Cute, but disappointing and kind of messy

Okay. This is going to be a chaotic review - it's 2am right now and I just watched the entire series at once.
First off: this isn't a bad series. It's entertaining, it can be funny at times, and it's visually pleasing. With that, here's what I liked and what I didn't, in further detail.

Good:

- Both actors are incredibly good looking, especially the younger one. It might seem shallow, but to me it's one of the factors that can save or kill a series. Even when I felt like dropping the series, I kept watching because of them.
- They're also decent at acting. I skipped most of the emotional scenes (more on that later), but from what I saw, they did an okay job.
- Good chemistry! Even if I had my doubts about their dynamic, their interactions as friends were really cute and engaging.

Bad:

- This is a VERY korean series. What I mean is, it has aaall the cliché scenes, the slo-mo, the cheesy music, the 20-second long stares, the awkward dialogue. With other series it doesn't bother me as much, but this one really irked me sometimes.
- The plot. It's a mess. There are time jumps, serious family trauma that it's impossible to address properly within 7 episodes, an attempt at a motivational message about passion, and goals in life (key word being 'attempt'), a crazy aunt, a jealous friend, and I'm probably forgetting stuff. As I said, it's way past my bedtime lol
- No kiss. At all. Which I wouldn't mind if they hadn't teased it SO much - they were constantly referencing the fact that they hadn't kissed yet, but were quick to add that 'they would eventually'. Guess what, they didn't. And I'm sitting here wondering if I just watched three hours and a half of a bromance. Seriously, not even 2gether did this.
- The main lead was a bully at the beginning. Point blank, end of discussion. I hated him. I tolerated him later on, because it was that or resenting him for the rest of the series. You're telling me I'm supposed to like him, after he framed a complete stranger for s*xual assault and almost got him expelled? Was it that hard to make up an excuse as to why he was on top of him? (maybe just literally telling the f-ing truth?? He TRIPPED) Also, messing with his bow and arrows and keeping his keychain and not returning it?
Idk, not even the halo effect could save his character for me. As pretty as the actor is, his character is a jerk until the end of the series.

I would re-watch their scenes together as friends. Not much else. I'm not fond of drama (especially not this kind of drama, where people are dying and there's a baby involved and just no), so I didn't particularly enjoy that. Other than that, though, the series is quite entertaining.

Leia Mais

Heart and Li Ming carried the entire show

To be honest, I would probably have dropped this series if HeartLiMing wasn't in it. I have nothing against the actors that play the main couple, but I just wasn't really interested in them (dramatic storylines aren't really my thing). They did have really good chemistry, though.
On the other hand, Heart and Li Ming quickly became my favourite pairing EVER on a BL series (and, mind you, I've watched a few already). Their relationship is so cute, warm and unproblematic, that I could rewatch their scenes over and over and never get tired of them. There's something comforting about a ship that doesn't have any drama in it - and the only drama that happens doesn't have anything to do with them, but rather with Heart's parents and how they treat their son.
You know what, I'm not even mad we got an angled kiss. GeminiFourth steal the show every time they're onscreen together, and they bring a lot of dimension to the characters they play. Gemini's acting is especially commendable, because he had to convey the emotions and thoughts of a deaf character, while not being deaf himself. His facial expressions were top-notch, his body language amplified, and his gestures a lot more animated, which made it very easy to understand Heart, even when the sign language wasn't translated.
Fourth is a great actor as well - he nailed the gentleness of Li Ming, his determination to communicate with his friend, and his joy every time the other managed to talk.
I love that this series took a different route than most Thai series and decided to go with a darker, more realistic tone for the story. I also liked that the two couples balanced each other out, the main couple's relationship being a lot more convoluted and messy, and the secondary couple's being mostly smooth, innocent and pure.

Leia Mais