"My Love Mix-Up!" appears to have all the ingredients for success: a well-beloved source material, a multi-talented cast with solid portfolios, and a dedicated fan base eagerly anticipating this adaptation.

Unfortunately, it fell short. This series highlights a concerning trend in media, where the primary focus seems to have shifted from storytelling to serving as an advertising platform, with product placements and ads competing for attention within the same runtime.

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What I liked
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(+) Pahn's Performance as Mudmee
The series has a talented cast; Both Fourth and Gemini have displayed versatility in their previous projects, and the actresses playing their mothers adding depths in this series with their seasoned performances. Yet, Pahn's portrayal of Mudmee stands out the most to me. Despite this being her first role in a series and her character being part of a side couple, the story arc of Mudmee and Half is arguably as memorable, if not more so, than that of the main couple. This might be partly due to their scenes are not distracted by product placements (see point below). The payoff when this couple finally gets together in episode 9 is satisfying.

(+) Depiction of Iconic Scenes from the Manga
One strength of this adaptation is its effort to showcase more iconic scenes from the manga. With a longer total runtime than the Japanese counterpart, this series has the opportunity to bring these memorable moments to life on a larger screen, giving them the attention they deserve. However, due to reasons mentioned below, some of these important scenes fell short of delivering the emotional impact I was hoping for.

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What I didn't enjoy
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(-) Product Placements
The sheer volume of merchandise and ads in this series is just absurd. While the actors clearly tried their best to act, these distractions wasted their efforts. The earlier episodes are particularly guilty of this. For example, in episode 5, where an important scene between the main couple is overshadowed by the need to advertise a bee doll. I think Euro-cake might have more screentime than the supporting characters.

(-) Aesthetic Inconsistency
This series lacks visual coherence, with skin tones and colors often appearing washed out. This dullness contrasts with the 'bright' and 'comical' tone this series aims for, causing several scenes, particularly daytime rooftop settings, to fall short of achieving their intended vibrant atmosphere.

(-) Distracting Sound Effects and OSTs
The cast is talented and capable of carrying scenes without the need for constant sound effects. While the intent to create a 'comical' atmosphere is clear, the execution is unbalanced in this series, resulting in an overuse of audio elements (and often, too loud) that detracts from the performances. Although the OSTs are good, their repetitive use became jarring in this series.

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Best Scene!
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There are several memorable moments in this series, but if I had to choose one, it would be the scene where Atom comes out to his mom during the series finale.

This scene is executed perfectly: Atom's fear of not being accepted by his mom, his mom's fear of being the last to know about her son's relationship, and Kongthap's role in helping them connect are all portrayed with depth and authenticity. The minimal use of music allows Fourth's raw emotions to take center stage, and he conveys a multitude of feelings in just a few minutes.

Once again, these actors can act. It's a shame that earlier episodes were cluttered with so many distractions.

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In summary, there are good things here, and I found it somewhat enjoyable overall. In another universe, with better editing and fewer product placements, this could have been a much stronger adaptation. The BL landscape is more competitive now, and there are simply better series to spend your time on.

I look forward to seeing Fourth and Gemini in projects that fully showcase their amazing talent and chemistry. And hopefully, the product placement invasion will not spread further!