Be My Favorite (2023)

Little GMMTV Gem

Can't say that this series disappointed, and like others, I'm pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of the story, the romance, and the overall production of this series. Be My Favorite, while still having trouble finding the meaning behind the title, I found the meaning of the series which is that of, "past or present, love always wins".

Let's Dive In.

This series did amazing with the portrayal of time traveling and trying to change the future. My biggest worry was that this was going to be pretty cliche, and while it was (in the BL aspect of the story), it still threw in some plot twist that I wasn't expecting. For one, I was for sure that Kawi was going to be able to prevent his dad from passing, but in each timeline, he does. It goes to show that -- even though there's no way for us to physically change the past -- what happens in our lives is unavoidable, no matter how many ropes we climb or battles we face; the past is the past. There were just other things in this that I really loved, including Kawi's different futures and the becomings of them.

Onto the romance, I really enjoyed it! Going into this, Krist and Gawin were the most random pairing that they paired, but in the end, it worked well. Mostly because both actors can act and Gawin is amazing at pretending to be in love (which is why GMMTV keeps giving him every partner in the company), so the chemistry obviously works. Now from time to time, I was hooked on the romance, and other times not so much, but for the most part, it worked and it worked great. I also really like that Gmmtv is allowing Gawin multiple screen partners so that they can enhance his acting ability and on-screen chemistry. It's great! His acting has also been so fucking good since Not Me aired, I'm so proud of him.

Also, this series is VERY LGBTQ+ represented and it shows tremendously. From Pisaeng accepting himself for being gay, visiting a gay bar, conversations with Max, confessions to his mom -- to having an entire speech and rally included in an episode fighting for lgbtq+ rights and that of sex workers and women. Great, great great! Also, I love Max and his little emo pink highlights lol.

I loved how they also dedicated most of the 10th episode to Kawi being nervous about sex to even having discussions about it with Max to showing a very organic, very sensual NC scene. Very well done, and very well executed.

Now some nit-picky things: Honestly, this series is only getting an 8/10 because I genuinely believe there only needed to be maybe 8-10 episodes. A lot of what we watched felt dragged out. Very nicely done, but I can't deny that I was finding myself to be a bit bored at times. Also not the biggest fan of Pisaeng having to go back to the past to help save Kawi, just felt like they were reaching for something else to put on screen when they realized it was pretty much happily ever after after episode 10.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - The Time-travel storyline was so good. it flowed nicely, it made sense, and it was enjoyable. There were some other things that were a bit tedious, but it doesn't take over the pleasure of watching this series. The romance is nice, all the side characters have their own stories which are also planned out accordingly, and in the end, it was great.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh gosh, Gawin did great since having seen him Dark Blue Kiss. He just gets better and better by the year. But honestly, for me, Aye (Pearmai) stole the show. Loved her acting, loved how versatile she was, and thank the heavens the writers made her bearable and friendly, and accepting. Everyone else did a great job, with Krist also shining through.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay attention to it, so it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - this series has surprisingly low views on YouTube, and I'm going to guess that has something to do with the odd pairing, or maybe Krist who not everybody is very fond of. Either way, please help support the wonderful talent that created this little gem of a series, it truly is amazing with lots of LGBTQ+ representation and lots and lots of fluffiness that just makes a BL series what it is.

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Surprisingly Good

I will say I didn’t have much expectations when I first heard about this series. I was not familiar with Krist's previous works while I knew Gawin from Dark Blue Kiss and Not Me, where his acting was very good but I was underwhelmed by his chemistry with his partners.

But it ended up being one of my favorite BLs of the year. Kawi and Pisaeng’s chemistry was so delicious on the screen and kudos to the writers for managing to write such a light but well thought story about time traveling and life.

“Be My Favorite” does not reinvent the BL wheel, it uses many tropes we are all too used to, but it never feels boring. Even the moments that I could criticize I actually can’t because the device of time traveling gave the writers a chance to fix and develop better the character’s relationship, so those moments either don’t matter or have been thankfully corrected.

