lose Day. And, honestly, it feels like they ran out of time to develop their relationship at that point and had to shove their reconciliation in a very short timeframe, making it feel rushed. Realistically, there would be tension. Realistically, they would have to talk things out -Mhok's fear of losing his loved ones, his approach to Day's disability, etcetera. But they didn't do any of that.
And finally: the end. I'll just be clear and say that I'm not visually impaired, and therefore don't know shit about the matter. But, as an audience member who grew attached to Day and his struggles, who watched him grow and accept and evolve, the ending felt completely out of the blue and, honestly, disrespectful to people who *are* blind for life, without a cure. Why did I just sit through -probably more than- twelve hours of content, following Day and his complicated relationship with blindness, only for it to just *go away* magically at the end, and "solve all his problems"? He literally says in the end that he now has a "normal" life, that his story has ended differently than Me's, who "fades away" in the book. How is that supposed to be satisfying as a viewer? All that growth and in the end is just like, "nevermind, here, you can be normal again," and it's all undermined??? I just think that if I were blind and heard that there's a new series with a blind protagonist and started watching, only for him to be "cured", I would be disappointed. It's like making a movie about a weelchair-bound person and have them walk by the end, after they've already come to terms with their situation and embraced it.
I'm not saying that blind people should stay blind if given the chance to better their sight. But, in this case, they had the chance to write a beautiful story about a *permanently* blind person, and show that you can live with it and find love and not be miserable. Live a "normal life".

I realize this last part was a rant lol. But yeah, good series overall. One of the best from GMMTV.

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A beautiful story with an even more beautiful cinematography

Ok, I knew I liked Jimmy and Sea's acting but this series just cemented how much I enjoyed their work. They have amazing chemistry and the way they portrayed these two characters was breathtaking, they gave them dimension and weight and that's something that we can't always say about the Bl series.
I enjoyed the evolution of Mhok's character, he starts as your typical bad-boy delinquent but by the end of the series, he is much more than that. How he deals with his feelings and with the way Day needs him is incredible and seeing him grow throughout the series was amazing.
On the other hand, we have Day who is not only dealing with his disability but also with the trauma and frustration that comes with it. The way this disability has affected not only his relationship with his family and friends but also the way he faces the world. The way Mhok and Day influence each other was incredibly well written and I truly enjoyed seeing them change little by little and opening up to each other.
Now I think one of my favourite parts of this series is the way it was filmed, the way they chose to portray what Day can actually see allowing the viewer to pardon the pun see through Day's eyes worked really well. The use of colour and scents to distinguish characters and locations was really well done.
I also enjoyed the secondary couple with Night and Phojai and the way their relationship developed it does help that they are the biggest Mhok/Day shippers.

Spoilers ahead.>>>>>

I actually really liked the fact that they break apart at a point which gives Day a chance to be more than someone who needs to be taken care of. At the same time allows Mhok to grow and realize that Day doesn't need him at his beck and call every day. I do think that the end didn't really need to be the "fixing" of Day especially not after spending most of the series talking about how "normal" he actually is and he needs no fixing just a little adapting.

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Thank goodness that I gave them a chance

I am going to be honest, the pilot episode was a meh for me. My thought back then was that GMMTV kept on using violence and arrogance as the plot of their story. This pertains to Mhok’s introduction in his thug era. I was in the middle of letting go of the drama but I’m glad that I stayed. I always believed in Sea Tawinan and Mark Pakin’s character range which were the reasons for me hanging on with the show. Yet, I am surprised by the acting growth of Jimmy, he surely evolved and explicit a way better portrayal than his previous main character role. Namtan also nailed this one as well, as expected from our dramatic girl.

Well written story with the right actors. I have a soft spot for a series that tackles one’s disability to see things around them. The progression and narration of Day’s daily life struggle are heart-rending. Another thing that I got invested in the story is the reconciliation of the two brothers, Night and Day. As the one who hugely suffered in the car accident, Day’s resentful actions towards Night are reasonable. Objectively speaking, Night is not the one to be blamed for the incident. But Day’s coping mechanism at that time is to put a finger on someone which causes his eyesight to vanish.

It is always beautiful how the title aligns with their story. The majestic and tear-jerker Last Twilight scene is phenomenal. I cried and felt the pain of the main couple. That time when Day completely loses his vision but remains calm in accepting his reality that he will continue to live on for the rest of his life. EP11 was indeed my favorite episode from the series.

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An incredibly good run that stumbles on its final steps

I’ll preface this review saying that you probably want to watch this series. I know people are usually turned off when they read that a show doesn’t deliver on the ending, but the truth is you can perfectly enjoy a trip even if the destination isn’t exactly the one you want. So don’t be afraid to give this one a try!

