I Don't Know if I Love it or Hate It

Despite my headline, SOTUS S is BL to watch if you've watched SOTUS. It takes a closer look into Arthit and Kongpob's relationship after they have been together for 2 years. It also focuses on the difference between love as a student, and love in the real world.


~~ STORY ~~

Taking place 2 years after the original series, Kongpob is a 3rd year and the head hazer. Arthit is just starting his first day as a working man in society. SOTUS S focuses on how Arthit and Kongpob deal with bringing their relationship into the real world, while comparing it to their days as a student.

Personally, watching this series was hard. The contrast between the real world and school was too different. Kongpob and Arthit's days in University was fun and exciting, while the Arthit in the workplace was boring. While realistically true, SOTUS S is a fictional drama, so they could have spiced things up a little more. The series was a little boring at first, leaving the audience wondering why Arthit is giving Kongpob a hard time when there is nothing to have a hard time about. Even if Kongpob goes out of line and starts interning at Arthit's workplace and moves in next door, it seems like a non-issue. You get to see your boyfriend more and he's not bothering you. What's the problem? It's only when rumors spread about Kongpob and Arthit dating does the drama finally get interesting.

While very realistic, I felt the series was too realistic that it took away from the fun while watching it. I ended up skipping lot's of Arthit's scenes because it was too boring and mundane. Kongpob's university life and all of the students were much more fun to watch than Arthit's scenes. However, as a fan of Arthit and Kongpob, you have to watch the series because it really does give a peak into their day-to-day lives.


ARTHIT x KONGPOB

Taking place 2 years after SOTUS, you can see that they are indeed a couple that will last the test of time. Arthit is comfortable enough with Kongpob to show his weakness and Kongpob is still only thinking about Arthit. The only issue I had with them is that they both still have communication issues... Which they are more than comfortable with, so it's frustrating. Arthit is always thinking about Kongpob, so he doesn't want to bother him with his own issues, which is similar to Kongpob. The worst part is that they know that about each other, so they are willing to forgive the other for not communicating properly. I guess it's okay since they know and understand that, but most of their dramas could be resolved by communication. Kongpob could have told Arthit about the internship and moving next door, while Arthit could have asked for more space from Kongpob, or even asked Kongpob to move in with him.

Either way, they are a couple that's going to last. Kongpob has stopped being as cheeky as not to fluster Arthit too much, while Arthit is more expressive of his feelings to Kongpob. Arthit is still shy about being open about their relationship, but he is learning to open up more to make Kongpob more comfortable.

~~ OVERALL ~~

I really loved how they showed Kongpob and Arthit's relationship, but I really found Arthit's workplace storyline to be super boring. I don't know if I liked it or not because of it.

Watch SOTUS S for Arthit and Kongpob... But you can skip anything and everything at Arthit's workplace until after the company beach party where Arthit and Kongpob's relationship is exposed. After that it's amazing.

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Beautiful Love Story if you can get past the Hazing

SOTUS might be confusing if you're not Thai, but if you can get past understanding the hazing it's a beautiful love story.


~~ STORY ~~

According to the series, S.O.T.U.S. (acronym for Seniority, Order, Tradition, Unity, and Spirit) is a system at the University where 3rd year students welcome the freshmen students by hazing them with different types of teamwork related activities. The freshman are punished if they cannot complete the tasks.

If you are unfamiliar with the S.O.T.U.S. system it might be hard to get through the first few episodes. Arthit and Kongpob are literally in each other's faces since the first episode, and to top it off, Arthit and the other hazers are quite mean. The hazers are supposed to be encouraging teamwork and unity, but the hazing doesn't come off that way at all. It looks like the 3rd years are just abusing the freshman. Even after the big teamwork angle was revealed it doesn't come off that way at all. Due to this, those that are unfamiliar with the S.O.T.U.S. system might be put off by the hazing.

If you can get past the weird hazing, then there is a beautiful love story. Kongpob, a cheeky freshman, has caught the attention of Arthit and the other 3rd year hazers due to constantly standing up for himself and his classmates. Dubbed the "hero," Kongpob is always challenging Arthit's authority as the head hazer. Without either realizing it, Kongpob and Arthit take a liking to each other, even if Kongpob is always a cheeky little torn in Arthit's side.


ARTHIT x KONGPOB

Arthit is a 3rd year and head hazer. He is initially very hard to approach since he has a cold exterior and seems to always be looking for ways to torment the freshman. In reality, Arthit is easily flustered, self-centered, and can't express himself well. Meanwhile, freshman Kongpob is very confident, and believes in doing the right thing. He has been dubbed "the hero" by the hazers for constantly standing up to them.

Arthit and Kongpob's relationship starts off very rocky. They are the epitome of the "enemies to lovers" troupe in BL. However, after Kongpob's famous, "I'll make you my wife," speech and seeing Arthit get flustered, he takes a liking to Arthit and does everything he can to catch Arthit's attention. Arthit, on the other hand, just wants to avoid Kongpob since he keeps ruining his image. As the series progresses, you start to see why Kongpob grows on Arthit. Kongpob is the only person who can really keep up with Arthit's self-centeredness. He's also very cheeky about it, so it's hard to hate Kongpob.

Arthit and Kongpob also have the "opposite's attract" thing going for them as well. Arthit isn't very open with his feelings, while Kongpob is very expressive. Arthit would prefer no one knows about their relationship, while Kongpob doesn't care who knows. Kongpob won't go around flaunting his relationship, but he won't hide it. His only concern is that Arthit is comfortable, so while he won't openly kiss Arthit in public, teasing and constantly being around Arthit is fair game.

Kongpob is probably the best boyfriend anyone can ask for. He's caring, understanding, and not afraid to flirt in public. However, how he considered Arthit's feeling and comfort is what makes him first class. Realistically, while Kongpob could do a lot better than Arthit, Arthit needs to get some credit for how he deals with Kongpob's constant cheekiness. He also deserves some credit for accepting Kongpob's feelings without going through the "Eww you're gay! Get away from me!" phase. Arthit takes Kongpob's feelings and just accepts them without going through much drama. They really are a great couple.


M x May

The hetero sexual couple of the series, M and May are adorable. It's cute watching M get flustered and jealous of May's interactions with Kongpob and the other boys. They give off the typical college couple vibes and it's adorable.


~~ ACTING ~~

Krist and Singto are amazing!! They are really great actors. There was never a moment where they broke character. It's amazing to see such young talent!!


~~ OVERALL ~~

Go watch SOTUS!

SOTUS is the BL that started the BL drama trend and brought it to the mainstream.

If you can get past the hazing and just focus on the couples, you won't be disappointed. Some of the troupes might be cliche now, but this is the start of BL dramas, so they are the originals.

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We Need to Start Normalizing Dramas Like This!!!!

Love is Science normalizes all types of love and is romantic!!!


~~ STORY ~~

Love is Science really came running for gold. The drama focuses on Love is Science, a match-making company. At a glance, the story seems clique. The rich CEO of the company falls for a poor, good-looking, younger man. However, when you start analyzing the characters, their backgrounds, and everything in between, you find that everything is not as it seems. All of the characters and couples, are not the norm in romantic dramas.

Since Love is Science has quite a few couples running different plots at all times, I decided to talk about each couple and their plot separately.


YAN FEI x HSUAN YU

They are the main characters of the drama, and have the most screen time.

At a glance, Yan Fei is beautiful and rich. She is the CEO if Love is Science, and she seems to be one of those women who have everything they want in life... But in reality, Yan Fei is divorced and in her mid-30s. According to her statistics, she is considered part of the undesirable percentage of single women.

Hsuan Yu is a 26 year old hair stylist. He hasn't been able to pass his apprenticeship at the hair salon he works at to become a full-fledged hair stylist. That being said, his is popular with the women and all of his customers keep coming back to have their hair but by him. At a glance, he seems to be desirable by all the women out there, but he has never been able to get the attention of the one girl he likes the most because he has trouble saying his true feelings. He also has a secret... He used to be fat when he was younger.

As a couple, Yan Fei and Hsuan Yu are a match made in heaven. They click with each other since the first time they appeared on screen together. They each have their flaws, but the compliment each other. The have major communication issues, but they both know that they need to start communicating more with each other. With each episode, they grow closer together and it's great to watch such a positive couple on screen.

The real issue with this couple is that they have so much unnecessary drama. Between Yan Fei's mother and both Yan Fei's ex and Hsuan Yu's ex, there is so much to unpack. Yan Fei's mother only wants what's best for Yan Fei, but she comes off as annoying every time she is on screen. She lives in her own fantasy world and doesn't even listen to a word Yan Fei says. Whether it's supporting her ex or cheering on Hsuan Yu, we don't know that team her mother is even cheering for since she's giving off mixed signals all the time. As for Yan Fei's ex, he shows up half-way through the drama to give some competition for Hsuan Yu... We don't need that. He already divorced Yan Fei, so he should never have shown up. He was painted as a cold-hearted man that only cares for his image, so bringing him back in Yan Fei's life just to suddenly be "caring" and love Yan Fei again was so left field. I honestly skipped most of his scenes.

Now to the most problematic and unnecessary drama... Hsuan Yu's girlfriend... err... ex? According to this drama, Hsuan Yu had a girlfriend the entire time he was pinning after Yan Fei for 5 episodes... I just don't see it in Hsuan Yu's personality to be unfaithful to his girlfriend the entire time. Also, his family not mentioning her to Yan Fei is odd too. Not to mention how they treat Yan Fei badly after his girlfriend starts accusing him of cheating on her with Yan Fei. Wasn't the older brother Yan Fei's classmate? Why are they treating her so badly just because the ex is psycho? Even after Hsuan Yu breaks up with the girl, they still treat Yan Fei like shit... She wasn't even dating Hsuan Yu too! Hsuan Yu clearly made the decision to cut his ex out of his life and keep Yan Fei, so the family should just stop. Yan Fei didn't even treat them bad. She just treated them like normal.

