This review may contain spoilers
Charmed the socks off me!
I started watching this after a long string of incredibly written and mature K- and J-Dramas and was immediately reminded of why classic Thai dramas hold such a firm place in my heart.
This show is zany, over the top, and filled with an irreverent charm that leaves you wanting more at the end of each episode.
It has an interesting plot but keeps its focus firmly on developing a slow and gentle romance, allowing the characters all the time they need to grow both as people and as partners to each other, which lets the viewer form a closer bond with the characters and lets them (the viewers) get invested in these characters' lives which makes the whole story, ridiculous as it may seem on the surface, a lot more grounded and makes every single emotional scene all the more impactful. This is still quite a rarity in queer dramas and makes for a refreshing change of pace.
Now beware, slight spoilers ahead.
Some personal highlights (aka Things I Loved):
- The loving attention to detail the writers and directors clearly paid while designing the alternate universe. These details range from the simple (e.g. cone bread), to the hilarious and silly (e.g. off-key singing as an art form), to the genuinely meaningful (e.g. the legalisation of same-sex marriage) and cheekily remind the viewer every now and again to expect the unexpected and stay on their toes
- The bond shared between Puen, Talay, Up, and Aou, and later on Kita and Fuse as well. They are the boys, the lads, the gang, utterly inseparable and always, always there for each other. I'm a sucker for good depictions of (queer) friendships and these fellows delivered big time. This show says hug your homies, hold their hand, kiss their cheeks, tell them you love them, let them know how important they are to you, and they are so right about that actually! I will die on this hill!!
- The pacing and development of Puen and Talay's relationship. As I already mentioned the buildup to every major step in their relationship is very well handled and given ample time to unfold at a slow but steady pace, but it's not just that. The way the show approaches their connection to each other hit me like a thousand bricks and made me shed actual tears a lot more often than I'd like to admit. From almost the beginning of the show these two are incredibly fond of one another and their friendly bickering becomes increasingly gentle and tender until it becomes a dynamic of "I love you so much, so there, take that you idiot, I'm expressing my genuine affection for you, suck it nerd!" at which point I think I lost my heart to this show for good.
- Dol and their understated defiance of gender norms and expression. Dol may not have been explicitly written as a trans character, but their character serves to gently question what gender identity really is and what it means for our lives but also to us personally. I absolutely adore them and wish we'd gotten to see more of them, although they do play a significant role in developing several important plot points.
- The show's approach to love in all its forms. This story boldly and deliberately blurs the lines between platonic, romantic, and queer love and emphasizes the importance of true human connection over trying to force a relationship along a predetermined course. Sometimes love means getting to know somebody over the course of several years until you've come to adore every single facet of their being and it doesn't even matter what type of love you're feeling for each other as long as you get to stay together. At the same time love can also mean the specific labelling of feelings and relationships and the boundless joy and excitement that come with being officially "in love" or "best friends" or "the most important person in each others' lives". This show says "No matter what happens, I'll go through it with you". "Remember, where there's you, there's me", it says, "Thank you for teaching me not to be afraid of tomorrow".
Some personal lowlights (aka Things I Didn't Like):
- How quickly Talay manages to resolve all the problems Tess created after returning to his own universe. I'm glad there were no great, drawn-out conflicts, but I did find myself thinking "Boy that was fast" every time Talay magically fixes whatever Tess broke. A very minor gripe in the grand scheme of things.
- How unresolved Tess and Tun's story felt by the end of the show. I know they weren't the focus of the show, but all the plot threads of Tun's unrequited love for Tess, Tess and Tun's reconciliation and subsequent separation in the alternate universe, and Tess' eventual return to his original universe, were all just barely touched on before being dropped completely. I know they play relatively minor roles in the story as a whole, but given the interesting dynamic that was hinted at between them and how solid the chemistry between Ohm and Nanon (their actors) is as we all know, I wish we'd gotten to see just a little bit more of these two.
In conclusion: A slow-paced, charmingly written and acted story about love, love, and once again love. If you want a show that provides a window into the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances who come to love each other deeply and fully while tugging at your heartstrings with how achingly gentle and real it feels, then this one is most definitely for you.
