I Promised You the Moon (2021)

SHANGXIN.....

I only watched I Told Sunset about You and I Promised You the Moon in January 2023, when I found the series were on Netflix. I already knew about these two series, but was not able to find them. So how glad I was to know I could binge-watch all 10 episodes earlier this week. I have read other reviews which compared ITSAY and IPYTM (most favoured the first one), but for me I see IPYTM as a continuation. So these were just likes episodes 6 to 10 of the same series, especially because I watched them all at once.

I used "shangxin" as the title of my review because I find that being sad and heartbroken still seemed to be the dominant feelings of these two boys, despite being in a relationship at the beginning. If episode 1-5 (ITSAY) portrayed the growing pains of young teenage boys, episode 6-10 (IPYTM) definitely shows how people change. Yes, people do change, especially during the first years of university. You have a new network of friends, meet new people who for better or worse, would influence your life. Your dreams may become stronger, or weaker, or may change overall. This is the fact that Teh could not yet accept. He wanted people to remain the same, to be true to their dreams (or what he thinks are their dreams). He could not take it when Oh decided to change his major, and he just didnt get it when Khim, who was like a mentor to him, decided to become a flight attendant. When Khim said "Not everyone has the same condition as you" (these may not be the exact words), this should have been an insightful moment for Teh. But, no, he still thought that people should be true to their initial dreams.

I liked the way the two lead characters were shown to change, although Oh seemed to be more mature than Teh. He knew what he wanted in life, when he failed after his first casting. Although it might still hurt, he just accepted the fact that people said he was not manly enough. He found his passion in advertising now, and achieved in getting a job as he wanted. Teh, on the other hand, became a successful actor, but then came to realize that something was missing in his life. These reflective moments are what make people grow and develop, and I love the way it was shown.

There are three particular scenes I loved in IPYTM. None of them were really emotional ones, but for some reason these were the scenes which touched me most. First, when Teh moved to the dormitory, his mom gave him two lucky charms. The other one was for Oh. This was so sweet. So, yes, you just can't deny that a loving mother's intuition is always strong. She knew about Teh and Oh, and made no issue about that.

The next touching moment for me was the scene was when both Teh and Oh were strolling on the streets of Bangkok at night time, and saw a poster ofTop, an actor Teh idolised, and shared his dream of becoming a great actor and win the Oscar, together with Oh. I really loved the way Billkin and PP playd this scene. The last scene which touched me a lot was the rooftop conversation, after Teh told Oh that his dog Tuty has died. There was no crying or saying "I'm sorry", or flirting, let alone kissing, among the two. There was just a casual conversation asking each other how they both were, what they were doing now, and whether they had new relationships or not. But you can just tell that they both still loved each other and I sensed the "shangxin" feelings of both Teh and Oh. In fact, this was a scene which brought mist to my eyes, even though it was not a sad scene,

Overall I think this is a very well-made BL series. I already rewatched ITSAY last night and I am going to rewatch IPYTM after this.

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FAILED TO MATCH IT'S PREDECESSOR, BUT GOOD ON IT'S OWN

The 1st Season was impeccable in every aspect, from the production, acting, storyline, cinematography, music, and etc. I think one should treat this as a separate show away from it's masterpiece predecessor.

There are still good things about the show that might interest you:
• Polished and excellent production.
• Great soundtrack.
• Stunning cinematography and camerawork.
• Impeccable acting.
• Hyper realistic plot.

In my personal perspective, Teh became so unlikeable to the point that what he did is no longer tolerable. I can appreciate a flawed and complex character, but his action is exasperating as the show goes on. I would say, his character is irredeemable. However, objectively speaking, if we dig-deep into his character from Season 1, Teh is just being Teh. Messing things up, messing Oh-Aew, messing his life and other people's life as well. Still pretty accurate to his character right? I have to commend the writer for in that one.

Oh-Aew I must say has the a better character development. He was able to figure things out in his life and where he really wants to go. I just don't agree with his decision on the finale, but then, objectively, I think that decision that he made is what is always true to his heart.

Overall a decent BL Drama, still better than most series.

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I pretend I do not see it

Unfortunately it seems like this is one of those sequels I would prefer to forget about and likely will never watch again, except for maybe parts of that first episode and some scenes where the leads are just spending domestic time together.

