Crazy, but Fun

Like the title of this review, Only Friends was crazy, but fun. There's a LOT of drama, but that's the whole point of the show. If you're looking for a gentle, sweet, kiss-on-the-cheek drama, check out 2gether or something like that. This show is NOT for the people wanting the innocent first love story. This show is meant for the people that want the drama that comes with boys that are capital M - messy!

Story:
I gave the storyline an 9.0 instead of a 10.0 because there were so many misunderstandings. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good misunderstanding, but it felt like there was a point where the only drama for every couple was the a misunderstanding arc. Use it once or twice, but don't keep reusing it in the same fashion for every couple. Communication is key!
I will say, the ending was pretty good and the way that the characters reacted to things was fairly understandable/reasonable for their characterization. This is to say that the reactions may not have been reasonable in a modern IRL setting for an everyday person, but for the characters and their stories, the reactions and motives were fairly on point.

Acting:
First/Khaotung were amazing as always. Their chemistry is OUTSTANDING. I loved them in The Eclipse and I loved them here. They were messy messy, but they were real in a way that I appreciate. Sand stayed firm in his boundaries and Ray learned how to see himself through Sand's eyes leading him to loving himself more than he had in the past.

Give it a go if you're looking for a far more mature series (and you're not afraid of a little mess.)

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Okay, but Not Incredible

There have been worse, there have been better. I feel like that sums up the story.

Overall, the story isn't bad. The cinematography is nice and JoongDunk do have nice chemistry with each other. Other than that, nothing to write home about. It wasn't overtly unique, but it was a decent watch.

I didn't regret watching it, but I think I would like to see how these MLs do with a more mature script. Maybe it's because the college/high school arc is getting old, but I'd love to see Thai dramas in general move forward out of the school era.

Overall: Decent watch, but not life-altering.

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Give It A Chance

I gave this show a chance because of Ohm and Perth. I found it scrolling on YouTube one day and decided to try it.
I am SO glad that I did.
Here's the thing, the story is not perfect. I'm not here to tell you that this show is an absolute masterpiece. However, this show captivated me for some inexplicable reason. So much so, that I watched it twice through without a break in between.

Acting: 10/10
Ohm and Perth play off of each other extremely well. So well, that everything else falls to the wayside in this drama. No matter what, the story was driven by the amazing acting that we got out of those two.
Ohm's ability to have chemistry with everyone is amazing. I was blown away by these two.
Perth grew up so much and it was so nice to see him actively enjoying his role (even though he was slightly crazed for part of it lol)
Seriously, I thought I was a fan of theirs before this, but this drama made them enter my top 10 GMMTV actors (possibly even top 10 Thai actors in general).

Storyline: 8.5/10
Like I said, the show isn't perfect. I would have loved to see the abuse that Korn suffers at his father's hands looked at a bit more carefully. He was abused (physically, emotionally, and mentally) for his entire childhood. He was constantly degraded, humiliated, and beaten - even in front of his peers and community. Personally, I would have loved to see a bit more focus on the effects of that on his mental health.
In addition to that, there were some pretty loose plot points. Overall, the story is interesting and pretty easy to follow. There have been much worse, but there have also been masterpieces. I give the storyline itself a 8.5/10

If you take anything from this review, take this away: give it a chance. At worst, it's a bit of a waste of time. At best, you get a new, amazing drama to enjoy.

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AMAZING

This show changed the way that I judged military dramas.

Acting: 10/10
The acting in this drama was amazing. Yang yang once again proves what a powerhouse he can be.

Storyline: 10/10
While this show has quite a bit of propaganda, most military/special forces dramas have some level of "we are the greatest, most powerful, smartest country in the whole wide world" mentality. I would urge you not to drop or skip this show just because of that.
The storyline follows a young man that is desperate with a capital D to prove himself the strongest after a traumatising experience as a child and his father's very ineffective way of handling it (IMO).
One thing that I LOVED about this drama is that Yang Yang doesn't get to just coast through as the top dog. He's talented (extremely so), but he doesn't overpower everyone automatically. He struggles to appreciate the value of other people's contributions, setting himself above everyone else. He learns the hard way that, in order to succeed, he'll need to rely on those around him.

10/10 recommend.

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