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  • Last Online: Oct 28, 2024
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: South Africa
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jojoce

South Africa

jojoce

South Africa
Completed
Love at the End of the World
4 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Mar 20, 2022
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

It's been done, by much better writers and directors.

The idea behind this was good. But Gregg Araki explored this theme in numerous movies, and has done it better.

Also, 'erotic' does not equal good story telling. Why don't the directors get it?
It's as shallow as most Todd Verow films.

Add some scenes that are exact copies of Sense8, and you get another lazy script and series.

And lastly, 'art' projects still has a story to tell, this show as no idea where is is going, and the end is a convoluted mess.
Was there even an 'end of the world'?
Renzo and Chris was the only characters that I cared about, but then we get the most cliched ending for the couple.

Do we really need to stereotype a Thai character.

There is a black screen with the word 'AAAARGH!!' as subtitles in the last episode and this was exactly how I felt about this show.

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Completed
A Tale of Thousand Stars
6 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Mar 3, 2022
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 6.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Fantastic. Beautiful, but... This is not a LGBT+ show or a gay romance.

Absolutely beautiful. Almost perfect story.
Fantastic cinematography. Everything was almost perfect, but...
This was a perfect example of a BL for women. I can see why it scores so high with that demographic.

One word for this show, manipulative. I was looking forward to the last 3 episodes... But then Tian reverts to a child that cannot make his own decisions.

1. This was bromance, not romance. Slight innuendos and minor flirting does not make this a love story.

2. The writing made Tian's entire character a plot device. Tian's own feelings and acts were underplayed. It was Torfun's acts that was constantly talked about and praised, making HER the protagonist and not Tian.

3. Major problem with the 'Tian lied' storyline. Yes he did not tell them about the heart transplant, but it was Pupha and the rest of the officers that decided not to tell the villagers about her death. Being mad at him was very hypocritical, especially considering:

4. The revelation that Tian's father asked Pupha to look after Tian. Nothing about this made sense. It felt like a plot device just added to provide conflict. If this was true Pupha would have known about the heart transplant from the beginning.

5. The chemistry between the leads were never really explored. Instead we got multiple shots of a shirtless Earth.
A lot of reviewers are praising the almost total lack of intimacy between Tian and Pupha, citing their character's traits.
Sorry, no. That is not how relationships work. It really got frustrating and at the end, insulting.

Again, beautiful show, but it might as well have been made with male and female leads. (It almost felt like it was with the constant Torfun flashbacks.)

It could have been perfect.

Edited to add, after reading other 10/10 reviews, I'm changing the rating because of the manipulation by the director.

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Completed
The Miracle of Teddy Bear
4 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
May 4, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

How to create a Greek tragedy in 16 steps OR JK! We're still homophobes.

Everything about this show is almost flawless.
The photography is fantastic, the storytelling progresses well.
Editing and styling wise this is a beautiful show.

But, and this is a massive issue with the show, they try to downplay some very dark themes of as cute.
Anyone that has had some serious trauma in their life should stay far from this show. It will mess you up.

The show needs so many trigger warnings! It checks all the boxes. We have assault, homophobia, murder, familial violence and finally the big one. Suicide.

The marketing for this show was done wrong.
Even the poster implies a different ending. There is no Tarn in sight.
This should never have been a gay romance, instead it should just have been a statement on Thai society, period.
The love story between Tofu and Nut should never have been explored.

Tofu is in my opinion the only main character, anyone else is secondary.
We get to know each character as Tofu breaks the fourth wall and tells their stories.
We cry with him, sympathize with him. Get our hearts broken with him.

But then this show does the unthinkable, it leaves the main Character with no choice but to commit suicide.

It does not give him room to move, it does not give the viewer any respite from the fact that this character needs to die.

Although a lot of people does not see his actions as suicide, the fact the he KNOWINGLY does something with the intend to die is the definition of suicide.

None of the previous fifteen episodes with all its violence and dark themes prepares you for the writer's need to change the lovable teddy bear into a martyr.

We then have the show glorify this character's death as heroic, and it has the audacity to think that the character we grow to love is nothing but an inanimate object anyway so what's the problem?

We are treated to social commentary and themes of recovery but this all gets nullified by the choice the writer forces on the character.

According to the director, Tofu is 'other' and 'lesser'. The director's even goes so far as to say he should not exist, and this is why he cannot be with Nut, Tarn is the end goal because he is human.

