STORY: 6/10

The story is very simple, bordering on weak. In essence, it doesn’t really matter where the characters are or what they’re doing there. What matters is what’s happening to them. This is certainly a character-driven drama. And while some characters may be an acquired taste, I believe they’re interesting enough to entertain you on their own. Once you get over the second-hand embarrassment, that is. Tone changes between melodramatic and more serious scenes are present, but usually handled well enough. Some subplots are rushed, though, especially later on in the series.

There are five pairings in the show – NueaToh, SkyJao, Intouch+Daisy, Kongkwan+Fon and Tor+Som. Out of them all, only NueaToh and SkyJao get adequate amounts of screentime.

NueaToh is your main “secret crush” romance. What I liked about them is that they stay true to themselves throughout the series and don’t feel the need to change for their partner drastically. What I didn’t like is how unrealistic they seemed at times, even though they were portraying a clear message. There is also certain power dynamic in play between them, but it felt fairly balanced to me and not concerning.

SkyJao is basically a watered-down version of NueaToh. It’s presented more one-sidedly than the aforementioned, but ultimately it’s just a slightly different perspective of the same dynamic. Instead of providing a contrast for the main pairing, they’re used more for a quantitative comparison.

I won’t touch up on the remaining 3 relationships, since anything I want to say would be too spoilery. I don’t believe the production had a chance to balance them all, and they haven’t even given an impression of intending to do that. I just wish they would have given one of them a proper progression, at the expense of SkyJao development.

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Stalking – This one probably won’t surprise anyone. I believe it was dealt with quite well. It’s not dark enough to be truly uncomfortable, and we get *some* reasoning behind it. So unless the theme’s pretty close to the heart for you, I don’t think it will be a deal-breaker.

Body image and identity struggles – I hoped they would go deeper with those parts. It can certainly get uncomfortable at times, but it’s not prevalent enough that you wouldn’t be able to get past it.

Hoarding/object collecting – SCOY really dropped the ball here in my opinion. It’s very present in the story, inflated for comical relief and the resolution leaves much to be desired. This is the main trigger I could imagine someone quitting the show for. I will leave a very spoiler-filled comment under this review talking about my view on it (along with the "stalking" aspect), for those who are done with the drama. I don’t recommend reading it before finishing the show, since it partially dissects the whole subplot.

(Public) intimacy – It’s certainly an 18+ drama, no way around it. At least, the official youtube version (available for free on “IDOLFACTORY OFFICIAL” youtube channel) is. I heard there is a 13+ cut version being broadcasted in Thailand, but I’m uncertain of how to access it. That said, it’s not so obscene it should be a problem for mature audience. What I personally don’t like about it is the public involvement in some romantic scenes. Love declarations, kisses and touches are often happening in front of the whole friend group, which gets annoying real fast (at least for me). As for consent, it’s generally fine. There is at least one scene with dubious consent (intoxicated person), but there are no lingering regrets and the intention for it was established beforehand from involved parties.

Jealousy, mild possessiveness and forceful courting - It's there, especially in SkyJao plotline. I haven't thought much of it at first, since it fits the overall tone of this drama . But for someone who's sensitive to it, it might be too much (both main couples show signs of "macho seme" going after "smol uke", even if said uke doesn't appreciate it). It's less of an issue (more two-sided) between Toh and Nuea, but still present.

ACTING/CAST : 8/10

All actors felt natural for their roles to me, no problem there. They are also all good-looking, as is customary in BL shows. I’m not sure if I’m glad for that or a bit disappointed, considering the themes of SCOY. But in the end, it turned out pretty good. They might seem overacting at times, but it fits well in the story.

MUSIC: 7/10

The songs they use are pretty good. But there’s only 2-3 main songs being repeated all over, so it gets tiring and sometimes doesn’t reflect the tone of a scene. I guess that’s a budget problem, but I would wish for a more varied soundtrack.

REWATCH VALUE : 8/10

If you enjoy it the first time, you will most likely want to watch it again. If you only finish it to tick off a box on your list, there is no reason for coming back to it in my opinion. Certainly not as far as plot is concerned.

OVERALL : 8/10

It’s pretty enjoyable and mostly inoffensive experience. It’s not challenging, but rewarding enough for the effort it requires (which isn’t much). I could imagine myself watching it again. Especially when I need a mood-upper. Or when I’m drunk. It might not work very well as a background noise, since it can get loud and OTT. But it’s light and silly. I certainly recommend giving it a try for few episodes. Just be aware it can be a lot, both visually and auditory. So maybe watch it alone or in a very close company.

EDIT: After taking some time away from it and watching other dramas, I decided to change the overall score from 7.5 to 8. The main takeaways stay the same, but I appreciate the positives a little more now.