Dead Friend Forever - DFF (2023)

An Unexpected Delight

I went into this expecting a slasher TV show with a BL element. DFF is precisely that in the first four episodes. However, the show is weakest when it sticks to that expected premise. I usually binge BL shows, but this one took me until the 5th episode to get into. This show has a BL element but is not the central focus. It is similar to the popular BL show Not Me in that way. If you are looking for a romance like many other BLs, this is not the show for you. You also must endure through the first four episodes to get to the really good stuff in the middle of the series.

Once you hit episode 5, it becomes a high school bullying story. It then evolves into a high school queer love story, a crime drama, a problematic relationship with an older man, and the various ways people are culpable in driving someone to the edge. The character who suffers from all this is Non.

This is not a happy series. There is no happy ending, no redemption, only pain, sadness, death, and tragedy.

I enjoyed this show because it did something VERY different within the BL context. Barcode did an incredible job as Non.

A major drawback to the series, aside from waiting until almost halfway to build up the story, is the way it tells its story. It feels like it borrows from the Rashomon formulation of going over events from different points of view. Still, it fills in the gaps of missing information with each character we focus on rather than seeing the same scene from another perspective.

The ending scene is ambiguous, a mixed bag. I am just glad this series broke out of the box of BL tropes and formulas. However, it did fall into a lot of slasher tropes and formulations. You can see influences of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and even your standard Friday the 13th or Halloween movie. I would be surprised if none of those movies influenced the people behind this show.

Definitely worth a see. I would have rated this higher if not for the first 4 episodes being rather subpar.

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Le pongo un 9, como el año que viene no haya segunda temporada voy a volver y le voy a poner un 1.

Le pongo un 9, como el año que viene no haya segunda temporada voy a volver y le voy a poner un 1.
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Okeeiiii..it really hurts

Okeii .....I was really hesitant about this series but after reading the review I decided to watch it and literally completed under two days.but I wish shouldn't have watched it ..... Actually before watching the series I had got many and many spoilers ....but after watching it .....it feel like spoilers are not that bad because I was really for all the emotional scene or any other scene ...They all are the as*****s and even don't want to talk or write about them.i think white and new/tan deserved more .sorry to say but I really hated phee.he should continue to help tan instead of falling in love with jin.and the most I hate is jin....he said he loved non and what the hell did he done ...ok last not the least non is also not that good ...but I can understand him when h got to the darkest part or time of his life and that teacher helped him...but I m not saying that everyone should cheat only. And the others(tee,por ,fluke,) they are just as*****s......I really felt bad for me/tan,white and the family of non.....
..


I only want to say that ....if someone is hesitant to watch this series it is best not to watch it....i kinda feel that I shouldn't have watched this series......because everyone is?

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Non/New were done dirty and the ending is dumb

While the series did start off a little silly and campy, I actually enjoyed it at face value for what it was. However, when the story starts to backtrack to the past explaining what happened with their old "missing" friend Non. It started to become much more different and interesting from your typical slasher-horror genre. The drama between the group of friends and how the story progresses with Non falling into a deeper and deeper pit of unjust situations helps you as the viewer to empathize with Non and despise the group of friends who all had a hand in his downfall. Mio Athens' character Tan, later known as New, was what I was hoping to be the corrector of said injustice brought upon his brother. With the revenge plot twist investing me further into the plot than I already was. So imagine how disappointing it was to watch the final couple of episodes where it feels like it's all thrown out the window. Like many others, the final episode especially felt extremely rushed to me. The hallucination sequences all felt goofy and ridiculous within the final episode as well. And what really dealt the final blow was the "2 years later" bit of the episode where it ends with the most cliche, uninteresting, and basic "Did they really leave, or was it all just another hallucination?" trick. Super boring and unimaginative. Not only that but the death of Non and New had me more mad than anything else in this show. Tee's uncle just gets away with everything and the family is never avenged, which even if it may be realistic, still leaves a sour taste in my mouth that makes me never want to rewatch this series. Overall I appreciated it most for the middle episodes where I felt the story and writing was strongest, it's certainly given me a lot of Mio edits to watch in repeat. 8/10.

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Good overall, but Barcode award worthy performance

For this drama, the title alone would compell me to watch it. The fact that it comes from BOC, the company who gave us KinnPorsche and ManSuang, makes it a mandatory watch. And it was a good watch, but was it up to standard? Well, yes and no. The theme (revenge thriller) is an original choice in BL-land. and for this kind of theme I expect a solid story, taking me to a climax and having me root for one or more characters on the way.

