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The game changer --- A rite of passage for people new to Boys Love
I think everything that needs to be said has already been shared by the other reviewers. SOTUS defined the BL genre; every BL series that followed owes its success to SOTUS. I hate giving perfect 10 scores but I think SOTUS deserves this rating. It is just perfect in every way.First, the buildup of romance between Kongpob and Arthit was so beautifully done. It runs in a slow pace yes, I think when we get to that point when they finally admit their feelings to each other (which does not happen until the last 2-3 episodes), the feeling of satisfaction is just purely immeasurable. I, as a viewer, felt that I was "rewarded" upon reaching Episode 15. I rarely get that feeling when watching TV shows.
Second, there is no single character in SOTUS that you can despise. All of them are so loveable in different ways. Arthit, as cold as he is in the beginning, was hiding in a shell this whole time. It was a side of him that we'll never get to see if Kongpob chose to follow what he wants (enroll in Economics) than what his heart wants (enroll in Engineering). You see this is why I highly appreciate the flashback scenes in Eps. 14 and 15. Whoever thought of leaving those two key scenes (end of Ep. 14 and beginning of Ep. 15) for the end was a genius. It was such a nice touch. When I just started watching SOTUS, I couldn't believe why they chose such a character to be the romantic lead. How foolish I was for making such a premature judgment. As for Kongpob... what can I say? There is literally not a single bad bone in him. He's the perfect leading man because we can easily ride along and relate with what he feels. As for Singto and Krist, I could never have chosen a better couple to play these leads. In the special Episode, Krist mentioned that they actually auditioned for each other's parts, but the director eventually decided to switch their roles. Man, that was probably the best casting decision he'll ever make in his whole life.
As for the supporting characters: I loved the variety in their personalities, especially Arthit's fellow hazers. It was so funny watching how they behave when they are not playing their hazer roles. Kongpob's friends were a hilarious bunch. Newwiee was perfectly cast as the slow yet charming M opposite to Prince, who played that one friend who always leads the group in mischief. There was one thing I didn't like though; how Tew was under-utilized throughout the series. While his friends were given things to do, he mostly stays quiet in the background.. it's like his role in the series was just to "be there" with M and Oak. The creators made up for this though in SOTUS S--a series that I have yet to watch--by giving Ouajun a bigger part to play and even a romantic interest. The girl group of Maprang, May and Prae was also highly entertaining: I think Maprang should have been given a bigger role because she was hilarious, and making Prae a lesbian was so unexpected yet also added a nice touch to the story. May's crush on Kongpob was very cute, and Neen did such a great job in that scene where her character was both physically (after falling from her bike) and emotionally (after being rejected by Kongpob) hurt at the same time. There was actually another person in Kongpob's circle of friends that mysteriously disappeared mid season: Wad. I am not sure about the reason behind his disappearance, but if the creators pushed through with the Prem+Wad pairing, that would definitely raise this show to greater heights. Probably the creators thought it better to just stick to one ship for the entire show so that the audiences can better focus on the dynamics between Kongpob and Arthit.
Lastly, the best thing that impressed me the most about SOTUS was how it makes sense of hazing and the gear that symbolizes the engineering school (the same gear we are seeing in SOTUS posters and title cards). People merely think of hazing as a ritual every one has to go through, but SOTUS goes deeper than that. Arthit and his senior P'Tum did a perfect explanation for this, so you'll have to watch the entire series to understand what I am talking about.
I know that I have soooo many other things to say about SOTUS but I can't talk here forever, can I? You'll just have to watch to the end to understand its appeal. It will be one of the most rewarding viewing experiences you will ever have.
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This review may contain spoilers
Too hyped
As a newcomer to the BL genre, I have binged probably 30 or more dramas recently. As the BL fandom in general seems to think so highly of SOTUS, I decided to give it a try. I was sad to see that it was about as good as I expected. I'd hoped that it would blow me away, but it barely kept me interested. I failed to see any chemistry between the actors, onscreen or off. The character development felt like a car with a bad clutch. It just dropped scenes in your lap and failed to flesh those scenes out satisfactorily. I mean, what was the point of the haircut scene?? Why was Arthit crying behind the stadium? For that matter, why did the seniors decide that the juniors had won the flag??I have tried to start watching SOTUS S, the second season.....it's 2 years later, why is Kong still chasing his boyfriend for attention? I may force myself to get through episode 1, but I'm not promising anything.