This show is zany, over the top, and filled with an irreverent charm that leaves you wanting more at the end of each episode.
It has an interesting plot but keeps its focus firmly on developing a slow and gentle romance, allowing the characters all the time they need to grow both as people and as partners to each other, which lets the viewer form a closer bond with the characters and lets them (the viewers) get invested in these characters' lives which makes the whole story, ridiculous as it may seem on the surface, a lot more grounded and makes every single emotional scene all the more impactful. This is still quite a rarity in queer dramas and makes for a refreshing change of pace.
Now beware, slight spoilers ahead.
Some personal highlights (aka Things I Loved):
- The loving attention to detail the writers and directors clearly paid while designing the alternate universe. These details range from the simple (e.g. cone bread), to the hilarious and silly (e.g. off-key singing as an art form), to the genuinely meaningful (e.g. the legalisation of same-sex marriage) and cheekily remind the viewer every now and again to expect the unexpected and stay on their toes
- The bond shared between Puen, Talay, Up, and Aou, and later on Kita and Fuse as well. They are the boys, the lads, the gang, utterly inseparable and always, always there for each other. I'm a sucker for good depictions of (queer) friendships and these fellows delivered big time. This show says hug your homies, hold their hand, kiss their cheeks, tell them you love them, let them know how important they are to you, and they are so right about that actually! I will die on this hill!!
- The pacing and development of Puen and Talay's relationship. As I already mentioned the buildup to every major step in their relationship is very well handled and given ample time to unfold at a slow but steady pace, but it's not just that. The way the show approaches their connection to each other hit me like a thousand bricks and made me shed actual tears a lot more often than I'd like to admit. From almost the beginning of the show these two are incredibly fond of one another and their friendly bickering becomes increasingly gentle and tender until it becomes a dynamic of "I love you so much, so there, take that you idiot, I'm expressing my genuine affection for you, suck it nerd!" at which point I think I lost my heart to this show for good.
- Dol and their understated defiance of gender norms and expression. Dol may not have been explicitly written as a trans character, but their character serves to gently question what gender identity really is and what it means for our lives but also to us personally. I absolutely adore them and wish we'd gotten to see more of them, although they do play a significant role in developing several important plot points.
- The show's approach to love in all its forms. This story boldly and deliberately blurs the lines between platonic, romantic, and queer love and emphasizes the importance of true human connection over trying to force a relationship along a predetermined course. Sometimes love means getting to know somebody over the course of several years until you've come to adore every single facet of their being and it doesn't even matter what type of love you're feeling for each other as long as you get to stay together. At the same time love can also mean the specific labelling of feelings and relationships and the boundless joy and excitement that come with being officially "in love" or "best friends" or "the most important person in each others' lives". This show says "No matter what happens, I'll go through it with you". "Remember, where there's you, there's me", it says, "Thank you for teaching me not to be afraid of tomorrow".
Some personal lowlights (aka Things I Didn't Like):
- How quickly Talay manages to resolve all the problems Tess created after returning to his own universe. I'm glad there were no great, drawn-out conflicts, but I did find myself thinking "Boy that was fast" every time Talay magically fixes whatever Tess broke. A very minor gripe in the grand scheme of things.
- How unresolved Tess and Tun's story felt by the end of the show. I know they weren't the focus of the show, but all the plot threads of Tun's unrequited love for Tess, Tess and Tun's reconciliation and subsequent separation in the alternate universe, and Tess' eventual return to his original universe, were all just barely touched on before being dropped completely. I know they play relatively minor roles in the story as a whole, but given the interesting dynamic that was hinted at between them and how solid the chemistry between Ohm and Nanon (their actors) is as we all know, I wish we'd gotten to see just a little bit more of these two.
In conclusion: A slow-paced, charmingly written and acted story about love, love, and once again love. If you want a show that provides a window into the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances who come to love each other deeply and fully while tugging at your heartstrings with how achingly gentle and real it feels, then this one is most definitely for you.
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