Friend Forever (2020)

Inconsistent quality: likable in some ways but sometimes frustrating

This BL has loads of potential and is surprisingly good for quite a number of episodes for such a low-key BL (compared with say, Love by Chance 2, which is airing around the same time). In fact, I stumbled upon it by chance because it doesn't seem to have been listed in lists of Thai BLs.

The main couple starts off being the sort I personally love to see, with them caring for each other in little ways even when they do not make their love for each other obvious. The story of Tan and Oil is interesting at the start with Tan being an archetypal "bully who turns out to be a softie" sort of character who becomes a much more nuanced character especially after the demise of his mother. (It may come as a pleasant surprise that Tan's affection for Oil is more obvious to us from quite early on when he almost kisses a drunk Oil but stops himself.)

Unfortunately, the development of their relationship seems to be headed nowhere during the middle of the series despite their attraction to each other. Despite being obviously in love with Tan, Oil inexplicably seems willing to date/consider dating Kun. Yes, he has the right to date others since Tan and him aren't dating and Tan hasn't made his feelings clear. To make matters worse, Oil's affection for both Tan and Kun seems genuine--at one point he appears genuinely happy when Kun confesses his love, and yet he also seems to be considering Kun because he thinks Tan only treats him as a brother.

Towards the end of the series, the plot becomes haphazard, compromising what could have been a reasonably good series. The scriptwriter(s) decides to throw in an incident in which Oil feigns illness, causing Tan to misunderstand him when Tan finds out. Although it is clearly suggested that Oil is under some pressure to feign illness (this isn't clarified even by the end of the series), the already baffled audience doesn't need to be baffled further at this point. The characterization of Tan is also problematic. At one point, he seems willing to let Oil be with Kun, indicating that he will do anything for Oil to be happy. However, he also gets jealous and upset after he realizes that Oil has got into Kun's car while pretending to be ill. (Tan thinks that they have gone out on a date or something.) Such behaviors can perhaps be convincingly portrayed if the actors had the ability to convey the nuanced emotions, but this was a bit too challenging for such young actors.

Apart from the unnecessary events that are added in for no particular reason, characters are added in and cast aside simply to complicate matters. Tan's stepbrother, for example, does not seem to have any particular motivation for his unpleasant behavior and seems to have been added in because the scriptwriters want some tension. Then there's Kun, the poor guy who seems to really like Oil. Oil agrees to go out with him and even agrees to be his boyfriend in the last episode. But just seconds later, Tan appears, takes Oil away, confesses his love to him and they live happily ever after. Nothing is shown about Kun after this, which also possibly and unintentionally also turns Oil into arguably the most selfish bastard in the whole story.

Tin and Sea, as of Episode 8, seems to be the other main couple (potential couple) though this is where things get somewhat confusing. Firstly, apart from the fact that Sea is Tan's friend (we only see them talking to each other over the phone though), Tan and Oil seem to exist in an entirely different social circle from Tin and Sea, and there is practically no connection in the Tan/Oil and Tin/Sea stories. Secondly, it is not entirely clear whether if Tin is in love with Sea even after two-thirds of the series is over. Sea is supposedly straight and in love with his female childhood friend, but we know that this doesn't matter in the world of BL. What is bewildering is Tin seems to have fallen in love with Sea at first sight though later it is revealed that Tin supposedly has a girlfriend. The girlfriend is overseas and only mentioned by the characters, and Tin only ever seems to think of her when he needs an excuse to spend time with Sea.

The confusion regarding Tin/Sea could be something that we can bear with easily if not for the extra confusion arising from the messy friendship/relationship amongst the other characters in Tin/Sea's circle. There is It (a confusing name because I often find myself wondering "What is it?" until I realize that "It" is a name) who seems to have been punished because some other guy (presumably Voice) wrote a note to him saying that he loves him (It)--is that even his fault even if we don't quibble about whether a guy being in love with another guy is wrong? It's love-hate relationship with the music club is also bewildering--he was kicked out of the club (or suspended?) because of the aforementioned declaration of love, but it's not as though everyone in the club has done something against him. I suspect that part of the confusion arises from flaws with the subtitles.

