some things are best left buried in time

the only good thing about this show was chalarm and his comedic moments.

the plot was below average at best, definitely not part of the BL shift going on. the casting left a lot to be desired, and those cast in the leading roles barely had chemistry.

with all the good BLs airing right now, you can genuinely do fine never watching this series.

I do think there’s quite a few in the supporting cast that are genuinely good actors, or at least show real potential, but as for the main pairing… I just hope they can get a better support system or guidance. maybe they needed to workshop more, they looked uncomfortable at times and I had to talk myself into continuing the show in hopes it got better. needless to say, it didn’t.

Leia Mais

loses itself in cheap writing

I genuinely hate to say this, but any and all hopes for jafirst getting a good series were gone within the first episodes. the acting was fine. in fact, I thought bosston did incredible for finally giving us a gay role. the issue is the writing and I feel like a broken record, but Thailand really is losing in this aspect of the industry.

this series came off so terrible, I couldn’t stop thinking it was just pulled off some 13yr olds wattpad. there were moments where punn gave us some seriousness and showed real maturity, there was also some growth for some characters, but it was all so minimal it doesn’t help the series. also, the doctor and ming?? their scenes would’ve been better if they didn’t follow every nasty trope. they were set up for failure and it sucks because I liked their chemistry.

the managers constantly going at each other was what ruined the show for me too. there were scenes about the exploitation some actors face, but genuinely, why?? it was just thrown into the mix for what felt like no reason.

anyway, I finished this just to finish it. jafirst, I love them to death, but this series is one of the worst this year. it managed to not only hold back their chemistry, but also their talents. I can only hope we get them in another series that’s written by people that know what they’re doing with one of the best chemistry pairings that are genuinely not afraid to go above and beyond.

Leia Mais

Well… It was something…

now that this is over, I think I can say it was just average to me. I didn’t like any of the characters, and I found myself barely connecting to any of them. I’m not sure where the Mew storyline went because he was the least complex, least interesting, and overall most flat character.

I think everyone hyping it up, trying to analyze the characters, and general noise from the fans was making this seem more than it was. it was nice to see them push a bit against the norm for Thai bls, especially in the exclusive pairings factor, but I can’t say it made up for the lack of attention in fleshing out stories/backgrounds.

it was an interesting watch, but not something I found too enjoyable. the slut shaming of Boston was also a huge annoyance to me and I think he deserved to be seen as a person, not just a drama factor. he was the main reason the series could even keep going, so it was disappointing not seeing him get to say his piece.

this almost pushed the “open relationship” mentality, as I don’t see this as poly. it just fell short. I don’t really know what else I can praise this for… khaotung’s song? forcefirst being a thing? overall I just watched this to watch it. after the mew dramatics, knowing damn well it was just for show, it lost a lot of wind for me.

anyway, not a bad show, but it didn’t work for me personally.

Leia Mais

The cast sell this too well

this is by far one of the most toxic stories as of recent but all of the cast kept me watching. poom has been a quiet favorite of mine, but I can see him gaining so much more success after this series. his ability to act toe-to-toe with up, who I consider one of the best in the industry, really left me so impressed with his growth. mek was such a great part of this as well, I was so happy to see him in a series this good, he really irritated me enough to forget who he was lol

the story itself was very uncomfortable to watch, and I don’t think there was much of a point to keeping Joe in model-Joe’s body. it just seemed like a last ditch effort to keep him with Ming.

overall, the acting saved this. if it weren’t so well casted, I would not have finished this series.

Leia Mais

justice for fiat

what the actual hell was this…..

started off as a great idea, the awkwardness that comes from shifting a friendship into a relationship and how gestures/skinship carry a whole new meaning. genuinely loved that, but it only lasted a very short moment.

fiat…. god, what DIDN’T fiat go through?! it felt endless in regards to just how much he had to go through. it started to feel like a wattpad fanfic too. the ending was pretty underwhelming. there were also a lot of highly inappropriate conversations with Leo’s mom that really made me uncomfortable.

the second pairing reminded me a lot of neo & louis, it was a bit odd of a feeling but I actually think they were nice to see develop, but a crappy ending really had to come and ruin everything.

not the best, but first kept me wanting to see this through.