Now to the POSITIVES. I think that the premise of this BL is the cutest thing ever and reminded of a brazialian short-then-turned-into-a-movie called Eu não quero voltar sozinho, which was also very endearing. As per usual, I think it’s really rare to find truly good acting in the BL world and this is really
no exception to that rule, but do be aware that I’m quite demanding on that front and all the actors here did a pretty good job. Honorable mention to Mark in the role of Night, who I believe has the potential to be an astounding actor. He truly stole the show quite a few times, even though his character was secondary, and what I think helped is that his character was probably written the best among all of the cast. Jimmy, while not having the finest skills in terms of acting, also did a pretty good job and managed to portray Mhok in what I find to be quite a genuine way: emotional, witty, walking this fine line between macho and maturely silly but still believable. All the supporting cast was convincing and that makes the viewing experience worth in and of itself. Pretty sweet romance and and, all in all, an enjoyable story!

So what exactly went wrong? The WRITING. More specifically, the fact that I believe the scriptwriters were too confident in their skills and at some point decided they wanted to overkill it. Up until episode 8-9, maybe 10, I was still quite on board and thought the plot to be solid, even though they did take some unnecessary detours along the way. Like, let’s not kid ourselves: did the heart of this story really need more than 12 hours? I’m inclined to say no. Personally, I’m a big advocate of short and sweet and usually dislike longer narratives since they tend to have fillers and usually end up being a little bit messy, which is exactly what happened in a few instances with this show. There were times where I was ready for Mhok and Day’s story to end, and I was only at episode… six? I really can’t believe they truly needed 12 one-hour episodes, and what probably happened is that that’s what the producers told them they had to do on some business grounds, which I can get behind if done well. Soap operas can be enjoyable, too! But I guess if you binge them, then it becomes a bit repetitive and tiring and you want a change of tune. The danger with doing too much is that, in the end, it’s the characters themselves that suffer these “external needs” for the runtime to be longer, and that’s what happened in the final episodes. The whole thing with Mhok dealing with the dilemma of maybe going to work abroad or staying put because he’s in a relationship was badly handled in my opinion, mainly by the character of Day himself. I understand that, in his situation, I’d be upset too if I felt like my boyfriend was giving up on an opportunity because of me, but to infer that Mhok was refusing so go because he felt pity for him was actually distasteful, ‘cause that’s not it at all. I can understand that he’s young and pretty much a rich spoiled kid, so of course he’d handle a few issues immaturely, but I don’t know, that kind of behavior and lack of understanding of why Mhok was so afraid of leaving, also considering the sensitive topic of the trauma he has from his sister committing suicide, it kinda pissed me off that he reacted that way. I have this love-hate relationship with Day’s character, where I do understand he’s living in pretty awful circumstances, but there were instances where he was acting on such selfish and self-absorbed basis that I just found him childish. That’s confirmed by the way he treated his own brother, whom he did have good reason to resent, but again, he lacked the maturity to recognize that the accident was… well, an accident, and by that time he forgave him conveniently only when Night was helping him in a big way, even going against his mother and lying to her to protect him. I know, it seems like I’m speeding on my hate-wagon for Day, but I swear that I’m blaming this on the writing and not on the character itself, which I’m sure would have been lovely if they had given him a little bit more thought. Choosing to give him his sight back in the final episodes almost completely ruins the whole message and effort of the story in my opinion, but in the end I’m glad to have watched it knowing that, even when you lose something, you always find something back eventually.

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I really loved how well this show was written, and I would have given it a 10 honestly if it wasn't for the ending. It was a nice happy ending, but many things were pretty underwhelming.

Firstly, I expected the moment Day saw Mhok's face for the first time to be such a beautiful and dramatic moment, but it was just... nothing special. Secondly, I think the fact that Day managed to get the surgery made the show's message pointless. I would have preferred an ending that showed that even with a disability you can be successful and happy.

Regardless of these two issues, I enjoyed watching this and think the acting was incredible.

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Muy buena serie con un confuso y horrible final

Estaba todo tan bien hasta el capítulo 9/10. Pudo haber terminado ahí. La escena final del capítulo 9 fue hermosa, hace mucho que no lloraba tanto. Los personajes habían tenido un desarrollo, crecimiento y camino a la aceptación muy bueno.
Digo de vuelta, que necesidad de forzar un conflicto para hacer un final "emotivo" forzado?? Abruptamente terminan en el capítulo 11 por????? Tiran a la basura todo el crecimiento que habían tenido Day y Mhok, después te muestran un timeskip de 3 años en el q los dos siguen sus vidas sin el otro y de la nada vuelven??? Ah, y Day recupera su vista. Lo que me enojó un poco porqué me habia gustado mucho como habia logrado aceptarse a si mismo y aprender a vivir con las condiciones que se le dieron.

La actuación de todos acá es muy buena. Los paralelismos con Day y Mee y toda la cosa del libro era muy interesante. Es una pena q tenga un final tan???? Por eso voy a fingir demencia y para mí last twilight solo tuvo 9 capitulos

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Was the best BL of 2023 until the end...

