Worst of all...?

EDIT: Just finished. Long review ahead!!!

This Thai adaptation was the 3rd drama adaptation of the novel "Are You Addicted?" The first two adaptations were produced by China titled "Addicted" on 2016 and "Stay With Me" on 2023. When the news that the novel was getting a Thai adaptation, people were expectant and had high hopes because people believed there would be no limitations and censorship compared to the first two. However, things did not go well with this one.

PLOT: Since the source material is Chinese, the first two adaptations did not really change a lot plot-wise. This adaptation really presented Thai culture.

- From the get go, episode 1, it was different from the first two adaptations.
-They included religious activities/practices that were not in the source material.
- Hero had someone (the lady) who he stayed with, while the novel and the first two adaptations did not. Poppy had a job while Lou Yin/Su Yu did not.
- Unfortunately, they did not execute well the "penmanship" scenes which really affected the chemistry of Hero and Poppy. In my opinion, those parts were iconic and should always be present in every adaptation of the novel.
- They also rushed to remove Lala/Jin Lu Lu's parts. The "mooncake" part lost its original significance and just became off.
- The supposed first plot point wherein the mother would gate crash the auntie's store grand opening was also not the same and rushed. In this adaptation, it happened during the parent's day where both parents attended instead of only the mother.
- The second plot point, the r*pe scene, was also change and was not as impactful as it should've been.
- ML's cousin was tamer in this adaptation. He was so much of a nuisance in the novel. For the record, yes he was attracted to the MC.
- The father was so much harsher in this adaptation.
- The ending was different from the novel and the other two adaptations, mainly Stay With Me. For the record, Stay With Me depicted the exact ending of the 1st novel. The two lead characters did get into an accident because ML's cousin tampered the breaks of the car.


Going in to the 5th episode, Hero and Poppy's chemistry is not there just yet. What I did like was Hero's confession scene. The way he laid his head cutely on Poppy's tied hands was a cute detail. However, the "angle kiss" was rather disappointing. I understood why (and this was also controversial and problematic) but it could've been avoided if they did not cast a minor as one of the lead role.

EDIT: The chemistry of the two is nonexistent. I just couldn't feel the attraction between them even with the montage of them sleeping.

CASTS: Personally, they could've done better with the casting, especially with Poppy. This adaptation was rather badly welcomed because the casting of a minor, being paired with an adult, and being part of a series which deals with adult themes.

August's (Hero) acting is good but Mac's (Poppy) is not. He did not portray Bai Lou Yin to my expectations. The same with Poppy's family. It felt so detached like I couldn't feel the family vibes with them. I think it's because of poor execution. The leads' friends were also stiff. I don't think they're friends at all LOL.

MUSIC: The OST matches the vibes of the series. But it's not impactful to me to the point that I would look it up.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Now this deserves a little praise. I loved the locations, especially that area to Poppy's house with the tall trees. However, it's a little stereotypical that the color grading is yellow or warm just because they're in the country side. It's just like in western movies wherein if the location is in Mexico, it would always be warm/yellow-toned.

TONE & MOOD: I am conflicted with this. The common Thai humor is pretty obvious. The series is "sunny" and "bright" overall and while I understand the humorous tone (the novel had humorous undertone too) it took away the seriousness of some scenes. I felt like the series was just presented too bright.

CONCLUSION: I have finished watching and I could tell that this would be the adaptation with the lowest rating among the three adaptations. From the controversial casting of a minor to the overall writing and execution, I believed this was a wasted opportunity to finally produce a decent adaptation of the novel. In all honesty, I have just fast forwarded the remaining half of the drama. While I understand and appreciate that they adapted it culturally, in the end the execution was just a fail.

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Heartwarming

Okay, so I have watched the movie adaptation of this a long time ago and I don't exactly remember the events but I remember the what I felt when I watched it. So when I heard there's gonna be a drama adaptation, I was beyond stoked.

The casts: I was pleasantly satisfied with the actors' performance. They all felt real and their interactions as well as how they are in their day-to-day lives all felt natural. Those nuances, little details like their facial expression even when they're just in the background or the camera is not focused on them, felt natural.