This is a contradiction to the series theme and message.

It is the way LGBT people are seen and made to feel, and to have Tofu actually die out of a sense of guilt is not what the show is trying to tell for 15 episodes.

Be warned, this is a dark show. It is not fluffy, it pretends to be, but it spirals into darkness in the last few episodes and though it tries to get away with a cute ending, it cannot get away from the fact that none of it's characters will ever recover from the trauma dealt to them.

You cannot get away with Nut's character going through so much trauma in his life, that he will eventually recover.
He cannot, he is left with the knowledge that Tofu was signaling him that he was going to die.
The show doubles down on this when they bring Tofu back as a sentient Teddy Bear again.

And ye gads! They actually include a scene that is more at home in a horror movie, and try to play it of as cute.

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Completed
Theory of Love
2 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Mar 23, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Bridget Jones's diary written by a masochist.

If your looking for a slightly different, happy ending BL it is almost perfect, as long as you don't look too deep. It is honestly enjoyable if you suspend belief. It's a BL made for women and succeeds brilliantly at that.


In reality, there is a lot wrong with this show.

There are moments of brilliance, but a few episodes are so cringeworthy I had to FFW through the scenes.

The episode with Third acting out scenes from well-known romance films was painful to watch.
The 'Love Actually' scene? Pure cringe!

Khai is toxic, period. For Third to even call him his best friend was unbelievable. Khai uses Third. It is made abundantly clear from the first episode.
I had no respect for Third's character.
Aun quoting the line 'You get the love you think you deserve' from Perks of Being a Wallflower summed up Third in just one line. The screenwriter did not see the irony in using that in a scene.

Third, moving in with Khai, thinking he would change made Third look extremely self-absorbed. Add Third watching Khai in bed with a woman, bordered on stalker behaviour.

The sudden shift in Khai's feeling towards Third after seeing the video and hurting Third purposefully, only to then realize he has feelings for Third is an outdated and tired cliché.
Especially for a character like Khai who jumps from one woman to another. (If there was only ONE scene of Khai flirting with another guy this could have made sense.)

But of course, this is a BL where a character's sexuality can suddenly change in the space of a few weeks

'I can be gay for you, and you only' is such a lazy and overused trope, it is used in almost every MM romance book, almost all BL shows, films and series. And I'm not talking about Asian BLs only, it is a common plot device in major films as well.
That people still don't realize how homophobic this is, is astounding. The word gay is not even uttered once in this entire series.

And of course, we need another couple, Two and Aun. It just happens. Tow automatically assumes Aun is speaking about him when he overhears Aun and Shane. Aun makes a vague statement that could have been about anyone, (even Third).
Two does not discuss this with anyone and no one is surprised when Aun suddenly appears.

After all this Third forgives Khai, they start dating, but there is no physical interaction between the characters. It's almost as if Third is punishing Khai for past behaviour.

Apparently, being 'boyfriends' will consist of them holding hands for the rest of their lives.

Third does not trust Khai, how this relationship is supposed to work is only in the writers' imagination.





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Dropped 5/8
Golden Blood
3 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Mar 17, 2022
5 of 8 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 4.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 4.5
Music 3.5
Rewatch Value 1.5
This review may contain spoilers

This could have been so good!

So much wasted protentional of a good idea.

The main couple had no chemistry. There was so many moments where nothing happened that I started forwarding through the scenes. I can only watch so many scenes of one guy standing in a kitchen making food.

The first episode made Sun look like as superhero, dodging bullets, beating down five guys at a time, and then later failing to protect Sky against one guy.

The chemistry between the second couple was fantastic, I started following their storyline, but that was few and far between.
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Completed
You're My Sky
0 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Mar 28, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Exceeded expectations.

There is nothing average about this show.

I loved the character development, I appreciate the fact that people faced consequences for their actions.
I appreciate that there is more than one couple whose stories are explored fully and given enough attention.

Thorn and Tupfah.
I don't understand that people do not get the fact that he was as much a professional athlete as Tupfah. I would even argue he was the better athlete. He never wavered from what he wanted.
The pain and loneliness he felt after his injury was heartbreaking to watch. I cannot imagine going through that and then having your friends and the person you love exclude you from their lives.
Starting secret chat groups? Talk about ghosting.
His 'friends' sneaking to the beach to talk about their futures without him was not how people who care about you react.

