Don't Say No (2021)

A Mame show making it to my top faves..

Didn't think I'd be writing about a Mame show being my fave and having a spot on my faves list but here it is. I loved DSN so much with its pain and everything. The communication, the topics, the chemistry. I loved it all. Ja and First really nailed it with these roles, every episode I was captivated by their story and I usually tend to go towards the second couple more but LeoFiat grabbed at my heart so hard. That's not to say I didn't enjoy Leon and Pob's story, I very much did and I loved Leon's patience with Pob and how realistic their end was, I was just pulled in by LeoFiat a little more. What can I say I live for angst with sweetness thrown in. I do look forward to the special episode cause SmartJames have undeniable chemistry; Their final scene omg...would love to see them work together in the future. The friend group, the parents Leo's and Fiat's and as well as Fiat's step mom and sis were all great in bringing the story together. I even commend Earth for playing the annoying Punn and Natt for playing the disgusting King; They played their roles well cause I hated their guts LMAO. My only complaints would be the order in which they handled Leo's cowardness after what he and Fiat had gone through, didn't really make sense to me why he handled the situation like he did at the time. My other complaint is filming wise, some shots were held on too long so it felt awkward at times but other than that, can't complain and would rewatch it over 100 times. Definitely reccomend.

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Keep your expectations low and you could love it

I felt I was in the minority looking forward to a new episode every week, but I really loved Don't Say No. From the start, I loved the synopsis; I thought a new couple struggling to go from best friends to lovers sounded really sweet. Both couples are adorable, and I very quickly found myself super attached to everyone. When Don't Say No was first announced, I thought "uh ok... but Fiat's the worst, though?" but his growth from Tharntype is really lovely to see and his main storyline is actually really good.

That being said, you can't expect too much from it. It's true that although Ja and First are really cute, they struggle to look natural and their intimate scenes are pretty awkward. But in all their other scenes, I really can't find anything to complain about. They're so sweet and they love each other so much.

Leon and Pob absolutely contributed to my willingness to ignore the less polished parts of the show (except that one episode where the scenes' order makes zero sense, that still irks me...). James is the best actor of the bunch, in my opinion. And he's so ridiculously loveable as Pob. James and Smart's chemistry is pretty unreal. I mean, they're just so good. Highly recommend.

It's too bad they only mentioned An and Nat in passing, though, cause I would have loved to actually see them together. Even Leo's parents got to be cute, why not them?

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It's okay

I fully recognize how many people dislike the common trope in every Mame's story which I never find uncomfortable. However, it might be caused by the fact that I'm an old fujoshi too used to all the toxic/red flag relationships. That's why I want to start with the statement that I don't condone any of the immoral behavior.

Next, DSN is a decent drama. It has a decent storyline. It has decent conflicts that are enough to span for 12 episodes. It has decent acting and music. It has decent cinematography and script. That being said, I'm, myself, not sure how I can be so in love with this drama. It might be the composition between drama, comedy, and romance in every episode. It might be the way they solve the problems. It might be LeonPobphan being extraordinarily adorable. It might be Leo being gorgeous af and Fiat is so compatible with him. It might be the awesome makeup and wardrobe. It might be the interaction among every character on and off-camera. It might be the awkward soundtracks. It might be James keeps promoting his shop in every promotional project for DSN and Smart being all golden retriever. It could be anything that makes me fall so hard for this drama.

You could try watching and maybe find your own reason for liking this drama.

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Burn all Mame's novels, I beg you

First off, I would like to say I really enjoyed watching the first episodes. The couple was portraying pretty cute scenes, the plot was okay, and it seemed too good for a Mame's work. But then the problems started to appear. All that blackmailing stuff and King forcing Fiat to sleep with him (sexual assault again, hello???). They barely focused on how Fiat was feeling, it's like Mame had thought "since Fiat used to sleep with a lot of guys, he wouldn't mind being forced to sleep with another one!". Then, the final episode with Leo basically describing an abusive behavior while telling Fiat he would keep him only for himself, although he was doing so well on the first half of the series :/ Fiat seemed to be into it but like... baby that's not the standards you should be going for in a man!!! I just think they ruined the main couple for me. I liked them a lot before, specially Fiat (felt so bad for all that slutshaming), but idk I hate these tropes so I didn't want to say I absolutely ship them nowadays.

