Fell off towards the end, but overall a great watch
Starting off, I want to say this BL series has an incredible storyline. It effortlessly blends together romantic, sad, and funny scenes, making you go through a rollercoaster of emotions every episode.As I went it blind, I still had pretty high expectations seeing all the high rating reviews, and I wasn't disappointed.
The time-traveling trope hooked me in from the first episode, coupled with all the compassion I had for the main character, Jom. I left completely attached to all he was going through, as if Ohm had carved a hole in my heart as well.
As for the main couple, I loved their chemistry so much. The creators weren't scared to show some intimate, vulnerable scenes between them, and I'm genuinely grateful for that.
The second couple, Fongkaew and Ueangphueng, were also fine. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that we needed more scenes delving into their relationship, mostly because they are already together at the beginning of the series, and they don't elaborate on how they fell in love at all. Their future seems to be uncertain, as the last episode leaves me rather confused.
One character in this series that deserves more love is James. Although at the beginning I thought he was going to be stuck as a generic second lead, he proved himself to be so much more than that. He is a walking green flag and they should consider giving him a spin-off series where he finally finds love
What ultimately led me to rate this series an 8.5 were the final three episodes. I won't go into details, as to avoid spoilers, but instead of keeping the same pacing as all the other episodes, they decided to wrap up the main conflict early and keep us wondering about the future of our main character for a bit. It was unbearably slow, worsened by the inclusion of unnecessary scenes that ended up creating major plot holes. I honestly feel they could have handled those episodes better.
In conclusion, despite its flaws, I would recommend this series to any fan of the genre.
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A treat for the eye (not just the Male leads ;)
This BL series felt like a breath of fresh air for me after watching too many college BL series. As a fan of Downton abbey I am a huge fan of period dramas but I'm always kind of sad that it's mostly white people who get to live in that time period it seems. Enter IFYLITA. My goodness what a beautiful series! The beautiful traditional clothing + locations, cinematography and the etiquette was so interesting to uncover and was a beautiful backdrop for the story. I almost felt like I could smell the plumeria/frangi pangi myself :)The chemistry between the two couples was great and I lovedddd the GL couple a lot! At least they kind of had the common sense to hide their relationship better hahaha. T he ensemble cast and the comedy was also great.
Jom and Yai were also very sweet and cute and the actors did a spectacular job at portraying the longing and tenderness between these two people.
The rating for the story would've been higher if the ending wasn't so weird? There were also a lot of plotlines that were left unanswered imo and perhaps theyre doing it because they want to do a season 2, but it felt a little bit meh & rushed because
WTF DO U MEAN OUR YAI ENDS UP ALONE BC THE YAI IN THE PRESENT IS NOT THE SAME YAI THAT WE KNOW??? WHO IS THIS??? AND HOW??? WHERE DID HE SUDDENLY COME FROM???
All in all it was a good series but i think the characters and the fans deserve a season 2 so plsssss make one producers!!!
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It was so good but the ending?
I would say I was hooked to this series even though I'm not a fantasy fan. Yai's character might be the rarest green flag in thai bl. His and Jom's chemistry is off the charts. No doubt about it. I liked the cinematography and the music too. It clicked with the story very well. Coming to the plot...time travel is a risky genre and it usually leads to many plot holes if not done properly. Everything was very well scripted and I enjoyed all the episodes until the last few minutes towards the end. I will deduct one star for the ending. There is no explanation given as to how Yai was there in the present with Jom and how he remembers everything. Obviously the Yai in past already stated in the letter that he must have died by the time Jom reads it so who is the one who came at the end. They could have ended the series with Jom unexpectedly meeting a random guy looking like Yai or just moving on from him but they made it confusing and left us with too many questions. Anyways it was a good watch....I liked the dance scene, the kiss in the rain and the oil applying scene omg that was HOT.Don't skip this one. It's worth the time.
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Shiny gemstone in 2023
The high quality of this show is visible in Ep1 already. The cinematography, the direction, the production, the OST, the setting, the cast... everything just feels on spot.The plot has a very strong start with Ep1 with really heavy drama and great acting; providing a unique, somewhat supernatural premise. In later episodes the plot's strength is fluctuating, not as strong as Ep1 but still pretty good and enjoyable, the main plot and side plots are pretty slowburn, yet giving time for the characters and actors to shine, develop connections, show emotions. It's such a great relief compared to average, lower production highschool BLs where sometimes their emotions often come out of the blue and we're supposed to believe it. Moreover, the presentation of the culture of Thailand in the past is also amazing and I enjoyed every moment of watching it.
My only regret is that the plot often changes from serious to a fluffy and funny tone. I would have also liked some more representation of the old<->modern conflicts, solutions and more times when both timelines teach each other. Instead, one of them is quite passive, and the only one being taught, not vice versa.
Ep11 is heavy drama, in contrast to previous, more playful and side-plot focused episodes, maybe the strongest episode after Ep1.
This show is already a 9/10 for me, and I'm looking forward to watching the finale. I somewhat have high hopes that it will be as satisfying as the previous 11 episodes, maybe with an open ending and a hint for another season...
( Fingers crossed :3 )
If you want to see more of something, it should be I Feel You Linger in the Air. This is probably the best and most surprising BL series of 2023 (so far), with the best drama, OST and setting.
