EPIC

This series really exceeded my expectations in any Thai series, BL or otherwise that I happen to watch. Everything in this series is on point. A very grand production - superb cinematography, very tight storytelling and eargasmic musical score woven together to make this drama exceptional. If DBK underwater shot was classic, Oh and Teh underwater scene was epic. The main leads - it is awesome to see such raw emotions, the nuances and the characters they played was so complex and has so many layers to it which BK and PP portrayed to perfection. I had a rollercoaster of emotions watching this show especially Ep4. I anticipated that this series ends on a sad note but it wasn't. And before that beautifully shot ending at Promthep Cape, Ep5 offers a whole lot - that scene of Teh and his brother Hoon, Bas and Oh scene in front of Teh's place, Bas confession to Oh, Teh and Tarn - when the latter gave an artwork as a gift and that Chinese New Year scene with Skyline original score in the background. Overall, this series is one for the books and hopefully the second season will exceed season 1 in terms of production values, storyline and the like. For now, we will have to wait for 11 March 2021.

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Love Mechanics:

People who have read the novel knows how the story of Mark and Vee started. For those who haven’t, they might be turned off by romanticizing assault in this series. However, if you can go beyond that aspect, you’ll appreciate this series in it’s entirety.

Story: This TV adaptation highlights the best parts of the novel and soften the tone thus making that delicate aspect of the novel appears to be consensual rather than demeaning.

Acting/Cast: Both leads has good visuals and great chemistry to boot. This series is better acted than it’s predecessor TOSSARA. You will root for their characters to end up together. War (Mark) nuances and facial expression were good. This time I wasn’t cringing watching the series.

Music: Some may not like the musical scoring however, as for me, it captures that feeling and mood.

I usually watch the previous episode prior to watching the new episode to have that feeling of continuity. I am glad that they made Vee’s character different than the novel. I just hope that they have extended this to about 6-8 episodes instead of just 4 by including Vee’s family and Mark’s mom rather than making the series revolves around their friends and exes.

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NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO WATCH LONG EPISODES, IF YOU'RE A SUCKER FOR HAPPY ENDINGS - SAVE YOUR SELF AND NOT WATCH THIS SERIES. BUT IF YOU'RE INTO A GOOD STORY, TO EXPERIENCE A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SOCIAL ISSUES WERE BATTLING TODAY THEN YOU'RE IN FOR A TREAT. THIS SHOW WON'T BE RELEASED IN A FREE-TO-AIR CHANNEL IN THAILAND FOR NO REASON.


STORY: There were so many BL shows out there that has good storyline, lighthearted but this show hits me like ITSAY some years back. Yes, it is a fantasy series and it can end in every possible ending we could have think. However, it tackles and sheds a whole lot of issues ranging from - childhood trauma, LGBTIA+, generation gap, Alzheimer's disease and its effects to the person, societal norms etc.

ACTING/CAST: Love them or hate them, they did a stellar performance to each of the character that they played. As the show progresses, we learned all the why's that led to situations they're facing.

REWATCH VALUE: If not for almost 90 minutes runtime, I would. However, despite the longer than usual runtime than most BLs, each episode is engaging and keep wanting for more. It is a good thing that they released it as 3 episodes a week.

OVERALL: Maybe it is just me but all throughout the series, there's subtle messages that it would end the way we don't want it to be as we have grown attached to each characters especially Tofu and Nut. Nut went through a whole lot since he was young which explains his complex character. Tofu on the other hand become a more complex character as he learns more and feels more human as he digs deeper into the mystery of Nut's family and the people around him. In a parallel universe, they deserved to have a happy ending. In reality, not all the time we'll have that happy ending we have always wanted but in the process, we have to learn be strong, to be kind, to appreciate things as they are and live not in the past but in the present with plans for the future.

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