This review may contain spoilers
Is this still worth watching in 2021?
News flash, it aint. (Summary in last paragraph lol.)Okay so lets start with the likes and positives seeing if I would end with the positive points, it would be like giving painkillers to someone who has been hit by a car.
- The cast was cute, but more importantly knew how to portray emotions when the focus was solely on them. Tharn's actor knew how to cry, Lhong's actor did a great job towards the ending, showing how sad he must have been yet clearly showing Lhong missed a couple screws.
-The supporting cast did their part well. Techno seemed like a true ride or die or atleast long term best friend. Tum played a very, VERY, loving brother so well. Just by the protective nature and his whole demeanour you could see something really hurt Tar, and Tum REALLY loved him.
-Sets were believable, I would stay in most of the dorms. The main theme song grew on me over time, but the original singer did it better then most of the covers by the cast for me. He really embodied it.
Okay so now for the reason 4 stars is pretty high for this trainwreck-
Does who ever wrote this, see consent, as a kink? Tell me. Because once you really sit down and rewatch some scenes, (which is why I do not recommend rewatching, it ruins the show as a whole if the ending did not yet.) you see consent was a word no one had in their dictonairy. And I mean NO ONE. If you know someone their trauma and its origin, you would think to respect it and stop being a selfish sex monster. (Like a normal human being, but the show fails to do that right with most of our lovely cast) Hell, someone who has not made it clear if they have ANY romantic or sexual attraction towards you, is a no go. The show handles trauma and consent as if it is just something as normal as buying groceries and it does not need to be respected. Neither do boundaries. That are made clear. If I tell you not to kiss me in public, you don't. If you do, don't get mad at me for getting mad and demand an apology. What world do you live on? Tell me so that I can assure NASA skips it.
The plot twist "Lhong" was. not. needed. PERIODT. I get that you want a shock factor for the final episode, an unexpected plot twist, but this was just poorly done, and hell, a show that FAILS to treat trauma, rape and other serious topics with the maturity and approach they need, should in no way, shape or form have done the twist it pulled. Also how the show decided to end this twist once again removes the seriousness of the topic and makes it seem like a joke. Had Lhong declared his love for Tharn whilst Tharn, went through it, (CAUSE CHILLEEEE, How he even got home in the state he was in? Did he drive? how he aint crash?) they dated, Type moved on, Tharn and Type figured they cant live without eachother and had to deal with their current flings and trying to get rid of the other their partner AND fix their own relationship would have been better then this. Lhong deserved a better final couple episodes then this. Even if it was just him being the supportive bestie who hid his feelings forever. (And did not ruin any relationships till date of course.) It would have been better, and maybe a more emotional rollecoaster for us as audience. The show milks anger from us because ThE MaIN COupLe Has A tHreaT, and that way tries to keep its plot interesting. Well once you are angered out, this facade flops and u see the shit plot for what it is before the shitshow even ends. I am not excusing what Lhong did in cannon, it just should have never been cannon, ESPECIALLY in this show that can not do it right.
Type, is just an asshole and how Tharn even felt for him is beyond me. Tharn (no angel either) as well being so over sexual it becomes predator-ish is a problem. The show once again over glorifies problematic traits and makes it seem "cute or sexy" when relationships could never work like this in reality and excuses this behavior by making it work in the end in a happy ending, that could never exist in any reality. I get it, fiction is supposed to be an extreme, and fairy tale like so we can escape. HOWEVER. It has been shown this can be down SO well, without having to overglorify, excuse or romanticize, the inexcusable or overly problematic to the point its not fiction, just unrealisitic. The show also fails to end the cans of worms it opens. For example, Tharn's homophobia never really goes away, it just gets swept under the rug, since he is not homophobic to Tharn anymore. He says it himself, he still hates gays, just not Tharn.
So, the show is not worth it, because it does not know how to deal with the immense serious topics it puts in the plot, just for shock. It even makes the topics seem so normal or insignificant that the topics almost become a joke. There never is any punishment or resolution next to a punch or kick, promoting violence over common sense. If this plot made any sense to begin with. This story many times made me really think it was a bad wattpad (365 days level plot/writing) story adapted into a show. How anyone let this plot on TV is beyond me, since there are much better BL shows, so the standard is there. The couple good points and the very real/good acting at times can by FAR not save this. No matter how many cute smooches, hugs, unrealistic dynamics or sparkly sound effects you put in the show. Once you remove that pink filter of "WoW HOw CuTe!!1!!" you would see how f*cked up this show is. (again no hate for the actors tho)
ps this is all my experience, likes, dislikes and opinion, if u disagree, too bad but let me live-
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