I think that the actors in SOTUS did what they could, especially with some of them being new to the drama world. I do not think the main actors and most of the side characters are shippable though. Prem and Wad are the exception. There was chemistry and potential there. Sadly, nowhere else that I saw. And I am happy to watch even the worst storyline for some good chemistry.
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GIVE IT A CHANCE AND LOOK AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
When I heard that this show had some hazing activities, I was actually a bit disappointed or hesitant to watch it because of the SOTUS system but I decided to give it a chance and I didn't regret it... Although the SOTUS system didn't sit well for me in the beginning (because of a matter of culture differences), I opened up with this show by looking at the different scenes being portrayed and because of it, I learned how to love this show.. The way the characters developed in their relationship is so sweet and I'm glad that there's as season 2 for this.. I know that some might be turned off by the beginning of this series because of the hazing etc. but try to give it a chance and look at it from a different perspective, the hazing is not the focus of the series but rather how the main characters' feelings developed with one another and I find it to be pure and wholesome. We need more shows like this that don't just focus on the physical intimacy but rather how the people learn to fall in love, come to terms with their feelings and face the issues that they have. I'm also glad that the show also addresses the LGBT community and not just fetishizing men. Trust me, Season 2 of SOTUS is even better.Was this review helpful to you?
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Second part of the story saved the series
April 19, 2021Sotus a very interesting drama. Although, it sets the tone as a college student type of story. The execution of the scenes a definitely made the planotic and simple plot better.
Definitely the chemistry of Arthit and Kong is good. I love Arthit’s character development and Kong’s perseverance.
Maybe its cultural differences but I really don’t understand the hazing plot. If I am being honest the first half of the series I feel very disconnected and I was really close to dropping it. It took me a few days to finish the first 7 episodes while it took me like a day or two the finish the remaining.
First half 6/10, second half 9/10. That’s why I can’t give the series a perfect 10 cause the beginning really riled me up. I was like how is this top rated then I understood after the second half. Anyway WATCH THIS YALL. First half was not my cup of tea but after ep 7 thats when everything becomes better!!
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Amazing series-SOTUS
I love this series and the chemistry between them is absolutely amazing, to be honest whenever I watching series I have some scenes to skip but in this series I don't have any scenes to skip and I didn't find any lacks at any scenes. And I learn more about love and relationship like how to be patient in a relationship and how to protect our loved one at any situation and more I learned from this series thank you very much for giving this amazing story and love for Krist?singto. I'm really blessed to saw this series and all the crews did their roles very well, as an engineering student I absolutely love it always love from India.Was this review helpful to you?
10/11 RECOMMEND
SOTUS walked so all of the other thai bl series could run.I agree with this statement. Although, i’m not sure if there are amazing bl dramas before SOTUS, this one here definitely took thai bl dramas international.
A friend of mine told me that it romanticize hazing but in my own opinion, it does not. I think “hazing” is not a right term for what they’ve done, in my country there’s a compulsary military training in which, the activities are basically the same? The hazing portrayed in the series does not even depicts actual violence. It’s basically just like working out in the gym or training for a sport, haters are just trying to find loopholes for this one.
The story itself was light and served a very amazing coming to terms with sexuality for Arthit (Krist). I don’t like university settings much, but this one is actually a top notch. Arthit’s character development is amazing.
The music really give off that university kind of vibe. I graduated college 4 years ago and hearing the OST kinda brings back uni days.
The acting of Krist and Singto is... not perfect. They can still improve but with that storyline then I guess I can deal with it.
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This review may contain spoilers
I saw this show on Netflix once and I started watching it but I didn't pass the first episode until I was boring and I said Okay let's give it a try. And I fell in love with the characters. Some inconsistencies sometimes but overall great. Great character development specially Arthit, he really is a grower character. Great script, the way they introduce or include the humor is great. Overall one of my favorites so far, and the sequel is even better... But yeah great, I really wanted to see more of the characters background, a little more of backstory would have been great. 128/30/2021: No because I gave Sotus (my first BL) a good rating, and after rewatching it, it deserves an 8 pr 8.5.