The story/plot: I have not read the manga which this was based on but I read somewhere that the drama was not far from the source material. Even Maya's appearance was accurate. Contrary to other violent reactions towards Maya, I did not find her character and her actions annoying. However, they could've removed Maya's parts and replaced it with other situations that would help or progress the relationship of Kohei and Taichi. However, I also do understand that it’s also important to have another perspective when it comes to hearing impairment.

The music: Yuuhinoue by Takaya Kawasaki is probably one of the best song I've ever heard. The first time I heard it, I immediately teared up. So imagine every time it plays in the end of every episode, I just couldn't contain my emotions. It's one of kind.

Rewatch value: Definitely rewatchable.

Overall, I did not rate this a perfect 10 stars because it was too short lol. Or perhaps they could've have made the last episode longer to give a more proper conclusion and ending. It felt a little abrupt.

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Repetitive

At first I though the first 4 episodes were cute but I got bored after that. Since it's Like only 10 episodes, they could've shown much more significant things rather than eating curry, the mom having an accident, the several walking lol, etc.

They could have delved deeper with Takara's past with his mom, like having a conclusion, something like that. The final episode had a lot of random scenes. They could have utilized those minutes for other more impactful scenes.

As for the characters, Japanese shows tend to have characters that are so timid and ignorant it's getting irritating. The actors were great though .

Overall, it's rewatchable if you're bored or you missed Iwase Yoji's visual.

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It's not that bad

As I am writing this, I have watched this series for the 2nd time. Right from the start, My Only 12% gave off an I Told Sunset About You vibes, the only difference is this one is much lighter and fluffier than ITSAY. I like the cinematography, the acting esp. of Santa's knowing that he's like a newbie. He's very natural when it comes to teasing. Earth was also good. Basically, everyone did a good job with their roles.

What I don't like is Cake's character development. At first, he was the greenest flag of all while Eiw was the red-ish flag (not really but some). But after returning from America, Cake has totally transformed into the reddest flag. The goal for Eiw was achieved but not for Cake. Why did they do that to Cake's character? It was sad to see Cake turn out like that. Also, it could have been a different conflict at the end, why would they kill her mom and add more drama. In my opinion, it wasn't necessary to have someone die to reach enlightenment and what.

Additionally, the entire series pretty much have sleeping scenes. Almost, if not all, episodes have them sleeping in their room. It's tiring to see them sleeping and waking up. The first episodes, I get it as ut establishes the characters, the habit of cuddling, as their comfort and solace. But it was getting tiring to see the repetitive conflict for a 14-episode series. The music was not too bad, but it wasn't memorable.

Again, I am writing this and I have watched this for the 2nd time so , rewatch value is an 8.

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A passing drama

The drama was not the best out there, maybe bordering to bad and good. The story could've been great if the drama was given longer scene durations and episodes.

Let me just say that the actors in the drama are all good-looking lol. The set and production design are also beautiful, esp. the studio. I also appreciate the suits, I'm not that fashionable to comment on that aspect but I still appreciate the fashion.

Acting wise, I believe that if the drama was longer, the actors could've have given their best but since it's just 8 episodes and 20 something minutes, they were restricted. Still, the acting wasn't bad and amateurish.

Contrary to some reviews about the music, the two OSTs by Jeff Satur are my taste when it comes to music. They were beautiful and I suggest to check them out.

Overall, it's a so-so drama. It won't be memorable like others but it won't leave a bad impression.

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Beautiful

The first few scenes were really beautiful and well-done. I agree that some scenes felt like fillers and irrelevant. I also skipped the parts of the second couple (sorry). One thing confused me was the situation of Chen Ying. I felt like it was unsolved and very unclear. The last episode felt like it was rushed and it's sad because it could have been better or it could have ended another way. It's slow phased at first and I think it was appropriate.

I commend the acting of Wan Peng. She was very likable. She's a cheerful type of person that is not annoying and/or childish. Her smile is cute and charming. I really liked how she acted, it felt natural and real. I also like Evan Lin's acting and singing. His smile was heart fluttering lol.

Overall, it's a good watch.

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CUTE AND LIGHT

I was never a fan of dramas with games as the theme. This was in my watchlist for a couple of months and after a hellish exam week, I decided to watch this because I heard this was good and light. I was surprisingly intrigued with the game. I thought that Chinese dramas like these have huge budget to develop very high quality effects. I really like Cheng-ge. He's very charming whatever his expression is. I kind of don't like the main girl's acting. Idk but I was just looking for more. Surprisingly, I found Pope the most appealing out of everyone. He has this presence that's a scene stealer. The way he smirks like omg. I learned that he's the only Chinese artist of YG Entertainment and that speaks A LOT.