The chemistry between the leads is absolutely still there, and all the intimate moments are still beautifully shot and make you feel like you're intruding on something very private and meaningful.

As someone who absolutely despises infidelity plots, it was really difficult to even give this drama a chance, and the end result was exactly as I expected — infuriating. It's not only that I feel like we went through so many learning moments about communication in part 1 just to feel like the characters regressed to a worse place, but also that the side characters involved in the infidelity plot weren't enjoyable to watch at all. There was none of the chemistry the show tried to convince us of, and all of the deep moments or life lessons felt icky considering the circumstances.

There are far too many time jumps, which felt lazy and meant that emotions seemed to appear out of nowhere without proper build-up and forgiveness happened without feeling earned. The subtle visual symbolism and showing-not-telling was also absent, despite the cinematography still overall being great.

I feel like the only reason I still don't absolutely hate this to the point of a 1/10 is because there's just so much magic between the leads when they're on screen together and because the scenery is still gorgeous.

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now let me get controversial for a moment.

ok so I finished this when it came out so it's been a while, but let's deep dive into it.

firstly. the first series of this was an absolute masterpiece, with hardly any flaws. the story was so real and beautiful, the acting was fresh, the music was so fitting and don't get me started on the cinematography, it was one of the best.
I can't praise the first series enough, it's why the second series fell harder.
(no problem with the acting, just the story.)

ok so the first series was different to your usual Thai BL drama. it was special because it was so good. it showed a realistic story with difficult characters that were still loveable because they were still so obviously human. .... since it was so good it just meant season 2 fell harder.

the downfall ...

the downfall came when they decided to take an amazing show, swing it on its back and fuck it in its ass. like they made a special BL into a typical everyday Thai BL, it made it almost no longer special. first season was special because it portrayed a type of relationship that was a push and pull, that ended in harmony. it was this youthful and long-awaited relationship, a relationship that you work hard for and once it's there then it's bliss and harmony, a type of relationship that is almost pure despite the hardships they went through to get there.

And season 2 takes this amazing connection the two characters had, spat on it and stuck it in.... RAW
they added things into their relationship dynamic that went so against their dynamic. Like cheating?!? wtaf. teh cheating was so out of character keeping in mind how he overcame his struggle with accepting himself as who he was, and overcoming this issue with his sexuality to be there for the one he loves. He battled DEMONS in himself to overcome his fear for oh-aew and in season 2 Teh disregards all that and kisses and briefly falls for a random man ?

the worst part is that teh does this and it's not clearly explained why he felt like that. how can Teh go from being so in love with oh-aew to cheating on him and getting bored, to go back to loving oh-aew? feels like the director wanted to stick his cheeky little fingers up the character's dynamics ass and do handstands in there.
I was so annoyed, how could a director take such a masterpiece and make it so mediocre?
ik he was doing evil laughs to himself when changing the story, while wanking off with chilli peppers and peppermint.
The cinematography changed too, which almost makes the two series look extremely different, I'd say s2 looks adopted but ain't nobody choosing s2 to take home with them.

their relationship becomes like fake, boring and just not enjoyable to watch. disappointed can't even describe it. I was so confused because of how different the characters were from the first season.

I would've been happier if there was never a season 2, and just left the beauty of season 1.

soooo yeah, if u seen s1 and wanna watch s2... save yourself and keep the good image of this show and don't watch season two.

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A Masterpiece

I watched ITSAY last year and I told myself I wouldn't watch the sequel because I got spoilers that Teh cheated and I hated infidelity as a theme. As I was browsing YouTube, I stumbled upon a video about PPBK and later on, I realized I was watching the documentary of IPYTM and I told myself I have to watch this right now and I did. 5 hrs straight.

First of all, I would like to point out the production design and the cinematography. The locations, the shots, the fx, the mood, the lighting- everything was beautiful and high quality. I especially love the city lights and the bokeh of lights on the background. Just like I Told Sunset About You, I loved the title of this one. Because they moved to the city, they don't have sunsets anymore so they all had is the moon to tell their story.