Tupfah knew he was in the wrong hence lying about the training sessions with Chain in the mornings. While Thorn encourages him and supports him, he keeps secrets from him. He promises Thorn that he will always be available to him, but breaks those promises every time. Of course, Thorn would feel betrayed. When he tells Tupfah that the only reason he would be alone is that others left him? That was such a powerful line, delivered perfectly by Suar. His acting was incredibly in these scenes.
Overhearing Tupfah questioning his love for Thorn to Chain of all people, again betrayal.

His actions after that are understandable, this is his life too, his passion too. He does go about it the wrong way, but it is out of a need to prove to himself and others that he still counts. After realizing how wrong he was, it leaves him terrified that he would lose everything, again. It is only here that Tupfah finally and thankfully realizes how much Thorn was hurt.

Aai and Sean? Typical BL storyline, there are some issues, but again, it is resolved easily by the last episode.

Dome and Vee,
This was a problematic relationship from the start. If Dome broke up with Pan as soon as he realized he has feelings for Vee, it could have mitigated the fallout. But he doesn't, he actively pursues Vee, while still dating Pan.
Vee's reaction when Dome tells him he is going to break up with Pan was authentic, the guilt consumed him at that stage.
Even when Pan tells Vee that she is okay with their relationship, how do you explain that you are now dating your sister's boyfriend immediately after they broke up?
I do give Vee credit that he knows this is wrong, distances himself from Dome. He is mature enough to understand that it will take time for everyone to move on before they can pursue a relationship.
In the end, it is the only thing that they can do.

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Completed
Love by Chance
0 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Mar 16, 2022
14 of 14 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 2.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Why is this show getting so much love?

Must Watch? - NO
Fluffy? - WHAT?
Perfect? - I threw up in my mouth a little.
10/10? - Where we even watching the same show?
Rewatch? - Why would any sane person even consider that?

I was hesitant to watch this after TharnType, which I personally consider one of the better BL's, with strong 3 dimensional characters. But the reviews made it look interesting. Boy was I wrong.

It's another typical BL for shippers.

The main character's are Ae and Pete, but their storyline gets no further development in the last four episodes.

It literally has a rape scene being played for laughs and character/couple development.

Tar looks 12 years old. The scenes with Tum made me extremely uncomfortable.

While I liked Ae, there is something off about the way he treats Pete. It seemed very controlling , possessive and has all the red flags of later emotional abuse.

Tin and Can - The kissing scenes. The actors looked like they where forced. There is one particular scene where the blocking was off and it was clear that they where not actually kissing.
Overall this show just left a very bad taste in my mouth.

I rated the acting high solely on Perth and Saint's capabilities.

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Completed
Lovely Writer
1 people found this review helpful
by jojoce
Feb 23, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Started strong and then I just wanted it to end.

This series had a very good start, but went downhill fast.
I do not know or claim to be an expert in Thai BL's, but this was a wreck.
Gene started strong, but at the end of this series I just wanted him to grow up, or at least have a spine. (Even the actor looked bored.)

I can sum up this show in one word. Frustrating, and for you own sanity, skip it.

Nubsib carried the entire show. Kao was fantastic and I enjoyed his performance a lot.
I just wish there was more of Mhok!!
Ayoe was a one dimensional character, and on top of that, the most base caricature and stereotype. He had no redeeming qualities.
The dialog was stilted, the coming out scenes was just poorly executed. I had no idea what was going on.
Where they still allowed to speak to each other? Where they locked up in their rooms? What?
(Clearly the writers just wanted some conflict.)

But Wait!
After going through all this, getting the support of their respective families (even after insulting his father), Gene then walks away, he won't fight for his relationship or Nubsib, who clearly states that he does not care about the show and only did it to re-connect with Gene.

Why Nubsib even went back to Gene is a mystery. Gene treated him like a child, and his continued 'inner conflict' became a joke.

Some reviewers even see their relationship as healthy? Seriously? It was toxic. Gene's constant dismissal of Nubsib and his feelings where painful to watch.

I would have loved an explanation of what happened in the four month period that they where apart (or any explanation!), but hey, as long as there was a happy ending? Which by the way was just bad.

According to other reviews this show is a 'parody' or 'social commentary' about the 'toxicity' of BL's.
It failed spectacularly. Make a documentary then, but don't sell this as a 'romance'
You invalidate the entire premise if you end the show with 'Oh! look there is the 'STRAIGHT FEMALE' writer!' scene.

If this is an example of one of the best Thai BL's, I think I'd skip the rest.

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