The pacing is fine but uneven. The switches from the Tan/Oil story to the Tin/Sea story makes it feel like I'm watching two different series without being able to finish one before watching the other. As of Episode 8, the series still gives the impression that it can be salvaged. Unfortunately, by Episode 11, one gets the sense that the ending (Episode 12) is going to be very rushed if the series is even going to have something that resembles a proper ending. Episode 11 focuses solely on Tan and Oil, so we are left in the middle of nowhere when it comes to Tin and Sea, after seeing the cute scene of Tin trying to do something to cheer Sea up.)

With a title like "Friend Forever" (or "Friends Forever depending on the translation), one may wonder if there is going to be an awful ending in which everyone just remains friends. Thankfully it doesn't have such an ending. However, the happy ending for multiple couples just happen out of nowhere, which makes the ending really abrupt and bizarre. It's like a student submitting an exam essay that suddenly skips to the conclusion because he has made too many irrelevant digressions to elaborate on his main points within the time limit.

The series goes downhill about halfway through, particularly in the last 4 episodes. It is a waste of actors and characters who show promise at the start. Though the unnecessary ambiguity and complexity of emotions prove to be too challenging for him, Leo (who acts as Tan) has been able to carry off his role well for most of the episodes, successfully showing the propensity for the character to appear more cold than he really is, his innocence and hidden insecurities well. Tai, who plays Oil also pretty much conveys the character's slight girlishness and playful streak quite well. Heart and Bank may have less interesting roles as Tin and Sea, but they are really good looking actors whom audiences won't mind seeing. I have never seen someone looking as adorable as Tin while trying to suppress a smile (Episode 6), lol.

This is actually a fairly promising series that would probably have benefitted from a bigger budget and a more experienced team. I remember reading somewhere that it is directed by the same director who directed Love Sick, its sequel and its spinoff, Thank God It's Friday. Perhaps the team really needs a series with as many episodes as Love Sick 2 to do more justice to the material. Friend(s) Forever is better than the rather insipid Thank God It's Friday (though the latter is somewhat more focused and coherent).

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WATCH THE DIRECTOR CUT!

Normally I don't write reviews but I think this time I have to write one or not really writing one but just draw attention to it, so pls read that before (or during) watching the series.

This series starts so beautifully. The main actors Leo and Tai (Tan and Oil) did such an amazing job by representing the main characters. I really was into it during all the scenes and the chemistry was on top. I really enjoyed every single scene.
BUT and this is the main point that I really don't understand. In this series there are two important scenes between Tan and Oil and they just cut them out. I don't want to spoil but just look up (EP 1 and EP12 directors cut) and watch them. Because I think when you miss these scenes you will be a bit upset after finishing the series. With the scenes I think it is well done. Nothing special but worth watching I guess. All in all the story is pretty basic and sometimes a bit frustrating but when you watch the whole series with the missing scenes you will like how it ends.

I wasn't really into the other main couples but I think everyone has a different point of view and I guess you could like the other couples too.
Also the ending was a bit .... ÄHHHHM OK?! But yeah.

For me personally, it wasn't that new and some plots and scenes are a bit unnecessary. Although this series hasn't a special story line or an important message but I think as a BL fan you can still watch and enjoy it.

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Unfortunate Execution

Where do I even begin? I found myself having a very difficult time rating this show because I loved it so much, but also hated it with the core of my being. I can't help but feel bad for the actors/actresses that participated in the making of this series. The production team DID THEM DIRTY. This show had such a beautiful story with actors that did so a wonderful job at portraying it, but sadly, it wasn't enough.

Let's dive in.

