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labcat
This review may contain spoilers
Other than a touching story, excellent direction and acting make this a series BL fans would not want to miss.
The director has handled elements light-hearted comic moments and serious drama well. When the homophobic Type realizes that his roommate, Tharn, is gay, he embarks on a rather hilarious attempt to either change rooms or make Tharn move out. But the serious parts about the clashes and misunderstandings between Tharn and Type are truly riveting, partly because they have been developed as characters we care about.
Despite having to compress a rather long story into 12 episodes or so, the story does not appear rushed. Both the main characters are developed in well-paced episodes. Tharn's vulnerability beneath his confident behavior is portrayed very well. While he may seem flippant at times, it soon becomes clear that he is very serious about his relationships. Type's homophobia is traced back to the experience of being raped by a man when he was young, and it is sensitively depicted--the series does not make it seem acceptable or excusable to be homophobic just because he has been raped by a man. This is subtly but strongly pointed out by how Type's best friend, who turns out to be gay, is hurt for Type's homophobia.
Credit must go to the actors playing Tharn and Type. They have really good chemistry, and we can really feel that the characters love each other deeply whether it is in the sweet moments or when Type stages a break-up with an unaware Tharn so as to expose how Tharn's best friend has been ruining his (Tharn's) relationships. I can practically feel Type's desire to just hug and console Tharn even as he pushes Tharn away. It may sound strange, but there are moments when I feel as though they are kissing each other tenderly even when they are not actually doing so. This is one of those BL couples (like Krist and Singto) that are going to be hard to unpair.
Despite all the strong points, there are some things that may make one uncomfortable in the story universe of TharnType (which takes place in the same story world as Love by Chance). These stories have serious references to rape (which is not a problem). Type and Tum in this story have been traumatized by rape, and we see just how hard it is for victims to get over the experience. Yet, in the same story world, rape can be trivialized (which is the problem), as we see a hint of in Love by Chance in the Techno/Kengkla couple) as Kengkla basically rapes a drunk Techno and even fools Techno into thinking that Techno is the perpetrator of the crime). Even in the case of TharnType, there are moments before Type actually enjoys sexually intimate moments with Tharn where Tharn's behavior is practically sexual harassment. One example is when Tharn undresses a drunk Type and sleeps beside Type to give the homophobic Type a shock the following morning. If there weren't such moments, the series would be even better.
The director has handled elements light-hearted comic moments and serious drama well. When the homophobic Type realizes that his roommate, Tharn, is gay, he embarks on a rather hilarious attempt to either change rooms or make Tharn move out. But the serious parts about the clashes and misunderstandings between Tharn and Type are truly riveting, partly because they have been developed as characters we care about.
Despite having to compress a rather long story into 12 episodes or so, the story does not appear rushed. Both the main characters are developed in well-paced episodes. Tharn's vulnerability beneath his confident behavior is portrayed very well. While he may seem flippant at times, it soon becomes clear that he is very serious about his relationships. Type's homophobia is traced back to the experience of being raped by a man when he was young, and it is sensitively depicted--the series does not make it seem acceptable or excusable to be homophobic just because he has been raped by a man. This is subtly but strongly pointed out by how Type's best friend, who turns out to be gay, is hurt for Type's homophobia.
Credit must go to the actors playing Tharn and Type. They have really good chemistry, and we can really feel that the characters love each other deeply whether it is in the sweet moments or when Type stages a break-up with an unaware Tharn so as to expose how Tharn's best friend has been ruining his (Tharn's) relationships. I can practically feel Type's desire to just hug and console Tharn even as he pushes Tharn away. It may sound strange, but there are moments when I feel as though they are kissing each other tenderly even when they are not actually doing so. This is one of those BL couples (like Krist and Singto) that are going to be hard to unpair.
Despite all the strong points, there are some things that may make one uncomfortable in the story universe of TharnType (which takes place in the same story world as Love by Chance). These stories have serious references to rape (which is not a problem). Type and Tum in this story have been traumatized by rape, and we see just how hard it is for victims to get over the experience. Yet, in the same story world, rape can be trivialized (which is the problem), as we see a hint of in Love by Chance in the Techno/Kengkla couple) as Kengkla basically rapes a drunk Techno and even fools Techno into thinking that Techno is the perpetrator of the crime). Even in the case of TharnType, there are moments before Type actually enjoys sexually intimate moments with Tharn where Tharn's behavior is practically sexual harassment. One example is when Tharn undresses a drunk Type and sleeps beside Type to give the homophobic Type a shock the following morning. If there weren't such moments, the series would be even better.
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