Between Us (2022)

High expectations not met?

So, I belong to those that actually was interested in WinTeam and then decided to watch UMWA before watching BU. Meaning, I did not wait three or so years for a WinTeam series. I think that is the main problem with why people are not satisfied, they had too high expectations and waited for a long time.

IMO, I think it did help a lot to watch UMWA before BU, I have seen people saying you shouldn't watch it because BU!WinTeam is so different, but it would be kinda cool to understand what's going on in the background. DeanPharm would seem so random otherwise.

I didn't really mind seeing a different WinTeam you could say, especially if we consider how we really didn't get much of them in UMWA. Kinda sucks that they changed some scenes completely, but oh well *shrug* Because I do not have the attachment like other long time fans, I don't mind as much.
My biggest problem with the writing though is that it was simply too much. Why did we have not 3 or 4 but FIVE different pairings in this? We could take out Bee and Prince's storyline and everything still would make perfect sense. And, this is gonna be controversial, I wouldn't have minded if they wouldn't have had included WaanTul. I did not care all too much about them.

That, topped with WinTeam's rather draggy dynamics ,caused everything to feel a bit too long. I think if they would have just focused on DeanPharm, WinTeam with a bit of Manaow and Pruek it would have been fine.
Nevertheless, WinTeam have a special place in my heart, even though I did find some of the writing to be quite weak. Maybe it's BounPrem's chemistry or something. I'm still pissed at how annoyed or unwilling Team looked when Win touched him, I'm so glad that trope is slowly dying in BL. We could have had sexy couply WinTeam all the time, damnit!

Also, special shoutout to OhmFluke having much better chemistry in their, like, 3 scenes together.

Overall, had some great moments while simultaneously having a lot of weak ones as well. Saving grace is that I have a special place in my heart for WinTeam! I can't even tell you why, I just do!

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Just between bad and good

Do you need to watch uwma to understand between us? No, you do not. Between us is a stand alone story that can be watched independently from uwma. HOWEVER, it's just not on the same level as uwma and it pains me to admit that because i loveddd boonxprem. They had great chemistry and were funny actors in uwma.
Between Us made it weird with how contradicting both the characters were compared to the performance in uwma. And like, yes they're independent stories, but the inconsistencies in characters were way off. like why is win not flirty and chaotic anymore? why is team's only personality trait food (and trauma)?
We deserved to see more of pharmxteam interacting and giving each other advice it wouldve been so cute to see these two dumbasses interact like they did in the first ep <3
I still enjoyed watching this series and the potential was there, it's just a little bit rough around the edges.

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New Favorite #BounPrem

The story is about Win, a third-year senior, and Team, a freshman who are both members of the University Swimming Club. Team has a traumatized by the death of his cousin as a child, because of his guilt Team often has nightmares, especially when going to compete which makes him insomnia. Win who knew about it finally asked Team to sleep with him. Where Win also has his own problems, as the middle child in his family he feels less cared for and feels he must always be reliable. This causes Win to always try to help others and cannot express his true feelings. From the closeness that was initially just for fun, they finally realized that they loved and relied on each other.

At first, I was confused why there were so many bad reviews for the drama because, for me personally, this is one of my favorite BL dramas. Indeed, I watched Between Us first and then watched the initial series entitled Until We Meet Again. It turns out that according to me that's one of the advantages. Because I really like the character Win and Team version in Between Us. Although I also agree with some opinions that the story can be made even deeper.

I really like how Boun (Win) and Prem (Team) are very comfortable with each other so it doesn't seem awkward at all, maybe this is also because they have worked together several times since Until We Meet Again.

Can't wait for the next #BounPrem project.

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A great disappointment

After watching 'Until We Meet Again', I think I'm not wrong in saying that, like many other people, I became a fan of the secondary couple. So I was delighted to learn that a sequel centered on this couple was coming out! But unfortunately, 'Between Us' failed my expectations.