Leia Mais

Nothing memorable

I don't even know how to start this...

Genuinely, I have no idea what the hell I just watched. There was barely a functioning plot, and a lot of the writing seemed like a half-assed attempt at depth. The actors were alright, but I hardly saw any chemistry between them so a lot of their scenes felt awkward to me. There have been other short series that I've watched and though the time constraints are there as far as for the storytelling, this one was just overall hard to connect to.

The story dragged out too much and when finally some things got "revealed" it turned out to be a very "Oh, that's it?" kind of moment for me. The only plus is that the episodes are short so I didn't have to spend too long watching this.

Leia Mais

forecast looks cloudy

if you are expecting depth, a nuanced storyline, or even chemistry, this is not it.

the attempt to break the soulmate trope was a swing and a miss. this could’ve been introduced differently, but I also saw the potential in their idea, it was just bad writing like usual.

the storyline suffered a lot when the (valid) dramatic reaction to seeing patt kissing his ex just ended up being them confessing again. I also was not a fan of the overtly violent reaction patt had since he literally hit his boyfriend too. that was a game ender for me personally.

I didn’t see any chemistry here, at least not the type that fit the storyline. it’s a shame since I really wanted to like this series.

Leia Mais

Steep decline

It was good until it just...... wasn't. Didn't take too long to go sour, but the shift from some potential growth to whatever that second half of this mess was felt almost jarring. It's pretty obvious this is something written for men, the lack of depth to any of the characters--especially the female ones--was almost laughable. The saving grace of this was Park Jihoon and Choi Hyunwook. Their chemistry on screen was amazing. Really hated the ending and how we never saw Jeon Seokdae again, he was such a promising character... I'm just glad this wasn't long, though I'm also not sure how they managed to stretch this storyline for the eight episodes they did. Anyway, I see a lot of potential for a lot of the cast in this, I just hope they get roles in better written series.

Leia Mais

Great cast, missed potential

With the development and increased attention + interest in gay kdramas, this series has the potential to be re-visited with a more passionate producer and studio. The lack of a good budget is evident in things like bad takes, missed editing, bad audio, and the lack of imagination or care to actually get the story across to viewers.

A lot of things within the storyline were abandoned or completely skipped. From the curse, their dinner agreement, and even Dennis himself. A viewer can eventually deduce some aspects of the story yet it leaves far too much room for development.

I hope this can get picked up by a better studio in the future and maybe give this cast the true opportunity to make a great series.

Leia Mais

Good production, but that's it

although i came into this with really high expectations, not only for the directing stye but also for offgun to get something new, this series went from mildly boring to extremely frustrating. still don't know how i kept any interest to finish it.

though we got some semblance of a story about ryan, most of the episodes were not even about him or jane. i would understand if there were less episodes, but getting 3 episodes of a cheating, inappropriate mentor/intern relationship, and people that just do not show character growth, anything positive was quickly overshadowed by all that mess. i thought i would like it more, as it did start really interestingly and the colors, editing, etc were a fresh style for anything BL related by gmmtv.

and as for the biggest disappointment: minimal offgun. what was the point in even having them as leads? we got one episode that was mostly dedicated to them and even that felt like a very forced and quick attempt to satisfy viewers that were watching for this pairing. there was some story to both of them, but overall i found this series extremely underwhelming for what it could've been. the cheap cop-out of having jane leave, without even bothering to discuss it with ryan or even just prepare him, made me so angry. the lack of communication during those five years was INSANE. how do you do that to someone you love?? with these two, just the most insane lines would blindside me so bad, it felt like just drama for the sake of it.

the script was terrible, the stories were worse (judy should've never been kept in this!), and the lack of any substance to pah and pie was actually sad too. pie never showed growth until the last episode, and her failing to apologize to ryan BOTH times really just about set me off.

finally, poon was such a great casting choice for this series. he made it the most tolerable for me apart from offgun.

