AnihcP
The story builds up, starts making more sense halfway, and progressively gets better.
Before anything, allow me to say this: Much has been said about TharnType, especially with its treatment of trauma and mental health. I find that I agree with most negative sentiments, and that the execution could have been better—however, don't let this discourage you from picking this series up, because it does have a lot to offer. If I may make the comparison, I often find that in Japanese BL, female authors would use it to explore the more, say, appalling themes of love and lust, in the "safe space" of imagination and subsitution of the heroine with a male character. It is a guilty pleasure for many to consume BL. Truly, this is a very interesting topic worthy of discussion, but as this is a review on MyDramaList and not a Reddit thread, I'll instead advise you to just keep an open mind and watch TharnType for what it is: fiction. At the end, let your takeaway be a more critical perspective, and let it help you in further discourse about such matters.Now, onto other things. To put it frankly, TharnType's biggest thing for me was the plot. The story builds up, starts making more sense halfway, and progressively gets better. Early warning: every episode will make you smile, laugh and blush... then get your heart broken. TharnType is not a light-hearted giggle-fest, made quite clear by the tension between Tharn and Type (especially with the former's homophobic tendencies). Make no mistake, however: this is definitely not a bad thing!
I found TharnType delightful, with all its fluff and mischievous playful romance. On the flipside, all the drama actually weaves quite well into the story, though it might not be completely apparent at first. If, at any point, you feel frustrated by Type's hard-headedness, or the, well, non-consensual stuff in the beginning, I suggest that you don't drop it just yet. Trust that it gets better. TharnType had me muttering "Interesting..." under my breath a few good times.
Another thing worth noting is the use of "side" characters and stories. They're not just for fillers and decoration—without spoiling anything, these "sides" are part of the build-up. A piece of advice: even if it starts off kind of confusing, pay good attention to them.
There's something negative I'd like to point out though. Can I just say that the music was so manipulative? It's my lowest-rated aspect for a reason. I felt like it was too loud and suggestive at times. Perhaps they could have toned it down (especially the suspense music, geez) and left us to interpret the plot with a more "subtle" soundtrack.
To close, I only, truly appreciated the pacing of the previous episodes as I approached the finale. The 12th and last episode, damn. Good stuff.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Given this premise, I highly suggest keeping yourself away from any spoilers. If you're watching this series anywhere with a comment box (like YouTube), do yourself a favor and don't scroll down until after the episode.
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Underrated, best parts might be overlooked by constantly expecting teenagers to do the "right" thing
So that you wouldn't miss it, here's the gist: I found MDL: Edge of 17 to be a charming, well-executed, and rather bittersweet coming-of-age series graced with wonderful actors. A real heart-warming surprise in my case, since I watched it for the BL plot at first. If you'd like to know why I hardly think this is an exaggeration, consider reading on—I'll try my best to keep it short and sweet, like this show.The story is, simply put, a rollercoaster of joy, pain, and most especially, frustration. That good ol' frustration that comes with growing up. While I've seen many get annoyed at this "frustration" aspect, that's actually what made it work for me. Because really, the characters are supposed to be, well, on the Edge of 17! The woes of adolescence and the often impulsive, reckless decisions one could make as a teenager could be incredibly frustrating, wouldn't you agree? I think it's safe to say that most of us have gone through similar circumstances, one way or another. So if that feeling of frustration comes to you while watching this, I'd say the writers did a pretty decent job, because the production and casting for this show did not fail to deliver. Don't get me wrong, you are in for a lot of smiles and laughs! But imagine watching stories that you've probably lived through, or seen first-hand in real life, and not being able to reach through the screen and do something about it, knowing what you know now. Maybe this is one reason why some people were so vocal about their hate for particular characters and plot points.
However I think that was also my biggest takeaway. Despite what negative comments may have you believe, you might actually get more than what you expected to find, like I did! Bearing in mind the cultural differences of the show's audience, it is likely that different interpretations of the characters' actions and motives will follow. Perhaps it's mostly just another case of "to each his own," yet if one plays the role of an overly-judgmental spectator, they may be left with little patience to let the story unfold, and may miss the simple brilliance of this charming short series.
But if one would open their heart to a bunch of teenagers and enjoy being dragged along for the ride, instead of blocking that enjoyment by constantly criticizing and expecting the characters to do the "right" thing, I think they'll find this show to be an underrated gem whose best parts may be overlooked because of expectations.
