Surprisingly charming and worth the watch: a short review
This show has an interesting yet fairly standard premise -- but with a twist.The story of "tutoring someone and then falling in love" is a classic Thai trope, and is the staple plot thread for this show. It is incorporated well into the story, which in and of itself is a feel-good, wholesome romp with incredibly poor comedic timing and misplaced sound effects. This may seem like a negative, but for this show, it manages to make it part of the charm. The acting is "over the top" but not "OVER THE TOP over the top", matching the acting to the tone intended for the scene. The sad bits were sad and not overly dramatic, and the funny bits were hilarious to the point I was curled up in pain from laughing. I enjoyed the evolution of the dynamics between characters, and the show managed to make the misunderstandings actually funny rather than stress-inducing. I loved the twist of the Watphlu gang all dressing like 80's greasers -- this just added so much more to the vibes of the show.
The music is a running theme throughout the show, in the background just linking bits together, and the cinematography is fairly standard decent quality with nothing too special.
Overall, I'd recommend watching this on a day you need a pick-me-up or just want to watch something wholesome.
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One of the most underrated BLs
When I started this series, I will admit I had a hard time adjusting at first, something about Thi drove me crazy. But I fell for Noey and his crew almost immediately. And over time, as you see the evolution of Noey and Thi this truthfully becomes one of the shows with the highest rewatch values (for me at least). The characters are dynamic, the story, although not flawless, is light and entertaining, and the music is truly 🤌🏼😮💨I wish this show had a higher score on MDL, because it truly is a solid BL. I think part of its low score may have to do with the somewhat pg nature of the show. This isn’t at the level of LITA or Kinnporsche, or even a GMMTV show these days in terms of spice. Its pillowy soft and sweet like marshmallows.
If thats the kind of show you like, this is for you. If you want spice and lots of kisses, you wont find what you want here. Me? I’ll probably do a rewatch in the near future.
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This series will knock you down
If there is one thing that I appreciate in a series is a well written character and this one doesn’t disappoint. Although there have been countless series with young characters in love, this one just hits you differently. This is all because the series takes its time developing characters and their relationships. There is no love at first sight or true feelings hidden behind friendship or raw overwhelming emotions. Instead, we get genuine interactions between characters, inner monologues explaining what the characters feel and true portrayal of relationships between siblings, friends, parents and lovers.Although on the outset the story is about a good guy falling for bad guy to ultimately show him the error of his ways and turning him around, this one is so much more. We have Thi, a shy, naïve and studious college student who due to multiple unfortunate circumstances ends up being a tutor for Noey who is a delinquent and a leader of a local gang. During their multiple interactions Noey starts to have feelings for Thi while Thi, although disapproving of Noey’s ways thinks he is cool.
The story moves at a slow pace taking time to show Thi and Noey and their characteristics. Thi may be naïve and a coward but when push comes to shove, he doesn’t run away from a fight. Noey on the other hand has a softer side and only his family and close friends of aware of it. What makes watching this series an entertainment is the performance of Tar (Noey). He has done a remarkable job portraying a young delinquent with a heart of gold. You can feel his frustration as well as his love in various scenes. He alone carries the weight of this entire series. Next is Ohm, the guy who plays Noey’s best friend. The brotherhood between the two characters is portrayed rather astoundingly throughout the series. I didn’t enjoy the role of Thi as in many scenes he appears way naïve for his age although I do feel that Bom who plays Thi has done all that he could to play this faulty character.
In conclusion, this series wins in my book for a great storyline, wonderful actors, some good cinematography and nice soundtrack. I watched all the end credits to enjoy the little dance between the 2 characters.
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Odd. Sometimes, painful to watch. Shouldn't have worked out...
This may be a hard watch for some people. While it leans more towards reality, it can be frustrating how Noey treats Thi - especially, for the first six episodes. Things don't relax until the seventh episode and you can exhale and just watch them interact with each other. I got to like everyone - his gang - the school mates - etc. Usually, there are several annoying characters but, not this one. Refreshing.Was this review helpful to you?
A fun watch
This series is a light-hearted comedy and it doesn't take itself seriously and you shouldn't either.In the first few episodes I found Thi very annoying and wanted to drop it, but after he and Noey got closer, he wasn't as annoying anymore.
