Never Let Me Go (2022)

Heart warming to its core

I was waiting since Fish Upon The Sky ended ; Lets not say its the best show out there but was I disappointed ? Definitely not.
Yes, it might not be the best but its different. It really is. It doesnt have a strong storyline, but it will leave a trace. You'll end this show with a smile, or it can be a few drops of tears as well if you immediately start missing PalmNueng like I did- and the whole cast fell right in their places.
Its a pretty one. Something which makes us feel what they are feeling. The plot is would not make you think too much so relax and go ahead with a sweet, heartwarming story.
P.S Perth does it again. He remains the favorite. Cant wait for more of him!

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Conflicting emotions

This series is probably the hardest for me to rate as of yet. It was really good at times and then it takes multiple turns into "shaking my head" territory that was really the main reason a few stars got knocked off.

First off, for a series called Never Let Me Go, there was a whole lot of letting go. It's one of my least favorite tropes where one lead claims they don't love the other anymore because they think they are doing them a favor. That happens here at one point. Another time, Neung leaves Palm by leaving a note and saying "don't follow me." Of course, Palm follows and they reconcile, only for Palm to turn around and do the EXACT same thing, leaving a note and saying "don't follow me." And this is after he knows how much it hurt him to be on the receiving end. There were just so many episodes centered around one of them leaving, the two of them sulking and then getting back together. Really, once in a series is enough.

Besides which, there was a whole lot of interesting plot going on otherwise that I felt like the writers could have easily done without the constant push and pull dance. The family business and side characters (mainly Ben and Chopper) could have had more going on which would have been perfectly fine as filler. I found them interesting even with the small amount of screen time they got and would have preferred to see other sides of the feud through their eyes instead of the same old same old with the main couple.

Even the uncle was fairly well written and used effectively. Although in the beginning of the series, he's bitching about running a casino instead of the hotels then when he's in change, he's trying to turn the hotel into a casino. And a lot of the conflicts (other than the main couple's romance) is resolved with an off-the-cuff remark or short discussion after spending the entire series as the main plot.

With all that being said, I still really enjoyed the series and thought there was a lot of good in it. The acting was great and I, personally, noticed a huge improvement in Phuwin and Pond's performances. I'd just finished Fish Upon The Sky before this and so it was super noticeable how much further they'd come in just one year. I have yet to see a series where Perth doesn't give a great performance. Whether he's a main character or side character, he fits the roles well.

Personally, I don't know if I would watch the series again, seeing as it's frustrating for a good portion of it and there weren't any surprise twists or anything unexpected that would tempt me to watch again for signs of it. You know right off the bat who the bad guy is so there's the satisfaction every time someone calls him an "asshole" (of which there are a lot).

I'd still say it's worth a watch, even if not a re-watch.

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Questionable writing but overall enjoyable

Was I the only one that thought Palm’s character type was going to be the rough and tumble, super casual, rural boy type? Like this boy worked on a boat and likes wearing Hawaiian print shirts, you’re telling me he’s the quiet, reserved, loyal dog type? Missed opportunity.

I have conflicting feelings about this. On one hand, I did enjoy it. On the other hand there was something that was preventing me from getting fully invested in this story.

Getting the elephant out of the room, it’s totally GMMTVs response to Kinnporsche. Another drama I have mixed feelings about lol. It is different, in some ways that are better and in some ways that are worse.

The good: the overall vibe of this show. They’ve cast this sort of warm glow around everything that makes it feel sort of dream-like. It gives this show a unique essence about it that I haven’t seen before. I can’t explain it but I actually do quite like that part of the show.
The leads have good chemistry, likely because they have starred alongside each other before. They felt comfortable and I love a good longing stare lol.
I also like the soundtrack. The choice to mix Thai songs with Western songs worked with the overall feeling of this show.

The bad: I feel like they didn’t know what kind of show they wanted this to be. Is it a mafia, crime drama? Is it a teen romance? Because they didn’t commit enough to either one it just felt very unrealistic.
The choice to have this set around high schoolers was an interesting one. They were probably hoping that it would make the show stand out or appeal to a broader audience but it ended up feeling more like a teen drama posing as a mafia drama. Like why would Nueng’s mom want a HIGH SCHOOLER as her son’s bodyguard. That just doesn’t make sense lol. And then when Nueng, you know, an 18 year old starts running the company…????? It would’ve been better if they committed to them being adults and properly delved into the mafia element.
You say this company is built on illegal business? Where?? Where are the drugs, money laundering, etc. I haven’t seen it, so for all I know this is just some random company that people are willing to kill over.
The writing decisions are definitely the most questionable part of this series lol.
Acting also isn’t completely there. The actor’s are young and they have improved from their roles in FUTS. They have potential, so I’m not gonna hate too much.

