The Promise (2023)

The promise unkept

I was promised angst, and drama, and so much emotion. After the prequel, I expected that much. The kind of angst that is caused by well written conflicts and misunderstandings because, let's face it, we enjoy red flags in dramas sometimes. I wanted love triangles and squares, and a ton of aching and heartbreak, and.. nope. They delivered nothing but the misunderstandings. Not well done either.

There was definitely a mood shift between the prequel and the series, they added comedy (which completely unnecessary, one of the worst aspects they added, especially since it did nothing for the story), the characters were incredibly inconsistent compared to the prequel, it was jarring going from a moody and emotional couple of episodes to a sitcom kind of series.

The leads were fine together (the child actors were really good though, I have to say), but the chemistry was almost non - existant during some scenes, which felt frustrating since you would expect two individuals who have liked each other for 10+ years, being confused about their feelings, being seperated from each other with no contact for over ten years, you would think the passion and yearning would be overflowing. It just wasn't. Like I said, they never really got that angst right, despite it being readily available to implement.

One thing I did like, was several of the supporting characters. It's weird because most of them started out being kind of pushy and a chore to watch on screen, but ended up being solid individuals. I especially loved that none of them actually crossed any line when it came to the leads, whether it be confessing their love or providing advice or nudging the leads on to confess to each other, none of these characters crossed a line, which is something I see quite often.

Talking about the actual misunderstanding now, I did not like it. I wanted something complex and emotional, and even though the reason Phupha chose to leave was because of a valid fear for him, the wait period of ten years and the payoff certainly didn't work for me. 10 years with absolutely no contact because of his reasoning was just a bit too unreasonable for me.

I'm a little dissapointed with how this played out, right up until the ending. There were so many scenes which could have been cut out, or the time they were used for could have been used to deepen their relationship, and it's a shame it wasn't. This was a slow burn story that never really picked up the pace, and thinking about it, two episodes somehow managed to tell a better story than ten did.

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Derailed

This show had so much potential and I really enjoyed much of it. But it had too many annoying characters and just derailed completely in the end. This is all just my opinion.

The second ML, Phupha, was entirely too emotionally introverted and selfish for me to enjoy his character for ten episodes. His silence, horrible communication, and actions hurt Nan over and over again and that's just unacceptable, to me, in a romance drama. What got me is that he very rarely apologized which means the writers didn't see his actions the same way I did - as being selfish and utterly lacking in self awareness. This would have all be cleared up for me if the character showed growth from this negative place and earned redemption by the end. But that is not the case. Phu remained a selfish, emotionally introverted, bad communicator until the end. I don't feel his character had much growth at all.

Side character issues
- Gei Gei is supposed to be comic relief but I found her to be extremely annoying. The many times she stuck her foot in some mess and did absolutely nothing to get herself out of the mess but run away. That means somebody else had to clean it up. I just can't with that character theme. It's always a turn off.
- Party and KK - Lord have mercy. I understand persistence when you trying to get a man but come on! I was very close to fast forwarding through all of their scenes. I held on by a thread.
- Phupha's mother - WTH?? This woman managed to have a whole family in Melbourne and not exchange even pictures between her children?? She supposedly loves Phupha so much and yet there isn't a single piece of evidence to support that. Even knowing her child was traveling to Thailand for work, she never bothered to get in touch with Phupha and have them meet up?? I mean, she may not have been able to afford to go to Thailand but who would miss the opportunity to connect, in person, their children?? Make it make sense. This was weak writing at best and somebody should have caught this in production and made some changes.

While all of these are pet peeves really, the fact that the show derailed right at the last episode top the cake for me. I couldn't make it through episode 10 without fastforwarding. The fact that after nearly 30 years of knowing each other and ten years and sooo much emotional turmoil, they finally get together just to have Nan be offered a job in China and Phupha tell him to go!! I was utterly done! Horrible writing. This couple's relationship was given zero time to blossom and the audience zero time to get to know them as a couple. Even to the very last when they couldn't even have a night to themselves without the writers throwing in KK to cockblock them. That would have been fine if it was 2-3 episodes earlier but at the end?! This isn't a teenage BL, these are grown adults. You have to put more into building the relationship. The writers failed and turned it into silliness for no damn reason. It's upsetting.

In conclusion, this show was on a good pace to be a solidly good drama but it lost its way by the end and it badly handled some of the characters. It didn't show enough character growth especially for Phupha, and it didn't invest in the couples actual relationship. The ending was cluttered and took away focus from the main couple which is the opposite of what should be done in a romantic drama. I was left feeling frustrated, disappointed, and very close to feeling like I wasted my time.

