THE BEST BOYS LOVE SERIES SO FAR
I cannot stress enough why I Told Sunset About You is the best Boys' Love Series so far. Everything about ITSAY is perfection. Directing - 10/10, Writing - 10/10, Acting - 10/10, Official Soundtrack - 10/10, and Overall Cinematography - 10/10. You can even compete ITSAY in the Emmys and it will definitely win. This just fixed Boys' Love as a genre if we are being honest. ITSAY is a modern classic for me. ITSAY is the epitome of how we should show LGBTQ+ narratives in media. Real, not sensationalized. I hope future BLs follow ITSAY's path.Was this review helpful to you?
Masterpiece
Everything about this series is a masterpiece!Talking about Story plot (coming of age, BL, gender identity, etc) , very common to any BL series i have watched. However, with this serie it felt like i have watched a different genre. Everything is on point! The actors portrayed their characters very well. I mean every character, the supportive brother hoon, tarn the girlfriend, supportive/proud mother, and their group friends. I fell in love with the two main characters, BKPP made teh and oh-aew a real characters. (Especially Billkin, his crying scenes are heartbreaking!)
I dont post reviews (it’s actually my first ever review in this site) but this one deserves an excellent review. Thank you to all the makers of this series. I cant wait for may 27th to come. I promise to the moon that i will watch part 2.
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This review may contain spoilers
I Told Sunset about You
It was on my list of dramas to watch for a long time, and my friend kept recommending me to watch it. It was a bummer that I couldn't find it on youtube, because that's how I usually stream my Thai BL dramas. Alas, I found it on dailymotionI really enjoyed this drama because I loved the tension of self-discovery. Being gay myself, high school is definitely one of those times where you fall in love but have so many fears about your future. Everything feels up in the air. This drama expertly executes those same feelings that I had growing up. I also fell in love with my best friend from middle school, unlike the drama though, he is straight and so nothing ever progressed from that besides unrequited love. The drama clearly shows us how Teh, is clearly in love with his best friend, Oh-aew, yet he doesn't know what these feelings are. We, the audience however, can clearly see that he loves his friend more than just friends by the way he gets jealous of Oh-aew spending time with Bas, or when Oh-aew tells everyone personal things about himself. Teh wants to be Oh-aew's one person. Yet, he struggles with finding out why he wants that. Even when he realizes it, he can't bring himself to accept it. He worries what everyone will think of him. He tries to show his love for Oh-aew in many different ways, but often hurts him instead.
I know season 2 is coming out soon, and I can't wait to watch it. It seems like this drama will definitely take things to the next level, so I'm excited.
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This is much more that a BL genre
I believe I Told Sunset About You is more than just a BL series. It is more than a LGBTQ agenda but at the same time told in the most positive way. It's about being confused, conflicted, understanding, and finally accepting an identity and 'coming out' at the time one accepts and in his/her own way. It depicted individuals are they are - very realistic. This series enlightens us that about the emotional turmoil one goes through dealing with the realization; someone who feels they can hurt and hurt others they love for being who they are.It is a very beautiful story and exquisitely directed.
I learned to be satisfied with Thai BL series thinking what I normally watch is the norm. This series taught me that with exceptional screenwriter and Director, a Thai BL drama can be so much more.
I find that there’s a lot of scenes that were a bit slow to start or with extended silence, however the overall series made up for this small detail.
It is my opinion that everyone give this series a chance and experience Thai BL series in a different way.
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This review may contain spoilers
An introduction to quality Thai BL
Before this, the Thai BLs that i had come across always felt like some cheap production aimed at making a fanfic into live action. I did not expect this level of attention to detail, production value, cinematography, decent acting, musicality, careful choice of location, colouring, script from a Thai production so i'm impressed.The main characters are flawed and their discovery of themselves and their attraction to each other is raw, frustrating, beautiful, imperfect and captures youth and coming of age. There's a lot of hate directed at Teh but honestly he's one of my favourite characters. He's all over the place with his emotions, unable to hold back at times and incapable of showing them at other times, a complete train wreck. He's unsure about himself, hurts people around him in an attempt to make sense of what he's going through, is rough around the edges, makes mistakes he regrets immensely, disappoints his friends and loved ones, is unreasonable and uncompromising, but at the end of it all, he pursues his love as doggedly (and recklessly) as he pursues his dreams. And that's youth.