Anyways, this couple had a lot of unnecessary drama. The two clicked together right from the beginning that we spent most of the series shouting at the two to just date already. Maybe if the couple didn't get along so well some of the drama wouldn't have been unnecessary, but oh well.


OWEN x MARK (x QIAO AN NA)

Owen and Mark are the secondary protagonist and probably the most interesting couple.

Owen is a proud and confident gay man who works under Yan Fei at Love is Science. There he works as a love consultant and matchmaker. Owen meets Mark at a cafe while matchmaking. Mark is Hsuan Yu's friend and he is also a hairstylist. He is a player that gets around quite a lot, but when he finds the right girl, he is very devoted and loyal. Mark is also has a little homophobia. When Mark and Owen meet for the second time, Owen announces he is gay leading Mark to get visibly uncomfortable. Mark doesn't do anything extreme or straight out attack Owen for being gay, but he does take a few jabs at Owen since he is jealous of how manly and cool Owen is for a gay guy.

As a couple, Owen and Mark are couple goals. They never do anything to hurt each other and they are always communicating. We get to watch them grow from complete strangers into a loving couple.

Now to the drama... Qiao An Na.

Qiao An Na isn't a terrible character. She is a great character and the drama she brings to Owen and Mark is really good drama to watch. The only issue I have with her is that the drama she brings to Owen and Mark is something that I would like to have seen in a separate drama. In this series, Owen and Mark are not the main couple. They are a side couple and don't get as much screen time. With Qiao An Na and the drama she brings to his couple, I would like to have seen it in a separate series with Owen and Mark as the main character. Qiao An Na's drama is very interesting and makes a really powerful statement to the LBGTQ community and to the world. Giving it to the side couple is really a waste of a good plot because we don't get the full story to the drama and we are left curious as to what is happening. Also, when the Qiao An Na drama hits, Owen and Mark end up taking the spotlight off Yan Fei and Hsuan Yu, which doesn't make them look good as the main characters.

Overall, I just wish Owen, Mark, and Qiao An Na get their own spin-off because I like the drama the trio had and I would like to see it as a stand alone series. I think the series would be a good point of discussion in the LGBTQ community and send a message to the world about normalizing gay love.


YOU FU x NAI HUI

You Fu and Nai Hui are the third and final couple of the series. They have the least amount of screen time out of all the couples, but make an impact.

You Fu and Nai Hui are two clients of Love is Science. Nai Hui is a bank director with lots of money and high credentials. She is in her late-40s and is considered part of the undesirable single women according to the Love is Science statistics. Nai Hui is highly educated and has very specific aspects she desires in men, like men needing to have a PhD, leaving her choices of men limited. She accidentally meets You Fu when You Fu's date tries to stand him up and makes him wait 3 hours. Seeing the young women treat You Fu with disrespect, she stands up for him and scolds the young woman. You Fu notices Nai Hui's injured foot and buys her band aids, leading her to become interested in him. You Fu is a poor farmer with no college aducation. He is the opposite of Nai Hui in all aspects. When Nai Hui asks Love is Science to match her with You Fu, only Owen thinks their love with go well despite statistics saying they have a low love matching score.

While Nai Hui and You Fu have limited screen time, it is fun to watch them get to know each other. Both Nai Hui and You Fu learn to understand each other and each other's background. It's great to watch an independent woman like Nai Hui learn to depend on You Fu. Similarly is nice to see You Fu gain some self-esteem through Nai Hui.

Overall, this couple is great because it's rare to see an elder couple fall in love on screen. Usually it's teens or young adults falling in love, so seeing Nai Hui and You Fu, who are clearly adults slightly past their prime fall in love is refreshing. I also liked how Nai Hui was such an independent and confident woman. She is someone that all women should aspire to be.


~~ CHARACTERS ~~

Love is Science has the best combination of characters I've ever seen. Almost all the characters have a beautiful love story and there is no real "bad guy." In Love is Science, from the minor characters to the major characters, everyone is desirable despite their flaws.

Representation wise, here is the breakdown.

Straight: Hsuan Yu
Masculine Gay: Owen
Bi/ Player: Mark
Lesbian: Sheng Ying
Divorced: Yan Fei
Player: Qiao An
Educated/Independent Women: Nai Hui
Uneducated/Unconfident Man/Over 50s: You Fu

When looking at the characters and thinking about the common Asian ideals of who not to marry, all of the characters fit the list. However, Love is Science fights the stereo types and gives everyone a happily ever after.


~~ OVERALL ~~

Love is Science is an amazing series that normalizes all types of romance. I think that there needs to be more series like this that normalizes different love without making a spectacle about it. It's not the best series out there in terms of plot, but it is interesting to watch and normalizes all types of love.

Don't sleep on this series and watch it now!!!

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Best Reincarnation Story To Date!

Until We Meet Again has the best reincarnation storyline I've ever seen between all BL and Het dramas.

~~ STORY ~~

UWMA's plot revolves around Dean and Pharm, who are the reincarnations of Korn and Intouch. Korn and Intouch's love story was a tragedy since they were born in a time when homosexuality wasn't widely accepted. In the present day, Dean and Pharm are instantly drawn to each other due to being the reincarnation of Korn and Intouch, yet they struggling to cope with their past lives that still haunts them.

UWMA did amazing portraying how Dean and Pharm's past lives haunt them in the present. Everything that Dean and Pharm do is a result of their past lives. UMWA does a great job at showing the parallels between Intouch and Korn, and Pharm and Dean. Having all four characters being portrayed by four actors instead of just changing the appearance of the two actors for present day and past was a really big help. It really helped drive the fact that yes, they are reincarnations, but they are actually all very different people. The reincarnations plot was really tragic and intense that there was never a dull moment. However, there was a very clean distinction between the moments where the reincarnation plot was happening and other things were happening... And it's not a good distinction.

Any great series would be able to juggle the main plot and side plots, however, UWMA seemed to have a hard time mixing them together. Every time the reincarnation plot was on screen, it was very interesting, but when the plot shifted to just present day Dean and Pharm, just being Dean and Pharm, it was very boring. Dean was a little to stoic and once Korn's influence on him fades, he is boring. Similarly, Pharm's obsession with cooking is just annoying after a while. At first, the cooking is interesting since it has direct relations to Intouch. However, it later just becomes foodporn and really takes away from the story. If Pharm isn't crying over Intouch's influence on him, he only talks about is food and cooking. Even the other characters just start to see him as a food machine, so all they talk about his Pharm's cooking. It's really boring and annoying after a while. Also, using Mannow and all the girls as commercials to advertise their sponsor's beauty product was really unfortunate. Mannow just ended up being a commercial and it really took away from her as a character and the plot. They should have found other ways to advertise discreetly rather than being so obvious about it.


DEAN x PHARM

Dean and Pharm have a really good relationship with each other. Dean respects Pharm's boundaries and never crosses them. He's willing to take things slow and at Pharm's pace. He's also a very supportive and protective boyfriend. Pharm can only think about Dean and is clearly in love with him. Pharm's only real charm point is his cooking, which Dean (and everyone else at the school) when enjoys.

As Korn's reincarnation, Dean feels very sorry to Pharm, which comes out as being more caring and overprotective; all things that Korn couldn't do for Intouch. Dean is the person that Korn wanted to be for his lover.

As Intouch's reincarnation, Pharm is very sensitive. Pharm seems to be more in-tuned to Intouch's feelings and emotions than Dean is to Korn. Pharm sometimes confuses his Intouch's emotions with his own due to his sensitive nature. While Pharm is a better cook than Intouch, Pharm is less likely to take action, while Intouch is more outspoken and quick to act than Pharm.


KORN x INTOUCH

Korn and Intouch's relationship was very sweet and loving before tragedy struck. Intouch was able to bring Korn out of his shell and Korn was able to fall in love and be himself with Intouch. They would have been the ideal couple if their families didn't tear them apart.

After death, Korn feels responsible for Intouch's death and wishes he could have done more to help Korn. He searches for the reincarnation of Intouch to be able to fulfill his promise of finding each other again after they die. Intouch, on the other hand, blames Korn for giving up on them.


WIN x TEAM

Win is the vice-captain of the swim club and Dean's friend. Team is Pharm's friend and on the swim team. Team is very awkward and a bit childish. Win has a thing for Team as soon as he laid eyes on Team. Win tends to flirt and tease Team constantly. Their storyline is very cute, but they progress very quickly and it's very clear that things are happening in the background that we aren't seeing. They will get a spin-off called Between Us which will explain their relationship.


~~ ACTING ~~

The acting is amazing!!!!!

Fluke, Ohm, Earth, Kao really set the bar high for BL actors. They definitely were not hired for their pretty faces. All four actors were able to portray the complexity of their characters naturally.

Kao (Korn) and Earth (Intouch) are the best actors of the series in my opinions. Some might say Fluke (Pharm) was the best, but I found that all he did was cry. The other scenes with him weren't as eye catching compared to his crying scenes. Kao and Earth's scenes were very emotional and were the most complex. Their scenes in the flashbacks were the diving factors of the plot, so despite having very few scenes compared to Fluke and Ohm, they were able to make a statement. I cried every time they were on screen.

All four actors were amazing, but I did find that Ohm was the weakest out of the four main characters. He was able to cry on cue, but he didn't really invoke as much emotion from me compared to Kao, Earth, and Fluke.