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Self-control needed.

I finished watching this only to found out that there's a prequel, welp~

Anywho, to me their relationship of being best of friends is there. The bromance was on point. However when it comes to being lovers, needs a little bit more work. The sparks is there as much as I hoped. The character building between main actors's exists! which is good but it sure takes forever to develop. Nevertheless, the acting for the side actors are excellent I'd say. Party is just wow! Dena is so gorgeous and others did well too. Love Phupha's grandma.

The storyline of this drama is great! I absolutely love episode 1; the pace was there, the tension and sadness, everything. But then... Got dragged into meaningless plots. If I'm being honest, I skipped most of the times due to the story line being drag far and wide. We could use more skin ships. chup! chup! mwah

I am forever team Nanfah! I truly felt his pain after the second time he got left behind without noticed. His sadness makes me want to cry as well. Whatever the excuses were, Phupha really hurt Nanfah bad! The ending has it’s upset moments but it was in a fast pace, making the fluffness isn't there as much.

That's all I guess.

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somthing is missing

Beautiful storyline with lite storyline.. they have best chemestry. Some things are missing in this drama i really can not point out it. But i fell somthing is off.. i think tht is the reason for this is under rated.. but actully both male leads chemestry was real best and they made us feel.. but the way story written somthing is missing... i mean the way story build up is kind of fail.. and the way they confess also boring. And thire chemestry gone down little vit after that... it would be intresting if they add more romance and cute parts without suddenly dead of grandmother etc et. I mean itz not good timing. And i dont like that flight missing part too actually it is unessosry becoz this is mini drama.. it would be ok if this has more episodes.. i want more romance dude ?

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Stagnant Love-Story & Too Many Cliches

Okay. So I was in the middle of the 5th episode of the series when the "Lead1 sees Lead2 with someone else, misinterprets (because the scenario is set up like that), feels bad/hurt, and backs off without clarifying" scene was forced unnecessarily into the story (and not for the first time), and made me lose interest completely. I had already been losing interest because of various reasons:
1. The relationship between the main characters was stagnant, and not going anywhere.
2. The various attempts at humor, barring the first few, were not humorous at all.
3. The acting of the leads, though overall decent, became horrible at times. Like when Phupha's body closes down when he is facing a crowd.
4. I watched the prequel Phupha | Nanfah before watching this series, but I was disappointed to see that most plot and story related details shown in the prequel were not used here. It made me feel that I would have been better off if I had not watched the prequel.

After watching the above mentioned scene of the 5th episode, I have decided to drop the series, and give my rating and suggestion based on what I have seen so far: You can watch it if you are okay with repetitive and uncreative plots, and a stagnant main storyline. If you are not okay, then skip this one.

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DONT be scared to watch it - just watch it.

I have rewatched this multible times - i just find the story/concept and the actors cute and good.

Did they suck at communicate? yeah but there is few bl couples that do succed on that part.

I just want to say that i really find this serie cute, like really cute and i like the story overall. if you hesitates - just go watch it, it's free on youtube and you have nothing to lose. Sure it isnt the best serie you will ever see but it isnt a bad serie and i really think it deserv a shot!

I would love to them in a bl togheter again or separated! good job guys!

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This Is So Good If You're Tired of Plotless BL

I'm so glad I didn't listen to the reviews omfg. I'm on episode 6 and this is a masterpiece. I love all the characters, including the one I hate for fun and Phupha, the one I hate because it is the correct thing to feel for him. Right from the jump, the plot establishes Nanfah as The Goodest Boy™️ and at this point, I am prepared to impale anyone who hurts him. This is particularly impressive to me because he is (perhaps only outwardly??) a stupid character. Not as soul-numbingly dumb as some typical BL stupid characters, but he's in the category all the same. He makes up for it by having a heart of actual gold (rhodium? The boy is precious is what I'm saying.)

I have never had a show so efficiently make me like a character, flaws and all. I watched a lot of things and I almost always have to be coaxed into liking characters a little (with a few (literally, three) very deserving exceptions) but Nanfah? He's so Good, like literally just a good person but not to the extent that it's grating. Okay, I could crow about him all day but let's move on.

I can see all the space left for BL, but it's never at the expense of the show, the plot, the character development, or the entertainment of it all. In fact, it's almost never actually utilized, I'm pretty sure this is gonna be one of the one's where the BL is crammed into the last couple episodes. The side characters are likeable or unlikable on purpose. The jokes land!! I've had countless laughs while watching this and while it wasn't gutbusting guffaws (like MSP, for example) I haven't stopped smiling for the most part.

