Love in the Air (2022)

worst show ever.

Worst show ever. I don’t think I can stress it enough but I absolutely and utterly despise this series.
My take on Love In The Air:

- Beginning of the show / Rain‘s and Phayu‘s relationship:
So basically they met through Rain‘s car being broken or whatever, but what really just throws me off is the moment where Phayu goes to visit his old school where ge meets Rain. Rain proceeds to make a fuss out of it and drags him towards the restroom even though they don‘t even really know each other?? Like where and when did their relationship start to form at that point? It doesn‘t make any sense.
This scene however leads to a next and certainly bigger point:

- Sexual As$ault:
In the restroom they ended up together in one cabinet where Rain kinda tried to hold Phayu back?? From whatever?? (Acting like they‘ve got any history going on). Anyway, basically this is where the sexual assault begins. Phayu starts to appear as the dominant powerful guy and makes a move onto Rain. However Rain never really consented which means Phayu forced himself onto him by touching him in his private part. This is where probably most of the watchers thought it was sooo hot of Phayu to act like this… like no?? Only because Rain kind of reacted in a "horny" way, it‘s just because of his body‘s reactions which are NATURAL. HE however never consented. Same thing kinda happened when Rain somehow?? ended up at Phayu‘s apartment for the night (which also didn‘t make any sense like why would you trust a stranger?) and Phayu made moves onto Rain without him consenting. I think this happened before the restroom scene.

This whole thing leads to the show literally being built on sexual as$ault which is disguised as "horniness" and "hot characters having sex".
The show has NO storyline due to just random stuff being thrown into the room, most of it being sex. This is what so many people find sexy instead of concerning.

Rain‘s and Phayu‘s relationship is NOT hot.
Prapai‘s and Sky‘s relationship is NOT hot.

- Heavy fetishization of gay men by strictly forcing dom/sub and top/bottom roles:

As we may know, the fetishization of gay men is a sadly common situation.
LITA goes crazy with those labels and really points out the feminization of the bottoms/subs.

-> Rain: Even from the beginning he never seems to try to speak his mind against Phayu which is really irritating. The story between them seemed to be an Enemies to Lovers kind of thing which however wasn‘t really executed. Rain tried to show his hard side by trying not to give in to Phayu (he hasn‘t even known him for like a week..) but visibly failed from THE START ON which doesn‘t make any sense!! Phayu was an irritating and arrogant character from the beginning on yet Rain still let it happen??? Make it make sense.
Then their relationship proceeds to form into a "Dom/Sub" kinda thing. Rain the cute bottom who fully submits to his Alpha Daddy (-> Him actually calling Phayu that is totally and utterly cringe.) which feeds into the fetishization of gay men yet again! Also the whole wife calling thing is just completely weird. I get that it could be a kink (IN BED which they definitely didn‘t stick to) but why even bring that up in a BL that a lot of uneducated and younger people will watch? Why not use the chance to educate people by being AGAINST the usage of feminine attributes. Why the hell would Rain be Phayu‘s WIFE? No. Another cringe scene was where Rain was emotional or something and immediately went up to Phayu and hugged him etc. making him seem he‘s completely bonded to him even though they‘ve known each other for just a few days. It doesn‘t make any sense for him to be so emotionally dependent on him already. However if that really was to be linked to his character‘s background story then why not show it so it can actually make sense?? They gave us nothing.