~~ OVERALL ~~

UWMA isn't perfect, but it is a must watch. If you can get past the food scenes and Mannow's obvious product placement advertisement, then it's a really good drama. The way they did the reincarnation plotline is what really makes this series a must watch drama!

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Thailand's Best BL to date!!!

Drop everything and go watch it now!!


~~ STORY ~~

Thailand has created a lot of BLs, but all of them have been very repetitive and easily predictable. Not Me, however is different. Not Me is mysterious, thrilling, and romantic all at the same time. There are so many twists and turns that I was left on the edge of my seat the whole time!

Unlike typical BLs that are more light hearted and romantic, Not Me is very dark and gritty. There is some romance thrown in, but the series could have gone without the romance aspect and still been a fantastic series. Not Me primarily deals with a lot of social issues and politics without getting too preachy. It also does BL without too much fan service. It's a great series in that aspect.

Not Me does have it's flaw and plot holes, but it's really irrelevant in the long run as they are hardly noticeable. If there is any big complaints about the plot, it's that the final episodes were a little too jam packed with action that story did get a little lost in the commotion. While the ending was satisfying, if you start to think about the parts of the story that got lots in the action, then you might be unsatisfied since technically the gang's fight with Tawi and Todd haven't actually ended. I do think that the series ended where it should have, sans the Dan and Yok couple. Everyone got together with their respective lovers, and got the public to start looking at Tawi's corporation in a bad light. It's really the calm before the storm type of ending where you know the fight isn't over, but it's still a satisfying ending since realistically fighting corruption is never ending.

Black & White

I am a little confused about Black and White's relationship. I understand that they are twins and that White cares for Black, but Black is confusing. At first he seems to be upset that White is back in the picture, but then he does a 180 into caring big brother. I really think that the writers really didn't put much thought into who Black's character and his motifs. Because Black's character wasn't put together well, his relationship with White wasn't as impactful as it should have been. They have a strong 6th sense where they can feel each other's pain. Utilize that in the plot!! Don't just use it in the beginning and forget about it later!

White x Sean

I enjoyed their relationship when White was pretending to be Black. I wish I could have seen more of Sean's relationship with Black before White started pretending to be him. I also would like to see Sean being more suspicious of "Black" and how White broke down that barrier. Without this, White and Sean seem to get romantically together a little too quickly. That being said, Sean and White are adorable together.

Yok x Dan

They are my favorite couple. I honestly want to see more of them and I want a full backstory on their relationship. While I don't want a sequel for Not Me, I wouldn't mind a spin off with these two. Dan seems to have a lot going on that I think would make for a good spin off. Similarly, Yok's issues about his mother being discriminated for being mute also hasn't been completely told. I would love to see more of them.

Gram x Eugene

I appreciate how their relationship blossomed from beginning to end. They didn't overshadow the plot, and I'm glad that Eugene wasn't portrayed as a toxic woman since most BLs portray women very toxically.

Black & Todd & White

I'm so confused over Todd. He's the mastermind behind everything, but his story isn't told properly. The entire backstory as to why Todd ordered his men to beat up Black was confusing, especially since they are supposed to be best friends. Also, Todd just forgets about White as soon as Black wakes up. Why? Is Todd in love with Black or something? Are we supposed to read between the lines?


~~ OVERALL ~~

Not Me is an amazing series. The acting was fantastic. The cenematography and music were also superb. I really appreciated how Not Me told a BL story in a genre that wasn't normal for BL stories. I want to see more of these non-student, darker genre BLs.

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Too Many Manhwa Concepts for a Live Action Adaptation

Cherry Blossoms After Winter is a nice BL drama, but it has too many manhwa style plot points that it's better left on paper than in live action.

That being said, while most of this review will be a little critical, the drama isn't bad, especially the ending. The drama would be a better anime, rather than a live action.


PLOT:

As an young child, Haebom was left orphaned. However, he was adopted by Taeseong's mother, who was his mom's best friend. Despite Taeseong and Haebom being friends when they were children, after the adoption they grew apart. Taeseong is handsome and very popular, while Haebom feels he is inferior.

In their senior year of high school Taeseong and Haebom are put in the same class, where Taeseong learns that Haebom is being bullied at school. Despite the fact they live together, Taeseong hasn't really communicated with Haebom since his adoption. He feels the need to protect Haebom, while Haebom rejects the offer for protection, saying he only has one more year of high school. Haebom feels very grateful to Taeseong and his family that he doesn't want to cause them any more trouble, and is thinking of moving out after senior year. Taeseong isn't exactly happy about Haebom leaving, nor is he happy that Haebom doesn't mind being bullied.

As stated earlier, this drama has a lot of plot points that are better suited for manhwa or webtoons.
- Childhood Friends to Adopted siblings
- Adopted Sibling Love (Not really incest since they are not blood related)
- Bullying
- Non-con Kisses
- Popular Boy loves Bullied Nerd
- One-sided Love for over 10 years'
- High School Lover's Storyline
- College Lover's Storyline (My favorite!!)

While the plot points above don't hinder the drama, it does feel make it feel unrealistic, especially when you look at how each of the characters are portrayed. Haebom is innocent and naïve. He takes in all of the bullying and is surprisingly positive about it. Taeseong is stoic and has all of the girls screaming at him. He also is very attractive, strong, and rich. Even his mother is kind, caring, supportive, and totally not involved with her children's lives that she doesn't know Taeseong and Haebom haven't spoken to each other in ages and don't get along very well.

However, the magic of BL is still there and this drama is a good one time... or maybe two time watch. Taeseong's love for Haebom and all of the ways Taeseong protects and stands by Haebom is really the stuff of dreams. While I wasn't a fan of the high school storyline, I really enjoyed it once they got into college. In college, Taeseong is more expressive and really becomes a prince. Even Haebom surprises everyone by standing up to Taeseong's mom, and even proposing to Taeseong. Haebom, who had been hiding under Taeseong's love all this time, decided to wear his big boy pants and express his love to Taeseong! Finally!! Haebom makes the ending so adorable and sweet. I wish we had more time to see how them as mature adults, rather than as students.


Haebom x Taeseong

Haebom and Taeseong are adorable as a couple. During the high school storyline, they are very 2D, stereotypical manhwa characters, but in the college storyline, they grow out of it and become more expressive. In high school, Taeseong wasn't really leading man material. He did have the usual high school kinkga/princely thing going for him, but the moment he non-consensually put his hand on Taeseong, that really ruined his character for me. In college, though, he did redeem himself by being completely devoted to Haeboom without being very overprotective of him, so I enjoyed his character a lot. Haebom, on the other hand, doesn't really have a big character change, so in the ending when he puts on his big boy pants and expresses his love for Taeseong is a little left field for me. It closed the drama nicely, so all's well, but if we got to see him being more expressive leading up to him standing up to Taeseong's mom would have been great. Either way, they are a cute couple.


ACTING:

The acting here isn't very terrible, but Haebom was a little too mousy to be realistic. Other than that the acting was decent. Not terrible, but not great.


MUSIC:

I hated the music choices for most of the drama. The music itself isn't bad, but it felt like the production staff hired a high schooler from the 00s to choose the music. The music choices felt very amateur compared to the rest of the production.


OVERALL:

Cherry Blossoms After Winter was a nice BL. It was fun to watch, but it definitely didn't feel realistic. I would love to see an anime version of this instead though. Taeseong was very cute and adorable once he matured, so I want to see more of him. Also that ending!! I really, really wish we could see more Taeseong and Haebom as adults. Their student lives were dramatic, but their adult lives look like it would be a dream come true. I really would like to see it. We really don't need a second season, but maybe a special episode just to see what happens after the finale episode.

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Great Adaptation of Who Can Define Popularity? with a Film School Twist

Blueming is an adaptation of the webtoon "Who Can Define Popularity?" but it strays quite far from the source material that it has become it's own story.

As a BL drama, it is an amazing example of a textbook BL drama. However, because it is too perfect and is an idealistic BL, it loses some points in the realm of realism. Still a must watch BL.


STORY:

When Si Won was a child, he has a tough childhood. He was teased for being fat and his home life wasn't stable. His father cheated on his mother and left. Since then, his mother has forced her views of being in shape and looking beautify onto her children. As an adult, Si Won is no longer fat and very self conscious. He is also quite popular due to his good looks.

During Si Won's first year of film school, he meets Da Un, who is perfect in every way. Da Un is handsome, smart, rich, and is nice to everyone. Si Won hates Da Un because he finds Da Un to be the perfect person that he strives to be, but will never achieve. Si Won tries to stay away from Da Un, but that proves impossible when they are paired to work with each other in ever class. Da Un also seems to have taken a liking to Si Won and follows him everywhere.

As I stated earlier, Blueming is a textbook BL. Every plot point, character, and scene has meaning to the drama; and there is no fillers. There is also no plot holes. Every question we have is answered. However, whether the answer the drama has given us can be up for debate. For example, when Si Won gets upset at Da Un for having his mother give him the grand prize for his script, Da Un says he's sorry, but he just wanted to be perfect. What does being perfect have to do with helping Si Won win the grand prize? If he said he just wanted to help get Si Won's name out there, or something like that I'd get it, but what does perfect have to do with it? I was so confused that I decided to read the webtoon and that's where I learned where Da Un's answer of being perfect came from. In the webtoon Da Un struggles with good child syndrome, so he struggles to be perfect. In this BL adaptation, however, Da Un's struggles with good child syndrome are not touched upon, so his answer made no sense. Other than that this drama is a must watch. It's not as overly dramatic as your typical Korean drama, but it's a nice drama nevertheless.