9/10
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Best Thai bl for me
While it’s not perfect it did a lot of things right.The best thing in this drama is Khun Yai. I loved how he cared for and respected Jom. Khun yai respected Jim’s boundaries, he didn’t force himself on him, though he fell really fast for Jom he was patient enough to wait for Jom to accept him and want to be with him.
Fav parts
Drunk Khun yai was not a nuisance nor did he try to do anything to Jom. And yet when he wake up the next day he was concerned that he might have done something to Jom. I’m most Thai bl when someone is drunk we know we gonna have some non con sth.
Eeeh I’ll get back to this review later I’m tired haha ?
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Stunning series
This is simply beautiful, kind, and definitely not too much!All I can say is that it has been long since I watched a simple, pure thai romance, and this is it!
I love the way how there is always a bit of chemistry, but never too much, the slow development of the characters and the storyline was a great choice, this is what makes this series so precious.
They couldn't have chosen better actors either. All of them suit their role, I'm so proud of this team.
First you would think this is a typical back-to-the-past type of story, but there is so much more to it. Everyone is way too clean for a servant, but otherwise there is some truth to how they lived.
The acting never made me feel that anything would be unnatural, so they did a great job with the cast!
The music is pretty, sometimes classical, sometimes mixed with thai sounds. Only complaint that it reminds me of the music of another series, like they used the exact same.
Overall there is nothing I would say that's so bad. I'm just waiting for a good ending, not a perfect one.
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A Masterpiece!!
I’m loving it so far cuz it really satisfied what I’ve been imagine after read the novel. Nonkul really portrayed Jom really well. I can feel the pain when he cried. Bright also delivered the emotion with his eyes so well. Other casts did a great job too. Ming such a cutie ❤️❤️ Even the Uncut version is 1 hour, still not enough. I want more ??? Waiting for 1 week is long enough. I always check other BL fan reaction video on YT. So glad, all of them loving it so far. The frame looks like we are watching a movie.Was this review helpful to you?
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Oddly soothing
I love time travel stories. It's a slow burner; it's not a complaint, but an observation.The betrayal, in the first episode, felt raw. The slow realisation on Jom's face was well portrayed.
What I like: the pacing, the scenery. The present and the future existing in one scene at the beginning - cleverly done
What I don't like: something about Jom's meekness when he's time travelled is a bit annoying. I'm not saying he should be arrogant and brash, but it's still annoying.
I've finally finished watching this. I stopped for some time as I couldn't bear to watch the brutality, arrogance and privilege of some of the characters. I couldn't watch characters being beaten. I know it's a drama and aware it may have been close to the reality of the time, but it was too much for me.
As it went on, the portrayal of the love between the main characters, in a time when it wasn't OK to be open, felt bittersweet and joyous. The development of Jom, in a time that was alien to him, was interesting to watch. His confidence grew as he began to feel cared for (as much as was possible in that time).
The ending made me cry, but I think I only sort of understand it. Maybe that's the beauty of it.
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Confusing but somewhat charming
This BL had quite a strong start for me, I was intrigued with the hallucinations Jom had and was curious about the characters in the beginning. However, the drama is too long and too much of the runtime is spent on side characters. While it does make the world feel more real, it communicates to me more an atmosphere of the time rather than the strength and depth of the love between Jom and Khun Yai. The acting is quite strong, and the couple looks good together, but I think it would have been better if there was no time skip and it was set fully in the past. I always think Thai BLs spend way too much time on side characters and never make 20 minute episodes, so I usually end up fastforwarding through the later episodes. This BL does the same thing for me. While the inclusion of the lesbian couple is good and refreshing, the lack of other interesting side couples make the majority of the rest of the cast feel like padding.Over all, there were enjoyable moments, but this BL is by no means a showstopper. Watch it if you are intrigued but maybe lower your expectations.
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Perfection
If there's anything like a perfect BL series, this is the one(atm). The storyline, the casts, the romance and the CHEMISTRY ?.They don't want to be caught but they PDA everywhere except where they won't be caught ?.
I haven't been so engrossed in a BL series after The Eight Sense and i just see myself waiting for Friday just to watch IFYLITA, that's just how good this BL is. The sensuality and the gentle approach to romance is one of the reasons i like it so much. It's been so long a BL gave me such approach to romance.
Don't sleep on this drama, you will be missing a lot.
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one of the best series this year.
the storyline, the acting and the ambiance everything is so well done, this is literally one of the best series released this year for sure. The way the actors portrayed every character’s feeling was truly amazing. Even if you’re not a big fan of times period series (i’m not either) i can guarantee you that series is worth the shot. I need that second season and special episode like RIGHT THIS MOMENT. i need my khun yai & jom being happy and lovely together in every time period and in every universe.Was this review helpful to you?
A beautiful love story unlike regular BL's
This portrayed a very beautiful love story , never felt like i was watching 2 men but saw two lovers on screen.They gave me butterflies in my stomach, such a lovely series.
I was'nt really into the story of other characters was just interested in the main couple's story, i felt like few very charismatic characters like James went to waste and they just left the characters in middle felt like they got unfinished ending. For me the endig of the series was a bit bizarre and had no logic but this cant make me forget the beautiful journey of our main couple.
Felt like the writers had full faith in the story that they gave up on steamy scenes which made this standouy from the rest of the BL's thesedays. I am sooo glad that they kept this seried very clean and focused on the romance. Like tehy were literally just staring into each others eyes and i was sqealing like a whale with excitement.
I look forward to the future projects of these two.
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