autumnleafspice
This review may contain spoilers
if you liked Manner of Death you will love this show
As soon as I heard that Dr. Sammon was behind Triage I was more than eager to watch it. I was super excited that we finally get a BL that isn't another engineer/medical student university drama, but a medical/fantasy drama. I know that we got quite a few shows and movies about time loops, but it's the very first time for a BL. Let me break down my review in two parts: The Good and The Bad.
The Good:
- The Acting. Tae and Tee both are able to carry not only their ship but also the show. From subtle to grant emotions. They did a good job portraying the characters. Also the supporting cast did well. Great casting.
- The built-up and the relationshp between Tin and Tol. We follow Tin most of the time and his POV, he only know about Tol what he knows. And I loved how we not only saw Tol opening up over time, we saw Tin opening up as well. At first, Tol was nothing but a drunk university student to him who he must safe for some reason, but over time he learns that Tol isn't what he initially thought he was. To see how them growing from distant aquaintances to close friends to lovers was amazing and well done. Also something I appreciated was that instead of judging and scowling Tol for his fuck-ups, he tried to give him advice and talk to him about it and that led to his big development in character. He didn't help Rit because Tin forced him, but he genuinely changed and understood that he had to make up for his mistakes. And Tin who grew more and more open and kind because of Tol (highlighted more in the last episodes). And to see them both struggle so much to save their loved one and the people they care about, especially Tin who had to go through the pain of losing Tol multiple times, was so heartwrenching but so worth it.
- Apparently not everyone is a fan of the POV switch, but I thought it was great. Within three episode we slowly shift from Tin's to Tol's POV. We start in episode 8 while we are still following Tin, we begin to see more of Tol's inner struggles. In episode 9 we are mostly with Tol, since Tin got stabbed and is unconscious for like half the episode. After everything Tin did, after everything he's been through the last nine episodes, it was only fair for Tol now to do the work. He had to fight for Tin now, also it drew some nice parallels to Tin's earlier attempts and it sort of redeemed Tin's creepy stalker-ish behavior in the early episodes.
- In episode 4 we got that scene with Tin almost half-asleep trying to stay awake having an encounter with Tol. We never got an explanation to how or why that happened. Only in episode 11 we see how things went down and because of this, this scene skyrocketed upwards on my top 10 triage moments list. To watch Tol realise what Tin had went through just to save him and for him to go to him and hug him and giving him some more hope was really satisfying to watch. And it also explained why Tol was so physical with him (the hug and the hand to heart), which was so vastly different from how distant he was back in the first episodes.
- Another thing that speaks for Tol was how he handled things once he found out the true reason Mai has been daiting him. It was exactly how I wished he would react. He wasn't upset or angry or threw a tantrum. He was understanding and offered help and even told her that they could be friends. Really highlighted the growth he had over the last couple of episodes. Episode 1 Tol would never.
- The side characters were great. Toi, Fang, Gap, and Sing were all really a great add not only to lighten the mood but also to talk some sense into Tin once in a while. Also the few scenes we got from Gap and Sing here and there were fun to watch.
- Rit was a great character and my heart broke for him so many times. The little crumps we got from him and Sing were so sweet and heartwarming.
- Each character served a purpose. May it be a minor or major one, but they all were there for a reason and I know that this sounds weird to point out and give credit for, but after watching too many BLs where there is this comically large cast with too many characters that are all there for no other reason than to add more faces to the show, I can not not point it out.
The Bad:
- While I really liked the POV shift from Tin to Tol and the changes that in storyline and character was interesting, I wasn't a fan of the sudden GapSing relationship. I am aware that as a side couple you just don't have much screen time, but we spent nine episodes watching them going from "he hates me" to "they begin to appreciate each other" to suddenly see them cuddling and in an established relationship. Many people on Tumblr shared their theories and why they haven't been dating before and what changed (Tin) but I would've liked an in-world/canon explanation. Or at least a better pay-off. I didn't watch these two bickering and fighting for episode after episode just to see them cuddle in the last two.
- Tol's friends were a real pain in the ass. Same as Gap and Sing there was no no pay-off. They were shown to be reckless, manipulative, and mean and they would do whatever suited them best. And instead of cutting ties with them or idk telling them to quit being such assholes... nothing happened. Rit is now back in their group and working on the project again. That was everything we got. Quite a let down. I hoped that Art would get a grip and stop hanging out with them and only hanging out with Rit and Tol instead.
- Stories that involve any fuckery with the time are careful to handle, since it's so easy to mess up. And while the show didn't mess up in that sense, there were a few established worlbuilding "rules" that did confuse me. In one of the later episodes it's established that kisses can make you remember the past loops. We don't know why. Is it true love? Or does it only work when the person who knows about the loops is kissing someone? Does it still work when Tin kisses other people? Like Sing or Dear? It's never explained, we just have to accept it. Same goes for the notebook. Once a loop ends, everything is set back to how things were at the time Tin wakes up, but for some reason whatever he writes in that notebook stays. I mean, okay, sure. An explanation from Jinta would've been nice ("Here, I'll give you this notebook to help you keep track of things, it isn't effected by the time loops so don't worry about your do-to list disappearing." or idk).