The series does not have a second couple, so the whole focus is on Kawi’s growth and his relationship with Pisaeng and his friends, this does not mean that the supporting characters do not have space in the story, because they do. Pear, for example, is an amazing surprise when it comes to a female character first presented as the object of desire of the male lead, she was not left to be just the plot device that pushes the main character into his journey to find his true love, Pear actually has a story of her own and her scenes with her parents were so well acted and written, I have to praise Aye for the delicate way in which she played the character and conveyed her feelings.

Max also had a very interesting place in the story, he is the confident gay that guides his friend and his crush through their journey of self discovery, while I think that the role of the wise gay does need to evolve in order to give the character more of an agenda, Max had a few memorable scenes serving as a bridge that connected the reality of our world to the fantasy of the series.

Knot is an asshole, it was nice of the series to present a character that seemed to not have any urge to redeem himself without being your cartoony villain, he was simply a bad person and those type of people exist in our lives and we have to choose whatever or not to keep them around. I do think that they half-assed at the end of his arc by still keeping him in touch with the main group, but since he was nothing more than an cameo at the end, I will not judge what exactly may be his relationship with Pear, maybe it was just a polite invitation, either way I am just glad she didn’t marry him.

The drama wasn’t overdone, even though they did hammer the message a little too much at the end in order to make sure the audience understood what they were saying, what I thought was unnecessary, but still I will put this as one of my favorites BLs of the year and a good watch at any time you want a good story with a good message and a soft romance.

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Krist & Gawin are good, but not great with each other

With most time-travel storylines, one can expect the usual live-life-to-the-fullest tropes and standard themes like the interplay of friendship, family and romance. I was hoping for more plot twists or surprises but overall, the show still hit the right notes in a nice balance of funny and heartwarming.

When it came to the main couple, unfortunately, I have to say it – I’m not fully convinced of the GawinKrist pairing.

There was nothing inherently wrong with their on-screen chemistry. Both of them were super professional, delivered the scenes perfectly, and brought out the necessary ~feels~ when the situation called for it. They were good but they just didn’t fly when paired with each other.

If anything, BMF shows the importance of having 2 people who look effortlessly good together. This was a perfectly decent story, with well-constructed and likeable characters, and a talented cast.

And yet, something still felt off between Kawi and Pisaeng. One day, Gawin will find his OTP, but it’s definitely not with Krist.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/08/13/be-my-favourite-2023-bl/

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GMMTV HAS REALY SURPRISED ME THIS PAST BLs

Where do I start...
I guess from the day we found out that Be My Favourite was going to come out. We found out that the leads were Krist and Mike, and I am gonna admit it that I was part of the people who were like: wtf...they literally do not make sense as a couple. And then Mike left and GMM posted on Insta that Gawin would be taking his place. I'll admit again that I was a part of the group of people who went: WTFaaaaa bruhhhhhh, that makes even less sense!!!!
Because let's admit it, Gawin and Krist did not make a pretty image at all in our heads. Man oh man was I wrong. I pride myself with my imagination and in my head, BMF was bound to burn to ashes and stay ashes. So imagine my surprise when I first saw them together and it made sense. I fell in love with them the second I laid eyes on them, and I gave myself a stern taking too. NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER.

I am glad that I gave this a chance, it is easily one of my top 5 GMMTV BLs. The first few episodes really had me in my feelings, especially with how Kawi treated Pisaeng. What I love about this, is that they didn't rush the process of them falling in love with one another. They didn't rush the process of Pisaeng coming to terms with his sexuality, Kawi coming to terms with his sexuality and also realizing that, although he can travel through time; he can't change everything.

It was painful yet beautiful to watch our two mains go through their troubles and then have them finally come together as a couple. I will admit that I thought it was too soon for them to become a couple, and I worried what the episodes to follow would become. Turns out I worried over nothing, I loved watching them as a couple, I loved watching Kawi let go and just give himself to Pisaeng(who in my own opinion, is too good to be true. I kept waiting for him to mess up, but that moment never came. He is easily the man of my dreams).

The dreaded ep 11 curse came after we were softened up throughout the episode. GMM made sure to make us turn into mush and then hit us with, I believe to be their greatest plot twist. I didn't see it coming, I actually clapped my hands after the episode and I was worried of the decision Pisaeng would make in the last episode.