Overall though, I would recommend giving this one a watch. There are tons of BLs out there, but despite this one’s flaws, it is still one of the better one’s out there.

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unfortunately a bad review

i must say i was pretty disappointed with this one which i had quite a hope for at the start.
the story was interesting and so it only left the acting and script writing to be great.
But unfortunately, i was surprised to see both the acting and the script writing were not to my liking which was pretty strange, i had faith in phuwin and pond since i enjoyed their acting in their serie "fish upon the sky" but it was opposite to my expectations. Both didn't seems to fit their role well enough specially pond who doesn't fit the "obedient servent bodyguard" image, i think i would have liked it better if he was more confident and flirty, just hearing him calling "kun Nueng" was cringy and felt too robotic
it was new seeing Phuwin in more harsh and confident character but i didn't disliked that much except the script writing that ruined it even more. which leads us to the second reason : script writing
1) i didn't feel the connection between the main leads, it felt more like sexual tension than anything. Palm literally kissed Nueng to comfort him from a heartbreak ?
2) Nueng was too much of a redflag, he only knew how to order and be harsh to palm which in opinion is more because of his gay panic than anything and even tho i knew he loves him it felt like he was using him more than anything. like "i will curse at you and humiliate you but you still got to obey me and love me"
No.... please no...
3) too illogical, i usually skip the logical thoughts while watching because i want to focus on the story and acting more but sometimes too much is too much ! boys were literally having the time of their life knowing their parents could be dead and next thing i hear is that Palm's mother is probably gonna be in dager too yet they still living happily in their own bubble like ?‍♀️ so again No....
3) side couple? not gonna even talk about them, their love is so dry.... felt like i was in a desert empty of all interest to satisfy my thirst for good couple stories. was a Finally No that led me to be completely uninterested in the following episodes so i stopped
kept trying to persuade myself to give another chance but honestly what i'm seeing on the net about it isn't really persuading me in anyway ?

so unfortunately it will be a no for me for this serie
hope to see the actors in better roles next time

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Let All Logic Go

(Thoughts may change as the series goes)
(Last updated: 18 Jan, '22)

Overall review:
Although the series is almost good, it's not gripping or gravitating enough to be anticipating the next episode. Turn off your brain-cells whilst watching, there are many plot holes.

Production quality:
- the audio engineering at many points feels very amateurish and breaks immersion. For example sounds of footsteps, car doors, car engine, music in earphones, etc.
- the ost is nice.
- sometimes there is a lack of establishing shots which can deteriorate the watcher to discern where the scene is set. For example, is it the same day, next day, are they at the school, house, external place etc.
- sets are designed nicely.

Story and characters:
- the protagonist, Nueng is not likeable. He seems very irrational, erratic and thus toxic.
- which makes the supposed endgame romantic interest, Palm, his obligated servant, like a captive who's stuck in a hard place.
- palm has better/healthier relationships with other people.
- palm deserves so much better than having to babysit nueng

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Everyone should watch this series!!

i truly fell in love with this show how the characters poetry their feelings and emotions and the acting is very good too puwin and pond improved they acting skills and the kissing scenes are very good and you can feel the emotions, they are not going for very hard core kiss scenes because they are not officialy together(till some episodes)but it is too good and story is very good and the plot is good too plam knowing he loves neung and neung not being sure if he loves him or not plus he being concern about his mother and the situation but being happy and getting the peace and calmness in the island and this show is totally awesome, interesting and lovable will definitely recommend those who want to watch this series will definitely recommend,i know different people have different opinions even if you don't like some scenes too i am very sure you will love the drama. Please give it a try.it is not a waste of time i am sure it is worthy.

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Boring Bl forced my self to finish it.

This drama felt not connected having plot holes or sudden switches on the mood, going back and forth. It was a good story but wasn't nicely directed. Poor choice of music. They had highly potential actors on supporting role (Perth & Chimon) who would have done better in main role as they show emotion real well, a good flow with mood changes without feeling rushed. I still liked Pond and Phuwin from Fish Upon the Sky but they still need some lessons. There some other unrealistic things or interactions and sudden character development which sometimes it went back down then up again. The story was boring honestly maybe having more characters would have been great. And I hated the flashback seens to the beach which was messing up with progressing of the drama.