Production: TERRIBLE. THE WORST I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE BL EXPERIENCE. Granted, I watched what I believe to be the director's cut and also on a bootleg website (but I've never had trouble with any other series, soooo..). I couldn't find all episodes with the uncut versions, and trying to search for them was like trying to find a needle in a haystack; it just wasn't going to happen. 1, the god awful cuts. The editor for this show must've been BRAND SPANKING NEW, cause they had zero clues as to what they are doing. One minute Oil and Tan are having an important moment and then the next we cut and they're back to normal. This is where this show failed miserably and it's so undesirable to watch because of this. 2, the continuity errors. Watching this series was so miserable (I'll say miserable a hundred times cause that's honestly what it was) the continuity errors happened every few seconds and with each cut. Oil would look like he was crying and then the next cut he looks completely fine. I'm okay with continuity errors cause it happens, but this show has too many where you count how many in an episode without even consciously doing it. 3, the subtitles. This might've been more of a subber problem, but it doesn't matter, I'm adding it. I understand that this show was created to cater to a Thailand audience before any other country, but good lord O'mighty, this was just inexcusable. It's so hard to keep up with a show when you're trying to decipher what was being said every minute. It got a little better by the end, but still, whoever subbed needs to never do that again in their life (but I give them a C for effort). 4, the weird-ass plot cuts. What was the point of having a director's cut? Why was it needed? Why didn't we just leave all of the CRITICAL scenes in there? For one, Tan does actually kiss Oil when he's sleeping, but in the version I watched, it shows that he didn't. BIG, BIG scene that changed my entire perspective after watching (I watched when I was already finished with the series). There were some other obviously plot cuts that were probably very much needed cause there were so many plot holes, but I didn't feel like searching up each and every moment to see what I missed. Lastly, the music. Not necessarily bad, but very repetitive. Other than the crucial song needed to drive some of the plot points, music was the best thing about the production, and I still think it was only okay. I've spent enough time writing about why this show sucks balls in the production section, let's just move on.

Story: Because some of the plot points were cut, I'm still not sure what the actual story was, but from what I saw it was decent. I still have a million questions like, how did Tan's mom die? What did Tan do all day? Did he have a job, did he go to school? What's the history between It and Voice? What exactly did Tan's mom do for a living? Sew clothes or furniture? Why did Oil's family leave him behind? Why did he leave without saying goodbye? Was he there for school? Who did he live with besides Tan? That's just the few I wrote down but there are plenty of others. The parts of the story I loved most were Tan's family situation and TIn and Sea's story that was the one that made the most sense. (I think?).

Acting: The only part of this that I can actually applaud. The acting was pretty good for what this series was worth, and it's the only reason I kept watching. Oil's actor did a magnificent job, as well as Tan and Sea. Everyone else did a good enough job for me to not write about them.

COUPLES

Oil and Tan: 9/10

I really enjoyed Oil and Tan's story. I got very annoyed most of the time cause their scenes could sometimes run long and slow, but I do love a slow burn and that's what they gave me. From the very beginning, I loved their dynamic. The way Tan teased Oil, and the way Oil had such high hopes that Tan would do the things that Oil wanted him to do. Once you get to see it slowly slide into something more, it really does make you yearn for them to already hurry and get together. After watching the cut in which Tan does kiss Oil when he's sleeping, I've started feeling a little different for this couple. It should've never happened, and I think I liked it a thousand times more when I wasn't acknowledged. Oil was so precious, and I literally shipped him with Tan and Khun. I didn't care who he ended up with, I just wanted him to end up with somebody. I would've honestly preferred Khun just because he was a darling right off the bat. Tan was technically seen to others as Oil's older brother, so that could've been a really weird story to have to tell others, but oh well. This is me being nit-picky, but why oh why did they give Oil that god awful haircut in episode 9 or 10? He looked like a character in Star Strek, and it bothered the HELL out of me the entire time. I wasn't a big fan of the weird ponytail thing he had going on, but I would much rather have that. Anyways, I also loved how Oil was a feminine gay who was actually respected and loved and not played off as the comedic relief. However, we did lose that part of him the further into the series we went. Not too big of a problem, but I would've liked to see that part of him continue on throughout the series. The confession between the two of them was beautiful. There were so many moments when I had thought they were like lowkey confessing, but the kiss confession (also something I had to look up) was pure magic.

FIRST KISS RATING: This doesn't need a rating cause it was all disgusting, don't kiss people when they're unconscious. Period.

Sea and Tin: 8/10

Not going to lie, at the very beginning I was not for them at all. Tin's actor had this very scary expression on his face like he genuinely terrified me. But, the more of him we got to see, the more I warmed up to him. I liked that they had their comedic moments, and then there really sweet moments like the one on the rooftop. It was probably that moment when I started shipping them pretty hard. Due to some of those weird cuttings and the subtitles, their story didn't make all that much sense to me. The closer to the end we got was when it started getting super hard to understand. Sea asked his old crush to date him and then she declines and then he gets really sad and then Tin breaks up with Fasai (I don't even remember him dating anybody), and then he tells Sea and his friends about it and runs off with Sea and then they meet up again and start crying while singing??????? Definitely know we're missing something there. The ending with them was so precious, Tin giving him the ring was honestly the perfect ending for them.

