Give it a chance!

I'm not sure why the reviews and comments section for this are so harsh tbh as I actually thought there was a lot to like about this series and I quite enjoyed it.

Pros:
-The Story starts out strong (see cons for where it goes awry lol): I'm not sure why so many people are saying there's no story. Imo there's more story than a LOT of the more generic BLs. Basic plot summary is the classic tale of two leads from different backgrounds, one poor one rich. Both have a common connection of feeling alone and yearning for somewhere to belong. They come from different perspectives on life but come to understand and appreciate each other.
I was worried that when Bryce invited Bart to Manila, that Bart was going to live with him and create an unequal power dynamic where Bart was dependent on him. But to my delight that didn't happen at all, Bart gets his own place and works hard to become a successful model. They get to know each other as friends first of all and slowly grow their feelings for each other. Their relationship wasn't built on lust but genuine connection (IE they don't just bump into each other and fall in love instantly).

-The OST is great. I loved it. So many good songs are used that really match the tone of each scene. There are none of the stock standard, often cringey comical sound effects that are found in so many BLs.

-Production quality and cinematography is great. The shots of the scenery in Bart's province are beautiful.

-All the main four cast of guys are reallllly attractive. They're all models irl so I'm not surprised but dayummm. They're styled well and aren't bad actors at all imo, especially given this seems to be all of their first acting roles. Kurt Mendoza is especially adorable- and I love how idealistic and genuinely kind his character is despite his harsh upbringing. I wish there was more of more scenes of Edward (Eurwin Canzana) though as he was also adorable! (Here's hoping for season 2).

-Minimal wasted screentime. If you've watched a lot of BLs, you know how common it is for there to be so many wasted fillers scenes on the MLs friend's pointless crap, jealous GFs/Ex GFs, moping alone scenes staring into space endlessly etc. But there was a distinct lack of this crap in this series, which I really appreciated especially given there's only 8 eps. Bestie is the obligatory female friend of the male lead, but I didn't find most of her scenes too long or egregious for example. She even had some good lines and some depth to her character. I also loved her friendship with Bart so much.
-There are some nice quotes in there at the end of eps, my fave being "There are things not meant for you but it doesn't mean that you're not worthy".

Cons:
-The first ep is a little boring as it's mostly voiceover exposition telling a bit of backstory for the main three male leads and what point of view they're coming from. I always prefer to be shown rather than told things in series/movies (IE not a big fan of character inner monologues in series in general)- but once you get past this first ep it's not so bad.

-There's not as much "connective tissue" as I'd prefer- IE those scenes where you get to know the characters more or see their development/relationship building over time. But I don't consider this as big of an issue considering the short number of episodes and the fact I've seen so many other BLs do sooo much less than this with double if not triple the runtime.

-The story ends weakly. The last two eps are disappointing and feel pretty rushed, especially ep.7 randomly dropping down to 14 mins total including the intro and previous ep segment. I hated how Bryce randomly decides to leave all of a sudden with no real explanation (he always missed his parents so why did he have to leave "right now"?). I get that the end was purposely ambiguous to tease for a 2nd season- but I wasn't a fan of it at all.

-Barely any skinship and no kissing. The most you get is a few cute hair touching moments.

Overall I enjoyed this and don't see why people have been so harsh on it. I'll be coming back eagerly for a season 2 if they make one!

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Not a masterpiece but oh man the character progression! Mature, nuanced storytelling

I know I’m the odd one out here in the sea of masterpiece reviews for both ITSAY and IPYTM, but see below for my honest thoughts on this without rose coloured glasses on. I’ll preface this by saying I thought ITSAY was good, but not a masterpiece either. Which meant I went into this 2nd season without much expectation or bias.

