cute updated version of the manga

this is definitely not a play by play of the manga, but that’s not a bad thing.

anyone who read this growing up knows this manga was pretty toxic and unhealthy relationship wise. this kept the overall premise of a boy from a superstar family and the rising star actor who falls for him with much less blatant homophobia, abuse, SA, and violence. they switched the focus to be on coming out and having a public relationship rather than getting the shy boy into the acting world where his family wants him.

the relationships are more sweet and less sexualized than in the manga but so much healthier. the only thing about that is it felt like they didn’t develop very far. they focus so hard on being accepted that it didn’t seem like they really even got to know each other much or do too much dating.

the parents are also much healthier and less blatantly neglectful and stupid than in the manga but it also feels like they don’t use that awareness to speak to their kids seriously about their relationships.

it’s cute. the pairs do well. the elder brother and manage pairing was my favorite in the manga and I wish I’d seen more of them, as those actors seemed to have more natural chemistry. not a bad fluffy show but too short to do much with the characters

Read More

well acted given what they had to work with.

Everything about the show sounded so cool. I’ve seen the leads in other shows, and this one really gave them they opportunity to show growth and depth of character in a way that I hadn’t seen before. absolutely fantastic.

the plot is based of a novel, which I haven’t read, but involves a portal to effectively a parallel earth where events unfold slightly differently. initially, this is shown pretty well. natasit’s character loses his lover, falls through the portal, is determined to keep him alive in that world. this new world’s natasit is dead, however and was the lover of max instead, creating its own romantic conflict along with the organized crime and general sci-fi/fantasy issues of world hopping. as the show progresses, the rules of worlds become less clear and a mystery illness appears. the ending in particular feels… surreal. and potentially unreliable. as though you can’t tell if the characters ending is what is shown because you can’t rely on them to tell the story anymore. I do wonder a bit if some of this is my lacking context for Thai culture. maybe there are clues in the illness or rituals or way the portal is set to work that would make more sense if I had better background or had read the novel. but as it stands, regardless of how gorgeous the shooting and incredibly acted it is, I can’t really say for certain how it ended or if there was meant to be a specific message.

I enjoyed it. I hope to see many more things with all of the actors. they had a very small part but I did find myself attached to the cute little side couple too. I just feel like this could have been amazing and I am instead super confused

Read More