I say for the most part because Phupha exists. I like Phupha. Phupha is, objectively, a likeable guy. The decisions he makes, even before we time skip to the present, make me hate him. I disliked him because I wasn't willing to forgive him, especially when his actions affected The Goodest Boy™️. I say that because I hate him and want everyone to know it, but also because this show is an exemplary example of how to properly get watchers invested in characters. I've been invested since episode one. I am never invested until episode two or three AT LEAST because they're normally the absolute worst episodes (bar episode ten). This story draws you in. I started watching to have something in the background while I worked and ended up trying to get caught up because it was so compelling I couldn't split my attention.

Phupha is finally getting his comeuppance and it hurts because I like him. It also feels great because I hate him. It feels the greatest because I love Nanpha. I'm so aggressively torn by and invested in these characters, it is glorious. It's one of those where all of the options being hinted at are acceptable to me-- I'm more attached to the story and the characters than the (scarce) BL. Well, that's half a lie, actually. I hope they don't end up together, which is also rare for me, and a first for me when I like all the characters. The amount of times I have thought or said *out loud* that Phupha hasnt, doesn't, and never will deserve Nanfah must be in the hundreds by now.

I removed half a point because people really don't talk in their sleep as much as Thai shows make it seem and I've got a decent amount of contempt for that sort of thing now. Never in my life have I rooted this hard for the second male lead (third? I mean Party, not PoopPha.) I just want to roll this series up and put it in my pocket ugh. I'm in the Nanfah fanclub, the Party Fanclub, the Pooppha Hateclub, the Ken appreciation club.... I love these characters so much. I hate lying plotlines (and lying in general) the most so thats hashing my high but I'm in episode 8 now and I'm still waiting for the wasted potential other review were talking about.

Okay, I'm almost done with episode ten and I can say that it's looking like the ending won't be as satisfying as I hoped. Why? Because no one is out of character. The final obstacle was what I expected it to be and Phupha reacted how he's already demonstrated he would. I hate him so much it's bleeding over to the actor so I'm gonna have to fix that, but on the plus side, it means he's done a fantastic job. Nanfah has the patience of a saint, the smile of pure sunlight, and my whole shriveled heart. Frankly, even with as much as I love Nanfah, I found myself wishing evil on him if only so that Phupha would learn a very difficult lesson. So, I suppose, I hate Phupha more than I love Nanfah? Holy shit, for a second I thought they did it and I was actually really pleased. Ah, alas. Tbh, if they had, I would've added back that half star, because the Phupha Hate Club demands that Phupha suffer.

Okay, I'm done now so in conclusion: MDLs rating is wrong as always, this is great, Phupha will piss you off and give you heartburn, watch this. (Also Phupha has never, does not, and will never deserve Namfah.)

(Also, also, this is the first time I've been nonplussed to dissatified about a happy ending lol.)

Okiokiokioki see yoooouuuuuu

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Dont see this series based on reviews... actually it is very good.

So many reviews said there is no story r there is no chemistry between them so and soo...but this is the best show...in every bl dramas some actors are not even playing their role perfectly but in this they are very good...it is based on true story so its obvious to that phupa character it's not easy to confess his feelings even after nan said about his feelings about friendship.."friends are not more than in his side".. that's why phu is not dared to said about his feelings....it is the true in reality...there is no one be friends even after knowing their feelings its not same after that...there is feelings involved how can they stay friends like nothing happened...the one who has feelings definitely not be friends with the other one may be they will be friends but not the same way at least it takes some time...nan said easily we will be friends with that party because he has no feelings for party that's why he said that easily...but in reality it's not that easy to be friends with the one you love....if you want to be friends with them you have to accept the bitter truth and you have accept the feeling that you rejected and you have to accept the happiness of your loved one....there is so much involved without loosing anything... definitely there is that's why pupha is not dared to do that...yeah but he realised because he don't want to leave him whatever happens so he confessed later because now he is ready to risk everything he has..
I love it ... don't leave the story based on reviews..they give bad reviews..