The Story: I actually think they showed a lot more restraint with the storytelling in this season. The storyline may not have been what we wanted to see (mainly, the cheating). But I think it was actually a better told, more fleshed out & mature story than the 1st season was. I say they have more restraint here because one of my main criticisms with ITSAY was that a lot of scenes were very overlong, drawn out and extremely melodramatic. I got tired of the tediously long crying and phone related scenes that went on forever. I feel like they utilized screen time a lot more efficiently in IPYTM to add to the story rather than drag it out where it wasn't needed. Although I'll admit I still personally liked the storyline more in the first season overall because I’m ALWAYS going to be more drawn to watching the “developing love” stage of a relationship rather than the “years into it working through relationship issues, after honeymoon" stage of a relationship.

I think a lot of people are disappointed with how their relationship develops this season and how shitty Teh becomes. I think their relationship progression was really realistic (which is probably why a lot of us aren’t super in love with it. Because I know I myself often come to romance dramas as an escape to see all the cute, lovely parts of relationships for example rather than the realistic, not so sweet aspects).
This season was a really strong narrative example of a teenage/high school relationship adapting to the “adult” world and all the realities that come with it. Because in real life you often do change, grow and become a somewhat different person as you mature and learn who you really are and what you want to do with your life etc. I think they really handled it well showing just how different both characters really are and their motivations in life. Their conflict was believable and realistic. Sad, but realistic.
Especially with childhood loves (or even friends)- you can really feel like they love you for who you were in the past and not who you are now. When someone comes in that gets who you are now or is more like who you want to be (Jai for Teh), it makes complete sense you may be drawn to them over what you see as the past you (or what you feel subconsciously may be holding you back -Oh-aew for Teh). Teh had emotionally moved on way before any physical action took place. His immaturity meant that he went ahead and acted on it without any care for his actual partner- which was really cemented by him confessing to Jai and wanting to progress with him. I'm still annoyed at what Teh did and if this were a real life romance, I would really be against Oh taking Teh back in the end. As I really feel like that whole scenario showed he really didn't love Oh enough, even if he did love him. But I understand this is a romance drama at the end of the day. And them getting back together was always going to be the end of their arc- no matter what happened in between.

Characters & Acting: Teh is a really immature and selfish character. He deals with situations immaturely and irritatingly compared to Oh-aews softer, more sensitive approach. I’m still not convinced these characters suit each other as Oh-aew deserves someone more emotionally in tune in my opinion. I find Teh pretty unlikeable in general if I'm honest.
The actor for Teh really improved a LOT compared to the first season though and we were weren't given a million of his sometimes cringey extended crying sequences- which I found a relief. I was much more impressed with his acting in IPYTM. His haircut and styling was also so much more flattering this season as well thank gosh. I thought they made him look really dorky and unappealing in season one- which combined with his personality made me wonder at times why Oh-aew even liked him.

Oh-aew was pretty whiny and needy in the first ep, but it was an important part of seeing his character grow and try to adapt to a different environment and life. He’s a soft character that I relate too a LOT more than Teh’s headstrong, abrupt attitude. The actor was incredible and nuanced here just like he was in the first season. I loved that he realized acting wasn’t for him and changed courses even against Teh’s whining. Because I really felt like the first season showed that Oh-aew didn’t really know what he wanted yet and that was something his character really needed to work through for himself over time. And he really did do that this season and I just love how they showed his character progression through the years.

Production & Music: There is no criticism here, it’s filmed and scored beautifully. The production quality of both seasons is far above pretty much any other Thai BL series. Beautiful.

Overall I think this season excelled at character development rather than romance and it did so better than probably any other Thai series I’ve watched. I didn’t necessarily love where the story went and enjoyed the sweet, romantic vibe of the first season more- but this season really did well at showing the future of both boys in a realistic way.

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Cute friends being cute - Silly BL adjacent fun

Easy to watch, light-headed ridiculousness- the series. I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this considering how silly it is and the fact that I am really not into cat to human stuff at ALL. There are quite a few cringey acting like a cat scenes, but once you get past those in the first couple episodes mostly- there's a simple, sweet story there. Nothing really bad happens, every character is understanding and nice to each other. I really thought I'd hate this, but I actually looked forward to new eps for something nice and cheerful to watch. Cute people being cute too each other basically. Honestly I took points off this because it's not true BL- it's PG level BL adjacent as everyone is just good friends in the end LOL.

