Great potential and fairly decent execution, yet suffering from unnecessary complexity.

Let me elaborate.

Acting Performances:

The majority of the cast consisted of newcomers. All of them, old and new faces, did great! Ta, Mio and Us particularly stood out but it was Barcode who truly stole the show. He was a cutie in KinnPorsche. However, here he was as complex as a character could be and he performed it perfectly.

Storytelling:

The beginning:
The few episodes after the first one were hella boring and confusing. There was a missing part that wasn't hinted adequately to the viewer. While somewhat passable, this highlights the need for better-written hints and suspense in future mystery projects to enhance the stories.

The middle:
You’ll find the most interesting events of the series here. The moment Non came to the screen, the narrative underwent a significant evolution. I couldn’t help myself but to root for Non’s character, even when he was doing things that I’m usually very against. There was a decision of his I wouldn’t understand if I missed WHY he would do it. I feel clarifying the reason behind this decision could have enhanced the understanding of character motivations and justified Phee's future actions more effectively.

The ending:
While the last few episodes were interesting, the shock value could have been dialed back. Certain elements felt unnecessary and overly complicated, leaving loose ends and unanswered questions. The final episode felt rushed, and boy, I would have loved an alternative to it.

Chemistry between Characters:

Plenty. At one point I didn’t know who I was supposed to ship with whom, because every pairing had quite the tension between them. There were some really good spicy scenes too. Unfortunately, almost none of them were plot driven, but were there for... Well... You know.

Overall Impressions:

Despite its flaws, this series clearly aimed for a level of effort and quality often lacking in Thai BLs. The dedication of the actors, screenwriters, directors, and crew is evident throughout. This seems to be the beginning of a new era for Thai BL series, with higher standards and more refined storytelling. BoC's willingness to push boundaries is something I appreciate greatly, and I would love to see what else they can give us, especially with Sammon on board (*cough* 4 minutes *cough*).

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Pretending this is not a HIStory installment...

Now, where to begin... I love a good BL drama. This ain't it.

I enjoy the HIStory franchise, which holds in posesion one of my all time favorite dramas ever: HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (I pretend that the last episode doesn't exist). I just can't forget the undeniable chemistry between the main and the side couple - the longing, the kisses, the sexy stuff, the acting AND the plot (again, when rewatching I stop at half of episode 9 and pretend this is the actual end).
I enjoy HIStory4: Close to You - again I am pretending that there wasn't a particular plotline, but other than that we had amazing chemistry between leads.
Overall, there is a lot of pretending involved that something didn't happen in this franchise, but I always gave it a pass, believing that we are moving forward to better and better quality of content.

Now, I never imagined that I have to pretend that a whole a** season of this franchise does not exist. But here we are with HIStory5: Love in the Future.

I just cannot grasp the fact that the same director of HIStory 4 directed this thing too. What went wrong? Instead of moving up, we took a deep plunge into a big mess. I have to believe there was a big, overwhelming issue with the production, cus this is the only excuse I can make up.

About the plot - an absolute chaos, the future element that one would think was going to be a major plotline, we could completely go without, it wouldn't affect anything.

The editing and camera work - writing this review I am actually laughing, while recalling He Bo Wei's love confession to Hai Yi, where the actor ran after his love interest and stopped in the middle of the mall, having his legs wide spread, almost squatting, yelling dramatically at Hai Yi's back. What a glorious shot I'm telling you...

The acting - well, here I will say this: How can you have Jason Tauh (Red Balloon, which by the way was good despite its time and budget) and make him the most bland and helpless character (Wynn). I am actually angry, knowing the guy CAN act and he is pretty darn good at it...
Linus Wang (Hai Yi) is handsome, he has a deep voice, hot body, big lips... I could hear his potential screaming from miles away, but I guess the script writers couldn't. I hope he has other chances to show what he's got.
Sean Chang (He Bo Wei)... Cute boy with not a single gay ounce in his body. He played like a straight guy would think a quirky gay dude would act. And his character was written so poorly - overdramatic, childish, and nonsensical!
Anson Chen (Liang Wen) - again, unused potential.

There is no chemistry between the couples whatsoever. At some point I willingly skipped the "steamy" scenes, if you could even call them that.
I have a lot more to say, but this will become a full blown thesis if I proceed.
I wish when there is a next HIStory installment (I really hope there is), things will be taken into account and we will have quality drama without the need to pretend at some really questionable decisions.

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