I was looking forward to seeing one of my favorite ships together again, but I was quickly disappointed. Even though I like seeing Win and Team on screen together, I didn't find the dynamic that made their charm in 'UWMA'. Neither Win nor Team are like they were before, especially Team, who sometimes acts like a more cringe version of Pharm. For me, what made their couple strong in 'UWMA' was the simplicity and the playful bond of their romance. But these aspects were almost removed in exchange for a more complex and poorly managed romance. The evolution of their relationship is very messy and repetitive.
In addition to the romance, Win and Team have personal issues to resolve in order to move their relationship forward. But once again, the stakes are handled very clumsily. It's good to want to explore different topics, but it would have been even better to do it well... From what I understand, 'BU' was adapted from a novel, but it's up to the drama to properly adapt the source material by improving its shortcomings (as it was done with consent, for example). So, good ideas, but very poor execution.
All of this is not helped by the introduction of secondary couples that impede the already very slow pace of the drama. With a few exceptions, I find the new characters empty and sometimes unbearable. I tried to enjoy them, but I quickly ended up passing their scenes even though they are very few (which doesn't really help to create a connection with them).
Finally, I find the production looks quite cheap. The sound and editing alternate between average and poor quality and don't really help the pace of the drama. Sometimes the editing even makes certain scenes very confusing. Fortunately, the acting remains decent even if it is unbalanced depending on the actors. Win and Team are convincing in the majority of their scenes, especially the sad/tragic ones.

In conclusion, all of the problems mentioned above converge on what is, for me, the biggest flaw of the drama: the pace. 'BU' is only 12 episodes long, and yet I was bored watching the weekly episodes, which seemed both very long and empty. In addition to that, the drama has suffered from the great disappointment it inspired among fans.
I sincerely would have liked to enjoy the drama 'BU' and the new things it offered, but the promises made don't live up to them. I feel like the writers wanted to do something new while remaining too attached to the formula that made the success of 'UWMA' with Dean and Pharm's dramatic romance. Although the drama is still quite average and watchable, I'm not sure I would recommend it, even for new BL fans. However, what I am certain of is that I don't recommend Win/Team fans watch 'BU' (stick to the special episodes of 'UWMA' instead).

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BounPrem saved it all for me

I gave it a 10
BUT
It's a ten because it's them, it's BounPrem.
Otherwise, the story in itself don't really deserve a ten.
I think more something like a 7 or maybe a 7.5 at most. And I think I’m being very generous here.
Don't get me wrong, the story's not bad. Really not.
But it's not amazing either, especially after UWMA. I guess I really had some high expectations for this one.
I really think that I would not have enjoy it the same or that much if it would have been another pairing tbh.

Like the other couples were cute but I really liked it because BounPrem were the main, let’s be honest here.

About the story in itself, it was kind of basic in fact, the trope that start like kind of friends with benefits but quickly end up catching feelings. Nothing new. They tried to deepen a bit with Team’s background story and Win thinking of running away for a moment but it’s still basic from my point of view.

In reality, there’s nothing wrong with going for a basic trope when it’s well done. The thing in here is that I think they got a bit lost on their way. There were too much couples in my opinion. Like the story of Waan and Tul? Kind of useless because they didn’t develop it at all. The ideas were good I think but the execution? Meh.

In the end, BounPrem really save it all for me. So when I see reviews of people who didn’t like it, I think I can understand because if they weren’t one of my faves, I would have probably found the series passable and nothing much.

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THE GASP OF RELIEF

i was about 5 episodes in before i decided to go back and watch UWMA before continuing on. if you are wondering if you should/need to watch UWMA to watch this... not really. you'll be a little confused about pharm&dean and there are some missing scenes but i honestly think you can enjoy this series without needing to watch UWMA.

PRODUCTION
is a lot better than UWMA (i mean it has been 3 years so i hope so) and even better from the specials. everything looked really nice and sounded okay. i really enjoyed the set design? idk i just appericated it more here. the music was better but everytime they did play a song that was used in UWMA i had war flashbacks...

WRITING / STORY:
i really enjoyed the story - sure it kinda dragged towards the end and there was def too many side couples but i had a fun time. i felt like there was a good balance of the fun/happy times and the sad/emotional. the pay off was also done really well. i know they did their best to incorporate to the established timeline of UWMA but really it kinda made it more confusing. plus the fact that some scenes werent adapted so they sometimes just leave things out of context which is annoying.

