-story wise, it’s a strong concept that i personally really love. childhood friends who got into a fight, fell apart, but reunite years later, discovering and navigating through new feelings. i’m a sucker for coming of age media as well as the childhood friends trope so i was all in for this. and for the first three episodes i was absolutely invested but then it started going downhill. the problem is quite clear, they simply went overboard with the angst. it was just sobbing after sobbing (mainly Teh, mans was crying like there was no tomorrow i swear) like i understand its coming of age so obviously there’s gonna be heartbreak, obviously there’s gonna be tears, but it was just so excessive that it started turning way too dramatic to me. and for the cherry on top...it didn’t help that the main lead’s acting for the crying scenes was flat out bad.
-so PP’s crying was okay but Billkin’s? yikes. there was one scene especially that i honestly couldn’t tell if he was crying or laughing. his facial expressions were just awkward and the fact that his character was ALWAYS crying...not a great combo. however! besides the crying scenes, the acting was honestly good! PP, in my opinion, was def a much stronger actor than Billkin, he really brought Oh-aew to life. the whole cast as well did their characters justice.
-another positive note is that PP and Billkin’s chemistry was for sure there. and that was what made me so invested the first three episodes. it’s what brought the coming of age feel to this show. the yearning, the touches, the glances between them, it was all so intimate and present. they really felt like childhood friends who always had a special place in their heart for each other.
-you may be asking why i gave it a good rating even tho i just went off about the bad crying and angst excessive plot...well...one word. cinematography. it’s absolutely stunning. there were so many scenes that honestly gave me chills. shots that were crafted with such a delicacy and care that every feeling and emotion the director wanted to convey through these shots were felt. every scene’s directional purpose felt intentional. the colors, where the light was coming from, where the actors stood, the angle of the camera, it’s this cinematography that made it worth it.
so...yes the angst was excessive. yes Billkin’s crying scenes were really rough. but Oh-aew and Teh’s connection and yearning struck me. the cinematography left me in absolute awe. this show wasn’t perfect at all but it managed to make me feel all the emotions that come with a coming of age genre. so i’ll still recommend this show because maybe you’ll be struck with those feelings too. just be aware that you’ll end up saying to yourself, “is this guy really crying AGAIN?”