What I liked the most:
The 80's (or 50's?) aesthetic was one of the reason's why I enjoyed it so much, the gang's style, music and Noey's room.
I loved Noey's character, he was perfectly casted and the character is adorable and charming in his own way.
The comedy. While watching this, I ended up snickering multiple times (even though it wasn't a 100% my humor).
What bothered me the most:
The age gap. At first I assumed that Thi is a freshman at university and that he and Noey are only two years apart, but apparently there is a bigger gap as I noticed later, that made me uncomfortable. But, to be honest, Noey acts more like an adult than Thi, so it's not that noticeable.
And what I just found out, that the actors also have a wide age gap(almost 10 years), and that kind of makes their ship even weirder.
Their chemistry. Thi and Noey have good chemistry... as friends. But considered their age gap, that's probably better.
Conclusion:
I give it a 7/10, which means it isn't bad, but it wasn't the best. The story was enjoyable, simple but funny, but the age gap ruined it a little bit.
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Waste of time
I'm half convinced the reviewers here who gave this series above 9 are involved in an elaborate prank because I get how this may appeal to certain people but there is no world where this should be rated that high.My biggest issue is with Thi. I agree that he's probably not capable of manipulating Noey but that in itself is a huge character flaw. He was fully in uni and still couldn't even avoid getting into sticky situation with a literal 15/16 y.o. I'd understand if this was a footballer whose had tons of concussions but this is a dude who is supposed to be smart? But there he is, getting picked up at uni by his love interest who is still wearing his school uniform. I know they delayed the kiss until Noey graduated, but how the hell did he even get himself into being courted by a minor when he is a full grown adult. The fact that they delayed the kiss means that they know that the age gap is problematic.
This also led to my second point - the casting itself is hugely problematic. Why would you cast actors that have 9 years age difference (with one being a minor still) as each other's love interest? It's actually horrifying seeing how they treat the age gap as a non-issue.
This was the first series where I actively root against the main characters getting together. I should've dropped this drama but I trusted the reviews that said that it gets good after 7 episodes and by that point I might as well finish this. The only good thing about this drama is Noey's character. He is so earnest and he will make you want to root for him. If only he had an age appropriate love interest.
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soooo slow-paced
I would give this series a 10 for all the nice details put together, for the beautiful camera movement and especially for the adorable young actors... BUT the action soon becomes sooo draggy that literally nothing happens for long long minutes. I totally understand that life is like that, mostly relying on small gestures, but for a drama i expect something different.Maybe it's just me losing patience?
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Better than I expected
Wow!! Didn’t know what to expect going in and really loved the show from the first episode. It was unique and well acted. Thi got on my damn nerves at times but goodness did I end up loving him. The show was nothing groundbreaking but it was a very well made BL story. The acting was fantastic the characters were so likable and the story kept me engaged. I will miss this cast so much and after the ending roller coaster of episode 11 the ending made up for any of its missteps and tie’s everything together in a nice now. Well done ever one involved.Was this review helpful to you?
From the retro atmosphere…to the enchanting garden grove restaurant…to the reverence at the Buddhist Temple…to the innocent romance….I was enthralled with every moment of it.
What I found especially intriguing..and encouraging..about this production were the numerous scenes showing the unfailing respect and reverence that the trouble making gang showed towards the monks and the Buddhist temple.
I hope to see the two main actors together again in another comedy BL series. I rated it a 9 out of 10.
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This review may contain spoilers
ITS SO WHOLESOME
This is my first time commenting on mdl, since I love the series so much so I decided to just post my take on it. It's going to contain very little spoiler on their characters, but I think its safe to read if you need a push to start watching it.I am pleasantly surprised to have such a strong attachment to this series. It started pretty childishly at first, and it took me 3 episodes to actually find myself getting interested in the progress of the story. But it got so MUCH better after about 2-3 episodes in if an overdone romcom is really to your taste. Noey is a high schooler here, and I think he would be about 17-18 yrs old, while Thi is his tutor (albeit unwillingly) and is in his third or fourth year in university, so I supposed they have 4-5 years gap.