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LOVE STORY
A love story in the making. It made me fall in love more and more every episodes of the series. Main actors are very cute and perfect for each other. But there are scenes that i felt disconnected to the story. It's a love story from episode 1 - 15 and until Sotus S. yup it has a Season 2. and hoping for 3 *cross fingers*. You'll see some actors from the Holy Trinity of GMMTV. Sweet and Cute. The only thing that is not my type with the series is the OST tho.Watched it twice already. I would recommend this to anyone.
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This is the second Thai BL drama so far that I have watched (next to Theory of Love), and so far I'm loving it! Thai BL dramas never fail to disappoint with their storylines because this was worth to watch! Intriguing Plot, Unique Casts, and Outstanding Chemistry! This drama, which I noticed, contains more valuable and real-life lessons a person could ever have other than falling in love. And another unique thing about this drama is that they didn't show hate or villainous aura to the females (which is quite noticeable to most BL dramas), which is a very important factor nowadays! It's one thing that I loved in it.
Story: 9.5
Acting: 10 (CAN I KEEP SINGTO? EVERYONE NEEDS A SINGTO IN THEIR LIFE)
Music: I love the music even though the intro is goddamn long.
Rewatch: Definitely!
Overall: 9.5/10 !!!
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UNEXPECTED BEAUTIFUL STORY....
Normally we get in love with the Lead Actors of the drama we are watching but in this drama I fall in love with their Love Story. The pacing of their story, from the first time they meet until they fall in love with each other was perfect. SOTUS has LESS KISSING SCENE and NO BED SCENE at all, but it doesn't affect how the Love Story shown in this series. Their chemistry was superb plus the acting was amazing. I just enjoyed every episode of this drama. I didn't skip single scene at all. I just simply love it and my all time favorite BL Series..Was this review helpful to you?
But let me review it from the start. The storyline. I actually watched Sotus rather reductantly, because I didn't really like the trailer. But when I started watching it, I got into it more and more. The story starts out like any highschool-love-comedy-show: it is light-hearted, the characters are introduced and there isn't going on much in the first episode. But the story develops really lovely! The main couple (I'm sorry, I'm a Swiss loser, I cannot remember all the names) has this kind of rivalry-but-somehow-sexual-tension-dynamic I really love! Especially Artith seems to be so harsh and unapproachable. But that's what makes it interesting. As a viewer, you can follow the storyline, you get to know so many different characters and you also can observe how the relationship between the characters change.
It's not a sudden "oh, it's love at first sight and we're gonna fuck in the next episode", but it's... so sweet. It's slow-built, but it also satisfies us with a bit of fanservice, but most importantly, the development in the relationships - whether it's in a friendship-kind-of-way or in a romantic-kind-of-way - is really portrayed realistically. What I also appreciate, is that Artith doesn't fall in love at first sight, that he struggles with his own feelings and his sexuality. This is a big topic, as Asia isn't that progressive yet (compared to Europe, at least).
Also, there actually IS a story to follow, not only about the relationship between two guys, but also about their life in university and friendship!
Also, it kind of introduces us into the world of Asian universities and culture. Everyone living in the West would agree with me - it's very different from our traditions and habits.
And now let me start on the characters! Oh, they are played so well, you won't believe it until you see it. All the characters (not only the main ones) are chosen carefully (at least it seems like it), and they play their roles so perfectly! All of the actors have got talent, you can feel it. Their facial expressions are gold, their voices sound like honey, and their gestures fit into their roles.
I really recommend this series, if you're into angsty teenager love, discovering about sexuality, but in a sweet and cute way.
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Very little "physical" contact between the two mains, but I did like the chemistry and the build up of love between them. However, I didn't like how the seme kind of had "instant" love to the uke after very few interactions. However, despite my gripes, it IS one of the better BL shows to watch, depressingly, and if you wanted more "physical" stuff, just watch this and then watch "together with me" afterwards for the kisses.
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