It and Voice: 5/10

Definitely wanted to see way more of them. I could tell there was something going on between the two, but I wish it were more fleshed out, What we did get of them was super cute. It was this super tough guy but was so relaxed and nice with this new guy. The only reason there rated so low is because we didn't get to see much of them and because of that I didn't grow many feelings towards this couple.

RECOMMEND? Definitely not. I wish I could say I would, but this series is so poorly produced, which is unfortunate cause the actors don't deserve it, but oh well. It is what it is.

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RUSHED

Well I had high hopes for this but sadly was let down. There's not much to really say other than it was pretty rushed in random places and VERY inconsistent! I was disappointed and left confused with the ending. There were some cute parts but I was more interested in the side couples and I got nothing. It was so rushed there's really not much of an ending you can create yourself with your imagination. I always like to give new BL actors a chance and like I said, I had high hopes but eh. Maybe one more ep would've helped it not be so rushed. Visuals are pretty decent tho lol

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I had moderately high hopes after watching the first episode. Tan and Oil had good chemistry together, they’re cute together and I was excited to see their relationship develop through the series.

I also liked Sea & Tin from the start, their relationship starts off a bit strange, (but in a funny way) and I was excited to their relationship develop too.

The story overall was lacking in my personal opinion, the main “drama” of the series was simply just “when/will they get together/accept their feelings for each other”

I thought both the couples relationships could have progressed more quickly so that they could have faced other kinds of drama as couples throughout the series.

Because of that it felt like the show began to drag from the middle to the end, the finale felt a little rushed too to be honest.

I would recommend watching the director’s cut if possible because a few important scenes are cut out of the original series.

However the series had its moments, it was cute. If you like cutesy series with lots pining and aren’t expecting a masterpiece, then you may enjoy Friend Forever.

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WTF

I'm writing this right after watching the last episode and I have to say more than 2 things about this series:

The actors are 10 out of 10 when we talk about acting skills and chemistry, and any of the mistakes during the series comes from them, just to be clear.

The story is not like a big deal, it is not the kind of series with a huge plot twist, but it makes you somehow keep watching, even when you feel frustrated because of the speed of both stories, one it is too fast and the other one it is too slow, but even with that, you keep watching it only because of the fact that they´re good actors and you really want to know how the story ends. They really messed up the whole series with the last episodes, they hurried away too much the story and skipped too many scenes that would have been better for making the audience know how the story ends up that way.

And I know I´m not the first one who´s going to write this, but... WTF WITH THE ENDING SCENES? Literally, they ruined the whole series by cutting scenes then just jumping to the end with such a weird scene that no one asked for?

I don´t really know what they were thinking but this story was such a good one and I would´ve asked for a second season if they didn´t literally shit up the end.
Sad for the character's story and for the big potential it has and how they ruined both of it.

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Disappointing and Meandering

This BL series had such good potential and started out well. But then it meandered and veered off into silly and unnecessary directions, which was too bad because the overall story is actually entertaining. This was one of the few series that I almost gave up watching. The production, editing, and translations into English made it very difficult to watch. The story dragged on and on especially for the' main' couple and I found that relationship insufferable. I thought the 'secondary relationships' (if you want to call it that) were way more interesting and had more potential for development. This could have been a good solid story but it did not believe in itself and then got lost. These actors, for the most part, are very young and inexperienced yet they carried what they could on their own without any real direction or solid production. If you want to read my full review of this series, please go to ppbongi.medium.com. Leave a comment if you like.

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Mean Girls without a plot

This is a re-watch, meaning I watched a year ago in confusion with a lot of fast-forwarding because the pacing was pointless and slow. However, one of the leads is in a new BL that I finished, Bank Nuttawatt Thanathaveeprasert newer role is "Destiny Seeker"

So of course I had to see how he improved or what went wrong then and now. The Sea actors here is good and convincing and so are most of the actors. Doing their best with a story without a story. I'm back to talking about Friend Forever.