For the characters, I felt like this sequel focused more on Oh-aew while the ITSAY was for Teh. And because of that, PP Krit shone here while Billkin on ITSAY. I would say that heart-wretching scenes were not as great as in ITSAY. Although PP Krit really did great, I felt that he could've given more emotions to emotional scenes. Unlike Billkin, when he cries, there's just something about his crying face. My most favorite part was when Oh was reading the messages of Teh; PP Krit was able to project heavy emotions plus the background music matched the scene. Also, please don't come at me but the kissing scene of Teh and Jai was really good. In fact, I kind of liked how they kissed than when Teh and Oh kiss. I don't know why. Another is Q and company, they're really great people. It may seem as they are "bad" influences since they like to party and all but they just know how to enjoy and have fun. They're pretty solid.

I was able to relate more in IPYTM than in ITSAY because it's what the reality in college. You will really open your eyes to the actual world: the things you once loved or liked won't be anymore. Teh's problem was he liked constant. He already planned and envisioned his life without thinking that the things and people around him have their own minds. He created his own world where everything revolves around him. Oh-aew, on the other hand, initially didn't appear to get a hold of things unlike Teh who had a more positive and enthusiastic approach. His life stopped for a moment because of the new environment they were in. However, he gradually learns and adjusts resulting to him shifting courses, getting a tattoo, dyeing his hair, being more independent, and all.

When he told Teh about changing courses, I understood why Teh reacted like that. He willingly gave up his place to enter Oh's University because he saw how determined and passionate Oh when it comes to acting. They studied together, planned their future careers, promised to stand by each other's side as actors. So imagine how painful it must have been to hear that. However, no matter how painful it is, we can't do anything about it because change is inevitable. He promised to love Oh and that would never change but he really couldn't detach himself to the idea that everything revolves around him.

When they broke up, I wasn't as devastated because they really need to grow apart. Teh especially. He needed to sort what he really wanted. When Oh-aew was reading the messages, it was the time when it hit me their conversation in the parking lot, the day of Teh's play. He actually fulfilled his promise to Oh-aew that he wouldn't disappear. He was consistent in messaging him, updating him and all. I thought that it was, somehow, beautiful. Like of course, it's the least he could do after all what he's done but still.

For the music, I'm kind of bummed that the songs they used didn't affect me as much as Skyline did in ITSAY. Skyline, both Thai and Chinese versions, was freaking great. I absolutely loved it. It's what sold me to watch ITSAY, to be honest. I was really looking forward to the soundtrack but none matched Skyline. Still, I'll try to listen to it.

To close this lengthy review, I Promised You The Moon is just as brilliant as I Told Sunset About You. It's not about two guys finding love and happiness. It's beyond. It's about finding and accepting yourselves, learning to grow and outgrowing your past selves, embracing changes, letting go, finding solace within yourselves, and ultimately, realizing that the person who knows you best is yourself.

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This review covers both parts ITSAY and IPYtM.
This is such a down to earth series. It is one of the most realistic BL I’ve watched. I binged all of it in one day.
The chemistry is great. And the visuals are absolutely beautiful.
I really like that this BL was not romanticized like others. It had some real problems, dirty break-ups, jealousy, cheating, trust issues, but at the end of the day they found their own way. Not everyone liked the second part - but it totally worked for me. I think it was just as good as the first one. I loved the ending. There is a saying that life gives you 3 loves: first love - the innocent love, then the passionate love - that’s driven by attraction, and at last the 3rd - the unconditional love. In this show we get to see the couple go through all 3! It was so worth the watch.

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A wonderful follow up to "I Told Sunset About You."

The story format is different, showing us the evolution of the characters and their relationship through their different years in college.

The sequel wasn't an immediate 10 to me. It had a slow start, but my rating increased for it every episode, until ultimately becoming a 10 by the end of the series. The situations and relationships feel real. You see the struggles of a long term relationship unfold in little ways. Most of it is nobody's fault. Life just moves forward and doesn't turn out the way you thought.

Teh and Oh truly felt like a real relationship you might hear about happening between your friends. There's no outlandish drama, and no unbelievable circumstances. It's just everyday life and how they navigate it, together or apart.

You can see how the characters have evolved since their high school days. Their mistakes are different. Teh takes more of the focus, though I suppose he's been the primary main character since the beginning. But all of his realistic struggles and changes you can sympathize with. He's trying his best but he's not very self aware, and I think that describes a lot of people. His chemistry with Oh sings on the screen, and so does his chemistry with another character.