-> Sky: I‘m going to be honest, despite the disappointment the show had put me through I still kinda expected something from Sky since in the first part he appeared to be a rather sassy character who spoke his mind. However, when the second part with the focus on him and Prapai began, it was totally disappointing. I get that this just shows that his character isn‘t always strong which is really true and also good to show, but why would he also be submissive etc.??
The thing with Sky is that he really has the most interesting character background with his trauma, toxic relationship, etc. ( = Serious issues!) which makes him have trust and attachment issues, however after only a few days of "really" knowint Prapai he is immediately bonded, has seperation anxiety and loves him. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. Such a traumatized person would NEVER act this way. Especially not after the lowkey blackmail Prapai used against Sky during the first part to have sex with him. (Relationship again based on toxicity, assault…). Prapai was invasive to begin with and never left Sky alone. I would understand if Prapai is the a$$hole and Sky doesn‘t give in because of how weird Prapai is but the bad thing is he actually gives in which makes zero sense. How could a person with a r4pe trauma let someone like Prapai actually take part in their life?? Also the whole thing with Prapai shoving his way into Sky‘s life was weird. Another thing I didn‘t understand was when Sky fell sick and Rain couldn‘t take care of him (due to stupid reasons) that Rain really called PRAPAI to take care of Sky instead of any other ACTUAL CLOSE friend. Only cause he trusts him cause he’s his boyfriend’s (Phayu’s) friend??? It doesn‘t make any sense! I would go crazy if my supposedly best friend just let some dude I don‘t like and that has been pushing himself onto me for the past few weeks into my apartment when I‘m in my most vulnerable state. That‘s like the worst case scenario.
And then Prapai proceeds to take care of him etc. which makes Sky kind of soft towards him. He says things like "I‘m taking care of you so well but all you do is push me away" like? That‘s manipulation.
It just doesn‘t make any sense for Sky to be so dependent on Prapai! I would understand if Prapai was like the sweetest and most considerate guy to ever exist because obviously that‘s someone that Sky could perhaps really need in his times of loneliness and darkness, however Prapai‘s character is none of that! Everyone keeps saying how cute it is of him to call Sky "honey/darling/wife (again..)" but no one seems to understand that his invasive character is just yet again disguised as a good one. They just brush it off as if it‘s nothing.

PrapaixSky:
Two things that happened towards the end of the show that I also find stupid:
1) Prapai lowkey cheating on Sky at the party by taking his time to tell the flirting guy to back off since he has a boyfriend. It was a total red flag and I cannot tolerate such behavior. He was on the couch literally CUDDLING with that guy for at least ten minutes but then proceeds to call it a misunderstanding on SKY‘s SIDE when he addresses the situation??? Like what?!
2) Prapai screaming at Sky after seeing him being r4ped. Literally the worst thing you could do towards such a hurt person. It made me so angry cause why would you scream at Sky if he didn‘t do ANYTHING.

All in all you could say that the show mainly puts its focus onto the sex which hides all the sexual as$ault since the characters are hot. It basically glorifies SA and toxicity.

- Side characters:
Totally cringe. Most of them were just fillers to actually have something going on however it seemed SO unnatural and awkward whenever there were people in the background. Especially at the races the people just STOOD THERE and did NOTHING which was like sooo awkward and just icky!! Really threw me off.

Rain‘s and Sky‘s friends also didn‘t really add anything to the story.
The whole thing with Ple and Som was also really weird, I can‘t even explain it.

I must say that Aon, Nui and Joy really carried the show lol.


-Acting/Facial expressions:
The acting was super bad, like really, there was not one time where I didn‘t cringe.
"Do it better" No. I know for a fact that I just wouldn‘t act if I can‘t do it.
The whole acting seemed awkward, stiff, cringe, stupid, etc. I just didn‘t feel comfortable and at peace watching it.

The facial expressions really threw me over the edge. Rain and Sky continuously made such childish and "cutesy" facial expressions that gave me the biggest ick. Most of the time they acted like that in front of Phayu and Prapai, their "doms". It‘s just totally cringe. They‘re trying to feed into the imagination of Sky and Rain as the cute, small and weak ones and push Phayu‘s und Prapai‘s characters as the cool powerful ones.
-> Prapai‘s smirks annoyed the hell out of me. There was not one time where he smirked in such a cocky way, as if saying he‘s better than everyone. Just ugh! Full ick. And Phayu did the same.

All in all: The characters‘ chemistry wasn‘t bad but everything was just cringe in the first place.

Making of/Producing:
The production isn‘t bad obviously, camera quality etc. was good except for the sound quality. There were times where they shuffled around which could be directly heard through the microphones that kind of ruined the vibe. Like.. just edit better lol.

The music was TOP! Literally the only thing that I genuinely enjoyed throughout watching the show. 10/10.

Scenes where I really had to slap myself or even laugh because of how absurd they were were the ones with phone calls. For example Prapai was calling Sky and there was a BLACKSCREEN to be seen. Like what?? How bad, like genuinely. Just call him forreal.. Or in the special episode where Sky was supposedly playing a game on his phone but when Prapai turnt him around on his chair and his phone could be seen on the camera, there was a blackscreen. It just made it seem much more unserious.