Si Won x Da Un

Si Won and Da Un have really good chemistry together. Si Won is very high strung and narcissist, but he knows that and isn't afraid to admit his shortcomings. In front of others he tries to maintain a good image. Da Un, on the other hand, is kind, caring, and a people-pleaser. He's understanding of Si Won's short comings, but seems to have a hard time opening up to anyone about his problems. He knows he is rich and more blessed than others around him, so he forces himself to swallow his own pain and pretend he doesn't feel it.

Si Won and Da Un are really great together. They balance each other out and talk through everything. They have the best communication skills out of any couple (BL and non-BL combined.) They help each other through their problems and support each other. They really are relationship goals.


BLUEMING vs WHO CAN DEFINE POPULARITY?

As I stated earlier, Blueming is an adaptation of the webtoon "Who Can Define Popularity?" but it strays quite far from the source material that it has become it's own story. While the drama does follow the same plot of the webtoon, the situations, motivations, and scene are completely different.

For example:

Blueming
- Characters are all in Film School
- Da Un's family are famous in the film industry, directors etc.
- Da Un's mother and father seems to ignore Da Un's existence
- Si Won's mother is self-centered and cares about her kids' superficial beauty
- Si Won's storyline is the focus
- Da Un's storyline is cut. He doesn't really open up to Si Won.
- Ba Woo & Hoon's storyline is cut. Ba Woo is just a small side character that's barely memorable. Hoon makes a small cameo in the last episode.
- Yun Jeong and Si Won's sister's storyline is significantly cut. Seems like this could is queer baiting with their love storyline. Si Won's sister has a very small role in the drama. Yun Jeong is also a side character.


Who Can Define Popularity?
- Characters are all in the Student Council in University
- Da Un's family is Chaebol and Da Un is heir to his father's business
- Da Un's family really care for him, especially his mother, who is concerned about Da Un's good child syndrome.
- Si Won's mom is supportive of her family and doesn't care much about superficial beauty.
- Si Won's storyline is expanded, especially about being bullied in elementary school and later again in college.
- Da Un has a storyline about his narcissism and his good child syndrome. He opens up to Si Won.
- Ba Woo & Hoon are the secondary couple with lots of interactions with both Da Un and Si Won.
- Yun Jeong and Si Won's sister a small storyline. Both characters play a bigger role in the webtoon.
- Yun Jeong has a big love triangle with Si Won and Da Un.

Blueming still follows the main storyline of Si Won, but just changes a few things around. While a great adaptation, Who Can Define Popularity? is still the superior story as the audience is able to gain a better understanding behind the motivations of all the characters. Maybe if Blueming's episodes were longer than 14 minutes, the drama could have expanded the storylines and become the perfect BL that it was striving to be. I really wanted to see Da Un's struggle with good child syndrome on screen, but it was not covered at all. I hope to see it one day.

OVERALL:

Blueming is a must watch BL, but I still recommend watching Who Can Define Popularity? before or after. I think that Blueming is a great adaptation that can also be considered a stand alone BL.

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It's an Advertisement for MacDonalds

It's an ad for MacDonalds disguised as a BL short film.
It's hilarious!! Go watch it now!!

On a serious note, they need to start making more ads like this in general.
I seriously want some fries now... And a man like Ah Kueng, who can order me fries any time, anywhere. LOL

STORY:

Ah Kueng is the new " office hunk" that recently started at the office. Tin Tin is instantly attracted to him much to his boyfriend Ah Son's annoyance. Ah Kueng instantly takes an interest in Tin Tin, but sees he has a man... But that doesn't stop Ah Kueng from making advances towards him. He notices that Tin Tin is always waiting for Ah Son, he also sees that Tin Tin is started to get annoyed and fed up with waiting, so Ah Kueng starts to make his move.

One day Tin Tin is so hungry he breaks. All he wants is MacDonalds, but Ah Son makes him wait. Suddenly Ah Kueng swoops in with a Big Mac and Tin Tin is in heaven.

OVERALL:
Great ad. Lot's of comedy and I can't stop watching... or laughing.

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Skip the Last Minute or so and It's a Great Short Film

Short, but captivating!


STORY:

Kit is a tea leaf fortune teller who is waiting at a cafe for his friend August. When August arrives, he asks for his romantic fortune to be read. This sparks a heart-to-heart conversation between the two.

The story isn't too complex. It's just two friends sitting in a cafe talking about one friend's love life. We're not given any back story on the character, but it's through their dialogue that we learn their relationship with each other. Even then, the dialogue doesn't give us the full story. We can only make assumptions based on what they say. It's as if we, the audience, is sitting down at the same cafe listening in on their conversation. It's through their conversation that we learn they are friends. That August has a lot of admirers. And that Kit and August have shared a drunken kiss and it's eating Kit up inside. We learn all of this as they literally sit at a table and talk.

Trying not to spoil the film, I will say that the film is amazing for being able to pack as much drama as they did without getting preachy in their dialogue. Most films will have monologues that explain everything, but here, all the audience can do is guess about everything. The film does great in bringing out the personalities of each character as they sit and chat. August, being more expressive, moves around a lot in his seat as he cracks jokes. Kit, on the other hand, doesn't move much, preferring to just stare and react to August. We get to see the dynamic of the two through all of this subtle movements.

With only 30 minutes, there is a lot that we learn about Kit and August, but it's the last few minutes of the film that throws the audience for a ride. I would have given this film a 10 out of 10, if it wasn't for the ending. While the ending isn't terrible, it is a cliff hanger. Until the film makers give us a sequel the lower rating still stands.


PRODUCTION/ACTING:
(Since I went to film school, I might talk about some things that you might not have noticed, but I definitely did!)

The actors give amazing performances, but it is stunted by the highly stylized cinematography. I've read more than a few reviews saying the cinematography was amazing, but I beg to differ. The cinematography is highly stylized and beautiful, but it took away from the acting. The background lighting was a little over-exposed creating a beautiful effect, but we couldn't see half of the actor's face. In this type of film where there are no big movements or action, the audience can only rely on the dialogue and the actor's gestures and facial expressions. With the lighting they had, while beautiful to look at, we couldn't see half of the actor's face therefore it was difficult to pick up on some of the actor's expressions. I personally had a hard time seeing most of Kit's expressions since his character is more stoic than August.

Also, the mostly static, single camera was horrific. Again, the audience needs to see the actor's expressions. We also need to be visually stimulated in order to not get bored of the one setting story. The film makers tried to make the film visually stimulating with the lighting and the camera occasionally zooming into the actors. The result was the audience not being able to see more than half of the actor's facial expressions. Most of the film was a medium shot of both actors. We could occasionally see a slightly closer shot of the two, but it's clear that the camera was static and just zoomed in on the two. Towards the climax of the film, the camera starts doing this "V" like style of zooming where the single camera zooms into one actor's face, pans out to a medium shot of the two actors, then zooms into the second actor. It was difficult to watch. We barely got to see any actor's face in full. It was always cut off by the lighting and the camera angle made it difficult to see the actor's full face.

Lastly, the jump cuts! There were so many jump cuts! With the static, single camera style of cinematography the film makers were doing, the best would have been the entire film being shot in one take. However, 30 minute long one takes are very difficult to do. The film makers were able to hide the jump cuts by showing us the "close ups" of the actors, but occasionally there would be a jump cut with the same shot. It's only a split second, so many people may not have noticed, but it was very obvious if you paid attention. Also the random jump cuts into the tea pot was annoying and unnecessary.


OVERALL:

Love Advisor is a beautiful short film if you're okay with a single setting and lots of dialogue. The story was beautiful and the cinematography is highly stylized and beautiful (if you didn't go to film school.)

I hope the film makers will give us a sequel, or I will forever skip the last minute of the film.

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Best Chemistry between the Leads a.k.a Terrible Plot, Fantastic Acting!!!

The storyline of TharnType is a hit or miss for many people, but the actors of Tharn and Type, Mew and Gulf respectively, have hands down the best chemistry in Thai BL!!!

Also, the plot had major issues, but the acting is Oscar worthy!!


STORY:

A spin-off of Love By Chance, if LBC was the light-hearted series, TharnType brought the drama. Unlike LBC's theme of first love, TharnType was very mature and dealt with adult themes of homophobia, rape, and sexual assault. If you can handle the darker themes then I'm sure you'll love TharnType.

That being said, honestly, if it weren't for the chemistry between the two leads, TharnType wouldn't be one of the most popular BLs out there. Tharn and Type's chemistry really carried the series because the storyline was very problematic. After talking about each couple, I'll explain why the story is so problematic. However, I will say that while the storyline isn't the best, the acting is amazing. Even if you're not a big fan of the storyline, you should watch the series to see some amazing acting talent.

Tharn & Type

The chemistry between Tharn and Type is amazing. They suck you right into the story, and get you so invested in their lives, you'll forget you're just watching a TV series. I think that Tharn and Type are really the best BL couple in terms of chemistry, and Tharn's actor is possibly the best actor in BL. He will make you cry hard with him. Also, for the actor of Type, this is his first acting gig. Can you believe it?!

Tar & Tum

It's not explained well in the series, but they are step-brothers. I kind of found Tum to be too possessive of Tar. He is supposed to be in love with Tar, but that doesn't get across to the audience at all. He just seems like a very possessive and worried brother who cares too deeply for this younger brother. I really think Tar and Tum need to get their storyline expanded on. Everything is from Tharn's point of view, not Tar or Tum's, so while they are supposed to be a second couple in the series, they just feel like supporting characters. If they are treated like supporting character, then they don't need as much screen time or drama.

Kengkla & Techno

They are a barely mentioned couple in TharnType, but they are a secondary couple in Love By Chance. However, Techno plays a bigger role in TharnType and gets significantly more screen time in this series than in LBC. In TharnType, we get a better understanding of who Techno is, his personality, and his loyal friendship with Type. While he's just a supporting character here, if you want to see his love story go watch LBC and more specifically LBC season 2.


