1
Jessica
Through the looking-glass
Note: This review is for the Thai version of the show.
STORY:
- I found the main story between Oat and Pop to be rather dull. It had a slow start. I thought it would start to pick up at the halfway point, when the faintest hint of romantic sparks blossomed between them, but was quickly disappointed as the story continued to bore me. I think the major downfall (for me) was that their story was more character-driven, so I felt like we were mostly meandering aimlessly along with the two boys until the finale. Not a lot happened, yet they took up 20 episodes, so the story seemed very slow and static. It felt very slice of life, which I'm not a huge fan of. Unfortunately, I didn't get super into until the last few episodes, which was when all the drama happened.
- Pree and Rambo's story, and the other hand, was the motivation I needed to finish this series to the end, tragic though it was. It was dynamic, compelling, full of drama and angst. They gave me all the feels (both good and bad), and I grew impatient waiting for their next scenes. Their story actually had a plot line, with more dynamic obstacles, and I wish they could have had their own series to really flesh out what was given.
ACTING/CAST:
- Overall pretty good. Some of the minor characters were annoying, but I thought that the main characters did a good job.
- Again, Pree and Rambo were my favorites. The MewArt hype is well-deserved. Their chemistry was amazing right from the get-go, and they delivered the most scorching scenes in the drama (if you're looking for sexy, more mature romance scenes, they'll deliver). They made me fall in love and broke my heart. I also liked that, aside from Rambo's conflict with his father, both characters were unabashedly, unconditionally gay. Not gay for you, not confused about their sexuality, not ashamed of their sexuality: just gay. There's another character who fit this mold as well, which I also enjoyed. We don't always get this in BL dramas, so when it does show up, it's a refreshing treat that I take notice of. My only complaint is that we didn't get nearly as much screen time with them as I was hoping for, but I am happy with what I got even though it wasn't entirely filled with happy times.
- O and Strong performed well in their roles too. Of the two, I preferred Strong's character, Oat, who I found to be deeper and more complex. On the surface, he seemed like a happy-go-lucky goofball who didn't take anything too seriously, but we also saw some sweet, tender moments that tugged at the heartstrings as well. He has charm and charisma that made me root for him. Pop, though, I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get on board with him. He was dorky and quirky and did have some cute, sweet moments, but there was just something about him that was off-putting to me and made it more difficult to truly care about him. He just seemed like a bit of a prat. As for their chemistry, for most of the series it felt very one-sided and bromance-y (in part because it was). But the few reciprocal romantic moments between them, as well as Oat's affection towards Pop, were very tender and sweet.
MUSIC:
- Pretty good. I'm not a music buff so I generally don't pay much attention to this. The only thing I'll note is that during some scenes the music was really loud, almost drowning out the actors.
RE-WATCH VALUE:
- The only parts I would re-watch are those revolving around Pree and Rambo (well, the early ones at least).
STORY:
- I found the main story between Oat and Pop to be rather dull. It had a slow start. I thought it would start to pick up at the halfway point, when the faintest hint of romantic sparks blossomed between them, but was quickly disappointed as the story continued to bore me. I think the major downfall (for me) was that their story was more character-driven, so I felt like we were mostly meandering aimlessly along with the two boys until the finale. Not a lot happened, yet they took up 20 episodes, so the story seemed very slow and static. It felt very slice of life, which I'm not a huge fan of. Unfortunately, I didn't get super into until the last few episodes, which was when all the drama happened.
- Pree and Rambo's story, and the other hand, was the motivation I needed to finish this series to the end, tragic though it was. It was dynamic, compelling, full of drama and angst. They gave me all the feels (both good and bad), and I grew impatient waiting for their next scenes. Their story actually had a plot line, with more dynamic obstacles, and I wish they could have had their own series to really flesh out what was given.
ACTING/CAST:
- Overall pretty good. Some of the minor characters were annoying, but I thought that the main characters did a good job.
- Again, Pree and Rambo were my favorites. The MewArt hype is well-deserved. Their chemistry was amazing right from the get-go, and they delivered the most scorching scenes in the drama (if you're looking for sexy, more mature romance scenes, they'll deliver). They made me fall in love and broke my heart. I also liked that, aside from Rambo's conflict with his father, both characters were unabashedly, unconditionally gay. Not gay for you, not confused about their sexuality, not ashamed of their sexuality: just gay. There's another character who fit this mold as well, which I also enjoyed. We don't always get this in BL dramas, so when it does show up, it's a refreshing treat that I take notice of. My only complaint is that we didn't get nearly as much screen time with them as I was hoping for, but I am happy with what I got even though it wasn't entirely filled with happy times.
- O and Strong performed well in their roles too. Of the two, I preferred Strong's character, Oat, who I found to be deeper and more complex. On the surface, he seemed like a happy-go-lucky goofball who didn't take anything too seriously, but we also saw some sweet, tender moments that tugged at the heartstrings as well. He has charm and charisma that made me root for him. Pop, though, I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get on board with him. He was dorky and quirky and did have some cute, sweet moments, but there was just something about him that was off-putting to me and made it more difficult to truly care about him. He just seemed like a bit of a prat. As for their chemistry, for most of the series it felt very one-sided and bromance-y (in part because it was). But the few reciprocal romantic moments between them, as well as Oat's affection towards Pop, were very tender and sweet.
MUSIC:
- Pretty good. I'm not a music buff so I generally don't pay much attention to this. The only thing I'll note is that during some scenes the music was really loud, almost drowning out the actors.
RE-WATCH VALUE:
- The only parts I would re-watch are those revolving around Pree and Rambo (well, the early ones at least).
Was this review helpful to you?