- I know that I said every character served a purpose and I won't backtrack on that, because Dr. Doi did serve a purpose. Just his role in the finale was... a lot. He held Sing and Gap hostage, shot Sing, ran to Dr. Sak and the others to keep Tol and Tin hostage, then tried to kill Tin and ends up in a mental facility because we went crazy. That's a lot.
- The "I'm gone but I'll be back"-ending that I am slowly getting fed up with. I can't tell you how much I am annoyed with that trope. After Doi injects some poison into Tin to kill him, he's in a coma for weeks, we get a montage of Tol visiting him in the hospital, writing diary entries in Tin's notebook for him. Then Tol eventually continues living his life until he meets Tin in the clock tower again. At first Tin pretends that he doesn't remember him, but then drops the "I heard kissing someone can bring back memories" line, which obviously means that he can remember. They kiss. Happy end. The quick "we are seperated for weeks/months/years in a montage but we meet again after weeks/months/years and are now happy together". It's perfect if you don't want any emotional impact. Breaking up/seperating the couple for like ten minutes of screen time (no matter how long it is in their world) has rarely made me cry. At least put him in a coma for half the episode/an entire episode to actually make me notice that he's not part of Tol's life and missing out on things, etc.
- Jinta was such a crucial part of the plot, without him there would be no plot. But while the others had their montages and happy endings, Jinta was never to be seen again. No last goodbye or him watching them from afar and smiling to himself for his plan to work out or idk. I wish we would've gotten one last scene. Also, I still don't quite understand why he did what he did. Like, why would he chose to intervene with fate and make Tin safe Tol? I read a few theories of people saying that he actually wanted to safe Rit because he would make some great invention in the future or something. But, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but we never find out why it's so important for Jinta that Tol survives.
- This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I wish that Tin wasn't able to remember what happened. I can see why people find that happy ending perfect, because it is perfect. But I guess I needed a little more... emotional damage? Like they really got that happy ever after ending with everything and all. Dr. Sak was caught, Mai got her mom into a new hospital with new meds, Sing and Gap are together, Rit is back with his former friends and working on the project, Tin is able to remember everything same as Tol and they are happy and together... The whole difficulty of The Last Loop was that Tin was not able to remember anything. It was a sacrifise that Tol chose to make for his and Tin's happy ending. I'm not saying that he shouldn't remember anything at all, you can still hin at him slowly win back his memory by giving him the magic notebook and let him be like "I think I might remember a few bits and pieces but not much". I just think that it would've been more impactful.
The Good:
- The Acting. Tae and Tee both are able to carry not only their ship but also the show. From subtle to grant emotions. They did a good job portraying the characters. Also the supporting cast did well. Great casting.
- The built-up and the relationshp between Tin and Tol. We follow Tin most of the time and his POV, he only know about Tol what he knows. And I loved how we not only saw Tol opening up over time, we saw Tin opening up as well. At first, Tol was nothing but a drunk university student to him who he must safe for some reason, but over time he learns that Tol isn't what he initially thought he was. To see how them growing from distant aquaintances to close friends to lovers was amazing and well done. Also something I appreciated was that instead of judging and scowling Tol for his fuck-ups, he tried to give him advice and talk to him about it and that led to his big development in character. He didn't help Rit because Tin forced him, but he genuinely changed and understood that he had to make up for his mistakes. And Tin who grew more and more open and kind because of Tol (highlighted more in the last episodes). And to see them both struggle so much to save their loved one and the people they care about, especially Tin who had to go through the pain of losing Tol multiple times, was so heartwrenching but so worth it.
- Apparently not everyone is a fan of the POV switch, but I thought it was great. Within three episode we slowly shift from Tin's to Tol's POV. We start in episode 8 while we are still following Tin, we begin to see more of Tol's inner struggles. In episode 9 we are mostly with Tol, since Tin got stabbed and is unconscious for like half the episode. After everything Tin did, after everything he's been through the last nine episodes, it was only fair for Tol now to do the work. He had to fight for Tin now, also it drew some nice parallels to Tin's earlier attempts and it sort of redeemed Tin's creepy stalker-ish behavior in the early episodes.
- In episode 4 we got that scene with Tin almost half-asleep trying to stay awake having an encounter with Tol. We never got an explanation to how or why that happened. Only in episode 11 we see how things went down and because of this, this scene skyrocketed upwards on my top 10 triage moments list. To watch Tol realise what Tin had went through just to save him and for him to go to him and hug him and giving him some more hope was really satisfying to watch. And it also explained why Tol was so physical with him (the hug and the hand to heart), which was so vastly different from how distant he was back in the first episodes.
- Another thing that speaks for Tol was how he handled things once he found out the true reason Mai has been daiting him. It was exactly how I wished he would react. He wasn't upset or angry or threw a tantrum. He was understanding and offered help and even told her that they could be friends. Really highlighted the growth he had over the last couple of episodes. Episode 1 Tol would never.