Regarding the second couple, I don't really have complaints, seriously! I know some people said it was a little bit boring or they didn't like the dynamic, but actually I loved them together. I know their start was a total cliché and we needed more scenes to know if we were going to get a worthy good couple. However, their development proved we could enjoy some cheesy scenarios and conversations without hating it. I personally liked a lot how Pob started to show his cuteness and calm - but happy to be there - face to Leon more often. All their scenes in Pob's room were the sweetest. Shout out to two scenes: the first one, where they're having dinner and Pob tells Leon his childhood story, mentioning his loving father. Leon seemed so invested and caring about it, and him saying reassuring words to Pob and ending the scene with a kiss and a hug was the death of me! I got really emotional throughout this whole sequence, and although the acting is not perfect, they gave me the emotion I needed. The second scene (kind of a sequence too) is where Leon surprises Pob with cat plushies, and is comforting him after Pobjer's death, mentioning Pob's father to compare to Pobjer being Pob and him crossed. It means he really payed attention to everything Pob had said about his father and I really found it so cute. It's a shame they didn't end up oficcially together, but at least they didn't end the series hating each other, and they dated for some sort of time, we could enjoy while it lasted!

In conclusion, kisses for LeonPob, therapy for LeoFiat, and prison for Mame <3

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I'm satisfied and it wasn't bad!! ♡

It's been long since I wrote a review so sorry if it isn't what you expect :))

Gosh, I have this love-hate relationship with Mame. She's writings are good but they get me soooo frustrated that I cry (for real tho)...

Also I saw someone's thoughts how this was all bad and whole toxic and like almost nothing good... I wouldn't say so.

So what I liked in it:
- The feeling of first few episodes. Even though it was very hard to watch and I felt the embarrassment, I loved how it made it feel realistic. Like how would you be with your bestie that became your boyfriend after so many years?? Yes. Like that.
- Family issues. I don't know why I've lately been into family issues but I loved to see it here and I liked the way they handled them.
- The "forever". I usually hate when people say stuff like "I'll love you forever" and blah blaah blaah... Like you can't know what happens and how long the 'forever' can be. But here, I don't know WhY but it fitted in Leo's mouth. And I _believed_ in his forever.
- Leo's mother. I loved her.
- An. I need a girl like her.
- The height difference. (Is that a little bit stupid?)
- How they thought of each other's feelings.
- How Leo thought it was best for Fiat. (He's still an idiot <3)
- I didn't feel bored. (Except a little bit in some scenes in the beginning)
- I'm sure here's more stuff but I just forgot them :))

Some neutral things:
- The second couple. Like it wasn't bad, not at all, but I just... liked more LeoFiat (it's rare that the main couple makes me more excited that the second couple). But as I said, nothing bad, it was sweet and cute <3
- The feeling of sad scenes. Okay, I can't say it was bad. And I was kinda impressed of First's acting skills oh woah. But I don't know, it may be the storyline that made not to feel the atmosphere since I was so frustrated and I was also at school so I watched it without voice and in short parts.

What I felt a little off though:
- Leo's possessiveness. At the beginning it didn't bother me at all. Just a little bit in the last ep. I felt little uneasy but it wasn't (still) too bad.
- Leo knew without telling Fiat about the family issues. (Still not that bad it would bother too much)
- Leo did what he thought was best for Fiat (and I really get it and understood him) but he should have talked. And Fiat too. Talk, talk, talk. Talking is the right solution for everything.
- The clip (both of them). Shouldn't been posted...
- The cat :(

Extra:
- I almost got a heart attack when I saw that man who was in What the Duck.