This was my most anticipated BL of 2023, and I love that they featured it around a blind man, and showed the visible struggles that the visually impaired have to deal with daily. I find it super important to raise awareness about this subject! They pulled that part off fantastically. The acting was amazing as well!
This show was a 10/10 for me, but after the ending, I'm quite annoyed... they should have ended it before the breakup, or at ep 12, part 3/4. I feel like Day getting his eyesight back didn't add anything of value... and just did it to make it a fairytale ending that isn't needed! Such a shame, I was so excited for a good and authentic representation of a disability in BL, but they had to "fix" him. Now I'd probably rate it an 8.5/10. Wish I didn't continue after ep 9 :( Also feel like Mhok wasn't fully understood. He still has trauma from the passing of his sister, but Day completely overlooked that. Sure, what he did was wrong, but you can't blame him for his past.
Aaaa I'm so frustrated with the ending :( Please wipe away my memory from the last 3 eps
I recommend stopping at ep 9, or at ep 12, part 3/4

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Boa introdução ao mundo BL.

Last twilight foi meu segundo BL, vindo de uma série de GLs e logo depois do icônico Bad Buddy.
A história e personagens são bem cativantes, a atuação dos JimmySea realmente proporciona uma experiência emocionante e imersiva, trilha sonora agradável e adequada aos momentos, menção honrosa aos MarkNamtan que entregaram MUITO como NightPorjai.
Dito isso, apesar da qualidade do roteiro, os últimos dois episódios deixaram um pouco a desejar, não sei se vi necessidade no término, além da irresponsabilidade emocional da parte do Day quanto ao Mhok, jogando a culpa toda no coitado. Além do plot súbito da visão retornada, gostei da representatividade e repentinamente o Day volta a enxergar, depois de todo o processo de auto aceitação, nada mal, PORÉM, não veria problema em seguirem outra rota.
Definitivamente uma boa série, bem equilibrada (você ri, chora, se irrita), bem reassistivel.

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A nada de ser la mejor serie

Un chico ciego que es sacado de su dolor a la fuerza por Mhok, su nuevo cuidador que parece ser el único que no siente lástima por el... La historia con el mejor desarrollo de personajes de la historia, Mhok crece como persona, Day se adapta a su discapacidad al mismo tiempo que sin querer, se acompañan en sus dolores y los van tapando con un amor que surge dulcemente. No es nada cliché, es súper realista y cada detalle va a tono con la propia historia. El libro, la carrera, los peces.. detalles que te llenan el corazón. Emocionante y con interpretaciones de la hostia, y dando hasta un pequeño desarrollo a los personajes secundarios para que empátices con cada uno. Única, bellísima, un verdadero diez HASTA que tuvieron que meter el típico dramón a último minuto que la GMM no se cansa de agregar, dándonos una separación de TRES años y una reconciliación y cierre de 40 cosas en un solo capítulo que arruinó todo el desarrollo tan minucioso de la historia, a tal punto que se contradecía con lo que los personajes sentían, ya que mostraron que separados seguían con sus vidas como si nada, cuando durante toda la serie reflejaron un amor verdadero y una pareja inseparable.. de verdad que no tuvo sentido y me dejó una mala sensación pese a tener un "final feliz".. También el hecho de que recuperará la visión a diez minutos de terminar la serie.. ¿En serio? Cómo si semejante evento no mereciera un mejor desarrollo.. si no fuera por ese final, está serie sería un verdadero 10

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So well done...Great story...Great Cast

I loved this one. The details were so strong that I spend an afternoon researching to see if the book they kept referencing was real - I wanted to get a copy. And, if anybody just rolled their eyes - I have found two books this way. In Life is Sweet the lead couple discuss a Japanese book - in detail. I found it and am already half way through it.

I thought the relationship growth was handled perfectly. They covered all the possibilities and made sure that the mother (at the moment) had to pay for her choices. She had to live with it.

I also appreciated the truth in the way everyone lived. In many Chinese dramas they go out of their way to show clean streets, beautifully lit plazas and happy people shopping and dining. In this one we see happy people living with what they have and where they are. They aren't pining for a corporate job in a cubicle.

Highly recommend this one for anyone who wants to watch a relationship grow - in a real way.

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This show was really great from start to finish, and I'm so glad I gave it a shot! I wasn't sure how I would like it, since I was really let down by JimmySea's previous show, but they were both incredible in this! They both improved so much as actors over the past year, and their chemistry was amazing. I was particularly impressed by Sea, who did such a good job portraying Day's complexity and made his blindness look very real.

As a whole, I was really impressed with how the show handled Day's blindness. There never was a moment where it felt like they forgot about it, and they included so many little details that showed that they really did their research for this show. I thought they did such a good job, and I loved how the arc of the show was largely about Day learning how to take care of himself and function as a blind man. It was empowering, really.

I didn't love the ending of the show (particularly the final episode and how it was set up), but on the whole this was such a wonderful show to watch.

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