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I wanted to punch him in the face

I HATE this drama, it started sweet with the two ML's growing up together and being best friends, but then, just after graduation one of them leaves.
Ten years later he comes back and they meet again, I was waiting for him to be punched in the face but it never happened.
Ten years of being left in limbo, not knowing why or where your best friend went, not knowing even if he is still alive. Two days later and no real questions have been asked and I really don't understand how this makes sense to anyone,
I would make the time to ask him "Where have you been?, why did you leave? how could you leave like that and not tell me! "
How many thoughts and feeling would you go through in ten years, how sad and angry would you be after ten years? Even if you ignore it at first because you are just happy he is back, you would have to know why someone treated you like that.
I already know the reason because it is kind of obvious in the drama, but it really isn't good enough.
I think we have all been hurt by someone we love and unless you resolve the problem it will destroy the relationship. You wait with anticipation for them to walk through the door but the joy quickly turns to anger because you just can't forget and forgive how they treated you.
So many of these drama's have the same message, That love is unconditional, that you will forgive them if you truly love them.
I have a problem with this message, You should love yourself unconditionally, not someone else.
You should have morals and principles. You should have respect for yourself, allowing others to treat you badly doesn't mean you love them unconditionally , it means you don't love yourself enough.

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The value of a promise and the power of love