Altogether;
I enjoyed it.
I could watch it again - and still enjoy it.
I was satisfied with the end.
I took only two days to finish the whole thing.
Gonna wait for special episode <3
I recommend!

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Review

I personally liked this series it was good although some parts I didn’t like but overall meet my expectations.the story it was good as it was a continuation from Tharn and Type the series which I also saw I think that people should watch it again if they want to of course.I can’t wait to see the special episode or looks good I also personally loved Fiats character more than Leo's and I love both of the characters which include Leon Leo's brother and P’bob as well they made a cute couple but in the end it was a good way to end it because it wasn’t the right time for them to get together.

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THIS IS IT.

I'M LOVING THIS SHOW. IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
TRUST ME. I WILL CONFIDENTLY SAY- TAKE MY WORD FOR IT AND DON'T HAVE ANY DOUBTS.
WATCHHHH THE SHOWWWW RIGHTTTT AWAYYY!!!!


zero toxicity. 100% chemistry. great acting. decent music. and bucketloads of cuteness and addressing taboo as well. and above all so far- no disappointments. I wish there were episodes every day. ;))
I really hope they keep this up!
(IT'S DEFINITELY ONE FOR AN 18+ AUDIENCE , so you little ones please stay away and wait patiently)

a brief summary of the plot:

Leo and Fiat were childhood friends who realise their feelings for each other after plenty of ups and downs and this show takes you through their journey - transitioning from best friends to boyfriends. It's a very beautiful cute and feel good 50 mins.
The side couple doesn't disappoint at all!!! :))

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TTTTSYL < DSN

I'll say it... This was SO MUCH BETTER than TharnType: 7yrs of Love. Most of us are here because of the parent story and I fell in love with FiatLeo when they were just the side couple, so it's fitting I came along for this ride as well. In true BL fashion I loved the side couple more than the main couple in 7 years lol.
Anyway, so I must say there were some super cheesy cute parts that'll make you lactose intolerant and other cheesy parts you can't believe they put it in the story. They threw a bit of a monkey wrench in the story for a bit but it found its way back around to Makes Sense-ville lmao
It's not a BL without a jealous female, parental issues and sabotage. Leo's parents are the Elder God's of the BL Parent World lol
Would recommend if you enjoy a fair decent amount of sexual scenes.
Visuals all around (bonus)
Enjoy...

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I’m so impressed!

I started watching this for entertainment and to enjoy the cuteness of such an attractive cast. However, I’m more and more impressed by this series. I find it so much better in terms of writing, acting, effects, music, and characterization than any other asian BL drama that I’ve ever watched.

I’d even say it’s rather progressive without being on the nose. Fiat is a (previously) promiscuous character and, while this causes issues in the series, him pursuing Leo and being open about what he wants is not shown in a negative light. I love that. He is who he is as far as sexuality goes and his growth as a character is more about learning to trust and communicate and become more mature. It’s really great.

Leo is already as close to perfect as you can get so I’m not sure how much room there is for growth. I’d say his singular flaw is that he takes not being allowed to be the perfect boyfriend in the face of his partner’s emotional turmoil personally. Like, let’s not make this about you! But this kind of thing does make the character feel more real. Not entirely perfect after all but close. And I think I’m in love with Ja. What a beautiful man and he plays the best boyfriend in history so well. I’m just praying (uselessly) that Leo doesn’t get hurt by the end of this series. Obviously, he will, but so far Leo and Fiat’s relationship is astonishingly healthy. It’s supportive and these two actually communicate about all kinds of things from their worries to their sex life. Very refreshing! I especially love Leo letting Fiat handle himself when Fiat expresses that he can, and by Fiat handling things beautifully. It’s not always about swooping in to save your partner but about trusting in his capabilities as well. The chemistry is real and the intimate scenes are A++.

I even love the side couple and find all characters at least somewhat interesting. That’s quite rare. Usually there’s at least one character or storyline I’m not into. Not with this series.

I’m also taken with how at least some notable antagonists, while perhaps super creepy and abusive (which is a feat in good writing all on its own), were not entirely demonized. Nuance in writing is great!

