FKA REY
Paris
A successful metaphorical ode to freedom
Let there be no mistake: reducing the scenario to the curse of an eclipse and teenage love stories would be a mistake. What is dealt with here is the right to freedom, whatever it may be, especially individual freedom. Why follow rules if they do not bring anything good? Why accept things that are bad for you? The different protest movements are all shown in a non-violent light, which makes them even more relevant. These topics were already covered in NOT ME, and it is nice to see that people are engaging with these issues in places where it is not necessarily easy to express one's personal opinion. Bravo to them!Another interesting point to raise is the way homosexuality is dealt with. For once, we have an ordinary man who comes out, whereas usually, men who have a relationship with a man define themselves by "I'm not gay but". It's not pansexual, it's just that they refuse to admit that a manly man can be homosexual, which is somehow homophobic. Here, nothing of the sort, and the subject is assumed. And on top of that, we are portrayed with parents who can handle the situation.
The acting, finally, is very good. Khao had managed to give consistency to his character in TONHON CHONLATEE, which was a real feat given the complete failure of this series. Neo and Louis had almost saved FISH UPON THE SKY from the slump in which this series was. And AJ is still doing very well in his supporting roles - we are waiting for his main role, he deserves it. So, no surprise that the acting is great.
In summary, this series is a successful and necessary ode to freedom in these times when it is regressing all over the world.
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An unpretentious and enjoyable story
First of all, the actors are all good, even those in very secondary roles. We let ourselves be taken in by this story of enemies-to-lovers rather quickly. The personality of each is well described. The story is a bit messy but I think it's voluntary because the people have a lot of pseudo-existential problems so it works.Plus, we're on a comedy and we stick with it, which is nice.
In summary: we spend a good time watching this series, carried by a great cast and a nice story. I recommend it.
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Where's the script?
The script is simple, probably too simple. We'd like the characters' secrets and their community life to be more developed, but no. It's all a pretext for gravelly allusions. A number of secondary subjects are touched on at the outset, but remain unaddressed after several episodes. The characters are also a touch pushy. It's boring, the scenes all look the same.So after 5 episodes, I'm giving up!
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Terribly insipid
We had a good subject that was different from the ordinary - this story of parallel worlds. The problem is that instead of focusing on it, the series only concentrates on an umpteenth uninventive love story drowned in countless product placements, each one longer than the next, which GMMTV has unfortunately made a specialty of (it's at the same level as in FISH UPON THE SKY, that's for sure!). The actors' performance ends up being affected: how could they be credible when they have to spend their time explaining to you how to eat KFC chicken or why you should drink Ohishi Honey Lemon 0%?The 2 characters with whom the 2 heroes are exchanged don't even get a little bit of storyline, it's a shame!
At the 9th episode, I realized that nothing better was going to happen, so I decided to give up. In short, don't waste your time with this series.
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I loved it!
An excellent, very interesting series. The fantasy aspect is not excessive and the police plot is well handled. The pace is good, with no lulls. You're captivated by the story.Sensitive subjects are dealt with without exaggeration: corruption, mafia, murder, impunity. A welcome change from the constant sensationalism of this kind of story.
There's no Manicheanism, and we know that not everything is black and white. Another good point.
As for the many very explicit sex scenes, apart from the first one, which I found excessive, the others fit the story well. The first scene between the 2 heroes is hooootttt
Best BL series of 2024?
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Mixed opinion
At first, I was quite happy: good actors, a fun story and an original Japanese version that I liked. Atom and Mudmee's chaotic attitude is amusing and a good time is had by all.The problem is that the story is too simple for a 12-episode series. So after a while, the series goes round in circles and you start to get a bit bored. The countless product placements don't help matters, quite the opposite in fact!
To sum up, although I initially preferred the Thai version, I'm now leaning towards the Japanese version.
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It started out so well!
We had everything we needed to make it work. A desire to show professional life for what it really is. A romance that takes its time to understand how the heroes fall in love.The problem, which took me a long time to understand, is that Pat's character is extremely toxic. At first, we feel sorry for him and his "I overthink 24/7 and have zero self-confidence" side. But as the episodes progress, we realize that he makes no effort to adapt to others. He's always running away from the slightest problem (and with him, EVERYTHING is a problem) and he can never make a decision on his own. His ex even has to give him advice about his relationship with his other ex - the last straw! Watching the last episode, you end up getting very annoyed.
Jeng isn't perfect either. His need to control everything is problematic, but we're not on the same level as Pat. All in all, Jeng is reminiscent of that friend who spends his time getting back together with his toxic ex, despite his friends' recommendations.
As for the secondary characters, most of them serve no purpose. Jaab's story is both incomprehensible and unfinished.
In short, it's hard to enjoy this series to the end because of its unlovable main character. The very successful first episodes aren't enough.