'The Promise' is based on that axiom that the Spanish group "La Oreja de Van Gogh" sang: "true love is only the first" with the story of an interrupted love, a love rooted in childhood and entrenched until adulthood, pure, transparent, chaste.
For this reason, the series appeals to a nostalgia for the past, to an idealization brought to the daily life of its main characters, two children: Nanfah/"Nan" and Phupha/"Phu", who grew up together in a remote village in Chiang Mai and that, as children, they begin to build a very good friendship and fall in love with each other, as children fall in love on the threshold of adolescence, in a visceral and tragic way—a bond that is abruptly broken when both separate.
Narrated in two timelines: the past and the present, we see how in their childhood Phu and Nan meet and become inseparable friends. The two share dreams, adventures and secrets. They both promised each other that they would never leave each other, but Phupha can't help but fear losing Nanfah if he revealed that he is in love with him. When his feelings, which go beyond friendship, get in the way of the two, Phu decides to break the promise, lie to his friend and walk away from him.
Oblivious to the reason why Phu broke the promise, Nan searches for him for ten years without success. After this time, they meet again under unexpected circumstances, when Phu moves into the apartment across the street by a coincidence of fate.
At present, Nan and Phu's trajectories have taken different paths. Nanfah, masterfully played by Wattikorn Permsubhirun (Kiak), is a successful graphic designer and aspires to positively impact the world of cosmetics promotion for the Devonte company, for which he works. Meanwhile, Phu, played superbly and with great rigor by Kittikun Tansuhas (Kun), an introverted boy with a fear of the public, spends his time helping his grandmother Namfon (Ruthaiwan Wongsirasawat), an endearing character who will steal the hearts of the public, on the family coffee farm.
After moving to Bangkok, Phu focuses on fulfilling his dreams of running a coffee shop, but destiny has in store for him to become a famous marketing agency model under the care and protection of Nan.
From the meeting, the plot explores the changes in their lives, their personal aspirations, the friendly and working relationships they form with other people, the challenges they face, and how love and friendship intertwine to unite them again, while It also addresses themes such as family, forgiveness, identity and destiny.
With a melancholic and romantic tone, very different from other Thai BL series that I have reviewed on MDL, but also with moments of humor and tenderness, the drama tells us how the two protagonists feel confused and excited when they meet again after so long. However, misunderstandings and obstacles will arise that prevent them from expressing their true feelings. The physical distance has been reduced, but the old barrier takes time to disappear.
Carlos Gardel said that "20 years are nothing." The legendary Argentine nationalized tango singer is wrong in the song "Volver", composed with Alfredo Lopera. Ten years is a lot. It seems like a lot for two people who love each other to have to be away from each other for so long, but the series, based on a novel of the same name written by Thanyathorn Siwanukroh, who is also the screenwriter of the adaptation, and directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri, known, in addition to his work in horror and action films, as one of the directors of 'KinnPorsche', tells a story based on real events.
Both director and screenwriter know that it is important for the viewer to feel that in the voids caused by the absences, distances and disagreements of Nan and Phu in those years in which the lives of both take separate paths, without knowing about each other, lies the heart of the series, and it is the weight of that absence, of its melancholic background, that makes their reunion so beautiful and moving.
In the characters, the distance that separated them in their youth has become an ocean, which both will try to bridge once the long-awaited reunion occurs. And in this reunion of two children who fell in love, Kongkiat Khomsiri shows his talent because he avoids grandiose speeches, of unbridled feelings, and lets the camera show us what is happening without having to explain anything, spreading a sensation, breathing life into the image.
The director creates a delicate and moving narrative and each shot, each sequence, contains an emotion about to explode. There is no unnecessary accentuation, nor vain repetitions. There is good cinematography, and the dialogues are precise and brilliant. There is a lot of image, as an excellent television series should be.
As time passes, both characters, who express themselves through subtle gestures, glances and silences, navigate victories, losses, obstacles and disappointments. However, despite these setbacks and distances, they always find their way back to each other.
The series is wrapped in nostalgia and that melancholic atmosphere of the reunion of the protagonist couple that ends up becoming a love that overcomes everything. No matter the distance, the passage of time or the attempts of other potential lovers to win the love of the two of them. Nan and Phu are destined to make good on their promise and be in each other's lives for the rest of their lives.
We are then faced with a beautiful story about first love, the one that is born in childhood, continues in youth and is reborn in maturity. The one you try to stay alive hundreds of kilometers away, with a computer or mobile screen that separates an abyss of possibilities and in which you write and cry, and there are no answers or consolation. A feeling that is stopped and repressed by the emptiness that that person leaves, by not being able to look into the eyes, not being able to caress or kiss the other. Finally, there comes a time in adulthood when a second chance may present itself that could be the definitive one.
In this way, the series also explores the connection between the present and the past across two eras, while portraying the complexity of human relationships and the concept of keeping promises.
In other words, the essence of 'The Promise' lies in the evolution of the relationship between the main characters played by the magnetic couple of actors, from their childhood to maturity, addressing the complexities of their love, marked by farewells (or their absence) and reunions over the years. Through this time journey, it examines how divergences and personal challenges affect their bond, while highlighting the lessons and transformations they experience. Likewise, the series invites the viewer to reflect on the nature of destiny, love, promises and decisions.
As you can imagine, the meeting after a decade without seeing each other is full of emotion and meaning. Nan, who has many questions and demands an explanation for the disappearance, will find an evasive friend who refuses to answer her. They are no longer the two children, teenagers, or recent college graduates they once were, and their connection is revealed to be different: exciting but uncomfortable, satisfying but frustrating, free but in need of sacrifice, declarations, and reassurances. Faced with silence, both finally focus on rebuilding their friendship.
The dramatic force of 'The Promise' lies, above all, in the performances, and the staging is purely narrative. The series deepens a prequel in two medium-length films, filmed in 2022 by Choi Sittichai ('21 Days Theory', 2022), and named after its protagonists, 'Phupha' and 'Nanfah', also starring Kun and Kiak .
With very high production values, beautiful photography, vibrant cinematography, precise artistic direction in creating a cozy and nostalgic atmosphere, and successful placement of flashbacks to mark the two timelines, the series narrates the difficulties that occur when one of the Lovers believe that romance is not possible and choose to put distance between them: will the feelings remain fleeting and remain forever in no man's land? Can the two young people make up for time and keep their promise to always be in each other's lives?
As one of the best Thai-made BL series of all time and my favorite, the looks, the silences and a relationship that says more with gestures than with words shine. The actors manage to convey those feelings that arise between two people who know each other and have loved each other despite distances and secrets, and who meet again years later.
The secondary characters add diversity and color to the story, especially Party (Boss), Nan's best friend and Phu's rival; Deena (Marima), Nan's rival for Phu's love; Khunkhao (Seagames), Phu's unknown brother who will challenge him for Nan's love, Giegie (Mint), Nan's friend and co-worker, Ken (Lift), Devonte's director, without forgetting Oliang, Nan's cat who quickly becomes the son of the two protagonists.
Kiak and Kun manage to convey to the viewer that tension between friendship and love as a couple that is not always easy to manage. The human quality of the characters, and the use of the soundtrack to convey each of the moments experienced by the two young protagonists, with songs performed by themselves, keep the audience in pleasant tension during every second that the episodes last 10 episodes of about 50 minutes each.
Despite being framed in the romantic genre, 'The Promise' tries to go further in its narrative proposal, to become an ode to love and true and sincere friendship, a reflection of the differences between a person who fears revealing his feelings and another that hopes to listen to them, between two ways of facing life, that can come to understand and love each other above those differences.
In short, a beautiful and delicious series, one of those that leaves a mark, and a good one, because it will make you laugh, cry, sigh and dream of a love that transcends time, distances and countless obstacles.

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High hopes for this one

The story starts with them being children the beginning is extremely cute as we get a good idea of how their bond formed. one of them goes to live with his mother and leaves without giving any warning they find each other again after 10 years and slowly a bit more of their past is being uncovered some of the same memories are replayed but give more insight of what happened in the moment every time it gets replayed making the plot of the story suspenseful every time something new is reveled. the overall feeling i get when watching the series is warm and bubbly with a good amount of suspense sprinkled in there i totally recommend watching it .

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