All in all it really isn‘t worth it so use your time wisely and don‘t watch Love In The Air. Xx

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Prepare To Feel Single!

First, I 100% recommend this show but prepare to feel single at almost every episode lmao. Anyways onto my review.

Payu and Rain:
When I first started it, I had not read the novel so I went in blind and I gotta say, I sincerely enjoyed their half of the series. It was sweet, funny and slightly wild at times. I enjoyed it for what it was, the kidnapping was a bit nonsensical but gotta have drama I guess haha. I read the novel and it follows it pretty much to a tea with a few much needed changes. I loved their love story even when I was at a loss for why Rain did the things he did at times but that's his charm haha. As for Payu, as hot as he is, I don't think I would fair as well as Rain with Payu as my boyfriend since he seems to have a humiliation kink and I'm not really into that lol, his seriousness for keeping up with my grades would come in handy tho. Speaking of Rain tho forgot to say his friendship with Sky is honestly everything to me, I love them and it saddens me that people don't see how much they actually care for eachother. I can't wait for the special to see a certain scene that Boss and Noeul talked about play out, I know I'm gonna die >_< seeing it come to life. Anyways Boss and Noeul's chemistry was of course top notch, no complaints, they constantly made me feel single. Missing them as I type this... I've actually rewatched it a couple times already lol.

Prapai And Sky:
MY BABIES. Am I a sucker for a good second couple? Yes, yes I am. Prapai and Sky gave me everything and more, I read the novel for their story too so I knew what to expect knowing it was going to be a darker story; Fort and Peat gave me everything I needed as Prapai and Sky, I felt the angst, love and overall playfulness of their characters. As far as husband material, to me Prapai is it. Also relating to Sky In a way, I felt his feelings of thinking he's unlovable and the massive pressure he would put on himself to help those around him instead of himself. I know Prapai's tactics could be seen as red flags but his intentions behind everything he did were never malicious so to me he's still a green flag with minor flaws. In the end he's exactly who Sky needed to as he put it "wake him up from his nightmare" with tough love, persistence and consistency to crack through his wall. Fort and Peat truly had me in my feels and I'll never get over PrapaiSky's love story and can't wait for the special to see them interact with Pai's family more hopefully, for those that read the novel- Shirts! ♡♡♡

Gun and Petch:
No disrespect to the actors but Gun and Petch are at the top of my hit list. The way they boiled my blood... kudos to the actors for playing such disgusting characters.

Production:
The sound issues were disappointing honestly but didn't distract me much, I still enjoy the series regardless thanks to the actors that make the characters who they are. Also some of the directing decisions for the second half of the series were off but of no fault of the actors whatsoever.

Music: Both intros for both halves and the outtro are on a loop, love them all.

Another thing I wanted to add is that I liked the format of splitting the episodes per couple cause one doesn't outshine the other at least for me, I loved both couples and didn't get second couple syndrome like usual and it gave us more time to pay attention to each story than we would've if they were intertwined with eachother. Anyways, love the cast so much and I'm now in my mourning period till the special.

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my latest guilty pleasure

For a first impression I just have to say- this show is pretty impressive. BL I’m becoming more and more produced in a way that I’m able to take the story more seriously. Yes this show has its campy moments, but it’s not over the top with them.

The camerawork is gorgeous and clear, and so are the actors skins… to get onto what really gets me here. The new actors that have their first projects Aldo so well- and Boss is startlingly handsome. I like the appeal of the actors and they are just all naturals. I like the intrigue that Rain has for Phayu and their first meeting was jaw dropping to me. I really love my rain scenes.. and man it was POURING. What a way to start a series, very very good and this one I’ll be watching weekly.

Got to point out how it follows a lot of standard things, like going to college .. but they actually show their work and the plot developes around Rain’s school work etc. so I’m impressed by that and the school isn’t just added fluff

Rain is kind of an airhead, and I could see that to be off putting, but I like him a lot. He is really cute honestly and as dumb as he can be he has his rational
Moments. I also enjoy him for hitting Payu with a pillow, that was good for him to assert himself on that situation that Payu misread. I think they will end up together, but Payu said he is bi so there’s a slim chance that he might not. Who am I kidding they will end up together and I really like the dynamic of this popular rich hot guy being so arrogant he misreads things and being out in his place by this cute and airheaded guy that was infatuated with him.