Leia Mais

a lackluster story can only go so far

though the thai original is very popular, i don't think that this one necessarily falls flat in comparison. the reality is that this adaptation cut out a lot of the filler the original had, and thus feels like it's "missing" something. the reality is that the story is bad, there was nothing interesting going on, and relied on a lot of trauma to further one of the storylines.

i did expect japan to change up a lot of the intensity that was missing in the original, but i also realize that it's hard to do this without changing the story itself. though i expected more, i also think the casting didn't help much. the differences in what japan finds attractive in comparison to thailand are evident in these casting choices and left me questioning some choices. or there's just not enough of a diversity in actors up to taking on any of these roles, perhaps? either way, kai's story was slightly more palatable just for the seriousness given to his trauma. i didn't find the thai original to really approach that with good taste.

i don't know, but shoma was the only one i found interesting and to really fit the role. takuto might've benefited more from a better stylist, because his boyish looks only made him awkward to look at for me. i would've liked more of a personalized touch to his interpretation, it felt regurgitated to me. i also sincerely failed to see chemistry between any of these actors.

overall, i'm not a huge fan of the story itself, but i watched in hopes that maybe japan would do it better. it was better in the flow of things, but the short episodes were a chore to get through still. i struggled with enjoying most of this, but i do appreciate shoma a lot in this. he did the best out of the cast. though the casting wasn't the greatest apart from him, but at least it proves that the original adaptation was only successful due to chemistry and not for being a groundbreaking story.

Leia Mais

recycled characters for a dull story

this story relied heavily on already established chemistry between the actors, so the fact they couldn't bring out anything new to their dynamic makes this boring to watch, but i also give them some slack because working in seriously underdeveloped stories from mame means they have to make up for elementary level writing and, well, everything.

though my rating for this is extremely low, it does not reflect on the actors solely, but just an overall boring story that even at 2x speed, was a terrible time to get through. peat is once again in a cold, traumatized, and unregulated character that struggles with connections, and fort is again the one left in a role that does a lot of the heavy lifting to create the story itself and drive forward plot points. they're slowly getting left into roles that are just recycled with new names slapped onto them and it's disappointing when they're actually so fun outside of these roles they get.

the female side couple was a factor as to why this is rated so low for me as well. i don't know what it is with aya getting so many bad roles, but i hope she can get casted into a good series without becoming typecasted into just annoying roles. she also lacked any chemistry with chanya, so i never liked their dynamic.

overall, it's mame, so you can't expect much in terms of a story, fleshed out characters, or world building. a lot of the really intense scenes, like tongrak rejecting mahasamut in the last ep, lacked the proper direction in delivery. there should've been a lot more intensity in that scene, and just showed how flat this show falls in terms of proper direction. this is the last time i bother with any of her stories and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. fortpeat deserve to get a good series with actual challenges to their abilities that show us different sides to them and their talents so i hope that opportunity comes to them soon considering how poorly directed and invested this was.

Leia Mais

a tragic story of incredible potential

there are a lot of factors that go into developing and producing a series, and i think the most important thing to remember is that the studio that opted to create this series is not very large to begin with. because of this, and likely a lot of struggles to finance and cast the roles, i'm being a bit more lenient for both my rating and review.

to address the main concern: the acting. i think that david did a lot of the heavy lifting here, despite being a rookie with still a journey left ahead for him in terms of presenting a story. kinn was stiff to the point it made the set look cheaper and his interpretation to seem disinterested at times. i can't judge too harshly, as i am not an actor myself, but it does give me pause that the director, casting director, scriptwriter, and the team just went with this despite all that. i would've loved to see david work with someone experienced or that he had a partner that could help him immerse himself into the role better.

acting aside, the sets were interesting, but it all felt very boxed in. regardless of where the scenes took place, it felt very much like a "closed in" experience, where you don't really get a picture for the entire situation going on. you could say it made the series feel like it took place inside of a dollhouse. it could've been used to their advantage and portray a creepier space, but it just felt weird instead.

in terms of the story itself, i was still confused about what the ending meant. i wasn't sure how in the future there's a video, when matthew's family couldn't see khen so how could they be recorded? is the future just a loop now? was everything "fixed"? and had khen already met matthew in his timeline and had just never known it? i might have to pick up the book instead and read it, but i hope we can get more series from Violet Rain, their stories truly have the potential to change how media adaptations of queer novels are approached. i am particularly fond of the focus on historic/past thailand timelines.

overall, the series is not the best, and part of it is likely a failed budget, but i still think it deserves a watch.

Leia Mais