The story is solid enough, theres a clear line, even with the flashbacks and - forwards. But i could not root for any of the characters. They were either too shitty or too obscure to identify with. In the friend group there are a few identifiably archetypical characters, but not all of them are written in to be a real part of the plot. The ones that are essential to the plot are lacking in detail so we're left wondering about motives and patterns, What made Tan/New go so insane? What about Jin makes Phee fall for him?

The only character I could "feel" was Non. Barcode seemlessly goes from sweet and innocent to dramatic and psycho and then to mysterious and sad. It was a thrilling experience that he can do that t such a young age with so little experience. Can't wait to see more of him.

There were some annoying plotholes. What happened to the opening scene? This scene is not in the movie they made and is never mentioned since, What happened to Tee's father? and the most important question: who killed mr. Keng? Since Jin keeps seeing him in the hallucinations, could it be him? And speaking of hallucinations, what kind of stuff is this? And it has an antidote? And it works with just a whiff of it in your nose? But not if you're wearing half a mask? Like I said: annoying and sometimes distracting from the story.

I'm left feeling that if Barcode did not do as well as he did, I might not have enjoyed this series half as much. Go Barcode!

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A surprisingly good revenge story

I really didn't expect to like this one but here I am!

I'll be honest, the horror/gore genre is not really my thing so when it started with a masked killer on the loose à la Scream and some deaths, I wasn't really into it but I continue watching because the story seemed interesting enough - and I was right!

We quickly discover that most of the main characters from the start are all a**holes and we root for the two guys that want revenge (or at least, one more than the other). I was hopeful that White was part of the plan but unfortunately, he wasn't and ended up dead when he was the most innocent one of them all (what a shame...). I've read that some people didn't like what New was doing but I was rooting for him all the way. Okay, he didn't have to kill them all but it was actually very satisfying to watch them suffer (pardon my sadomasochism). As for Phee, I really liked him until he fell for Jin which was - I think - a betrayal on New's revenge. Does he deserve what happens to him? I don't think so but I would have it liked better if he was totally on New's side and not spilling the beans as soon as he's alone with Jin...

Concerning the a**holes (that's how I'm going to refer to them), none of them deserved mercy. Top was one of the worst because he was the cause of all Non's problems as he was the one breaking the camera (just because of his ego) and being the coward he is, he couldn't come clean to Por and had to find a scapegoat.
Tee is not too close on the scale of being an a**holes as he is the one that led Non into his trap and used him for his uncle's benefits. And even though, they tried to bring sympathy for him by telling his backstory, I couldn't forgive him for what he did to Non - he is still the main reason why Non dies in the first place as he is the one who drugged him and brought him up to his uncle (while knowing perfectly the consequences of his actions - he can't convince me otherwise).
Por is at the top with Top and Tee. The three of them were the ones buliiying Non the most by calling him Greasy and treating him like he was nothing. He used him to his own advantage and I don't care that it was because he wanted the acknowledgement of his father. He's just a rich kid with rich problems and I couldn't care less about him.
People won't probably agree with me but, to me, Fluke is the worst of them all. Yes, he did nothing but that's the whole problem. He is as guilty as the others and the fact that he wanted to be a doctor is even worse! Because how can you want to be someone that helps people when you're part of a bully group. That's just hypocrisy. Also, the looks he gave Non was not pity at all (unlike Jin). So he didn't even regret seing all those things and doing nothing. He just let it happen and he's the biggest a**holes in my opinion. Especially when he's the one that probably killed Por just because he was about to talk a little - I know Por was gonna die anyway but he literally shook him when he had a stake in his stomach just to shut him up. He also took the gun from White and pointed it at him when he had absolutely no reason to act this way. He's the worst.
At last, Jin... I kind of liked him at the beginning as he was the only one nice to Non and he genuinely seemed to like him. BUT! Who stays friends with the bullies of their crush? That's the question that I was asking myself the whole time because, I'm sorry but, why did he stay friends with those a**holes when he witnessed how they were bullying Non - whom he was supposed to like!!! He witnessed the whole thing and did nothing! Also, he made Non's life worse after recording that video just because he was mad that what? Non didn't like him back? Anyway, they tried to make him a good guy in the drama by shipping him with Phee but this couple didn't work for me after the whole Non's bullying backstory.

I would finish by saying that Non is no angel either. I was really rooting for him at the beginning as he was bullied and used by those a**holes but... the fact that he cheated on Phee - who was the only one that was loving him for who he was and wanted to help him - I couldn't be on his side anymore. Also, he continued being used by his bullies even though he knew they didn't consider him as a friend and I couldn't understand why he stayed with them when he could've changed school and be with Phee.