The message was loud and clear, that even though you are faced with adversities in life and you know what your future will look like. The point is to not focus too much on that future, the point is that you live in your present to the best of your capabilities, that you have no regrets about what the future might hold. Every choice you make shouldn't make you want to turn back in time to fix that choice. Just...live man, love, laugh, and be happy.

A beautiful BL, a rare GMMTV win.
Will be rewatching it until I die.

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Easily Everyone’s Favorite

When I first watched the trailer for "Be My Favorite," I was delighted to see Gawin Caskey in another BL. At this point, I'm indifferent to Krist, as I've never watched SOTUS nor will I ever watch it. It's just not my cup of tea. I know Krist had a homophobic scandal, which, depending on whether you're a SOTUS fan or not, will impact your feelings. I don’t have any interest in Krist like I do with Gawin as a Not Me fan. I just needed Krist to be good in this series.

The premise of the series revolves around Botkawee, who's in love with Pearmai. However, his unrequited love is hindered by Piseng. His life changes when a broken musical crystal ball is repaired by a strange old man, transporting him back in time to the age of eighteen. Everything turns upside-down. Instead of fulfilling his hopes with Pearmai, Botkawee somehow ends up in the arms of Pisaeng. Thus begins their cat and mouse game, with Pisaeng chasing after Botkawee. However, old feelings for Pearmai become a detriment to their blossoming romance. Enraged, Botkawee keeps twisting the crystal ball in an attempt to get desired results, leading to unexpected consequences.

When the series started from episode 1, I wanted to literally punch Kawi in the face because I thought he was a selfish prick who only thought of himself. As much as people hate Not, this is how much I hated Kawi. I didn’t get why people were fawning over him. There was nothing cute about anything he did. Kawi was a judgmental prick who blamed everyone for his miserable life of his own making. The only reason he is nice to Pearmai is that he likes her. If he didn’t have feelings for her, he would be his usual prickly self. He and Not are cut from the same cloth in this respect.

Piseng is just the nicest guy Kawi had the fortune of meeting. Piseng was being a good friend to his childhood friend, Pearmai. Overall, he is very kind and sweet. Piseng is such a people pleaser to the point of being annoying when Kawi takes advantage of him again and again.

Max is truly the MVP of Kawi’s life. He helped Kawi with his self-development as a person. He wasn’t as fleshed out as I would’ve liked, but it was good enough for a BL series.

Pearmai wasn’t a typical female trope, and I feel so bad for her. Always being the pretty girl everyone thinks has it all, but in truth, she didn’t get Piseng, her childhood crush. She didn’t get Kawi because of her childhood crush. Then to be knocked up by Not as a backup marriage plan after her failed relationship with Kawi. I’m glad she had her happy ending and resolved her childhood issues.

I didn’t like Kwan for two reasons: first, for going along with pranking Kawi and Pear on the trip. Like no! Second, for having such low self-esteem to allow a lowlife like Not to use her as a side piece. But she got her just desserts when she cleaned house of being Not’s side piece.

Not is so not doing it for me. He’s a total piece of trash that isn’t worth recycling. He's trash left out in the basking sun for too long that not even dung flies want to swarm around him. The only redeeming arc I want to see. Not to lose all his friends and hit rock bottom for years before he gets the realization that he’s the problem like Kawi did. Then he changes to become a decent person.

Let me just say the relational relationships with the parents of each main character were so good. From Kawi letting his father know that he did the best he could to raise him as a single dad, that he doesn’t need to compare himself to other parents because Kawi loves him for doing his best. Plus, that speech about how there isn’t a set standard of how to be the perfect parent. It’s true. Kawi turned out okay in the end despite his hard circumstances. He isn’t Not, who I'm sure had more affluent and supportive parents, and look at how he turned out as a person.

Then Pear, being raised by her single dad because her mom wanted her own selfish goals to matter more. It really was eye-opening for the mom when she thought her success should be celebrated at the expense of her daughter’s resentment over being abandoned. Even the dad, who has forgiven the mom, but didn’t understand that asking a kid to be understanding of being abandoned by a parent isn’t right. When Pear said she felt expected to be perfect, it shows adults don’t always get it right. I'm glad the dad told Pear she’s entitled to change her opinions and feelings as she grows.