ISSUES IN THARNTYPE

While lots of fans love the series and the charaters, but we all stand in agreement that sexual assault and rape is wrong. Many fans criticize P'Mame for fetishizing rape and sexual assault. They also say that because of the sexual assault in the series they cannot like TharnType the series or the couple. Personally, I consider TharnType the series to be one of my favorite BLs, and Tharn and Type are one of my favorite BL couples. Does that mean I fetishize the sexual assault or rape? No, I don't. I like the series because of the chemistry between the leads more than the storyline. The story of TharnType is very problematic, so let's talk about it.

1. Rape

With TharnType the issue of rape is a central part of Tar's storyline and even Type is raped before the series begins. The series highlights the negative effects of rape with both Tar and Type struggling to get over it. I wish they could have shown more of the negative effects and how it really impacts their lives, but the issue is swept under the rug. Tar and Type are not seen getting any type of help or therapy, especially Tar since his rape is so recent! Furthermore, as soon as Lhong confesses he was the mastermind behind everything and drops out of the picture, suddenly Tar is happy again! He's back to "normal" and can happily live with Tum! Rubbish! You don't get over rape so quickly.

Don't use rape in a storyline unless you actually show the reality of rape!
Rape is not a tool to push the plot along. Rape is a crime with lifelong mental repercussions!

2. Sexual Assault

In the beginning, Tharn knows that Type is homophobic, so he retaliates against Type's homophobic actions towards him in a very sexualized manner. In Tharn's eyes, he's retaliating fire with fire. For example, if someone doesn't like spiders, in retaliation, someone might put pictures of spiders up on the wall, put fake spiders on the wall, or bring in a real spider. However, for Tharn, since Type is attacking his sexuality, he is simply attacking back with it. Is it sexual assault? Yes it is. Does it mean it's okay? Not really. There might be a few people who see is as fighting fire with fire, or see Tharn touching Type when he doesn't want to be touched as a small joke of retaliation. If it's between two friends, maybe it could be a joke, but Tharn and Type are not friends. Also this "joke" is sexual in nature, so yes it's sexual assault, especially if Type doesn't like it.

There is also a big taboo scene which some people might not have noticed was sexual assault since it looked consensual. That is the scene in the shower where Type loses his underwear and Tharn returns it. Tharn pushes himself into the bathroom and goes in for a kiss, then eventually it gets a little steamy. This scene is actually sexual assault, but it is one of those in the gray zone since Type consented in the end. Because Type only fought back in the beginning and eventually gave in and enjoyed it, if brought to a court, the judge will say it's consensual. Due to this scene being in the gray zone, and Type not being too angry about it some people might agree with the judge and say it's not sexual assault, but I'd like to remind everyone that it is in fact, sexual assault. It's not a steamy or raunchy scene at all, at the core it really is assault. If Type hadn't given in, the courts would rule it as assault.

Similarly, he small kisses Tharn gives Type at night. Yes, it's sexual assault. No matter how sweet and romantic the gesture seems, it is sexual assault since Type and Tharn are not dating yet. There is no consent from Type. Tharn is just stealing kisses at night and it's not romantic at all. Of course, once Tharn and Type become an item it is consensual, so it becomes a sweet gesture, but until then it's not. He's literally kissing Type against his will, there is no consent when he's awake, therefore no consent when he's sleeping.

In TharnType there are a lot of scenes depicting Tharn sexually assaulting Type, however all the sexual assaults are made to look like it's a joke, or a form of attraction. It's not romantic, nor is it acceptable. It's wrong! Many fans saw through this fetishization and were rightfully angry.

Tharn's saving grace is that once he saw that his "jokes" had gone too far and that Type was actually hurt by it, (his nightmares about his rape) he actually stopped. He even started caring for Type, which led to the small kisses at night, which would be romantic if they were consensual. However, at the core, none of this is acceptable. Even if Tharn is a fictional character, P'Mame, should understand that romanticizing these acts are inappropriate. Sexual assault is not romantic, it's disgusting!

3. Crimes with no punishment

Towards the end of the series we find out that Lhong was the mastermind behind Tar's rape as well as a whole bunch of other things. In the series, he cries, apologizes, and runs back to his family to give us a sob story about how no one care about him. While it's sad his family doesn't love him, the audience shouldn't be sympathizing with a psychopath who thinks paying people to rape someone is okay. He even got away with his crimes because the police wasn't called. Lhong literally just dropped out of school and disappeared from their lives. Out of sight, out of mind, right? No! He needs to pay for his crimes. He is worse than Tharn, yet he gets away with it. He ruined Tar's life and gets no penalties for it. On top of that, there is the whole issue of trying to justify his actions with his sob story to get sympathy. Criminals get no sympathy, no matter how shitty their lives are.


OVERALL:

The storyline of TharnType was a mess, but the actors carried the whole show, that's why it's popular. I know there are tons of people who hate the series and the character of Tharn due to the whole issue of sexual assault, but I feel that yes they are right to hate the show and the characters. However, many of the actors gave their best performances, up until the writing of this review, in this show. We really shouldn't give up on the show based on the plot and forget about the actor's fantastic acting. I know it's hard since the plot is so terrible, but I feel we have to give credit where credit is due. Yes, the plot was bad, but the acting was amazing!

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Must Watch for ALL BL FANS!!!

This is the BL that set the bar high for all other BLs after it!!

I'll be including a section of things you need to know before watching Love By Chance Season 2, and things you need to know about the world of Love By Chance/P'Mame before watching this series at the bottom of this review.

STORY:

Love By Chance is a light-hearted BL that does use a lot of popular BL troupes, yet it doesn't overwhelm the audience by making everything too obvious. All the couples fit into a troupe, and even the characters fit into a stereotype. That being said, the story is still lovely and all the actors are amazing, especially the leads.

Going back to the troupes, Love By Chance does touch on almost every troupe out there. E.g. coming out to parents, figuring out of your sexuality, sweet couple, lovers to enemies, poor boy and rich boy, terrible exs, rape, etc. When looking at the troupes, there is an underlying darkness that looms the troupes with most series getting very dark with it. For example, coming out or figuring out your sexuality is something that some series spend the whole series on and the plot can also get very heavy. Love By Chance, however, glazes over it very quickly. The series takes a very sweet and innocent approach to all of it that really gives off the vibe that this is a boy's first love. All the lead characters are experiencing their first love and their approach to it is very innocent and cute. They don't over think their issues and just real with it as it comes which makes all the relationships very cute and enjoyable.

However, there is one issue we must address.... Techno and Kengkla's relationship. We can even add Technic in here too!

Everyone who watches Love By Chance have lots of critiques and opinions about this couple. I'm not going to say too much about it until the second season. In this first season, we see a lot of Technic and Kengkla manipulating Techno until the last episode when Kengkla goes overboard and rapes Techno. We really don't see much of the aftermath and Techno's reaction to this, so I'm not going to say too much about it here, other than rape is wrong. I'll write more about their relationship and my thoughts on it in the second season's review.

Ae & Pete

Pete and Ae have the cutest relationship ever! How they get together and navigate their relationship is a definition of ideal first love. They could even be considered couple goals in this season. They had an attraction with each other from the start and they naturally got together. Nothing about this couple felt forced.

At first I was thrown off by how many times Pete had to be saved by Ae since he was literally a damsel in distress and needed to be saved way too many times. I felt like Pete should grow a pair and punch Trump at least once to make it seem realistic, but when we learn that Pete knows more about sex than Ae I gave it a pass. I felt that a typical guy would at least stand up for himself instead of crying all the time, but since Pete seems to be more knowledgeable about sex like a typical man, maybe he's just not confrontational. I also was worried about if they would give Ae a hero complex since he's always saving Pete. I was relieved then they made Ae pure in adult and relationship matters.

Pete and Ae really compliment each other in many ways, so really enjoyed them together. They really are the embodiment of a beautiful first love, so I can not wait to see what will happen to them in the next season.... Is what I want to say, but I've seen the second season, so all I'll say is that I need to read the book so I can understand what is happening between Pete and Ae for the second season. If you haven't seen the second season yet... How do I say this... If you're there to watch Pete and Ae's relationship go read the book first. If you don't you'll be very confused.

Tin & Can

Tin and Can are hilarious. They really have a cat and mouse relationship and they don't know why. Can is just picking a fight with Tin because he simply finds Tin annoying, but he doesn't know why Tin is annoying. Tin on the other hand, is irritated with Can constantly picking a fight with him for no reason, so he just fights back. They don't realize they are getting to know each other better as they fight. They're in each other's throats so often that they can't breathe without each other!

I found Can to be very annoying. He's not naive, he's literally stupid! He has a great heart and is very trusting, but he's stupid. Tin's very smart and he's around people that are trying to deceive him all the time, so I see why he finds Can fascinating. Can is just too stupid to lie and Tin can be himself around Can without being worried about being manipulated. However, I feel like Tin was manipulating Can. He would reveal his life history then claim it's fake to make Can interested in him, but he never really came clean to Can about anything.

The ending between Tin and Can is sad, yet completely understandable. Tin already knew his feelings and wanted to be in a relationship, but Can was still confused about his sexuality and feelings for Tin. Can was dragging Tin along, so I do get why Tin completely cut him off as a friend, but at the same time Tin should have gave Can some time to think about it. He knows Can is not the sharpest tool in the shed, so instead of playing mind games with Can, he should have been upfront about his feelings from the beginning and given Can some time to think. While I do feel a bit sad that Tin got rejected, and it's heart breaking to watch him scream in the shower, I feel no remorse because he played mind games with the person he shouldn't have played mind games with from the beginning.