The acting is also on point. I’ve found Fiat’s crying a bit over dramatic before but it was convincing in the latest episode. And what a punch in the feels with Leon and Pob. This is not just entertaining, cute and sexy anymore. I was getting choked up in the latest episode. 🥲 Can’t wait for the finale but I don’t want it to end!

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Take away her pen!

After watching Wedding Plan, I thought Mame started improving as a writer. However after watching this and LoveSea, I can safely say that this is not the case and she still sucks. I'm not saying that Wedding Plan is good (it's passably entertaining at BEST) but it is miles ahead of her other series, including this one.

Let's list all the things I hate about this series:
- this is not a standalone and requires you to watch TharnType 2 (gross) to follow their story from the beginning. This is literally just them navigating they relationship after getting together so you'll feel like you're dropped into a pre-existing universe. I refuse to watch TharnType 2 so I probably missed a lot of info needed to fully follow this series.
- no trigger warning for complex ptsd.
- most conflicts are stupid.
- The whole calling the guy who bottoms the "wifey". The way they weaponize feminine terms into being derogatory is so common in BLs but the thing is Mame does this too much.
- distribution of someone's nudes and sex tapes is literally called revenge porn and the only legal issue against it that they brought up was extortion. It's literal revenge porn and the handling of it SUCKS. The dad was an asshole too - blaming his son and belittling his worth because his son is a victim of revenge porn????
- Fiat's dad is just a shit parent. Instead of communicating openly, getting therapy for his kids, or even mediating the problems between his new wife and kids, he just does nothing and shouts at Fiat all the time. I absolutely hate him and his reasoning behind doing things is just not acceptable as a human being.
- Leo is supposed to be seen as this green flag character which is true for a lot of the scenes but the moment that he made Fiat's trauma response to be about him was so annoying. The whole "don't you trust me? Am I useless to you?" is incredibly horrible when your partner is literally hyperventilating and experiencing an extreme trauma response. Literally the shittiest and most self-centred response ever.
- If mom had post-natal psychosis, the dad should've admitted her to the psych ward AND because she has harmed Fiat, a restraining order should have been placed. And again my point about childhood complex PTSD therapy for Fiat. This boy is just the victim of so much neglect and the mom is also a victim of an untreated psychiatric condition.
- Consent is not treated as the norm but more of a statement made by the main characters to show that they're a green flag. It feels very performative and not treated as the bare minimum as it should be.
- I don't enjoy Leon's mom testing Pob. Rich people who tests the integrity of less fortunate people are assholes in my eyes. Even if Pob accepted the money for the literal orphans and took on talking to Leon about moving away, it would have been an extremely valid decision. Money and finances should never be used to test morality for people who are struggling.
- Cat death for plot progression. I am a cat person so I'd rather the cat live and the couple break up.
- Unrealistic love solves all trope to trauma. Fiat went from trembling at the sight of his mom to being able to calmly handle his mom's psychiatric outburst just because Leo's there next to him.
- This series does not portray women and femininity in a net positive light. The female characters are either: one-dimensional, scheming, clinically insane, or jealous assholes. They've got the girls here BEGGING for mediocre men and it is so gross to me like make it realistic pls. The script feels like it's written by someone who either hates women and/or has a lot internalized misogyny.
- Leo was so angry at Fiat (who was drugged) for getting hugged when he was literally smashing lips with another girl that same day. Both were tricked into it but why were you so angry when you KNOW Fiat got tricked for the same reason you did.
- The getting back together speech by Leo is psychotic man like he literally said there's a beast inside of him that might hurt Fiat because of how possessive he is like.......... nurse he's out again!

OK now unto the much shorter list of things i enjoyed:
- I do like post getting together fluff so the first episode where they are just navigating how to transition from friends to lovers is cute.
- I love Leo's family and how they just accept Fiat as who he is. They never allowed Fiat's self hatred to fester which I appreciate.
- I do like that Fiat is not portrayed as the innocent maiden that has to be coerced to have sex which is a common BL trope.