There are three couples here:
Couple 1 - Catboy meets orphan. Dermderm has an absolutely atrocious wig on for the first several episodes (think Sin in UWMA level bad wig). James (playing catboy 1-literally called "Meow") is cute and dedicated to the role- I'll say that. I was surprised to see him in this after the brutal sadness of his story in the Effect. But honestly it was nice to see him playing a silly, happy catboy after that. I wasn't that into this couple and tbh they were the only couple I was glad had no real physical intimacy in the end because I feel like it would have been weird. Mostly due to how juvenile James is made too act and look- he literally comes off as a kid. It would have been weird so I'm glad they didn't go there.

Couple 2 - Cute catboy 2 meets emotionally vacant but really cute boy. My fave couple! Evan is really cute and I can't wait to see him in something else where his character is actually meant to emote- I wanted to just see him smile so bad! Even despite that- I thought this couple had chemistry and I enjoyed all their sweet scenes.

Couple 3 - Delightful GL couple! They have to be the first GL couple I've genuinely enjoyed watching in a BL series. I love their dynamic so much!

Acting/Cast: Fine enough- let's not pretend there was any real serious acting required in this series lmao.

Overall I enjoyed this but the lack of any real BL conclusion (even a cheek kiss would have been fine for the second couple) took it down a few pegs for me in the end. There wasn't a real conclusion.

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Simple, sweet and super slow-paced

Pros:
-Really pretty scenery in Japan with a chill, quiet and calming atmosphere to the film overall.
-I liked the natural, sweet pace that the couple get to know each other at.
-The actor for Oat is really charming and his smile is so friggin cute.
-Kiss scene is really lovely- soft and genuine.
-I loved Toey's Japanese friend Yumi- she was so charming and open-minded.

Cons:
-Not all that much happens tbh- I almost felt like it was in slow motion at times and was really tempted to up the play speed to 1.5x. The runtime is almost two hours (I watched this in two sittings tbh as I got bored after a while).
-I liked the bilingual aspect, but some of the English scenes scenes did feel a bit awkward/unnatural at times- which jilted the flow of some scenes.
-Not a big fan of the fact Oat took advantage of Toey while he was drunk when it's clear he got him drunk on purpose and knew he identified himself as straight.
-The ending sucks. I understand that this film is telling a common story of gay men who feel like they're constrained to fit into a society where they have to forego love for a straight marriage and children... But it is what it is- sad.
I hated that Oat pursues Toey from the beginning in a true act of selfishness as his last jilt before marriage. Especially knowing the entire time that he won't stay with him and that his girlfriend is pregnant. He just uses Toey and throws him away without even having the respect to say goodbye in person.
I dislike that him cheating on his partner is glossed over just because his internal struggle is something a lot of gay men go through. (I sympathize more with the hurt his partner would feel knowing someone married you for mercenary reasons but never actually loved you).
I acknowledge this movie isn't about me though and these things aren't perfect (and that's kind of the point of the movie). But this is not something I'd ever feel motivated to rewatch.
I really wish the movie finished with Toey rejecting the friend request and moving on with his life with a new love interest. I get it's "romantic" and melodramatic to "wait" for his one true love to come back (I know there's a sequel along those lines). But to me it'd be more satisfying to show that you should have the self-respect to move on from people who use you and find someone who truly wants to be with you.

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I found overall I really enjoyed this series. Compared too a lot of Thai Bl's I've watched, I found myself not feeling bored or wanting to skip through too many scenes. I feel like with a lot of Thai BLs- I start to get bored around 5-8 episodes in. But I found myself still looking forward to the next episode up until the end of the season (mainly because they made it fresh by adding some development between the TinCan ship in the final eps). This is one of the rare BLs I may even re-watch at some point...