Tum & Tar (& Type)

I absolutely hate this couple! They drive me insane!! So much pushing and pulling, and to top it off we're never given the complete story on their relationship and Tar's backstory with Tharn. If you want to understand this couple do watch TharnType the Series then come back to watch this. You'll get a better understanding of Tar's history with everyone. However, since I'm only reviewing this series I won't talk too much about TharnType.

Tum and Tar do a lot of pushing and pulling, and the worst part is we don't really know why. Their relationship is slowly explained to us throughout the season, but we're just left hanging for the most part. It sucks because the whole step-sibling relationship is a big taboo subject for many people since many people see it as incest despite not being related by blood. I feel like because of the incest issue and the fact that being gang-raped is a very dark subject, they just glossed over it. I think it also doesn't help that they don't introduce Tharn at all. They just use Type to talk about their backstory and it's not good enough. We never hear about Tar's issues from Tarn or Tar directly, so we spend the whole series wondering what is going on between them.

I also kind of wish they would have shown more interaction between Tum and Tar because Tum spent more time on screen with Type than he did with Tar... And Tum is supposed to be in love with Tar! I didn't see much love between them. All the time they spend on screen is spent with Type trying to not be their middle man. It doesn't even seem like Tar was in love with Tum too. In general I think Tum and Tar need their own series rather than being a side couple in TharnType and Love By Chance. Tum and Tar's backstory is too interesting and complex to be a side couple in the first place.

Kengka & Techno (& Technic)

Oh, boy! I think I already said most of my piece above, but I'll say it again, Kengka and Technic are manipulating jerks! Technic is the worst brother ever! He sells his brother out to Kengkla for no good reason at all. Kengkla on the other hand isn't too annoying if you look at the fact that he's just in love with Techno and is trying to be noticed by him. If they wanted to make Kengkla come off as the guy for Techno, I think they should have shown how kengkla fell in love with Techno first, instead of showing him being a straight up stalker. His first scene is asking for Techno's picture in exchange for a car. I don't see any good points to Kengkla to make it seem like he's the one for Techno. It's ridiculous. And then you have him teaming up with Technic to manipulate Techno? I can't see jealous Kengkla, only obsessed Kengkla. It's sad because I think that's not how his character is supposed to come off as.

Techno is one of my favorite characters, however his character is inconsistent in this series. At first he seems like a smart and normal guy, but when as the series goes on he gets more air-headed. In the morning after being raped by Kengkla, he acts very out of character. Instead of thinking smartly as he is seen doing when he's with Can, Ae, Type, and Champ, he suddenly makes goofy faces and goes dumb. It's really strange. I can imagine the Techno in TharnType being a better fit for this storyline. In fact, while I love Love By Chance's version of Techno, I think the Techno in TharnType is more of a better fit for this Kengkla we see in this series. I think TharnType's Techno would be more oblivious to Kengkla's feelings, and play along more perfectly to Kengkla and Technic's shenanigans, while the Love By Chance Techno would honestly just go out with Kengkla if Kengkla mustered up the courage to ask him and constantly pestered him about it. What do you think?

Pond & Chaam

Pond and Chaam are really an underrated couple. The only heterosexual couple in this series, they barely get screentime, but they are amazing nevertheless. I love how Pond is initially seen as Ae's horny and annoying friend, but through Chaam we see that he's actually a great guy. I also enjoy how through Pond and Chaam's character we learn not to judge people by their cover. It's a cute mini-storyline and I'm glad the main lead's best friend got a girlfriend because it usually doesn't happen in BLs.


OVERALL:

