The worst of the 8

This is hands-down the worst of the 8 stories. Was there even a story? 2 episodes of nothing except I-love-yous, and I've never sped through a series as fast as this, my finger constantly on the forward button. It says a lot when I actually preferred watching their friends than the intimate moments the lead couple had, all of which were mushy, vacuous and superficial. But this was probably because the source story had nothing to begin with either. The scriptwriter here inherited nothing to even have anything of a narrative arc. And Dunk, with his limited acting chops and mediocre looks, will likely not go much further in this industry. At least Archen has looks to carry off as a leading man, if he gets better roles.

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A convoluted mess that even the handsome faces look confused

The poor leads are buried in this convoluted mess of a story, which is made worse by appalling editing choices and weak direction. No matter how good your actors are, which they just passably so, they look confused at times by the illogical decisions made by the characters. The villains are poorly cast, all coming off as caricatures with OTT acting. If the editor or director is reading this, please understand that what you may think is smart, such as multiple cliff-hangers and flashbacks, are just gimmicky devices that frustrate and alienate the audience. What is worse, these flashbacks don't even reveal any particularly smart twist or plot device. Do learn how to narrate a good story, for starters.

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What a load of... whatever

The ratings are at best an attempt to average what would have been widely disparate scores across the 8 stories. And the scores are all dragged down by poor, sloppy writing that is out to cash in on the leads' popularity. The writers need to take time out and understand what quality writing really is because without that, even the most loyal fans will have their patience tested.

Never Let Me Go - Awful script that succeeded in making history look cringe-worthy, and continued stiff acting from Phuwin (who can speak fluent English but can't emote to save his life; not sure what his fans see in him) and Pond (whose ruffian look should really serve him better in mainstream non-BL genres). 3/10

Star in my Mind - if NLMG was awful, this takes awfulness a notch higher. What was the writer thinking?? Perhaps the original was already messy and thin, and little could be done to create any meaningful arc here. Archen should really pair with someone else because you cannot take Dunk and his very odd lips and smile seriously. It will be difficult to see Dunk mature into more adult roles. 2/10

Vice Versa - This continued the original characters' passion about movie-making, and gave everyone a fun time putting together a short film for competition. It is A LOT more than what the first 2 stories tried to do (did they even try?). Khaotung and First are not your typical leading men, but they let their chemistry and acting do the talking. Will be interesting to see how these two boyish actors grow into more mature roles. 5/10

The Eclipse - The original was a weird premise; but at least these 2 episodes tried to build a story of what it means to raise a kid as gay parents. Jimmy and Sea were rather good in their baby-sitting roles although the ending was abrupt and illogical. I really wished the kid had something to do with the alternate dimension that was the premise of the original. 6/10

My School President - This was a sloppy script. Just because Fourth and Gemini are the biggest stars right now after the original hit, it doesn't mean reversing their roles without any reason or change is excusable. Lazy, convenient and presumptuous, and the side couples just got together like it was the most natural thing to do. Thankfully, Gemini and Fourth continue to show us what raw talents they really are, and at 19, sky's the limit indeed. 5/10

A Boss and a Babe - This one tried too hard to send a message about corporate politics and hierarchy, but ended with nothing new to say which we don't already know. Book tries too hard to be cute and a contrast to the stern-faced Force, so it comes across too contrived at times. Perhaps it is because Book is really older than Force but made to play someone several years younger. I like them separately, but not sure if this ship should continue to sail,. 5/10

Bad Buddy - As a standalone, it is extremely nostalgic because I've not seen a more successful pairing since MaxTul. Whatever the recent saga between the two may be, and whether real or forced by the company, Nanon and Ohm are such talented actors who can just respond to scenes and characters with their natural body language. It will really be a shame if they never share the screen again. However nonsensical the story may be, watching them play off each other is worth the time. 7/10

A Tale of a Thousand Stars - I like how Earth and Win have gotten so comfortable with each other over the years, and Win is always a natural when it comes to emoting. Like all the rest, the script is sloppy (the reason for their supposed tension is childish, even inconceivable), and I realise I miss all the other characters from the original, especially Nam the doctor (Nammon) and Longtae (Khaotung). 6/10

Bad Buddy x ATOATS - If you only have time for a few episodes, or if you really want to not waste time forwarding the draggy episodes, then perhaps just watch these last 4 episodes of the entire series. If only for some of the most legendary BL ships there has ever been, or will ever be, savor the ease with which these 4 actors play their parts - something of an acting class for the others.

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