To conclude on that, I really liked this drama and I recommend it to anyone who likes revenge stories. I am also glad to see Barcode and Ta in another series after KinnPorshe. I already liked Ta as Macau but I didn't quite like Barcode as Porschay. In this series, however, he really shines and shows that he can play other roles than the innocent boy who falls in love with the bad guy (calm down, I know Kim wasn't a bad guy).

Oh, and I almost forgot: I love the ending. I know a lot of people don't like it but I thought it was very surprising. I also want to know the truth about all of that but it's good that it keeps its mystery.

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What the was with that ending

Do I recommend it? Yes yes I do.
Let's get into it.

Okay so we started out in our time which was kinde interesting because it makes you want to know what happened with non and why he disappeared.

Then we went back in time to where non was stil "part" of the group. What the hell was with the name grease ??‍♀️. You see what happened with the "friends" and the teacher. Little disappointed that it ended like that with the teacher and that we didn't really get a back story about why he was looking into the whole Mafia.

The we go back to the now and that's where it gets weird, by now we know what happened to Non... Or do we.
We know who Phee and Tan really are and we see who the 9th person is.
And then the last episode, and I have no idea how this series ended. Yess I saw the end but they didn't escape? Everyone is dead? Everyone is alive? Who knowes.

Did I like it? Yes. The last episode was hard to watch.
Am I happy with the ending? Well it was interesting but I truly hate open endings like this.
Do I want a special episode? Yes please I need to know what happens next, who died, who survived, is Non still alive? Was it even real or where they hallucinating.

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Great drama, terrible horror

It took me forever to start this series simply because I couldn't get past the first episode.

The problem with Dead Friend Forever is that the horror element here is extremely poorly constructed and executed. At times it felt like the series was going down a path like Nightmare on Elm Street, at other times it felt like Scream and Halloween and sometimes it felt like Bodies Bodies Bodies.

But the reality is that the horror here is from a low-budget school project. The deaths, the makeup, the killer and the mask are all so weak, so silly.

The drama present in episodes 5 to 8 and in episode 11 is simply the best part of the series. And I really wish they had explored this side more and really built a more elaborate suspense and worked the horror in a more psychological way.

Because all the scenes in the country house are terrible and weaken the plot a lot. These scenes can be summed up by the characters screaming and crying and screaming some more (which is done in excess here and is totally annoying). The construction of tension, fear and distrust is poorly executed and is based on the conveniences of the script and a "magic drug" that makes everyone hallucinate about Non.

The two-year time jump is something that cools the plot and I hate it. It makes no sense for Por, Top and Fluke to keep apologizing for hurting Non while they are hallucinating. At no point do they feel any sympathy for him and no drug can force that.

If Phee and Tan had discovered the truth about what happened and revealed it to the group, it would create a much more interesting dynamic.

Because the essential thing in a slasher horror is the suspicion of who the killer is. And that doesn't happen here.

If developed, they would all have motivations. Jin because of the guilt of what he did and because his friends' lie made Non get to that point. Por because Top broke his camera and made him be reprimanded by his father and end up in this mess. Fluke because his friends' lie risked tarnishing his reputation as a future doctor. Phee and Tan for the obvious reasons.

And in the end, all of them in the cabin being hunted by a killer would be amazing. But the deaths are weak (especially Por and Top), the confrontation is simply the characters screaming a lot and there is no tension. The series relies on the drug that Tan created and everything becomes too fantastical.

There really is something very interesting here. I love the middle of the series and Barcode simply shines in an impeccable performance. But it lacks nuance and the foundations of a good horror, it lacks a sharper direction that knew how to develop the plot instead of having the characters yelling all the time and it lacked a cleaner script that really removed all the unnecessary parts and created a bloody revenge drama.

Because that's what this story is. A revenge drama.

But the series mixes countless elements here - slasher horror, psychological horror, supernatural horror and syfy horror and ends up delivering anything. The last episode is a mess and the open end is a big no.

Great performances and an impeccable drama, but it needs a more elegant and precise editing, direction and script to be a good horror series.

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Season 2 is NEEDED!!!