CHARACTERS / ACTING:

team (played by prem) is such a fun character - he was more upbeat in UWMA but im glad they gave him some depth. im not really a big fan when they make characters "stupid" but i was moreso endeared by him. perm's emotional acting skills were amazing esp later on. i esp loved seeing his character at the end.

win (played by boum) was SO good. i loved his arc very VERY much. although boum in the emotional side didnt always get it right but he plays the playful nature very well. win is def my favorite character for sure.

there was a reason this series was hyped up for so long. boum and prem work really well together (tho i feel like the intimate scenes they had were done better in UWMA). win and team are messy and complicated but you love to see it. they are cute and you want to see them happy. im glad we are gonna get (at least) one more boumprem series.

there was a grand total of FOUR side couples. which was just way too many - most bl can hardly get ONE side couple to work. but here are my quick thoughts -

dean/pharm even though i had just finished UWMA i kinda... missed them?? idk maybe it was because their scenes were so few but i felt like ohm (dean) was a lot more sentimental and believable. but i liked them in their own series and i liked them here.

manaow/pruek were okay. towards the end i was just kinda bored. i know they are meant to bring some comedic relief but at sometimes i just wanted to get back to where we were. i dont really have any strong feelings for them. i also enjoyed manaow a lot more in UWMA than here which is sad.

tul/wan i just... couldnt. maybe if they were the only couple but they introduced them then forgot about them but then suddenly brought them back and focused on them for a long time... i just couldnt get attached.

bee/prince the only couple i really had fun with. i thought they were cute. i wouldve liked them more if they werent sharing the spotlight with so many people but the stuff we got was cute and lighthearted.

i wish we had gotten more of team's friends in general. if they wanted side story rather than just couples i wouldve had fun seeing a, bee, and sea get into wacky adventures.

OVERALL:
i did enjoy this more than UWMA but i am glad i did watch it in general. like i said i dont think you need to watch it to watch this but i was happy to see that the story is completely finished now. out of the more emotional bls this one is probably one my favorites now.

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Oh, the vibes were vibing

Between Us is messy, convoluted, and melodramatic. But despite every rule in the book telling me I should never touch this again. The chemistry of Prem (Team) and Boun (Win) was immaculate and made me love Between Us with my whole heart. Not only did they steal every scene, aside from Cooheart, in Until We Meet Again. But this side story series did them the justice they deserved by giving them more time in the spotlight.

My only harp on this pair is in episode eleven, when the writers make them bring out that dam guitar and sing each other's emotions. Another critique I would have is how many couples there were. I enjoyed Yacht's (Tul) performance but felt like their story could have been fleshed out a lot more.

But overall to keep it short and sweet, this BL is for those who enjoy their BLs with a handful of melodrama and bedroom pillow talk.

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Beautiful and shows character growth

Some say it was disappointing, and if you want in your face drama, you will be disappointed. If you want a heartfelt real romantic feel, this is it. It's a slow growth. It feels like a real relationship developing, similar to a character study.
I loved the characters, Boun especially, so I enjoyed watching how they molded together. I loved the beginning of their story and how it grew.

I'd watch it again.
What I liked: The slow burn, the slow build, the realistic growth and Boun!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I didn't like/care for: I didn't care for the main couple from UWMA popping in, only because they had their own story so I didn't need to see any more of them.

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This is what happens when good writing meets good pacing!

Honestly! I cannot WILL NOT shut up about how great the pacing is. From ep1-12, I didn't feel like anything needed to be cut out. I honestly love BounPrem's acting, esp Boun. He has pure love in his eyes, honestly. WinTeam are hands down one of the best TV couples I've seen in a while.
The only things I'd change are: the telling of the background story for Team and I'd probably add a bit more depth to the music

Otherwise, I think I'm speechless on a lot of accounts. Esp because I didn't expect the SERIOUS lack of cliches. I was expecting so many dumb cliches to happen and then they just... didn't. It was SURPRISING. I had been putting off watching this because of a few silly reviews I'd seen, but that would have been my BIGGEST mistake.
God, I hope I get to see more dramas like this. <3

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This Is Good

I’m not sure why some people gave this a low rating but it was so good. I watched UWMA a long time ago, so there was no comparison. I love Win, his facial expressions, the way he takes care of those around him and I was so glad he finally got someone to love him too. Did I mention he’s such a flirt ?. I wish Team would have loved him harder but I guess he tried his best.
I didn’t like the way Tul lied to Waan, but I’m glad it ended well for them.
I loved all the side couples.
If you’re looking for a light drama that will get you to connect with the leads and feel their emotions, I think this is one. Try it

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