Yes, things are problematic at times. But it feels aware as of now. And Yes, Payu is an asshole- but sometimes I root for those characters. He has thing unbreakable charm to me.

This show is far from being perfect, but its got a lot of charm and is super clean with editing and visuals, especially if you watch on IQIYI. It’s keeping the bar pretty highly raised when new BLs come in after this, this drama is so pretty and I know that some characters do stupid things but I still can’t help but like them all.

You know what I also don’t understand. The fact that this is distributed through IQIYI, the headquarters are in Beijing China which is mainland China. I thought they were going to ban BL over there, so why are they showing it on their apps. I know it’s from another country, but if it being a web thing is the case.. then why the hell can’t we get mainland China ‘BL’. Yeah I’m talking about Immortality. It’s aggravating at this point. Maybe people don’t get this show over there? But the message is still the same if the headquarters allow it everywhere.

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Big on chemistry, sullied by questionable moments

Love In The Air is roughly split into two parts, each focusing on a different couple. And if you ask me which is the better half, I’d have trouble giving you an answer. The chemistry is pretty good and the flirting will keep you hooked.

However, I wish the storyline made a little more sense – it would have helped if the characters’ personalities were more consistent and even better if their backgrounds were fleshed out a little more. The rating would also be higher if the characters didn’t have all these problematic moments that made me go Ehhhhh…?

Doesn’t make it a bad show, imo, just lacks thoughtful writing and actual depth.

You may have come across some criticism regarding Phayu’s problematic behaviour in the initial episodes. Personally, I thought this was quite out of character for Phayu as he is shown to be quite thoughtful and non-toxic in the later episodes, and the story does get better and a lot more wholesome, so I don’t know what was going on in the earlier parts.

Now on to the second couple - at the start, Phai has all the signs of a walking red flag. Shamelessly full of self confidence, glib tongued, and basically too hot and too rich to take anybody seriously. But I’m here to tell you it gets better. In fact, Phai turns out to be a total green flag, and they’re just so unbelievably cute together I have to stop myself from screaming every time I watch an episode.

Verdict? Watch it and maybe you’ll get hooked too.

Full review here: asianblreviews.wordpress.com

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Not for me

In the beginning it had potential it wasn’t the best but maybe they needed more time to start up cus most of the time they get better, but this one just went down hill. I think the writers thought that enough s€x scene’s would make up for the poor written plot, but it just wasn’t enough to make the series enjoyable to watch. Maybe the second story is better than the first one but I don’t think so. It’s also so overrated on tik tok and other platforms. I think as long as a series has enough spice and hot characters, everything can be seen a “good” series.

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Stop reading and go watch it.

Seriously this is one of my top 5 shows & i still notice different details when I rewatch it. The story is great & the characters are great. I want expecting a whole lot when I started this show and I honestly don't know why bit OMG it is so good. It definitely have it's NC-17 parts but it fits in and flows with the story. There were a couple of scenes in the last episode that I muted or skip ahead 10sec because I knew it was something I didn't want to see. The chemistry of the couples and the friends is the best I've seen outside of ZeeNuNew & I hope either couple gets a new series fast. The special episode & guest appearances in Wedding Planner are amazing bonuses. SERIOUSLY GO WATCH THIS NOW!!!!!!

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Short episodes and Some Scenes are cut!

Watch until Episode 13 which was aired yesterday.

I am editing this comment as I watch complete the entire full season.

Prapai and Sky storyline on Episode 13 really touch my heart how their acting skills. But Sky mood changes too fast its like a flip of dice which makes me stunned. After Sky was raped again by his Ex in Prapai room I cannot think how Sky can change his mood or the fact he was just raped as okay no problem. I don't know how others might think or feel regarding this part here? Rain is shocked looking at Sky being raped this part here and asking are you okay "Answer me!" (Of course, Sky isn't okay. How can he be okay after being raped???) Watching this part makes me think is Rain in the right mind??? 🤔 Rating remains the same. Like I said below unless they do season 2 or else I won't change the rating. The storyline jumps very fast and both couples. Makes it unexplained the unending who is Prapai uncle? And who is the guy in the photo with Prapai? If season 2 explain these mystery it would be good.

