blackphillip
Brazil
This review may contain spoilers
Great actors but a vanilla story
This was supposed to be a sexy and hot series about two grown men in a friendship with benefits, but unfortunately what was delivered was a stagnant plot, without the slightest sexual tension and that wastes all the talent of the actors in a tangle of scenes that seem more like an advertisement for the products for sale on the GMM website.
My biggest problem is the lack of creativity and how the series decides to follow the most obvious and safe paths.
The main characters are very shallow. There is no development in their narrative. It's not like Wandee is a bland doctor who did everything for Dr. Ter and ended up being harmed by it and needed to learn to have confidence in himself. Or as if Yoryak was a famous boxer who ended up falling into disgrace after his mother died and due to his mental health began to lose all the fights. There was immense potential here but no, they're just going to pretend to be fake boyfriends and stare at each other for 8 episodes with the doctor turning his face away so as not to kiss Yoryak and pretending to like other people until they fall in love.
The aesthetics of the series are discouraging and boring. Wandee's apartment looks more like a set from a makeup YouTuber with the neon signs. The cinematography and direction are incapable of creating a homoerotic or sensual image of these two men. Where are the blood, the sweat, the bruises???
The sex scenes are frigid, the composition of the scene and the interactions between the two do not convey the slightest sensuality. And both actors are excellent, beautiful and have immense chemistry, but there is not a shred of sexual tension, there is not a scene that screams DESIRE, SEX AND LUST (with only the exception of the cake scene in the last ep) because everything is very flat and awkward.
It is fun to watch and the chemistry between the actors is engaging, but honestly, as someone who watches a lot of BLs I currently find myself bored with the lack of innovation in these series. There is no moment that makes you scream with anxiety or surprise. As flawed as it may be, Only Friends still had an excellent and electrifying start but here the entire adult aspect of the series is replaced by shallow characters who act in a childish way. There is no dialogue that leaves you with your heart in your hand. There is no attitude that surprises and changes the course of the story. It's all predictable, it's all obvious, it's all regurgitated from the same basic formula used in 90% of the BLs released.
Where's the originality? The sensuality? A boxer and a doctor is the perfect recipe for homoerotic imagery, for an enemy to lovers or a story of two totally different men falling in love. One of the most heteronormative and homophobic sports and one of the most traditional and rigid professions, and there is not a single comma discussing homophobia or any more real interaction.
It is possible to have a hot, fun, comical series and still be able to address several subjects and bring a different perspective. It is really a fine series, but it is more of the same.
It's more of an advertisement to sell cup decorations, printed pants, boxing glove keychains and those horrible children's toothbrushes than a series.
I love the secondary couple and it's a totally unexpected pair, but it works very well. They are without a doubt the best part of this series. The chemistry and the scenes between them are excellent and I wish they had more screen time.
Now Dr. Ter and Taem are two characters that are completely unnecessary to the plot. In addition to Plakao, who could have an interesting arc discussing his asexuality, but is completely ignored.
And I won't even discuss the way the series decides to discuss Yoryak's mental health. It's a joke the way it's developed and resolved as if it were just a lack of motivation for him to overcome his traumas.
And these easy resolutions are something common in the series. Any problem is resolved in the least exciting way possible.
It's an easy-to-watch series, fun to follow and the main couple exudes chemistry and beauty, but there's not a shred of originality here. It's an anemic story, without vision and with a direction incapable of creating even sensual scenes (and I'm not talking about sex and Challengers is there as proof). A huge waste of two excellent actors who could deliver a quality and truly different BL.
My biggest problem is the lack of creativity and how the series decides to follow the most obvious and safe paths.
The main characters are very shallow. There is no development in their narrative. It's not like Wandee is a bland doctor who did everything for Dr. Ter and ended up being harmed by it and needed to learn to have confidence in himself. Or as if Yoryak was a famous boxer who ended up falling into disgrace after his mother died and due to his mental health began to lose all the fights. There was immense potential here but no, they're just going to pretend to be fake boyfriends and stare at each other for 8 episodes with the doctor turning his face away so as not to kiss Yoryak and pretending to like other people until they fall in love.
The aesthetics of the series are discouraging and boring. Wandee's apartment looks more like a set from a makeup YouTuber with the neon signs. The cinematography and direction are incapable of creating a homoerotic or sensual image of these two men. Where are the blood, the sweat, the bruises???
The sex scenes are frigid, the composition of the scene and the interactions between the two do not convey the slightest sensuality. And both actors are excellent, beautiful and have immense chemistry, but there is not a shred of sexual tension, there is not a scene that screams DESIRE, SEX AND LUST (with only the exception of the cake scene in the last ep) because everything is very flat and awkward.
It is fun to watch and the chemistry between the actors is engaging, but honestly, as someone who watches a lot of BLs I currently find myself bored with the lack of innovation in these series. There is no moment that makes you scream with anxiety or surprise. As flawed as it may be, Only Friends still had an excellent and electrifying start but here the entire adult aspect of the series is replaced by shallow characters who act in a childish way. There is no dialogue that leaves you with your heart in your hand. There is no attitude that surprises and changes the course of the story. It's all predictable, it's all obvious, it's all regurgitated from the same basic formula used in 90% of the BLs released.
Where's the originality? The sensuality? A boxer and a doctor is the perfect recipe for homoerotic imagery, for an enemy to lovers or a story of two totally different men falling in love. One of the most heteronormative and homophobic sports and one of the most traditional and rigid professions, and there is not a single comma discussing homophobia or any more real interaction.
It is possible to have a hot, fun, comical series and still be able to address several subjects and bring a different perspective. It is really a fine series, but it is more of the same.
It's more of an advertisement to sell cup decorations, printed pants, boxing glove keychains and those horrible children's toothbrushes than a series.
I love the secondary couple and it's a totally unexpected pair, but it works very well. They are without a doubt the best part of this series. The chemistry and the scenes between them are excellent and I wish they had more screen time.
Now Dr. Ter and Taem are two characters that are completely unnecessary to the plot. In addition to Plakao, who could have an interesting arc discussing his asexuality, but is completely ignored.
And I won't even discuss the way the series decides to discuss Yoryak's mental health. It's a joke the way it's developed and resolved as if it were just a lack of motivation for him to overcome his traumas.
And these easy resolutions are something common in the series. Any problem is resolved in the least exciting way possible.
It's an easy-to-watch series, fun to follow and the main couple exudes chemistry and beauty, but there's not a shred of originality here. It's an anemic story, without vision and with a direction incapable of creating even sensual scenes (and I'm not talking about sex and Challengers is there as proof). A huge waste of two excellent actors who could deliver a quality and truly different BL.
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