- The side characters were great. Toi, Fang, Gap, and Sing were all really a great add not only to lighten the mood but also to talk some sense into Tin once in a while. Also the few scenes we got from Gap and Sing here and there were fun to watch.
- Rit was a great character and my heart broke for him so many times. The little crumps we got from him and Sing were so sweet and heartwarming.
- Each character served a purpose. May it be a minor or major one, but they all were there for a reason and I know that this sounds weird to point out and give credit for, but after watching too many BLs where there is this comically large cast with too many characters that are all there for no other reason than to add more faces to the show, I can not not point it out.
The Bad:
- While I really liked the POV shift from Tin to Tol and the changes that in storyline and character was interesting, I wasn't a fan of the sudden GapSing relationship. I am aware that as a side couple you just don't have much screen time, but we spent nine episodes watching them going from "he hates me" to "they begin to appreciate each other" to suddenly see them cuddling and in an established relationship. Many people on Tumblr shared their theories and why they haven't been dating before and what changed (Tin) but I would've liked an in-world/canon explanation. Or at least a better pay-off. I didn't watch these two bickering and fighting for episode after episode just to see them cuddle in the last two.
- Tol's friends were a real pain in the ass. Same as Gap and Sing there was no no pay-off. They were shown to be reckless, manipulative, and mean and they would do whatever suited them best. And instead of cutting ties with them or idk telling them to quit being such assholes... nothing happened. Rit is now back in their group and working on the project again. That was everything we got. Quite a let down. I hoped that Art would get a grip and stop hanging out with them and only hanging out with Rit and Tol instead.
- Stories that involve any fuckery with the time are careful to handle, since it's so easy to mess up. And while the show didn't mess up in that sense, there were a few established worlbuilding "rules" that did confuse me. In one of the later episodes it's established that kisses can make you remember the past loops. We don't know why. Is it true love? Or does it only work when the person who knows about the loops is kissing someone? Does it still work when Tin kisses other people? Like Sing or Dear? It's never explained, we just have to accept it. Same goes for the notebook. Once a loop ends, everything is set back to how things were at the time Tin wakes up, but for some reason whatever he writes in that notebook stays. I mean, okay, sure. An explanation from Jinta would've been nice ("Here, I'll give you this notebook to help you keep track of things, it isn't effected by the time loops so don't worry about your do-to list disappearing." or idk).
- I know that I said every character served a purpose and I won't backtrack on that, because Dr. Doi did serve a purpose. Just his role in the finale was... a lot. He held Sing and Gap hostage, shot Sing, ran to Dr. Sak and the others to keep Tol and Tin hostage, then tried to kill Tin and ends up in a mental facility because we went crazy. That's a lot.
- The "I'm gone but I'll be back"-ending that I am slowly getting fed up with. I can't tell you how much I am annoyed with that trope. After Doi injects some poison into Tin to kill him, he's in a coma for weeks, we get a montage of Tol visiting him in the hospital, writing diary entries in Tin's notebook for him. Then Tol eventually continues living his life until he meets Tin in the clock tower again. At first Tin pretends that he doesn't remember him, but then drops the "I heard kissing someone can bring back memories" line, which obviously means that he can remember. They kiss. Happy end. The quick "we are seperated for weeks/months/years in a montage but we meet again after weeks/months/years and are now happy together". It's perfect if you don't want any emotional impact. Breaking up/seperating the couple for like ten minutes of screen time (no matter how long it is in their world) has rarely made me cry. At least put him in a coma for half the episode/an entire episode to actually make me notice that he's not part of Tol's life and missing out on things, etc.
- Jinta was such a crucial part of the plot, without him there would be no plot. But while the others had their montages and happy endings, Jinta was never to be seen again. No last goodbye or him watching them from afar and smiling to himself for his plan to work out or idk. I wish we would've gotten one last scene. Also, I still don't quite understand why he did what he did. Like, why would he chose to intervene with fate and make Tin safe Tol? I read a few theories of people saying that he actually wanted to safe Rit because he would make some great invention in the future or something. But, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but we never find out why it's so important for Jinta that Tol survives.
- This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I wish that Tin wasn't able to remember what happened. I can see why people find that happy ending perfect, because it is perfect. But I guess I needed a little more... emotional damage? Like they really got that happy ever after ending with everything and all. Dr. Sak was caught, Mai got her mom into a new hospital with new meds, Sing and Gap are together, Rit is back with his former friends and working on the project, Tin is able to remember everything same as Tol and they are happy and together... The whole difficulty of The Last Loop was that Tin was not able to remember anything. It was a sacrifise that Tol chose to make for his and Tin's happy ending. I'm not saying that he shouldn't remember anything at all, you can still hin at him slowly win back his memory by giving him the magic notebook and let him be like "I think I might remember a few bits and pieces but not much". I just think that it would've been more impactful.
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