Anyway, the drama is very light towards the end. It's very enjoyable and just a feel-good drama after a stressful day.

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Intense

I always see this lakorn in recommendations when it comes to jealousy, possessiveness, abusive and obsessed. I think that these words really fit the main guy's character. Like literally. He's the real definition of every words stated above. I am still confused when did the main girl fall in love with the guy. How, when, and why. She was kidnapped, threatened, blackmailed, and raped by him and she still has the time to fall in love with him? This is by far the most ridiculous plot ever. It's a shame because the acting of the main leads were really great and on point.

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What???

Okay what the heck was that last episode?? It was a terrible way to end a drama! I know there's a 2nd season but seriously, the last episode was not IT. They could have chosen other parts of the book for the last ep. Spoiler ahead...
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Wang intentionally flunked the exams because he wanted to distance himself from Tian because of his feelings. But they resolved this, comes Wangzai's bday and that's when they confess and got together. If I'm not mistaken that's when they first kissed too (in the novel). After that, the had an exam and Wangzai got back to Class A, JiaHao failed, and that's when the angst started. I think this parts would've been the better option to end the 1st season.

For the cast: I'm okay with their performance, however, Liu Dong Qin does not really look like a high school student. I'm a little flabbergasted why they casted adults to play high school students!

The music: It's great and fitting.

The plot: It's not new. It's actually very common for a coming-of-age slash slice-of-life genre. What I appreciate was the world building. Like I've read stories and watched movies/dramas that show students but don't live like one (they spend most of their time outside than in school which is unrealistic). With this, one, especially in the novel, it really presented the idle yet eventful life of a student. They built Wangzai and Tian's student god images with actions and not merely a description. They actually showed how they study, how much time they spend on it, and whatnots. Typically, authors would just say that their MCs and MLs are studious, geniuses, etc. without showing how they are like that. But in this story, it's the opposite.

I understand why other people find this boring and slow but I appreciate its pace. People got used to fast-paced dramas like in the 3rd ep the lead characters are already in love and whatnots. People forget the MC and ML are still high school student. What could they do beside going to school and studying?

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would definitely wait for the 2nd season. A must watch and rewatch!

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It's giving

Another Taiwanese BL that did not disappoint.

I have not read the novel so I don't know if it stayed true for the most part of the series but it was really great.

I especially loved how the actors acted. They felt really natural; the subtle movements, facial expressions, even their breathing looked natural. The comic elements did not feel forced.

Plot wise, there were parts that I was still confused about. There were scenes that I felt was unnecessary, parts where it could have been delved deeper. But hey, as I said, I have not read the story so I can't say much.

Overall, I can say I did not regret watching it and certainly I would watch it again and again.

Edit on April 26, 2024, 1 day after watching the series...

I finished reading the main story of Da ge and wow I could say that they did not stay true to the novel, like a good 80% is different. I especially dislike that they made Xiao Bao and San Pang a couple in the series. It's creepy, weird, and wrong like dude watched her grow up, even babysat her and they made them a couple?? Xiao Bao in the novel achieved her dreams of becoming a model and an actress, San Pang in the novel met another girl and had a family. I don't understand why they had to change the two's fate and created a weird relationship in the series.

Also, Xian in the novel at least in the beginning was far cold hearted than in the series. Yuan, on the other hand, well, still a loyal and obedient puppy.

And you know what, the relationship between Qian and Yuan, both the novel and the series had the same vague transition from being brothers to lovers. It just kind of happened. And yeah, in the novel, it was Qian who made the first move, while it was Yuan in the series.

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On-hold

Haven't finished this because of no eng subs for ep 8 and the rest of the eps. So far so good though, the FL is very tough and witty. I just think that the ML is crazy here. Like he allowed his soon -to-be-wife to live with him and his mistress (which is the FL) and allowed two more women to live with them! I would understand if the time was way back but it wasn't. It's ridiculous. The supposedly fiancee has no backbone too. She just let's the ML do whatever he wants with the other women. The FL here is really great, kudos to her acting and for the writers who gave her hilarious comebacks.

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