Nobody makes malicious choices, so even when characters unthinkingly hurt each other, you can't hate either of them because it wasn't on purpose. They're scared, and growing up, and learning.

In the first series a focus was put on school learning and tutoring. It's how they got so close. But now they spend time in a relationship but apart, where the learning is about navigating relationships with people.

Another beautiful series. The actors play their parts perfectly.

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So

So first of all, I really liked the first season, and this one didn't disappoint, as expected.
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The story is amazing, I think it's like a real one. That's what happens in real life. So it hits different. I obviously didn't enjoy the cheating, but in the end they ended up together. I don’t think I would've return with someone who cheated on me... but in real life many people do, and that's what Oh-aew did as well.
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I really loved their chemistry, you could feel their emotions everytime. I guess that being friends in real life helped as well.
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I'd definitely enjoy re-watching this, obviously skipping the cheating part, so the last two episodes... the first three episodes are perfect. ??

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Imperfect perfect couple

Its tells how imperfect, what we thought was a perfect couple. Which is realistic i guess, since there is no such thing as perfection. I would say Teh, didn't really cheat since he did all that for a play and didn't really cheat but he did hide it from Oh-aew, which was very bad. I think its normal to have feelings for other people despite being in a relationship but its only bad if you act on it, which teh technically didn't. I don't know, kinda a grey situation but I would like to look at the brighter side and think that they got back together for the better not for worse cause Teh is still deeply in love with Oh-aew and I think nothing can change that.

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I guess encouraging one to cheat can be considered 'director's style' now???

*rant incoming*

Ever since ITSAY, I've never really liked Teh. Always thought he was too fixed in his ways and was a complete jerk and coward. So when I watched IPYTM, I was not surprised he cheated on Oh-aew. I always thought Oh-aew was too good for him anyways. But what I hate the most is how despite being caught cheating, Teh had the nerve to gas-lit and avoid answering detailed questions by saying stuff like "I don't know. I don't want you to think about this". You don't want your boyfriend to think about your growing feelings for your senior/director? What?! Then Teh proceeded to try to lessen his guilt by saying he wouldn't see Jai again after their play if that'll help but the thing is...it's not like he had a choice? Jai was planning to move to New York once he was accepted there anyway...? And didn't you say if Oh had any questions about the play then to ask you..? Instead Oh knows better than Teh that there was no actual kiss scene because he was there! Teh really undermines Oh and all because Oh never had a lifelong dream career.
And Jai, the senior/director, knew what he was doing, admitted to planning everything where Teh would develop feelings for him, and he then had the audacity to call it 'director's styling' when confessed to and confronted. I'm sorry, but if this is your directing styling, you're not going to get far as a director without catching cases! And was this May's way of handling things and she's just passing it down to Jai?? I don't understand. We know deep down Jai has feelings for Teh, because when Teh and Dream were practicing/rehearsing/working on their 'about to kiss' scene, Jai broke it up. Knowing it's his own jealousy, he then projects that feeling onto Oh when Oh is going to confront him about the kiss between Teh and Jai. Jai's initial reaction, seriously, was "Teh is an actor and will have to kiss other people so don't be jelly". You're talking to a former acting student Jai.

I have to say the first episode was borderline fun to watch but as the show progresses to this year by year every new episode, this season started losing its charm (if it had any to begin with). And as our timeline gets farther and farther away from ITSAY (with the exception of ep 5) there were fewer and fewer callbacks to the first series. We don't hear about their families and colleagues were acting like Teh and Oh met and only started dating freshman year of uni., after three years of dating and knowing each other even longer than that, Teh still can't be truthful to Oh unless he needs to roast Oh in front of friends and colleagues. I'm so done with this man. Teh's arc was also hard to get through, he looked depressed and pouty 90% of the time.

I also hate that since ITSAY, the characters would try to confirm if their crushes were mutual by touching thighs even when their crushes were in relationships or pursuing someone else. Oh did it to Teh after Oh and Bas were closer to being a thing than ever and after Teh admitted to kissing Tan. Teh did it to Oh when Oh was in an established relationship with Bas. Then Teh did it to Jai when he was in a 3-year relationship with Oh.

I would have given this sequel a higher rating had it focused more on Oh and his four friends but..that wasn't the case so.

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