Cherie Lullet
England
This review may contain spoilers
Great show...but only for the main leads
So I am only halfway through this show but I wanted to discuss some thoughts, especially those which will help people decide if they want to watch it.
Let's get the bad things out the way first. I might have written a lot about the negatives, but trust me, the good heavily outweighs the bad.
My main point is the fact that I am only watching for the main leads. There are around 3 or 4 side couples with their own storyline, which they do get quite a bit of screentime and attention each, but I don't seem to care too much about them. And that's simply because they aren't connected to the main plot of the story.
The primary couple I will talk about is Kom and Jeed. Kom is a member of the swim team and his first attempt at flirting was with a new girl from the neighbouring school - and from there we watch their relationship grow. We get introduced to these 2 characters separately, before they meet, however after that, the only time they show up is in their couple scenes. Neither No nor Phun is in the swim team, so we never see him with the main leads. And because this show is set in an all-boys school, we don't see Jeed other than these scenes too.
This is the same for all of the couples. Yes, some of the guys are No's friends, but we never see them hang out. Honestly, I don't even recognise these characters or know their names simply because they aren't seen often enough.
Because of this, these couples feel irrelevant and disconnected from the story. The scenes aren't bad and they're definitely not bad couples, but you don't feel a connection to them. I could easily skip their scenes as they add nothing to the story.
Obviously, since I've not finished the show yet, this might change and the couples might become significant. But for now, they drag the plot and bore me.
The second negative is Phun's little sister. I hate her with all my being. She is one of those toxic BL fans who idolise gay men and put them on a pedestal. The whole reason Phun has to ask out No in the first place is that his sister won't help him unless he has a boyfriend. If that isn't toxic behaviour, I don't know what is. She is quite literally sexualising and fetishising her own brother and I find it so uncomfortable to watch.
Pang and her friends also ship 2 boys in their drama class. This is because they acted as a couple in 1 play...PLAY...and these girls think they're a couple. Sure, they do act like it, but that does not give them the excuse to fangirl in front of them like they are celebrities.
The only good thing about this is the cinematography. In the scene is just described (episode 5), we see these 2 boys through the eyes of Pang. The screen develops a pink hue and the harsh colour decrease. I don't know the proper names for this stuff but basically everything looks fluffy and magical, with romantic music in the background. It's a great way to visualise her thought process and how she literally sees them as TV characters.
Anyway. The good parts!
As I said, I'm mostly watching for Phun and No because their storyline is the most interesting and most developed. I love their story so far. It is a great example of the 'friends to lovers' trope. Their story is a little different as the idea of being lovers was apparent straight away, with Phun asking No out in the first episode and the two having to act like a couple, despite only just meeting, one episode later. Their friendship blossoms and eventually so does their love. It's a gradual but apparent change and the viewer can watch it happen in 'real time'.
My favourite part is, again, the cinematography. There are moments where the audio cuts out to play the OST, and a montage plays. Usually, the montage is just one task - i.e. washing No's motorbike and playing videogames - but it gives the illusion of catching the couple in a moment of intimacy, something we shouldn't be watching. Of course, it's nothing sexual, it's literally just the boys throwing soap at each other. But the moment feels private, that we feel like we are on this romantic journey with them. It's a really unique feeling and makes for some incredible scenes.
Overall, this show is great for fluffy romance and is really sweet and light to watch. I highly recommend it.
Let's get the bad things out the way first. I might have written a lot about the negatives, but trust me, the good heavily outweighs the bad.
My main point is the fact that I am only watching for the main leads. There are around 3 or 4 side couples with their own storyline, which they do get quite a bit of screentime and attention each, but I don't seem to care too much about them. And that's simply because they aren't connected to the main plot of the story.
The primary couple I will talk about is Kom and Jeed. Kom is a member of the swim team and his first attempt at flirting was with a new girl from the neighbouring school - and from there we watch their relationship grow. We get introduced to these 2 characters separately, before they meet, however after that, the only time they show up is in their couple scenes. Neither No nor Phun is in the swim team, so we never see him with the main leads. And because this show is set in an all-boys school, we don't see Jeed other than these scenes too.
This is the same for all of the couples. Yes, some of the guys are No's friends, but we never see them hang out. Honestly, I don't even recognise these characters or know their names simply because they aren't seen often enough.
Because of this, these couples feel irrelevant and disconnected from the story. The scenes aren't bad and they're definitely not bad couples, but you don't feel a connection to them. I could easily skip their scenes as they add nothing to the story.
Obviously, since I've not finished the show yet, this might change and the couples might become significant. But for now, they drag the plot and bore me.
The second negative is Phun's little sister. I hate her with all my being. She is one of those toxic BL fans who idolise gay men and put them on a pedestal. The whole reason Phun has to ask out No in the first place is that his sister won't help him unless he has a boyfriend. If that isn't toxic behaviour, I don't know what is. She is quite literally sexualising and fetishising her own brother and I find it so uncomfortable to watch.
Pang and her friends also ship 2 boys in their drama class. This is because they acted as a couple in 1 play...PLAY...and these girls think they're a couple. Sure, they do act like it, but that does not give them the excuse to fangirl in front of them like they are celebrities.
The only good thing about this is the cinematography. In the scene is just described (episode 5), we see these 2 boys through the eyes of Pang. The screen develops a pink hue and the harsh colour decrease. I don't know the proper names for this stuff but basically everything looks fluffy and magical, with romantic music in the background. It's a great way to visualise her thought process and how she literally sees them as TV characters.
Anyway. The good parts!
As I said, I'm mostly watching for Phun and No because their storyline is the most interesting and most developed. I love their story so far. It is a great example of the 'friends to lovers' trope. Their story is a little different as the idea of being lovers was apparent straight away, with Phun asking No out in the first episode and the two having to act like a couple, despite only just meeting, one episode later. Their friendship blossoms and eventually so does their love. It's a gradual but apparent change and the viewer can watch it happen in 'real time'.
My favourite part is, again, the cinematography. There are moments where the audio cuts out to play the OST, and a montage plays. Usually, the montage is just one task - i.e. washing No's motorbike and playing videogames - but it gives the illusion of catching the couple in a moment of intimacy, something we shouldn't be watching. Of course, it's nothing sexual, it's literally just the boys throwing soap at each other. But the moment feels private, that we feel like we are on this romantic journey with them. It's a really unique feeling and makes for some incredible scenes.
Overall, this show is great for fluffy romance and is really sweet and light to watch. I highly recommend it.
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