Look, the only reason I finished this is because my new year's resolution is to stop being a quitter but man I shouldn't have even started this.

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Don't Say... I Didn't Warn You

Oh boy. This series has some of my favourite kissing and NC scenes, I'm not even going to lie.
But before I get into all that, a few disclaimers; I dropped TharnType after its first two episodes, and I have not read any of the original source material.

I'm going to start with my grievances regarding this series, and the primary reasons for my 7.5 rating.

The first episode had me almost dropping it because I did not connect with the characters. Now, I'm not necessarily blaming it for this because I feel that it was safe to assume on their end that most people watching DSN would be fans of TharnType, which I am decidedly not. Because they would already be familiar with Leo and Fiat.
But, I stuck with it, and I can at least promise you that by the end of the series, I had long connected to the characters, understood them (more or less) and loved them. It's just a bit of an awkward, confusing start for those outside the TharnType atmosphere.

Besides the character disconnect, what genuinely irritated and annoyed me were the incessant sound effects. A product of its time, but Lord help me I almost threw my ChromeBook out the window when yet another "funny" sound was played for the umpteenth time. I'm pretty sure I got desensitized to it, as I can't remember much of those effects later on in the series. Or maybe it's just heavy at the start.

I seem to be an outlier regarding the midpoint of the series, though. I didn't mind any of the angst and plots, nor did I mind the imbalance between how much of the plot revolves around Fiat instead of Leo. There is an imbalance for sure; if you don't end up liking Fiat early on, I'm afraid you won't enjoy the plot as much.
I also want to add that this is not a show that starts like most BLs--where characters are either strangers or enemies or friendzoned friends. It starts when the main leads have officially entered into a relationship, so if the romantic build-up is the primary reason for your BL enjoyment, this once again may be a big obstacle to you. That's not to say there's no romance--there's plenty, a lot of scenes and moments, but none of the "uncertainty fluff" before a relationship.

There is a case of the Episode 11 Curse, and I frankly hated that specific angsty misunderstanding so much that I skipped it entirely once I figured out they were about to curse me again, and I never felt like I missed anything by the end. It's just filler angst for the sake of it.

There is ALSO a case of the plot and characters not addressing sexual assault/rape properly. I decided to mention it in my review because it can be triggering to some. Also, the character it had happened to blames themselves for it, and while this could've been interesting, this series simply didn't give this point the nuance and care it needed.

Now, onto the things I did enjoy.
To get the shallow side of me out of the way immediately, LeoFiat's kisses and NC scenes are very, very hot and sweet. And there's plenty of love these characters show on screen. JaFirst natural chemistry also shines through, and though their acting here compared to Be Mine Superstar is a little more amateurish at times (which is a given), it didn't bother me much.

I liked the side characters. Both the positively supporting characters, like Fiat and Leo's friend group, but also those acting out more villainous support. Some character motivations and decisions were a bit nonsensical, but mostly in good fun. I liked Anda the most, she's a badass queen.

This I mention under things I did enjoy but I'm truly mostly neutral on it. Leon and Pob. They're a side romance. While I didn't skip their scenes, I also can't say I cared much for them. I just don't like the character archetype Leon was when pursuing Pob, but I did like him outside of those scenes. The ending to their romance did surprise me, though. It was certainly unexpected.

Most of my enjoyment did, in the end, come from Leo and Fiat together. I liked them both a lot, which seems to be somewhat of an unpopular opinion regarding Fiat--I think he was an interesting character and found him adorable. But! I definitely understand not liking him.

TLDR; If you don't like Fiat by episode 3, this series may be a lost cause for you. Go into this series not expecting a masterpiece, but more so plots and characters that are there to create a fun experience (not every plot point necessarily is *fun*, though, but it's hard to explain). It resembles a lot more of the earlier-time BLs than the high-expectation-deep-and-nuanced series that I prefer and hope for nowadays.

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