Piseng’s mom, while verbally supportive, lacked the actions to show him the support he needs. Sometimes what we say and what we do are in direct contrast to each other. I’m glad Piseng called his mom out on it.

I love how each parent is shown to be flawed, and they don’t always do the right thing or know what is best. You just need to listen to your kid as they are becoming adults and knowing their own minds. I enjoyed the parents in this series. They were shown to be flawed people too.

I was a little mixed about Kawi’s hesitation to be romantic with Piseng. I’m not talking about intimacy or sex, but just the fact that they are in a room together, he won’t allow Piseng to hug him or kiss him. I mean, he was fine with Pear kissing him on the cheek when he walked her home. It’s annoying that he asked Piseng out but they can’t even hold hands or hug each other. Like I get he was self-identifying as heterosexual but when you knowingly get into a gay relationship and you can’t even hold hands or hug, it’s just not doing it for me. However, the uncertainty of Kawi having sex with Piseng for the first time is beautifully portrayed.

I started to dislike Kawi or Krist after they got into a relationship; their chemistry was so awkward to watch in that episode. (Krist stans, I don’t give a damn if you disagree or think I’m a hater just because I didn’t like his performance here. If you see I did praise his acting in other areas so zip it.) I can’t help but wonder if Krist is just uncomfortable doing these kinds of romantic scenes, or it’s just GMMTV unwilling to show viewers what a healthy romantic relationship looks like. I’m fine with the Director skipping sex than putting in scenes that are disappointing because they look so awkward. At the bare minimum, I expected plenty of hugging and kissing, as Piseng is just that type of guy. It wasn’t like Kawi was opposed to it.

The ending was near perfect except for Not showing up. "Be My Favorite" is easily my favorite series from GMMTV this year.

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An unexpected gem!

I had no plans to watch this drama but a friend recommended it to me and I was amazed by how much I loved it. It's incredibly well written with strong characters who change and grow in ways that feel organic and grounded even within the fantastical plot device of time travel. I love that Kawi and Pisaeng coming out to themselves & others and embracing their love for each other turns out to be the key to everyone's happiness, not just their own.

I honestly don't get the hate for Kawi. Yes he starts out as a selfish loser but the journey is the point, once he realizes how much he's harming the people he cares about he works hard to grow into a better, braver person. He's prickly to the end but that's his personality which Pisaeng clearly knows and finds endearing. The very end of the series where Kawi loudly proclaims he doesn't want a wedding but plans out the details while Pisaeng walks behind him looking bemused perfectly captures their dynamic and I loved it.

The show has a strong LGBT sensibility which you don't always get in a BL. The scenes with Pisaeng first standing in front of a gay bar afraid to go in then going in and freaking out because Max recognizes him were poignant. I think it's important that Pisaeng goes through coming out first before he and Kawi get together. Kawi's journey is different but very important because we get to see what happens in one of the alternate futures when he's closeted and putting Pisaeng through an incredible amount of pain as a result.

There's a lot of skinship in the show but the way it's portrayed evolves from scenes where Kawi is drunkenly kissing Pisaeng but not willing to enter into a real relationship to the skinship that happens after he confesses and then at the end when they are a longtime couple. I appreciate that the director thought through the details and didn't just serve the same thing in every scene where they kiss or touch each other.

The confession scene is incredibly sweet and honestly the first lovemaking scene made me cry. I love the crosscutting with the poem which I know a lot of people found cringey but the poem is wonderful and captured a lot of the themes of the series.

The secondary characters are incredibly well written, especially Pear who goes through her own emotional journey and growth through her relationship with her parents. I loved that the core friends group remains together at the end and they all got to see Pear get her happy ending.

This is a BL that starts in college but tells a mature story about adulthood, embracing your true self, and accepting the ups and downs of life. Truly wonderful and I hope GMMTV keeps investing in well written and directed stories.