Phayu and Rain storyline is lovely drovey and I expected to see more because of the short preview I watch when Phayu grabs Rain outside the cafe while it was raining, Rain tries to run away from Phayu but we never get to see this scenes. Both their acting skills are good. Specially when Rain was kidnapped the scenes really capture my sight.

For Prapai and Sky their relationship progress too fast alot of people are unable to catch what's going on Sky suddenly change the inner feelings. We only watch Prapai persistent of wooing Sky.

The only thing is each storyline is too short. It cuts off when their relationship starts, we should get to see the sweetness after they started dating, if each storyline have 10 episodes I would rate full stars. Unless they do season 2 I will change this rating.

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Yessssss...no more highschool bullshit

no more school love story

What is really nice about this drama is that it is not about highschool love. The difference and uniqueness in the premises of the story is what made me hooked on this drama from the teaser only.
The set up of the teaser gave it all a Wattpad and unrealistic but lovable vibes what only best fictions can provide and the trailer didn't disappointed as well.

The story between rain and payu started nicely but also weirdly based on the circumstance they were put in but it didn't looked forced or out of flow due to how rain's character is depicted. Payu on the other hand is a well written bad boy and the actor did justice to it( when I say 'well written bad boy' i am not implying being bad is good).
Payu on the first episode is shown as a person who sleeps around if he's interested while rain as a person who sees the world way too nicely (he is very naive, will probably sell himself out without even knowing).
I love how their story went and how they were both persuing each other with mutual respect towards each other, their studies and work which other bl series take for granted (like how the hell do they even pass even though all they do is fall in love) being the first ever series to put this much attention on studies and exams. The most astonishing trait about payu was how he was always making it clear about what kind of relationship he wants and how serious he was. And also thanks to the non dragging plot and length, rain was smart enough to figure out his feelings on time.

The second couple was nice. Not a wholesome start at all. I actually hated how pai didn't really left any choice for sky but ofcourse that was how his character was. However the development was very cute and believable on pai's side and wholesome but a bit unrealistic on sky's side considering how it all started. But ofcourse people change and so do feelings.

Anyway everything about the drama is well written with Mount Everest level chemistry. Ignoring one or two flaws won't do any harm hence a mature drama with unique and enjoyable plot.
Definitely worth watching atleast once.

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Chemistry is phenomenal but story... ehhh

I personally think that one of the biggest factors why people liked this is because of the loveteams' chemistry. Tbh, story-wise, this series isn't the best but also not the worst, I would say. Through how realistic the casts in terms of acting & expressing 'love', this series worked. But let me break down this series...

STORY:

Ngl, I have to agree with what others are saying; it is somewhat questionable(?) And another thing I have to agree with is that why all Mame's stories have to go like this, having questionable things in it. Idk why, tbh haha.

Bestfriends being inlove with another set of bestfriends, what a thing haha.

I dont hate how the story goes but at the same time, I got confused and sometimes questioned myself about the things happening. Like at first you'll feel giggly coz' of the characters' interaction but as it goes by, things get a bit off for me. I also dont understand why ppl think that PayuRain is the main and PrapaiSky is just a side couple where story-wise, the 2nd one is more interesting and somehow has more meaning to it. (Just being honest here..)

What I like about the overall story? Tbh, idk either, I just feel like watching it til' the end haha.

ACTING/CASTING:

I think this is where the whole series gets interesting and captivating; the casts.

The chemistry of BN and FP as PayuRain and PaiSky is just so good. How Payu looks at Rain in the series have no difference on how Boss looks at Noeul. Same as how Pai is so affectionate towards Sky is like how Fort is being clingy to his P'Peat. What I mean is I think character-wise, the casts are meant for their characters, indeed. The acting? Not perfect but still effective.

MUSIC:

Nothing too special but just right for the series. (Note: the scene where Payu sang makes the ost somehow cute hehe)

REWATCH VALUE:

Rewatching this is okay, just skip the NC scenes haha. But as someone who barely rewatch shows, yeah.. I'll maybe rewatch some scenes but not the whole series.

OVERALL:

For me, this series is 'okay' overall hehehe.

Ps. Pai is a green flag BUT only to Sky 😉

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