I shared the same concern about the age gap in the series, and was a bit skeptical about how they would pull it off, if it's going to include problematic tropes, for instance, grooming. But it wasn't the case at all when Thi was actually a coward. He cowered a lot in front of Noey who always kinda bossing him around and Noey is actually a very narcissistic jerk. And the relationship between them was 98% led by Noey alone who pursued Thi in the end. Thi only opened up to him in the second half of the series but he never NEVER made a move on Noey inappropriately.
At the same time, there are some viewers who are displeased with the lack of enthusiasm or effort coming from Thi because it seemed that Noey was the only one who tried to make it work. But I couldn't be any more grateful for that. This series would have gone so wrong if Thi immediately entertained Noey's attempts. I feel like Thi is very conscious of where they stood, that it is wrong for him to reciprocate the feelings Noey have for him, and he is also confused I would say. So as much as it is disappointing that we couldnt see Thi giving more in this relationship, it is the best decision for them and there are still moments where Thi takes care of Noey, supporting him in his lessons, goes out of his way to protect Noey even if he's not so brave.
And I have to applaud for how slowly they developed feelings for each other. How it didn't just happen overnight. Noey only realized his feelings for Thi halfway in the series, and his romantic azz intensifies afterward lol. And it also left a lot of time for us to see their lovely moments before the series end. I couldnt stress enough how much I enjoyed it and the ending was perfect. Maybe some would say it's a little rushed, but I think they wrapped it well and gave us a good closure.
Lastly, this story is very red flag done green and i love it.
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It becomes a great series after the first six episodes or so
I feel like splitting this series in two parts for this review (the first six episodes and the last six) because I had a very different impression from each part. While I did end up enjoying the series a lot and I believe it deserves this 9 out of 10 I chose as my rating, I still need to express a complete opinion about it.Overall, the story has an interesting premise, but the first six episodes were not able to give it a proper start. The pace of the events feels way too slow, and the dynamics between characters are off as well.
Noey was portrayed well and caught my attention enough to keep me watching for more episodes, but Thi's characterization was handled very badly, showing some backbone for about ten seconds per episodes and then turning back to his shy, fearful and goofy self - and I don't mean it in a good way.
These first six episode could have been useful to put more emphasis on Thi's characterization and the dynamics between Noei, Thi, their friends and their families, but instead they seemed mostly full of nothing. I felt like they could have been cut down to three episodes with a better pace.
Starting from the ending of the sixth episode, the events and the dynamics get a lot better, and this is also where the series starts shining bright. Thi also earns his own proper characterization and starts showing his own presence next to Noey, making their moments together a lot more enjoyable and endearing to watch. The way the feelings of both are portrayed along the way was also beautiful and left no room for any annoying "will they, won't they?" as the episodes went by.
The groups of friends were also shown much better, especially Noey's gang, with Thiw as a special mention. The "bad boy" element was not just used as a fancy aesthetic and multiple elements of that life were taken into consideration for the plot, which I really appreciated.
A very memorable series, I highly recommend it!
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I will knock you? Yes, please!
I wasn't really sure what to expect from the series. I was mostlly worried how were they going to pull of the age gap between Thi and Noey, a university student and a minor who is still in high school. In the end, I really enjoyed the fact that Noey was the more badass one while Thi was sweet and shy. I think this really helped push their relationship into a good direction. We can see a lot of growth from both of them, as well as all the support characters.I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers stories and this one delivered. The differences between the main two characters are very interesting and it's an absolute joy watching them grow as individuals and as a couple. It was fun and interesting to see Noey and his bright coloured shirts, slicked hair and love for old music, in contrast to Thi and his absolutely adorable sweaters, bursts of courage and inner monologues.
The fact that Noey, who is younger, is the one in control of the relationship really hits different. I really appreciate how the makers of the series aproached its making, especially after I found out that the two actors have a 9 year gap in real life, with Tar (who played Noey) still being a minor during the filming. Also, hats off for absolutely brilliantly done end credits scene that was on point for every single episode. The ending was absolute perfection as well.
We get some cute and fluffy moments, some awkward romantic scenes, a few fight scenes and a bunch of comedic scenes. It had some cringe scenes, but what series doesn't? It's definitely a show that will keep your spirits up and make you laugh out loud.
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