Danny Yatim
Jakarta, Indonesia
This review may contain spoilers
"CAN I ASK YOU FOR ONE THING: DO NOT DISAPPEAR"
Such a beautiful story.
I only watched this series in January 2023 (together with its sequel I Promised You the Moon). I have seen the title mentioned on Youtube as a must-watch BL series in 2020, and just found it on Netflix earlier this week. I binge-watched all 10 episodes and could only say: wow, what a beautiful story line. You get to see all the struggles and anxiety that young people experience as they grow up, the awkwardness, confusion and strong yearning you feel when you fall in love with someone, and the struggles, and often times denial, you have growing up gay. But what is more beautiful is the way friendship (including animosity and mixed feelings) between the two boys was portrayed, besides romance and a little bit of eroticism.
The cinematography was superb. I loved the Phuket scenery (and still wish to go there), the shophouses, the Chinese temple/shrine and a glimpse of the Chinese-Thai culture in Phuket, scenes at both Teh's and Oh's houses, the Chinese language classroom, the cafes where the boys hang out, and of course the beach and ocean. One of the best scenes I liked was when young Oh was performing martial arts in the play, while young Teh did complementary movements backstage. This was so beautifully done. Love it so much.
There were also some symbolism and beliefs that were well-portrayed. Using your left foot on your first step (never knew about this belief), the scent of coconut and the red hibiscus all has deeper meaning which I can't describe, but loved it anyway.
I also just found out that Billkin and PP were the ones who sang most of the songs in the soundtrack. So cool.
Although sometimes the silence between the two boys can be a bit too long, I still loved the way the two boys interact with each other, even as they fight, they're still cute and you know that deep down inside they love each other. Surprisingly, Oh is the one who is more daring to expose his feelings compared to Teh (also in the sequel, Oh is somewhat more mature than Teh, in terms on how he sees his life moving on).
Other characters were also well-portrayed. The typical, proud Asian mother (hope I am not stereotyping), the loving, caring and understanding brother (also he may seem aloof at times), and Bas, the rival boyfriend who turned out to be such a sweet boy (could not help wondering what would happen to him after this).
Overall, I can only say I loved this series and just rewatched it last night (and am going to rewatch I Promised You the Moon later, after I write a review for that one). I also noticed that most reviews here gave ITSAY a straight 10 overall :-)
I only watched this series in January 2023 (together with its sequel I Promised You the Moon). I have seen the title mentioned on Youtube as a must-watch BL series in 2020, and just found it on Netflix earlier this week. I binge-watched all 10 episodes and could only say: wow, what a beautiful story line. You get to see all the struggles and anxiety that young people experience as they grow up, the awkwardness, confusion and strong yearning you feel when you fall in love with someone, and the struggles, and often times denial, you have growing up gay. But what is more beautiful is the way friendship (including animosity and mixed feelings) between the two boys was portrayed, besides romance and a little bit of eroticism.
The cinematography was superb. I loved the Phuket scenery (and still wish to go there), the shophouses, the Chinese temple/shrine and a glimpse of the Chinese-Thai culture in Phuket, scenes at both Teh's and Oh's houses, the Chinese language classroom, the cafes where the boys hang out, and of course the beach and ocean. One of the best scenes I liked was when young Oh was performing martial arts in the play, while young Teh did complementary movements backstage. This was so beautifully done. Love it so much.
There were also some symbolism and beliefs that were well-portrayed. Using your left foot on your first step (never knew about this belief), the scent of coconut and the red hibiscus all has deeper meaning which I can't describe, but loved it anyway.
I also just found out that Billkin and PP were the ones who sang most of the songs in the soundtrack. So cool.
Although sometimes the silence between the two boys can be a bit too long, I still loved the way the two boys interact with each other, even as they fight, they're still cute and you know that deep down inside they love each other. Surprisingly, Oh is the one who is more daring to expose his feelings compared to Teh (also in the sequel, Oh is somewhat more mature than Teh, in terms on how he sees his life moving on).
Other characters were also well-portrayed. The typical, proud Asian mother (hope I am not stereotyping), the loving, caring and understanding brother (also he may seem aloof at times), and Bas, the rival boyfriend who turned out to be such a sweet boy (could not help wondering what would happen to him after this).
Overall, I can only say I loved this series and just rewatched it last night (and am going to rewatch I Promised You the Moon later, after I write a review for that one). I also noticed that most reviews here gave ITSAY a straight 10 overall :-)
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