Without Spoilers the character don't really engage in romance, it's hinted for 90 percent of the show. And the last episode gets the first and only kiss of all 12 episodes. So calling it a Bromance or friendship with no benefits is more accurate. The idea of consistency or feelings becoming something close to love. Any expression of two people that want to be together in a romantic I need you, or we are forever is not here. The mean girls' or bullys in the school was pointless and not realistic. People being mean and then not mean for no good reason

That being said I gave it a seven rating because of the actors and a few accidentally passable scenes and the potential of them getting better scripts.

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Sweet couple of tan and oil

Mess story, cute couple of tan and oil. I would love to watch again any series which this two acted together. I watch this series cause i love this couple in the middleman's love. both of them deserve their own great story!

Tin and sea couple does not make sense. Last scene seems sea confessing to tin but then bff forever? Does not make sense.

As for oil, why the hell you so dumb to give away your heart easily to any guy even to kun which you just met? It potray that you so desperate to seek for love! At least stand for your feelings to tan.

Last but not least, these actors deserve better production.

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Friend forever

Olha, se alguma vez eu fui enganada na vida, foi pela minha expectativa nessa série. Apesar do próprio título já indicar que as fujoshi iriam se decepcionar, eu não pensei que fosse tanto.
A série é de baixa produção, os cenários são basicamente a escola, os dormitórios e poucas cenas externas. Percebi problemas de continuidade, diálogos sem nenhuma lógica, sem falar nos pontos que ficaram em aberto, por exemplo, se Melody e Pause eram realmente um casal, como surgiu e se desenvolveu esse relacionamento? Porque os diálogos deles eram totalmente sem sentido e a explicação não apareceu na série? Pq tanto ódio da parte de It por todos os membros do clube, mesmo que não tenham sido eles que o expulsaram? A relação entre Tin e Sea foi algo extremamente decepcionante no final, pois o roteiro deu a entender que ambos seriam um casal, o final também, mas eles falaram em amizade (??), e por fim, foram necessários 12 eps para que Tan se declarasse, pelo amor... e se Oil era tão apaixonado, pq estava se derretendo nos braços de outro, inclusive tinha aceitado o pedido de namoro? Enfim, tinha muito potencial, mas o roteiro era péssimo. A história de amor entre um menino podre de rico que sai de sua bolha por um rapaz pobre poderia ter sido muito melhor explorada. Gostei do plow twist da história dos pais de Tan.
As atuações foram razoáveis, a ost é muito boa e apesar dos furos eu recomendo a série.

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Fofo, porém baixo custo.

Contém Spoilers!!!

A princípio, a proposta desse BL foi interessante, o casal principal sendo dois meninos de famílias diferentes que passaram a morar juntos e cresceram como irmãos e na maioridade perceberam seus sentimentos um pelo outro. Há mais três casais secundários, todos esses se passando em um diferente cenário, na maior parte do tempo no clube de música em uma escola. Não que isso venha afetar minha avaliação da série, mas gostaria de comentar que os uniformes eram curtos demais, uma mistura de estranho com engraçado. Por ser um BL de baixo custo já era esperado por mim alguns problemas e de fato aconteceram, em todos os aspectos. Posso citar como cortes muito bruscos entre as cenas, que te fazem questionar o que está acontecendo porque tudo muda drasticamente, nos primeiros episódios há uma relação entre o presente e dois tempos do passado, tive um pouco de dificuldade de entender o que estava acontecendo. Também notei que não houve uma atenção com o som do ambiente, houveram ruídos acontecendo no fundo, inclusive barulhos de rádios de comunicação, provavelmente da equipe presente. Os diálogos entre os personagens, muita das vezes não eram interessantes, as vezes não faziam sentido. A atuação foi abaixo do esperado, mesmo considerando ser uma produção de baixo custo, tiveram muitos momentos de silêncio, intervalo grande entre as falas e atores visivelmente envergonhados. Falando assim, parece que é horrível mas eu não usaria essas palavras. Eu não diria que foi uma série ruim, inclusive mesmo com todos os problemas, entregaram uma experiência até que interessante, se ainda for assistir, não espere muito.

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