Check out our podcast on Be My Favorite (SPOILERS):

YouTube: https://youtu.be/xf1z29hVLKE?si=sRPC9zm8me1mFd3o

Podcast streaming service: https://pod.link/1556918754/episode/e8bf73061708c29b7c0cfdf7cadbdda5

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Epic Friendship More Than Romance

Overall I enjoyed it and I would recommend it, just know you'll be watching for an epic friendship more than a romance. As a story it's an 8, as a romance it's a 6. A good ensemble show.

The sci-fi element was really well thought through and there were no plot holes or threads left hanging. Everything stayed true to the "rules" that were set for this world. There were quite a few moments I laughed outloud and only a couple of spots I fast-forwarded (either because it felt slow or because the messages were repetitive to what I've seen in other shows).

All of the characters were written and acted like real people (no 2-dimensional caricatures), except for maybe the main character Kawai who was borderline a little shallow as a character. Kawi did have some character development but he was often annoying and rarely acted his age (both in how he was written and acted).

Krist and Fluke (Gawin) have best friend vibes but not romantic chemistry. Fluke was believable as a gay character who is somwhat attracted to Kawi and wishes for more, but it never feels truly reciprocated. Krist has difficulty acting attracted, and the writers and director didn't help by making his character freak out and avoid physical affection apart from a few kisses.

Even after they've been together for many years Kawi seems put-off by touching, teasing, and sweet words. This trend in BLs is so unrealistic, annoying, and frustrating to me. It's like disguised homophobia that is supposed to be viewed as "cute". It's not, and it negatively affects my satisfaction with the series.

There are a couple of catchy songs, one of which I added to my playlist.

Great for one watch but I probably won't see it again.

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WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!!!

I literally just binged this entire series and I’m so glad I didn’t wait too long to watch it. This is not only one of the best productions that GMMTV has done but one of the best productions period. This is one of the only few dramas I’ve watched with fully fleshed characters. There is literally no wasted screen time. Every scene and character has a purpose and there’s no unnecessary drama.
The OST is great, the cinematography is gorgeous and more importantly the CAST CAN ACT!!!! I can literally rant about how good this show is for hours but instead of telling y’all about this beauty I just need you to experience it for yourself first hand!!!!!

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Snooze-Worthy

This show started off pretty damn good and I was ready for the whole new concept because it seemed intresting, plus the characters were really funny and engaging...but after the first episode, it became kinda boring. By the middle of the show - I was barely paying attention and spent more time scrolling through my phone than actually watching it.

It started to drag on so much but I just kept going, hoping it would get good again. Spoiler: it didn't. By the last episode, I was literally skipping through scenes and fast-forwarding through it just to get it over with.

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Surprisingly very good?? Hope they don't ruin it somehow

I expected this to be a hot mess because that's all GMM seem to be able to deliver these days but oh wow!

Amazing to see Gawin and even more amazing to see Krist. I would have thought it was an odd pairing but it really works.

This is really good so far. The writing is good and they use the plot to their advantage to really develop Kawi's character. Nothing comes out of nowhere.

It keeps things light and funny but really skilfully pivots to darker issues. I love love love it so far! I'm actually worried that they will ruin it somehow towards the end but we shall see.

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Cute series but needs some work

This series is cute and sweet, but I have to agree with a few that I am not a fan of Krist acting in this series nor am I not a fan of the character Kawi. I get that they are trying to show growth and development of the character over time, but sadly he comes off child like, never learning and annoying relying on thinking money and getting the girl is happiness, and only wanting to make him self happy no matter the cost to others, when there are a lot more important things he should doing. Hard to believe he has held on to loving Pear for 10 years not having a life but then wants to go back over and over to make things work for him hurting others and then changes love interest until 8 episodes down, way to long. The storyline was lacking in real development and at times was annoying with the time going back and forth. I sadly found my self fast forwarding just to get through it. The side characters and friends were a nice touch and interesting and I love Fluke playing as Pisaeng, his character was great with emotions, growth and development. I wish the friends had more screen time. The series had a lot of potential to tell an amazing story but fell flat in execution, to many few parts did not fit and there was a lack of chemistry between the two leads felt more like bromance then Boy love I enjoyed the concept of the series and enjoyed some characters but Krist "Kaiwi" did not do a good job with this role and character. The last to episodes was the best of the series only.

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