In the end of course, I had my own disappointments, but they were greatly overshadowed by what I loved about the series. I was probably in a really good mood watching this, ahaha! I'd say don't let the current rating influence you too much, potential watcher. Don't take our words for it too much either—go and see for yourself! Don't miss out on the great soundtrack, either. Man, the music is just, muah. A fitting soundtrack to the bittersweet ups and downs of youth.
Slight, potential spoilers, but not really:
The BL is as cute as everyone says, ahaha! However, there seems to be quite a lot of hate towards Jane's character, Peach. Honestly, I find that she's not so bad as many visible comments make her out to be. I get that everyone's in love with Sun and Ainam's characters for being wonderful, agreeable human beans—even I am—but being agreeable isn't all there is to a good character. All characters had their own weak points, but all of which were significant for character development, plot progression, and of course, making them human. The entire cast played their parts exceedingly well, really, I'm still in awe just thinking about it.
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There's no reason for anyone to miss out on Love By Chance.
If you'd like to take a break from the drama in other BLs (especially if you've encountered TharnType before this series like I did), now is probably a good time to watch Love By Chance.|Love By Chance is a show full of fluff. This is definitely a feel-good series for the most part, and won't break your heart too much. I experienced little to no frustration about the main couple's progression, but that was a good thing for me! The pacing was just right. Instead of frustration, every episode left me smiling over how the characters dealt with their emotions. I found it endearing how the series portrays the awkwardness and bumbling moments in finding your first love, falling in love, and coming to terms with one's sexuality.
The side stories didn't fall short, either. Admittedly, not all of them were very comprehensive, and some are even questionable, but since this is based on a novel I feel like I can't say much on it. However, whatever I have watched in the live action, I enjoyed enough! (Maybe not Kengkla and Techno's though...)
Ah, speaking of which. Watch out for Pond. That character is just brilliant, ahaha! Him being paired up with ChaAim, one of the girls in this series, makes for a very fun couple to watch. Absolutely enjoyed it every time these two were on-screen.
So really, in the end, I believe there's no reason for anyone who watches BL to miss out on Love By Chance. I'd recommend you save it for after a dramatic series though, so that you can smile and laugh after crying a lot, ahaha!
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The chemistry, damn.
This short and sweet review sits here as a supplement to everyone's already-existing kind words about 2gether and BrightWin...... and starts by saying that Tine and Sarawat's pairing pulled me in with the force of Earth's gravity. It was an instant hook for me, really! Bright's cool demeanor makes one's heart flutter, yes, but also, Win's animated personality positively radiates from across the screen. Put these two together, along with a few other lovely beings (the "side" characters are charming in their own rights), toss in a feel-good, not over-the-top storyline, a sweet-sounding soundtrack, and you've got yourself a winning BL salad, good sir!
The way the show handles humor, too, is pretty great. It's actually funny because of the dialogue, and not just because the characters are out doing slapstick.
There's a sea of Thai BL out there, but regardless, even in its early episodes I really feel that 2gether deserves the praise and admiration it gets. And I dare say, BrightWin's chemistry alone is enough reason to pick up this series. The wait for every episode is painful, truly, as it is still on-going, but every episode has been nothing but complete squeal-eliciting delight. Pick it up if you haven't yet, you're definitely in for a treat!
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It's not spectacularly terrible or anything! The cons just far outweighed the pros for me.
TOSSARA is O.K. enough if you are willing to bear with it. Perhaps you, reader, would be more forgiving than I am, ahaha! I would've given the 2nd episode a shot, however, the reality is that I have more shows lined up and ready to be watched, so, I dropped it. There were simply things that I disliked, both technical and otherwise.For instance, the sound. I found that the inconsistency in the audio bugged me a lot. Especially the voiceovers, where the recordings were not polished, and the quality of audio sounded different from one another. Sometimes, there would also be these slightly awkward silences when they're reading comments or text messages. That ticked me off, too.
Gotta admit though, the character Gun's voice at a low register is so pleasing to listen to.
The characters, most of them were actually fun! There was the slight charm of TOSSARA feeling, natural (?), for lack of a better word. The acting isn't cringe-to-the-bones, it was just right. But I guess in the end, the plot at the beginning didn't engage me enough so as to keep me watching.
Perhaps, in a later time, I would have the heart to pick this up again. Until then, I'll catch up on other shows.
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