luneify
The Netherlands
Don't Say... I Didn't Warn You
Oh boy. This series has some of my favourite kissing and NC scenes, I'm not even going to lie.
But before I get into all that, a few disclaimers; I dropped TharnType after its first two episodes, and I have not read any of the original source material.
I'm going to start with my grievances regarding this series, and the primary reasons for my 7.5 rating.
The first episode had me almost dropping it because I did not connect with the characters. Now, I'm not necessarily blaming it for this because I feel that it was safe to assume on their end that most people watching DSN would be fans of TharnType, which I am decidedly not. Because they would already be familiar with Leo and Fiat.
But, I stuck with it, and I can at least promise you that by the end of the series, I had long connected to the characters, understood them (more or less) and loved them. It's just a bit of an awkward, confusing start for those outside the TharnType atmosphere.
Besides the character disconnect, what genuinely irritated and annoyed me were the incessant sound effects. A product of its time, but Lord help me I almost threw my ChromeBook out the window when yet another "funny" sound was played for the umpteenth time. I'm pretty sure I got desensitized to it, as I can't remember much of those effects later on in the series. Or maybe it's just heavy at the start.
I seem to be an outlier regarding the midpoint of the series, though. I didn't mind any of the angst and plots, nor did I mind the imbalance between how much of the plot revolves around Fiat instead of Leo. There is an imbalance for sure; if you don't end up liking Fiat early on, I'm afraid you won't enjoy the plot as much.
I also want to add that this is not a show that starts like most BLs--where characters are either strangers or enemies or friendzoned friends. It starts when the main leads have officially entered into a relationship, so if the romantic build-up is the primary reason for your BL enjoyment, this once again may be a big obstacle to you. That's not to say there's no romance--there's plenty, a lot of scenes and moments, but none of the "uncertainty fluff" before a relationship.
There is a case of the Episode 11 Curse, and I frankly hated that specific angsty misunderstanding so much that I skipped it entirely once I figured out they were about to curse me again, and I never felt like I missed anything by the end. It's just filler angst for the sake of it.
There is ALSO a case of the plot and characters not addressing sexual assault/rape properly. I decided to mention it in my review because it can be triggering to some. Also, the character it had happened to blames themselves for it, and while this could've been interesting, this series simply didn't give this point the nuance and care it needed.
Now, onto the things I did enjoy.
To get the shallow side of me out of the way immediately, LeoFiat's kisses and NC scenes are very, very hot and sweet. And there's plenty of love these characters show on screen. JaFirst natural chemistry also shines through, and though their acting here compared to Be Mine Superstar is a little more amateurish at times (which is a given), it didn't bother me much.
I liked the side characters. Both the positively supporting characters, like Fiat and Leo's friend group, but also those acting out more villainous support. Some character motivations and decisions were a bit nonsensical, but mostly in good fun. I liked Anda the most, she's a badass queen.
This I mention under things I did enjoy but I'm truly mostly neutral on it. Leon and Pob. They're a side romance. While I didn't skip their scenes, I also can't say I cared much for them. I just don't like the character archetype Leon was when pursuing Pob, but I did like him outside of those scenes. The ending to their romance did surprise me, though. It was certainly unexpected.
Most of my enjoyment did, in the end, come from Leo and Fiat together. I liked them both a lot, which seems to be somewhat of an unpopular opinion regarding Fiat--I think he was an interesting character and found him adorable. But! I definitely understand not liking him.
TLDR; If you don't like Fiat by episode 3, this series may be a lost cause for you. Go into this series not expecting a masterpiece, but more so plots and characters that are there to create a fun experience (not every plot point necessarily is *fun*, though, but it's hard to explain). It resembles a lot more of the earlier-time BLs than the high-expectation-deep-and-nuanced series that I prefer and hope for nowadays.
But before I get into all that, a few disclaimers; I dropped TharnType after its first two episodes, and I have not read any of the original source material.
I'm going to start with my grievances regarding this series, and the primary reasons for my 7.5 rating.
The first episode had me almost dropping it because I did not connect with the characters. Now, I'm not necessarily blaming it for this because I feel that it was safe to assume on their end that most people watching DSN would be fans of TharnType, which I am decidedly not. Because they would already be familiar with Leo and Fiat.
But, I stuck with it, and I can at least promise you that by the end of the series, I had long connected to the characters, understood them (more or less) and loved them. It's just a bit of an awkward, confusing start for those outside the TharnType atmosphere.
Besides the character disconnect, what genuinely irritated and annoyed me were the incessant sound effects. A product of its time, but Lord help me I almost threw my ChromeBook out the window when yet another "funny" sound was played for the umpteenth time. I'm pretty sure I got desensitized to it, as I can't remember much of those effects later on in the series. Or maybe it's just heavy at the start.
I seem to be an outlier regarding the midpoint of the series, though. I didn't mind any of the angst and plots, nor did I mind the imbalance between how much of the plot revolves around Fiat instead of Leo. There is an imbalance for sure; if you don't end up liking Fiat early on, I'm afraid you won't enjoy the plot as much.
I also want to add that this is not a show that starts like most BLs--where characters are either strangers or enemies or friendzoned friends. It starts when the main leads have officially entered into a relationship, so if the romantic build-up is the primary reason for your BL enjoyment, this once again may be a big obstacle to you. That's not to say there's no romance--there's plenty, a lot of scenes and moments, but none of the "uncertainty fluff" before a relationship.
There is a case of the Episode 11 Curse, and I frankly hated that specific angsty misunderstanding so much that I skipped it entirely once I figured out they were about to curse me again, and I never felt like I missed anything by the end. It's just filler angst for the sake of it.
There is ALSO a case of the plot and characters not addressing sexual assault/rape properly. I decided to mention it in my review because it can be triggering to some. Also, the character it had happened to blames themselves for it, and while this could've been interesting, this series simply didn't give this point the nuance and care it needed.
Now, onto the things I did enjoy.
To get the shallow side of me out of the way immediately, LeoFiat's kisses and NC scenes are very, very hot and sweet. And there's plenty of love these characters show on screen. JaFirst natural chemistry also shines through, and though their acting here compared to Be Mine Superstar is a little more amateurish at times (which is a given), it didn't bother me much.
I liked the side characters. Both the positively supporting characters, like Fiat and Leo's friend group, but also those acting out more villainous support. Some character motivations and decisions were a bit nonsensical, but mostly in good fun. I liked Anda the most, she's a badass queen.
This I mention under things I did enjoy but I'm truly mostly neutral on it. Leon and Pob. They're a side romance. While I didn't skip their scenes, I also can't say I cared much for them. I just don't like the character archetype Leon was when pursuing Pob, but I did like him outside of those scenes. The ending to their romance did surprise me, though. It was certainly unexpected.
Most of my enjoyment did, in the end, come from Leo and Fiat together. I liked them both a lot, which seems to be somewhat of an unpopular opinion regarding Fiat--I think he was an interesting character and found him adorable. But! I definitely understand not liking him.
TLDR; If you don't like Fiat by episode 3, this series may be a lost cause for you. Go into this series not expecting a masterpiece, but more so plots and characters that are there to create a fun experience (not every plot point necessarily is *fun*, though, but it's hard to explain). It resembles a lot more of the earlier-time BLs than the high-expectation-deep-and-nuanced series that I prefer and hope for nowadays.
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