Oh-aew was a perfect foil to Teh's character, steadfast, understanding and patient. The actor playing this character was wonderful in being subtly seductive and making his character intriguing (the eye lashes helped loads). My only gripe was the lack of attention to some of the supporting characters, in particular, their school mates. The character design was too predictable.
Hats off the the production team as this was a well-made series and made me feel respected and valued as a BL viewer. BL fans want to watch quality production too and it's not just about putting two good-looking guys (sometimes even several) on screen and getting them to flirt with each other over bad dialogue, on a set with fake furniture, and no storyline to speak of. This series raised the bar of Thai BLs for me.
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Currently the best show I've ever watched
Hormones series (S1-S3) are the very first Nadao series I've watched and I like it so much because it fits my standard more than G*MMTV's shows i've watched before. After that I challenged myself to watch all Nadao shows and that's how I found this series. I actually watched the trailer before it aired but didn't really pay attention to it so I missed watching eps 1-3 in realtime. But, a day after eps 3 aired I suddenly have the urge to start watching it so yeah that's how I came to the Thai fandom :') I can't even explain in detail how amazing ITSAY is bcs it really impacted me that much. After watching ITSAY, I watched so many new shows (almost 20 new series + movies), but not even one lingers in my mind like ITSAY did...That's how powerful ITSAY is. Should watch this yourself bcs sometimes I'm really sorry for the ones who might missed this series.Was this review helpful to you?
Probably one of the most raw and honest depictions of love and growth in all it's intensity.
i don't really rate shows that high that easy. if a story doesn't have a good grip on me by the first episode itself i drop it. however, that was not the case about this show. it had me by the throat from the get to.the thing about i told sunset about you is. its so dreamlike. every frame is a painting, every scene is saturated, every character is color-coded-- until the lines start to blur and the colors start to swirl and that is significant too. its so dreamlike in the way its tinted in a way that makes you feel nostalgic, like unreal. like surreal.
The way the love is Felt the entire time, it punctuates every scene. Even in its misunderstandings, even in the pettiness and the anger and everything that gets lost in translation, things that you hold on to so tightly that it bleeds into your hands your heart; and roosts in your soul. That is the kind of mark ITSAY leaves on you. This show is timeless. I feel like i could come back to it any time and day and slip back into feeling everything i felt when i watched it the first time. It simply does not get old.
and the beauty of it lies in that its dreamlike state its further amplified by the rawness of emotions, of loaded silences and awkward pauses and hands that hesitate and knees that knock. in emotions that are entirely too full, too saturated and so very real in all its intensity that punctuates every moment of each scene. and the soundtrack with mood specific iterations to fit the scenes such that it's such a heady swirl of colours and emotions and love that it feels like drowning.
and you love every second of it.
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Hate is Love.
I Told Sunset About You can only be described as intimate, dramatic and unrequited. It is a drama that unfolds to the highest level of tension, immaturity and longing. The bittersweet tonal character of this drama is irresistible. How cold, distant and brutal rivalry can be a mirage of love, lust and affection. It is haunting how the characters do incredibly dumb things but you can get it. You can ride how immature, inconsistent and frustrating everyone can be. It is because you have been sucked into the universe of their language. The language of love.The direction of this drama is masterfully done. The breathtaking nuance, symbolism and character Director Boss manipulates through the lense is charismatic and thought-provoking. The ambiguosity of the environment felt naive but coherent. It never took the artistry of the performers. The director honestly enhanced all of it. This series could not have been more perfect without the director.
