1
1
labcat
This review may contain spoilers
Rather disappointing
I will make references to some related productions, so I shall clarify what I understand first:
- My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later is the sequel to the 2014 movie with the same actors playing the main characters, Bank and Gold.
- Between the 2014 movie and this 2021 sequel series, there is a short film, My Bromance: Reunion, which serves as a precursor to the sequel.
- There is also a 2016 series, simply entitled My Bromance, which I believe is an unofficial sequel to the 2014 movie. The cast is different.
The 2021 series the sequel that many fans have been looking forward to as it features the original actors of the 2014 movie.
Unfortunately, despite the charm of the original cast, the 2021 series is a disappointing sequel. In fact, the story of Bank and Golf is so weak that it seems as though the stories of additional couples are added in to make things more watchable. Fans who have been longing to to see Bank and Golf again may feel cheated--for quite a few episodes, they take up little of the screen time. Instead, side characters and their stories are introduced. Any link between the stories is tenuous and labored. The 2016 series with different actors playing Bank and Golf, which got a fair share of criticism, now appears to have a fairly good storyline by comparison.
The stories of several other couples do not fare much better. They are unimpressive but they are not really bad either. The story of Nuea and Tar is probably the most interesting and saddening. Tar is asked to tutor Nuea, an adopted youngster with issues. They seem to fall in love, but Tar's work after he graduates causes him to neglect the relationship. It's easy to be appalled by how quickly Tar starts neglecting Nuea, but Tar's wistful expressions at the end of the series add nuance to the story. Nuea and Tar's story makes one lament how the realities of life, like work and family commitments, can get in the way of romance and how a new romance does not necessarily fill an empty spot left by another person.
Yes, I guess a case can be made for including other couples in the series: it shows that different couples end up differently, and not everyone gets a fairytale ending. But the execution leaves much to be desired even if one were to take this to be the intended theme. The fate of Arm (Bank's boyfriend after Golf's fake death) also seems unnecessarily gut-wrenching. (Yes, some people are unlucky. But do you have to go all out and create a character like this in My Bromance?)
I do like seeing Bank and Golf ending up together, but I think it can be done in two episodes instead of ten. Episode after episode, I waited and waited for things to pick up. But they never did.
- My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later is the sequel to the 2014 movie with the same actors playing the main characters, Bank and Gold.
- Between the 2014 movie and this 2021 sequel series, there is a short film, My Bromance: Reunion, which serves as a precursor to the sequel.
- There is also a 2016 series, simply entitled My Bromance, which I believe is an unofficial sequel to the 2014 movie. The cast is different.
The 2021 series the sequel that many fans have been looking forward to as it features the original actors of the 2014 movie.
Unfortunately, despite the charm of the original cast, the 2021 series is a disappointing sequel. In fact, the story of Bank and Golf is so weak that it seems as though the stories of additional couples are added in to make things more watchable. Fans who have been longing to to see Bank and Golf again may feel cheated--for quite a few episodes, they take up little of the screen time. Instead, side characters and their stories are introduced. Any link between the stories is tenuous and labored. The 2016 series with different actors playing Bank and Golf, which got a fair share of criticism, now appears to have a fairly good storyline by comparison.
The stories of several other couples do not fare much better. They are unimpressive but they are not really bad either. The story of Nuea and Tar is probably the most interesting and saddening. Tar is asked to tutor Nuea, an adopted youngster with issues. They seem to fall in love, but Tar's work after he graduates causes him to neglect the relationship. It's easy to be appalled by how quickly Tar starts neglecting Nuea, but Tar's wistful expressions at the end of the series add nuance to the story. Nuea and Tar's story makes one lament how the realities of life, like work and family commitments, can get in the way of romance and how a new romance does not necessarily fill an empty spot left by another person.
Yes, I guess a case can be made for including other couples in the series: it shows that different couples end up differently, and not everyone gets a fairytale ending. But the execution leaves much to be desired even if one were to take this to be the intended theme. The fate of Arm (Bank's boyfriend after Golf's fake death) also seems unnecessarily gut-wrenching. (Yes, some people are unlucky. But do you have to go all out and create a character like this in My Bromance?)
I do like seeing Bank and Golf ending up together, but I think it can be done in two episodes instead of ten. Episode after episode, I waited and waited for things to pick up. But they never did.
Was this review helpful to you?