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Good chemistry and good acting from the stars, but the storyline was a bit…

Talking about Nuengdiao… At first, he was a bit arrogant and selfish, but good at heart. As the story proceeds his character got a lot better, bold and fearless.

Palm, on the other hand, a bit shy, very hardworking and gentle. That's till no one messes with his loved ones.

Their chemistry was so good as I said before. I think palm's company did so much effect on Nuengdiao to his character to develop, but one thing I must say Palm was so whipped for Nuendiao.lol

Ben and Chopper… Just wow! I would have never imagined them together, but as always GMMTV surprise us.
At first, I didn't like what Ben did, but alright, he had his reasons…
Then we have Chopper, omg, his character is the one that I loved the most.
His friendship with Nuengdiao was very good, even though everything happening between their family..
We didn't get much of Ben and Chopper, but they left so much effect even with less screen time.

Now the storyline was a bit disappointing for me. I expected a lot more. Some unnecessary scenes, also deaths and not much reaction for it…like HOW?!.. WHY?!
It should have had been more emotional for other characters to…
We could have gotten more BEN and CHOPPER scenes!

Overall, in the end, what saved the show, for me, was their chemistry and acting.
Is it this what we call: bodyguard to friends and to lovers, lol

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I loved it, full stop

I really don't understand all the low ratings. I loved this show. I'm still having an emotional reaction 2 weeks after finishing it. I thought the acting was amazing. The soundtrack was masterfully used. There is one song from ep. 9 that I can't even listen to all the way through because I get too overwhelmed. The story/plot wobbled a bit in ep. 10-11, but it was significantly less riddled with holes than KinnPorsche which I also loved. I obviously wish that Jojo had tightened up the plot but we so often have to overlook plot points in BL's and this wasn't the most difficult to ignore. It really didn't matter to me because the actual story, the one between Palm and Neugdiao was so, so good. Contrary to many reviewers, I understood their motivations throughout and their decisions made total sense to me. If you view it through the lens of people who have experienced trauma you start to see why they do what they do. Pond and Phuwin really nailed these characters, especially Pond. His portrayal of Palm was filled with subtleties and he just opened the character bit by bit. It was just great acting.
This is a 10 for me. After Bad Buddy, it might be may favorite series yet and Pond is absolutely reigning as my king.

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There is nothing here that I will remember in 2 months time

First of all, I want to apologise for Chopper, sorry king for ever doubting you, you were the highlight of this show. I love that his character was not made to be jealous or competetive towards Nueng, he was just a really good egg and Perth did a great job with him.

I stopped watching this show in the 8th episode when things were supposed to be tense and exciting but it really didn't carry. I found the writing quite boring and annoying in places, there were some highlights and scenes I really enjoyed, which made me finish the show eventually.

Things I enjoyed:
+ boys looked handsome
+ I think their chemistry was ok and when they were being physical it didn't look like they had to force themselves to touch each other, it was all quite nice!
+ overall good production quality, there were pretty shots, the sound quality was fine
+ the moms, they were both cool! I liked Palm's mother especially

Thing that were meh:
The characters were all pretty thin and one note.
Palm never really got away from the role of servant/bodyguard even when he spent time with Nueng and they were officially together. His dad was throwing away his life at first, then in span of one conversation he was okay leaving two teenagers go against a crime boss on their own and peaced out never to be seen again. I liked Nueng better. He was almost fighting against Palm to be let do normal things and chill and relax, he didn't want to be put on pedestal and that was great to see, this wasn't taken far enough though in my opinion - he just often kind of gave up when Palm continued to insist that he should just rest while he works.

Plot was nonsense, like it did hold together but you shouldn't really pay too much attention to it. Most annoying thing was at the end.. first Nueng leaves at night, leaving a note behind saying "Love yourself, live your life without me" and Palm doesn't listen and follows and they have a teary reunion. Then couple episodes later Palm leaves in the middle of the night, leaves p much the exact same letter to Nueng and he still believes it? Sigh, it just wasn't very interesting.

Also, the 'Never Let Me Go' cap they made Palm wear looked like it was too small for him and that always made me laugh lol

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Delivered what's expected

I started watching without minding what the rating says. i usually skip series with low ratings but I made an exception for this one since I want to watch more series that has chimon on the cast. Watching this was fun, I was never bored in any of the episodes. But it's quite predictable like most series, and it doesn't make the series any less. Gave this one a high rating cause it's hard to find bl series that satisfies me. The acting can still be improved but I must say, they did good but still far from perfect. The color grading and cinematic feels so calm while watching. I like the ost as well.