I read that there won't be a second season but honestly the open ending needs clarification imo, ofc it can be up to the audience imagination of what could've happened next but honestly I like having a clear understanding of things and not just something I have to guess or imagine. I know there is a special episode though idek when that will be released or if it's even going to explain anything but I hope it does clarify some things. Now... onto the whole story. First of all, literally everyone except Non, New/Tan and a White (a little) made me the least angry, everyone else deserved to die, now call me harsh or heartless but like they all did Non so wrong, like a whole family was wiped and why? Because they all didn't like Non because he was like the "outcast" of the story. Non deserved so much better and I wish he would've gotten proper revenge. Phee had his reasons to be angry at Non and it's understandable but honestly falling for the dude that lowkey made all hell fall down is just insane. It infuriated me. Jin also understandable why he felt that way when he saw Non and the teacher but like dude you guys weren't dating so like womp womp get over it. Non was literally being manipulated by a whole ass adult when he was in a harsh/stressful position and Mr. Keng took advantage of that and used him, and he was also getting bullied by Jin's friends and all Jin did was talk to Non after all the bullying and telling him that he's on Non's side and blah blah blah instead of actually standing up for him while the bullying was happening, but instead he just stayed back and watched it happen. Nah man. Now Por... not much to say he deserved to die, so glad he did. He was trash. No excuse. Same with Top, total asshole, fucking despise him. Glad he died as well. Fluke, dude was playing it safe while also watching shit go down, he didn't want to get involved in anything but at the same time got involved in everything by watching everything happen and not doing anything about it. Well deserved death too. Now Tee is a weird case, I didn't like him either because he literally did the most damage to Non but he also had his fair share of fucked up shit happening to him and like that explains his behavior but doesn't excuse it, he didn't die but his love did so karma got him good, I'm satisfied with that. Now don't get me wrong, White didn't deserve to die and it was a little sad but I didn't connect with White that much to feel that much towards him dying, literally the whole show just put me in the same mindset that Non's brother had and I just wanted revenge for Non because of how mad all the bullying and mistreating made me feel. Lastly, I hated how Tan died, he didn't deserve that and I wish he had lived. That's the part that made me the saddest and it's mainly because it wasn't just Tan that died, but Tan, Non, and their parents, as I mentioned before a whole family was wiped and for what? Revenge doesn't even describe what they deserve, they need more than revenge that's why I wish there was a second season, and also because of the ending which is basically up to our imagination to guess what could've happened, did they escape? did they not? are they still in the house? did something else happen? who knows??? But anyway, I know i sound like a psychopath with my opinions here but overall it was a good show, it kept me entertained and gave me a lot of emotions, worth the watch, there's a lot of sad scenes and angry scenes, a lot of chemistry and just overall balanced well in all places.

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Ethics are dead

Embark on a paranormal journey of revenge to direct us into a deeper and cruel perspective of life -that some people are too corrupted to disregard morals and principles. Honestly, the first few episodes were meh and almost dropped my expectations from the show. Not until the revelation of Non’s backstory happened and everything seemed to get more interesting.

Bullying has continued to ruin several lives since then. The story fueled my anger toward the students knowing that at a young age, these guys are already minions of Satan. Not even a single character from this show is lovable; everyone has a rotted personality. Indeed, birds of the same feather, flock together.

A mess, but the kind of mess that attracts one’s attention. Plot after plot happened but I feel disappointed in how they concluded the show in an open-ended type of finale, without giving proper justice to the victims. I am rooting for New/Tan's vengeance on what happened to his family. He deserves and has the right to be the sole main role here and not anyone else.

Thank you to Jjay for re-introducing me to the show which I used to ignore during its airing period. It was a good drama having a well-established storyline from beginning to end. Yet, the execution was weak to moderate. It has the potential for a sequel that can discuss the aftermath of the chaos in the vacation house, the public sympathy for the fallen victims, and re-surfacing another revenge plot against those who survived the bloody party. And I would like to see the adults too being imprisoned and perish in hell.

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it’s nice and feels different

horror story, but not much of an horror as people are saying, I started watching at 3am, didn’t feel/see the horror.

I really hate the end, WTF was that, they just left us like that, I would have preferred if it ended with investigators/cops arrive at the house to take the corpse of the boys, that way we can be sure they all died at the house or if one survived, instead they just made us know the guys where still in the house and haven’t left yet, so does that mean it wasn’t two years later then, maybe it was just few hours later ? Or was Phee just thinking too much?

personally i could understand why phee believed they were still in that house, after all, with the disappearance/death of 5 people, there’s no way it wouldn’t have been announced, after all, they all had families, even if they don’t, the would have neighbours, someone close to them.


apart from that, it’s a really nice drama, hoping for a part 2/continuation, but not in the form of a series, maybe a shot film that would explain the end like, IS EVERYONE OR DID EVERYONE DIE OR NOT? IF NO, WHO SURVIVED?

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