Love By Chance is a great series! It's really cute and fun to watch. I wish they didn't mess it up in Season 2...
Yeah... Don't watch Season 2 unless you are a TinCan fan.....


~~~~~~~~~~ Things to Know Before Watching Love By Chance Season 2 ~~~~~~~~~~


Love By Chance Season 2 is very different from Season 1. Many people skip the second season due to the reasons listed below.

While I think Love By Chance 2 isn't terrible, it is definitely not as good. I would recommend watching it at least once with the following in your mind before watching Season 2. If you go in without knowing the information below, you will be confused.


1. Pete & Ae's Storyline (Time skip and what happens between S1 and S2)

Before watching Season 2, you have to know a few things. First, Perth and Saint, who play Ae and Pete respectively, had a falling out due to Perth's manager. I'm not going to write the whole drama here, so look it up if you want to. It's very sad. Anyways, the long story short is Saint will not be returning to play Pete, so because of that there is a time skip between the first season and second season. Unfortunately things aren't explained well to the audience.

I'll try to summarize what happens during the time skip, but please know that I haven't read the novel too. I'm only writing what other people have said about what happened during the time skip.

After Ae and Pete get together in Love By Chance things are blissful for a while, but unfortunate there are lots of people that want Ae and Pete to break up including Pete's father. He disapproves of their relationship, believing Ae is unsuitable for his son. He wants Pete to come live abroad with him and his new family abroad. Pete’s father starts making life difficult for Pete and his mother until he has no other option but to go with his father. Pete's mom tries to protect Pete and keep him in Thailand, but Pete's father is merciless. Without a choice, Pete signs a contract with his father saying that he will attend university aboard and break up with Ae. It further states that until he graduates from university he will have no contact with Ae. Still in love with Pete, Ae takes care of Pete's mother for 3 years while he's aboard and misses him like crazy. This is where Season 2 picks up.

Also, please note that while Season 2 continues the story of Ae and Pete from that point, it's mostly just Ae's side of the story. There is barely any continuation of their relationship because Saint understandably doesn't want to appear with Perth, so if you want to see how they end, just read the novel... That being said Perth does great acting miserable without Pete, so if you're a Perth fan and want to see his growth as an actor, watch the second season. He's completely different from the happy Ae when Pete's not around.


2. Tin & Can's Storyline (Reset)

Season 1 ends with Tin's confession getting rejected by Can, but in Season 2 they do a restart. Season 2 starts off with Tin and Can not knowing each other despite Ae and Pete already being so far ahead on their relationship. If this sounds confusing... it is.

Basically when you watch Season 2, you need to forget that Tin and Can were in Season 1 and treat them as brand new characters.

Also, they are the only couple to do a reset on their relationship, so all other couples are running on the same timeline as Season 1, but Tin and Can jump back and restart their relationship.


3. Tum & Tar

To fully understand Tum and Tar's storyline you need to watch in this order:
TharnType Season 1 → Love By Chance Season 1 → LBC Season 2

Unfortunately since Tum and Tar don't have their own novel, we don't get to see how Tum fell in love with Tar, or the exact events that happened while Tar was dating Tharn. However, in TharnType, Tar tells us exactly what happened and why things happened. We also get to see the relationship between Tum and Tharn, and why Tum chooses to talk to Type instead of Tharn in Love By Chance.


4. TharnType the Series & Love By Chance the Series

TharnType and Love By Chance are in the same universe. They share the same characters, but most of the characters are played by different actors. Only Kengkla, Pete, and Tin are played by the same actors, but they only make cameos in TharnType. Also because they are played by different actors and since TharnType is a little darker than Love By Chance some character do change personalities based on the series you watch.

Lastly, it doesn't mater which series you watch first, but here is the continuity timeline.

1. TharnType – Tharn, Type, Techno and Tum are all freshmen in university.
2. Love By Chance – Set 3 years after TharnType. Ae, Pete, Tin and Can are freshmen, while Tharn, Type, Techno, and Tum are seniors.
3. Love By Chance 2 – Season 2 is set only a few months after LBC, they are all the same age as before.
4. TharnType 2 – It takes place 7 years after the events of TharnType, so 4 years after the events of LBC. Everyone has graduated university and are all working adults.

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Must Watch!!!

Live by the Gun, Die by the Gun!!

The synopsis for this series doesn't do any justice. There is so much more to the story than three kids on the run from the mafia. In this series, the mafia are not just one dimensional bad guys with no motives for life other than the mob. The mafia men here have lives, feelings, and motives. There is so much more to this than just guns, money, and killing. It's a must watch!

Also this is not a polyamory story, nor does it have a love triangle between the leads. This is just about three people, who learn to love each other for who they are and become a "family." It's more of "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" relationship. There is really no romantic love between any of them... Just a few kisses, hugs, and one night stands though... I'll try and explain it a bit later in the review.

STORY:

Neo, a pansexual stripper with some debt, ends up sleeping with Mafia Boss Thana's new wife. Thana sends some men after him. While on the run he runs into Shin, Thana's gay son, and Miw, a hostess at a strip club. During the scuffle, Thana's wife is killed and Miw accidentally kills, Phon. one of Thana's right-hand men. The three of them go on the run. Ter, Thana's right-hand man who accidentally killed Thana's wife in the scuffle, puts the blame of her death on Neo and informs Thana. Furious, he sends his men after Miw and Neo, believing that they kidnapped Shin and killed his wife. Thana also secretly orders Ter's death for his failure as well. After receiving his orders, Ter goes to inform Mae, Phon's transgender girlfriend about his death. Mae decides to go along with Ter to avenge her boyfriend's death.

Meanwhile, on the run, Neo, Miw, and Shin seek help and shelter from not only others, but themselves. They learn more about each other's lives, their ambitions, and the struggles they've faced. They also learn to love and accept each other for who they are. While Neo, Miw, and Shin's lives are turned dark and upside down, they learn to survive, so that they can one day be free.

This is the long story short. There is so much more action, violence, carnage, and depth to this story it's so hard to explain. Almost every character has a motive and a drive. There is really no character that is just there to push the story forward. Every character has a background that is explained nicely to the audience.

Neo

Neo is one of the main trio. He is the catalyst of this entire plot. He grew up in the forest and moved to the city with big dreams. He has financial issues leading him to work as a stripper and to sell his body to pay for his debt. He is pansexual. He tends to follow his heart rather than his head, which often leads to more trouble. Neo respects and cares deeply for his older brother Leo. When Leo is killed due to his actions, he seeks revenge.

Miw

Miw is the second of the trio. She is accidentally dragged in when she hears a commotion and walks in to Phon and Neo fighting. She picks up the gun terrified and accidentally shoots Phon dead when he tries to retrieve his gun. Unbeknownst to anyone this is her second body count. The first is John's brother, her stepfather, after he raped her. She accidentally stabbed him dead with a pool cue while fighting him off her. She has a bad relationship with her mother because of this and the many men her mother brings home, and was on the run from John when she accidentally got involved in this. Outside of her family issues, Miw is just a normal girl trying to survive and will do anything to survive.

Shin

Shin is the last of the trio. He is Thana's son and was literally just using the bathroom when Neo ran into the bathroom to hide from Phon and Thana's men. Like Miw, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, Neo was Shin's first love, so he just followed Neo to help him out. Unlike Miw and Neo, Shin grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he never felt genuine love. His mother was killed when he was young and his father always rejected his artsy and non-masculine ways. His father always wanted him to be strong and mainly to take over the family business. Shin always had to follow rules and was never given much freedom. Due to always being controlled by his father, Shin is naive and introverted, seeking genuine affection and love. Since no one is keeping him hostage and since he really hasn't hurt anyone, he could walk away from the situation and return home at anytime. Instead he chooses to help Mie and Neo escape from his father wrath since he disagrees with his father's ways.

Neo & Miw

Neo and Miw's relationship built on the fact that they are both struggling to survive. They come from similar backgrounds, yet they do things very differently which causes them to butt heads often. While many may think that they have a romantic relationship, their relationship is very platonic. They are each other's rock and comfort, but nothing more. They grew up in an environment where they can relay nobody but themselves, so when they find that they can relay each other, they seek solace in each other.

Miw & Shin

Miw sees a version of herself in Shin. She looks at him as a little brother. While she will do anything to survive, she wants to set Shin free since she knows what it's like to feel trapped by your family. Miw comforts and gives advice to Shin as an older sister. Similarly, Shin views Miw as a sister. She is his family and he cares deeply about her. She was the first person to really understand him and he values her dearly. Because of this he wants to give her the freedom she deserves after such a hard life.

Shin & Neo

Shin is Neo's first love after they met in art class. Neo views Shin as a friend, rather than a lover. As they go on the run together, they grow closer as Shin learns more of Neo's past. As Neo and Miw grow closer due to their similar backgrounds, Shin gets jealous, but he does see that Neo is happier with Miw, so he backs off. Deep down, rather than getting jealous of Neo and Miw for having a relationship, Shin is more jealous because all of his love and affection is one-sided, but between Neo and Mie it's mutual. Miw often has to remind him that they love him back as well and love is mutual between all three of them. Neo does treasure Shin deeply, but it's very familial.

Neo & Miw & Shin

The relationship between Neo, Miw, and Shin is very complex. While most people will understand that they learn to grow and love each other because of the circumstances they are thrown in together, I don't think many will understand how deep it goes. Only those who have hit rock bottom might understand them well. Working as a stripper or hostess, selling your body, being in debt, putting yourself in a vulnerable position to make money to survive. There is more to this than just watching it on the screen and feeling sympathy for the characters. If you've ever been buried so deep in the mud that you can't breathe, you would know how the characters feel. It's not just about surviving, it's literally life or death. Neo, Miw, and Shin are trapped not only in their situation, but in their lives as well. The small happy moments they share together are the small gasps of air they can breath while they drown. When any of the three characters get intimate with each other, it's the only time they can be themselves and breathe freely. They can't trust anyone else. They can only put their shields down, relax, and be vulnerable to each other. None of them are seeking romance from each other, they are seeking solace. They are looking for a light in the dark.

Ter & Mae & Phon

Ter and Phon are Thana's right-hand men. Unlike most mafia stories where the henchmen have no backgrounds, we learn through them that they are not replaceable robots, but that they have lives too. Through Phon and his love for Mae, we learn that killing and doing bad things have consequences, not only to themselves, but to their family and friends. Mae tells Phon to get out of the mob, Phon is torn between both. He ends up getting killed leaving Mae distraught. Ter is guilt ridden and wants revenge. Mae accompanies him as she has nothing left to live for. As they chase the trio, they start to seek solace in each other, which slowly leads to understanding and romance. Ter, however, still lives by the gun and is eventually killed for it. Mae hits rock bottom and she needs to make a decision to survive.

Ter and Phon's backgrounds show that even our enemies have lives and people who care about them. No lives can be killed without consequence. They even have motives, money, revenge, guilt, etc. Mae, however, is an interesting character. She is transgender, but that is irrelevant to the story. She could be male or female and her role would be the same. She is just like the trio, struggling to survive. While her situation isn't as extreme and dangerous, she is shown to be a normal civilian like us. She is unsatisfied with life and thought she found the right man. When hell burned over, instead of looking for greener pastures, she chose to go down a dark road. Mae shows us that our actions do have consequences. She could have mourned Phon's death and moved on like the average person, but when she chose to avenge him, she chose a road that's hard to return from. Mae hits rock bottom and by the end of the film she's in the same boat as the trio, but instead of having someone to lean on, she has no one.

Leo, Luang, PP, Motel Owner, etc. (All Characters the trio meet)

When you watch this series, pay attention to all the characters the trio meet. Every single person has a background and motive. It's very different from a usual series. They all have motives and desires. They are all struggling and doing what they can, in their power, to survive. I won't explain it all since it'll take too long, but definitely keep your eyes open for all of it.


ACTING:

All the actors were amazing! Every character felt real and you could feel every emotion they felt. Everything from the little gestures, to their clothes, to their movements, were amazing. There really was no weak actor here. They all were in sync with their roles. Even the trio, who had a hard task of portraying such complex characters had amazing chemistry. My favorite part is that any role can be replaced by any gender and the outcome is still the same. There is no overly masculine or overly feminine characters. They are all gender neutral.

OVERALL:

3 Will Be Free is an amazing series with so much depth to it. Not only in the storyline, but in the characters as well. You don't have to over analyze it like I did, but watch it and enjoy the emotions it brings.

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You're Gonna Either Love It or Hate It

It's a slow burn romance that'll either have you enter a love-hate relationship with.


STORY:

While in college Yu Zhen had is first and only lover suddenly leave him. Now, 7 years later he is still hurt and traumatized by the incident. Yu Zhen eventually takes over Jingcherng Metalwork and Desgin after it nearly goes bankrupt. He doesn't make much changes, only implementing one rule prohibiting any employees from being in relationships or being married. This rule doesn't sit well with all the employees including Shin Lei. Shin Lei and Yu Zhen constantly butt heads over this rule at the studio and also butt heads over new rules Yu Zhen had put in the employee share house. Fed up with Yu Zhen's domineering attitude Shin Lei and the other employees come up with the idea for Shin Lei to snoop around Yu Zhen to figure out his weakness.

This story will drive you insane! It is a slow burn romance, so there is a lot of will they, won't they in the series. Not only that, but Yu Zhen is a totally different person at home and in the studio that you'll wonder if he's really the same person. There were times I hated Yu Zhen, especially in the beginning since he came off as so arrogant, but like Shin Lei, we slowly get to learn that Yu Zhen isn't an ass like he makes himself out to be. However the pacing is insanely slow. Fortunately I watched it all in one go, but if I had to wait week by week to watch this, I would be burnt out and probably have dropped the series. It's literally a slow burn.

The ending was also strange, it wasn't terrible, but it was awkward. They set up an interesting plot by bringing in Yu Zhen's Ex, but his Ex brings nothing to the story. He literally makes the ending awkward. His Ex is only there for the last 3 episodes or so, but the last 3 episodes were the weakest. Instead of trying to set him up as some competition for Shin Lei, then make him start hitting on Shin Lei to make competition for Yu Zhen, only for them to say "Surprise! It was all a prank to see if you loved Shin Lei!" They should have either literally kept him as trying to win Yu Zhen's heart back or just not included him completely. I'm pretty sure most of us would have been satisfied with Shin Lei confessing his feelings for Yu Zhen, then watching Yu Zhen figuring out if he wanted to date Shin Lei or not. Yes it would have been less episodes, but we wouldn't mind. Bringing in the Ex made it messy and confusing. Other than that it was good.

Yu Zhen & Shin Lei

They were a nice couple and had really good chemistry together. It wasn't mind-blowing chemistry like Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi from We Best Love, but Yu Zhen and Shin Lei had something. Their scenes looked very realistic. You could see them slowly learning to understand and care for each other. As each episode passed there was less fighting and more compassion. By the time we get towards the end of the series we're practically begging for them to get together. I really liked how Shin Lei was able to break down all the wall that Yu Zhen built without overstepping his boundaries. There was a lot of mutual respect between them. I hope they will last for eternity.

Yu Zhen & Shin Lei & Shin Lei's Mom

Shin Lei's mom is such a treasure. I wish all parents were like her. Not only did she accept Shin Lei coming out of the closet, she took care of Yu Zhen as her own son. She also has a fantastic relationship with Shin Lei, where they have their disagreements, but they can sweep it under the rug and laugh about it after. He can talk to her about anything and not feel judged for it. I think all mom's should be like Shin Lei's mom. Bonus points since she's also hilarious on top of being caring.

Yu Zhen & His Ex

I already wrote a lot about his Ex, but I want to add a little more. I hate how they tried to make his Ex a good guy although they set him up as a bad guy in the beginning. They should have just stuck with him being the antagonist. I also was really uncomfortable with all the scenes showing him being all touchy-feely with Yu Zhen and Shin Lei. I guess I can give a pass to the Shin Lei scenes since it makes Yu Zhen uncomfortable, but I hated when they showed flashbacks from the past or those dreams with Shin Lei and Yu Zhen making out with his Ex. I understand that Yu Zhen has a past with this guy, but I really don't need to see it. It just made me uncomfortable. I swear Yu Zhen had more kiss and make out scenes with his Ex than with Shin Lei when the series is supposed to be about Yu Zhen and Shin Lei, not his Ex.

Zhao Gang & Si Qi

They were a breath of fresh air since it was good to see them get together so quickly while Yu Zhen and Shin Lei took ages to get together. That being said, I did feel like their storyline was a bit out of place. Being a foil to Yu Zhen and Shin Lei is fine, there is no complaints, bur I did find that Gang having commitment issues was out of character since he was supposed to be the big brother that you can talk to that knows all the answers. It was strange to see that he was giving advice on relationships, but wasn't able to execute them. One top of that not only did it get solved way too quickly, the answer to commitment issues was for Si Qi to propose and Gang to accept the proposal signifying he's over his commitment issues. I just don't believe that, nor do I see it being the answer. They were also dating for less than a year, maybe even less than six months at that point, so their ending was strange too. Cute couple otherwise.

Xiao Qian & Wang Jing

They were a strange pair. I couldn't tell if they were dating before Wang Jing proposed or what their exact relationship was even throughout the series. Even their ending is strange since we don't know if they got married or if they didn't. There was no conclusion to their storyline. Other than that I found them to be funny. They weren't overbearing or annoying, they were just funny. I like this couple. Yes, they are an odd couple, but they work for the story.


OVERALL:

This is a nice story to watch. Yes it's a slow burn, but it was good. The last 3 episodes were messy compared to the others, but it was good to watch. I highly recommend it if you like slow burn romances.

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Best BL of the Year! Don't read the spoilers or reviews and just go watch it!

This is the perfect BL. It encompasses everything that is BL. Season 1 has the whole student/university innocent love story while Season 2 has the adult angsty drama. It's the whole package.

(Some notes about the Special Edition Ver. for Season 1 at the bottom.)
Anyways, I'll focus on Season 1 now.


Story:

Gao Shi De has always been a thorn in Zhou Shu Yi's side. He's always excelled in everything and should have been number 1 in everything, if it wasn't for Gao Shi De. When Zhou Shu Yi got into college, he thought that was in end of it. Gao Shi De went to a different university so everything should have been good, but now Gao Shi De has transferred to his university. His life is a mess again. His female friend that Zhou Shu Yi has been crushing on is in love with his best friend and now he has to deal with Gao Shi De. It doesn't help that Gao Shi De saw through his pathetic crush and is trying to help him get over it. Zhou Shu Yi's supposed to hate Gao Shi De right?

This is an amazing story. Enemies to Lovers is not anything new in BL or in Romance, but what is new is that Zhou Shu Yi is half-Japanese and it incorporated it into the story. Zhou Shu Yi often uses Japanese phrases to express himself when he's talking to himself or doesn't want to be understood. His friends also accept that and use Japanese phrases too. It's really realistic to someone who is mutli-ethnic. (I'm half-Japanese, and I also use Japanese phrases when talking to myself or when I don't want to be understood. Sometimes there are words in Japanese that express things better than in English too.) I love how Gao Shi De nor any of this friends address the fact that he's half-Japanese and just accept it. In a usual story the fact that Zhou Shu Yi's half-Japanese would be high-lighted and constantly brought up. There is none of that in this story.

Another thing that's different from the norm is that Gao Shi De isn't seeking to be Zhou Shu Yi's boyfriend. He literally just wants to be friends. Yes, he's in love with Zhou Shu Yi, but he spent so long being hated by him that he just wants to be friends and be able to talk to Zhou Shu Yi normally. It was so heartbreaking when Zhou Shu Yi found out about his crush, yet instead of saying "Yes, I'm in love with you. Please date me." He literally told Zhou Shu Yi, "It's none of your business." He was pushing his feelings to the side because he thought Zhou Shu Yi wouldn't accept his love and he didn't want to break their friendship. Such a selfless love!


Acting:

The chemistry between Gao Shi De and Zhou Shu Yi is amazing. Gao Shi De doesn't even have to speak and we can already see what he's thinking and feeling. Gao Shi De might be stoic, but just look into his eyes and you feel every emotion. Such talent! Zhou Shu Yi has significantly a lot more lines than Gao Shi De, but that doesn't mean he can't express himself either. Zhou Shu Yi is more in touch with his emotions and let's them out. He physically shows all of his emotions be it happiness, anger, or pain. Zhou Shu Yi also has the best teary-eye/emotional scenes in the whole BL industry. I can barely name any actors that can compare with him when is comes to scenes that are so emotional they make you tear up. Anyone can cry when they're sad, but to be so emotional that you have tears forming in your eyes, and you don't know why you're crying? Zhou Shu Yi's actor is amazing.

This BL is so amazing that there really isn't much to criticize. If there is any criticism it would be Zhou Shu Yi's Chinese language skills. I don't speak Chinese, so I can't say too much. That being said, since he is acting right next to other Chinese speaking actors, even I can hear it sometimes. Again, I don't speak Chinese, so it doesn't bother me, but I can understand why it would bother some people. However, I can chalk it up to Zhou Shu Yi being half-Chinese, half-Japanese. Realistically though, if Zhou Shu Yi was born and raised in Taiwan his Chinese would be better than Japanese. But seeing as in Season 2 his dad speaks better Japanese than Chinese, I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. Everything can be explained nicely though the storyline, so it works out for me. I do feel bad that the fans are knit-picking at Zhou Shu Yi's actor's Chinese skills (even to the actor's himself) when he was born and raised in Japan, so obviously his Japanese is better than Chinese. If you want to start knit-picking at language, aside from Zhou Shu Yi's actor, when the Chinese actors speak Japanese they have terrible pronunciation. It doesn't bother me though, since they are Chinese and not fluent in Japanese. You can't have everything perfect in life you know. Can all of you criticizing him even speak two languages fluently with perfect pronunciation for both languages? I think most of you can't, so I think it's time we all just sweep this topic under the rug.


Overall:

We Best Love is amazing. One of the best BLs out there. If you haven't watched it, you should.