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Better than I thought from reading the comments and reviews here

Just finished it after being put off by the negative comments surrounding it - I only really watched it because my friend (who knows nothing about Thai shows) just randomly picked this one out of a list of things to watch (I'd randomly put this on the list with no intention of actually watching) ; and having finished it, I'm glad they did.



TL;DR: Don't let negative comments stop you from watching this: It may not be for everyone but it could be for you. The chemistry is great, the story is like that of a classic lakorn containing business and family rivalry chock filled with romance and messy interpersonal dynamics stuffed with the occasional 1/4 episode of modern GMMTV romantic cheese, the cinematography is worth the watch even if you don't like the story, and the soundtrack is great [even if there are some moments where they play Christmas music at really weird timings (like 3 at most)] . It's worth the watch, and I can guarantee it will subvert at least one, if not many of your expectations for a show like this. Whatever plot you think they're pulling, I can guarantee you won't guess them all. It's a solid 8-8.5/10. You won't even realise the show is over until it is, it's that addictive.



Story:
Honestly, I was gripped. Yes, it was a bunch of teenagers acting like adults, but it honestly didn't matter too much to me. It felt like they were just kids forced into shitty situations by their heritage and their parents, and I didn't mind the cheesy typical modern GMMTV vibes it had interspersed with the intense lakorn-style drama. It was a breath of fresh air in what was otherwise a dramatic romp. The action was pretty well scripted, and the show was tense when it needed to be. A bit cliché at times, and it was a little predictable at moments, but it was made up for by the execution of it all. And hey, who ever said a bit of cliché was a bad thing? They're clichés because they work. Additionally, there were some scripted moments that weren't perfect, but if you don't think too much it's not enough to ruin the watching experience. The story was engaging enough for me to lose track of time completely and binge it all the way to the end in 2 sittings, with a break for lunch. Once you're into it, the story is an absorbing watch, even if it isn't the best in the world.




Acting and characterisation:
Holy cow has the chemistry between the leads improved since FUTS: that show wasn't anything special to me and I didn't really connect with the chemistry there, but here, that chemistry was as thiccc as a trifle with a set custard and mud cake, I felt like it was actually able to be cut with a knife - that was great. And the side characters were so good. It made the show feel more real, their motivations were complex, and there were some characters where I just couldn't tell what their deal was from the beginning. I enjoyed the portrayal of pretty much everyone. Phuwin's character felt like a kid who got thrown into the deep end of a shady goings-on, because that's what he was. Pond's character felt like a pining kid who got thrown into the same situation but from the opposite perspective, because that's what he was. Perth's character -- well I'm not giving any more spoilers beyond the basic premise of the show, but let's just say the acting was great. (except for some of the crying here and there but what can you do -- anyways that's only enough to knock off a single point from my acting rating.)



Romance:
IDK what people say, I think it felt pretty nice and natural to watch - flawed characters making stupid decisions, an imbalanced power dynamic that slowly becomes more and more blurry, and dissolving when the romance really starts to kick off. It's also refreshing in some senses that will make more sense if you watch the show, but I really like how they handled Ben's arc with romance.



Music and soundtrack:
Just. Listen to it. It's perfect.

Mostly.

Just ignore the Christmas music. It only happens like 3 times I promise. (it's kind of subtle too so don't worry about it becoming an annoying thing)



Cinematography and editing:
I have multiple message exchanges with my friends gushing over how pretty the lighting is. That should explain enough.

But seriously, so many of the camera choices made were really great, and props to the editor - the music and the scene really did match well (even during the overly dramatic bits). I only wish THAT beach scene was a bit longer to allow for the emotional damage to sink in, and there was like one or two scenes where I noticed the audio act funny, but honestly those are my only complaints.



Rewatch Value:

Honestly I won't be rewatching it soon on my own, but if I make friend watch it (like a 6/10 chance) I probably will.



Overall:
Watch it and judge for yourself. This show isn't perfect by any means, and the quality isn't on par with Bad Buddy or Not Me, but it isn't that far behind. It's dramatic, there are wholesome moments, and the characters feel like actual 3-dimensional people with real motivations. If you enjoy the drama, if you enjoy cinematography, or if you like the actors, just watch it.



Peace.

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