The cinematography is stunning, some scenes even reminding me of Emmanuel Lubezki's work. This is a gorgeous visual feast. The angles, the Director of Photography manages to capture is asymmetrical, dynamic and wide. This is the best cinematography, I've ever seen for a TV series.
The screenwriting had flaws, it was much for the fact that the script was hammering through familiar territory. However, the miraculous consistency, poeticness and realist nature of the writing was piercing through the viewer. Scenes of singing, remorse, and confrontation were much more provoking for which the script really shined its best.
The editing was impeccable. The pacing of this series were pretty spot-on, dynamic, powerful and visceral. You can feel each ounce of guilt, shame and regret each frame offers with the amazing collaboration of the cinematographer and the editor. The flaws of this drama were towards the finale. I mean, it could be that the director was just out of character whilst filming this, or maybe he was unsure how to deal with it, or maybe he was pressured to top an episode of this series. Either way, it showed a plot hole unlike any other. For that, I think my score would have to be lower too.
Overall, I really think this drama should be viewed and declared as the magnum opus of the boys love genre. The important pieces of literature, filmmaking and artistry where totally captured by this series. The series was a freewheeling ride toward the slice of life in Phuket, Thailand. There two boys meet, became rivals, and became lovers.
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This review may contain spoilers
Still unsurpassed
Writing this review after rewatching this. It's so damn good! I'm crying laughing and swooning with Oh and Teh. Both Billkin and PP should star in more dramas. They have the acting game down. Oh deserves so much better than the hesitating wavering Teh. And I think he knows. But he loves him so much he's willing to go through several hells for him. I rooted for them, but I hate that I did. They would have been better off never meeting again, but hey, then we would not have this jewel of a series.Was this review helpful to you?
undoubtedly a MASTERPIECE.
I wish there were enough words out there to describe how ITSAY made me feel. SUCH good production, INCREDIBLE acting, AMAZING storyline, BEAUTIFUL ost. Writing this review after my second time watching it, the first time was as each episode was coming out. The best BL out there. Such a raw and authentic representation of love and friendship between two boys and of discovering their sexual identities. ITSAY takes you on a heart-wrenchingly beautiful journey that breaks you and embraces you at the same time. I would like to commend Billkin and PP on their incredible acting and chemistry. They phenomenally portrayed the roles of Teh and Oh-aew. A masterpiece in every sense.Was this review helpful to you?
Perfect
I have no words to say about this. This drama is a perfection. The plot, acting and even the picture quality of it. Many of the scenes look like a portrait. Just so perfect. Would totally recommend it to anyone. This is a must watch!! The best bl ever. Not like any other random BLs. I would say without hesitation that this was the best drama I've ever watched. Billkin and PP made sure to portray their characters smoothly and their acting was superb that made the characters Teh and Oh-aew more emotional.Was this review helpful to you?
Top shelf series!
Not your typical BL Drama, its top shelf stuff!How am I just coming across this and how is this so good?
During the winter in Thailand in 2023 I was stunned that PP Krit is all over the place, and I am not a huge fan of him. After watching this, I am.
Kuddos to the director and the crew- every single person on the set. Nothing but beautiful. High class , set up, story, scenery, acting of the main leads and the support actors. It is nothing like your typical enemies to lovers Thai BL series. They go really deep with teen struggles from all perspectives. From what is the real friendship, true parenting, sexuality from gay and straight perspective, small town upbringing, competition- healthy and not. And all the sacrifice we make to move forward in life, stupid decisions that make us human.
Leads are normal looking teens, for beginner actors they have made this series a perfection wearing emotions on their faces and expressing through intricate body language. It is very obvious that there is so much work was put in into developing the characters. They are intimate without going overboard.
Cinematography is what makes this a true masterpiece. I was drowning in the warmth of the Phuket sunrises and sunsets. Seeing such a beauty in the overrun by tourists small southern town, little details of everyday life.
Chinese influence and idolizing of it is real in Thailand, and the project incorporating that without overpowering feeling.
To catch everything- I watched it twice.
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