~~~~~~~~~~ We Best Love: No 1 Special Edition ~~~~~~~~~~

What's the difference?

Bing Wei and Zhe Yu's confrontation scene in the locker room is extended. This is probably the most important scene since they are a featured side couple in the 2nd season. Other than that not much. Just a few scenes other extended, but not important. For example, instead of a short hug or kiss, they just show a few extra seconds of it. I'm not going to name all of them since it does nothing for the story. Season 2 is where the Special Edition is important.


Should you watch the Special Edition first or watch it on the re-watch?

I would just watch the Special Editions. But if you want to watch the normal version and Special Editions then... How do I put this... Watch both normal versions of Season 1 and Season 2 then watch the Special Editions on the rewatch.

YES - Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2 (Skipping the Normal version is okay)
YES - Normal Ver. S1 → Normal Ver. S2 → Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2

NO - Normal Ver. S1 → Special Edition S1 → Normal Ver. S2 → Special Edition S2
(You won't understand why they extended some scenes)
NO - Special Edition S1 → Special Edition S2 → Normal Ver. S1 → Normal Ver. S2
(The rewatch will be boring. Especially Season 2's rewatch. You'll probably claim that you wasted your time watching the normal version since you watched it the Special Editions first.)

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Don't Remember Much of Math Class? Then Just Skip This

While the whole mathematics idea is unique and cool in theory it isolates the audience. If you love math you might enjoy the mathematical references, but if you don't you just sit there confused. The math references are literally half of the dialogue and all of the characters have math or scientific names.

STORY:

Tan and Sine have been friends since middle school, but lately they are starting to have feelings for each other. Instead of following their hearts, they follow their logistical heads which leads to them over analyzing their love for each other.

If it wasn't for the math references (more than half of which blew over my head because I haven't been to school since I graduated and on top of that I avoided math class the like plague,) this story would have nothing to stand on. The storyline is absolutely boring, and more than half of the issues literally could have been avoided if Tan just put on his big boy pants and told Sine he's in love with him. All of the characters over analyze love and keep making more problems than solutions. It's quite annoying. The only interesting part of the story is literally the math references... And I didn't even understand half of it!

Also the story would have been so much better without the Lin storyline. She just made everything so much more confusing. She says she likes that Tan and Sine are more than friends, but literally puts herself between them. Tan also has a thing with her even though he claims he's in love with Sine. Sine, on the other hand, is jealous of her, and tells Tan he should date her, but is constantly seeing her around and giving her advice(?) on Tan, yet also getting advice from her to get Tan.... I'm so confused. Let's literally take her out of the equation and the story would flow better.

Lastly, none of the actors were good. Tan's actor was decent, but he's literally the only one. Even so, he kept fidgeting and sometimes his acting wasn't so good either. Everyone else was clearly trying to act, but overall it looked like everyone was doing a scene in a high school drama class. There was no chemistry between the leads and it was hard to believe that they were in love with each other for so long. I honestly think that Atom and Leo had more chemistry than Tan and Sine.

OVERALL:

Don't waste your time with this series. If you like math, than maybe you can watch it for the mathematical references and math jokes, but if you don't like math than just skip it. You'll just sit there confused and annoyed at the characters if you don't get the references. The story is subpar and the acting is mediocre anyways. Not worth your time.

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