But this is where we get into the main Pro and Con of the entire story…The relationships are a very mixed bag for me.
Pete and Ae: I absolutely LOVED the sweet, natural development of Pete and Ae’s relationship. (Although I will say I 1000% prefer Saint’s character in Why R U over his extremely passive character in this story). I put off watching this series for ages despite its popularity as from the clips I’d seen as I wasn’t convinced there would be much chemistry between Saint and Perth. (IE. in Perth being a convincing pursuer in the relationship and Saint being so submissive- especially after watching Saint and Zee in Why R U). But surprisingly it actually worked and created an interesting dynamic. It also helps that Perth has so much adorability and genuine sensitivity in his acting. I was extremely impressed by Perth and am keen to see him in future acting projects. I really enjoyed their relationship progression. And although the “drama” in their story really mellowed out as the series progressed- I didn’t mind so much as that’s when the show finally started to give some more air time to the other couples of the series.
I kind of love that they had no real petty, extended childish drama in their storyline. It was really nice to just see for the most part, a very non-toxic, sweet relationship portrayed in a BL. Really refreshing to not see the characters wait several drawn out episodes to resolve a simple issue or miscommunication they’ve had.

Tin and Can: This one REALLY surprised me by how much I ended up shipping it by the end of the season. For the first half of the series, I was really unconvinced by their interactions and was not interested in seeing them get together. I found Tin too be too unlikeable and Can too annoying. But when they finally gave them more air time and character development- I started to love this ship. I think a lot of this can be attributed to the actor for Tin (Mean). Once he started pursuing Can openly, he stole every scene he was in IMO. The way he even looks at Can melts my soul tbh- very convincing. I also just loved how he opened his heart for Can wholeheartedly and believed in him. Love it!

Now for the bad ships that really jarred my viewing experience. Seriously I feel like the following two ships are such a tonal difference from the main two couples and I hate it so much. It just does NOT flow with the rest of the show. These two also had barely any screen time over the series, which really doesn’t help their case either...

Kla and Techno: WTF. Just WTF. No. Seriously NO. We all know by now that lack of consent is a serious issue that is rife in BL dramas. I hated this. Kla never even tries to romance Techno the normal way even once. And instead decides that the r*pey taking advantage of someone while they’re drunk route is the way too Techno’s heart. The fact that Techno’s brother is complicit in the entire plan to enable his brother’s r*pe by his best friend is one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in a BL.
That and once Techno is made aware of what’s happened- Kla further manipulates him by convincing him that he was the bad person who took advantage of him instead. And Techno looks so scared and uncomfortable during that entire scene. Utterly disgusting. Absolutely hated this. Please do NOT romanticize this situation!

Tar and Tum: It actually took me a while to realize these were the same characters from TharnType. But once I realized, their storyline made a lot more sense at least. Because before that I had no idea what was happening with these characters as they had barely any screentime.
I hated their entire plotline in TharnType, so the same goes here. (The lack of justice, etc. and the fact that the older brother is still predatory IMO). I really wish they clarified that they aren’t blood related early in the show as I felt creeped out by every scene they were in (I’m still not in love with the idea of step-brothers, but at least it’s not as bad as full on in*est).
I feel like the older step brother is creepy and predatory to Tar- which was only solidified where he himself tried to force himself on him in one episode. What the F*CK. Also the fact that their climactic scene in the last ep where Tar tells Tum about his assault is played right after the scene where Kla assaults Techno….yeah that is the most awkward, inappropriate thing ever. I literally can’t.
I will say at least the actors for Tar and Tum in LBC are 1000% better than their counterparts in Tharntype. But that’s where the positives end for me. It’s a shame because Earth is such a lovely, talented & adorable actor. I wish he had been given a better role with more air time in this series.

So overall I really enjoyed this season and was a fan of the main two couples... but I hated the side couples with a passion LOL.

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