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This review may contain spoilers
I expected worse but it could have been better
The scenario is not very dense but the series is unpretentious so it's not too embarrassing. The real problem is the slowness of the show which ruins everything. Moreover, there are too many characters and above all, the interaction between Kit and Mark is not credible for a second even if the 2 actors are at their best: their relationship is stuck in a childish beyond reality. Who is going to make us believe that 2 guys around 20 behave like 13 year old teenagers ? This modesty misplaced in the numerous (no) sex scenes does not make sense...In reality, the childishness takes too much place in all the series, too bad ! The positive point is that we want to know the continuation and especially that Thanu realizes (it's my wish, I don't know if it will come true!) that he has a real crush for Pai and for nobody else (everybody will hate me when reading this HAHAHA).
Oh, let's hope they stop in season 2 with these permanent sound effects when people talk! It's unbearable and so old-fashioned.
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Not unpleasant to watch but not unforgettable
The series depicts office life rather well. It lacks depth, but it's realistic enough. We follow the interns through everything that can happen to them, whether professional or personal. It's not ultra-captivating, but it works.As for the love story between Ryan and Jane, it takes a bit of a back seat. It's a shame, because it's hard to understand how they come to love each other.
A major problem with this series is the character of Ryan, who is absolutely unlovable: whiny, childish but above all incompetent, which is problematic for a series set in the corporate world. It's hard to understand what Jane sees in him.
As for Jane, the series takes too long to develop his character.
In short: a fairly decent series, but likely to be quickly forgotten.
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A good series but lacks rhythm
The series is interesting and deals with sensitive subjects. The protagonists are very sober in their development and the end product is endearing.The problem is that, after a while, the story stops moving forward and the episodes start to sound the same. Boredom is not far off, and that's a pity, because 8 episodes would have been more than enough and we wouldn't have had this feeling.
All in all, this series is pleasant without being exceptional. When the scenario is simple, there's no point in making too many episodes.
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A series that lacks finesse
It starts with stories about rally cars. There are big cars, espionage and mysteries. In short, it gets off to a pretty good start.But all of a sudden, this omegaverse story takes over. First of all, not everyone is familiar with it. Some explanation would have been appreciated. The problem is that the story becomes chaotic: there's a permanent lack of coherence, the dialogue is poor and our car races come and go without us really understanding how. Theoretically, there are a lot of theatrical coups, but they're so predictable that they're not. The last episode is absolutely grotesque.
The acting gets worse and worse as the series scatters off in all directions.
The innumerable sex scenes and permanent good morals are not enough to save this series.
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Not unpleasant to watch but lacking in consistency
The story is quite simple but not uninteresting. The subjects are quite modern: acceptance of homosexuality, sexual violence, depression, work relationships. The actors are quite convincing.Unfortunately, these good points are not enough to erase the problems of this series:
1/ Cher's character is really irritating, especially at the beginning: talks too much to say everything that goes through his head, does too much, takes up too much space. He calms down afterwards but as we had difficulty to get attached to him at the beginning, it remains complicated to be captivated by his story. On the contrary, Gun is very bland. The contrast between the two leaves a strange impression.
2/ Most of the subjects, quite modern, are only skimmed over. We would like to know more and understand the resolutions.
3/ The love story is badly described. We don't understand how they fall in love and especially so quickly.
In summary, this series is rather pleasant to watch but will not leave an imperishable memory.
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excellent series, both intimate and realistic
The only reason I don't put 10 is because that rating is reserved for I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU & UNCONTROLLED LOVE.By the way, it has some of the vibes as ITSAY, in that the story is approached in an intimate and modest way. The scenes are beautiful, everything is projected with a light sometimes raw, sometimes poetic.
The actors are very convincing, we believe in them from beginning to end. The secondary characters are all useful to the story.
The problems are approached in a realistic way without doing too much: guilt, depression, job search, ... The life in Korea is shown without filter. We are far from the colorful world of Kpop - and somehow, it's better.
To see without hesitation.
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An interesting story whose end is unfortunately botched
What is interesting about this series is that it shows how a person tries to get on with his life by dealing with his own past traumas. We learn again that it is difficult to cut ties with our parents even when they have been and still are abusive. We also see how difficult it is to deal with harassment at work.We also see a story where FWB relationships are not incompatible with caring, which is appreciated.
The problem is that by the time all the issues need to be resolved - I'd say by the middle of episode 8 - everything is rushed and glossed over. There are no details and it seems that the only objective, all of a sudden, is to make fan service with scenes all more sweet than the others. The last episode, which is not unpleasant to watch, has not an ounce of realism. Too bad for a show that was trying to show aspects of life in a somewhat credible way.
In conclusion, this series loses an opportunity to stand out positively from other series of the same style.
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Too superficial
We've got some really good subjects: relationships between men in the very heteronormed world of boxing, debts, work relationships, complex romantic relationships... Unfortunately, all these subjects are tackled with a damaging lightness. There's absolutely zero depth. We have adult stories with immature characters. It's predictable and conventional.The characters are too much, and to make matters worse I find that Great's acting is not good at all. We don't believe in his character for a moment.
I got fed up and stopped watching.
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