This review may contain spoilers
My Space is Here
The Eclipse is one of my favorite BL dramas and I was really looking forward to these two episodes. I found what they did with these two episodes really interesting and creative and even though it wasn't a hit with every scene, the characters are what really made these two extra episodes special. It was the characters that I fell in love with in the drama and they are what made me really enjoy this continuation of their stories.
Of the episodes that have aired thus far, I felt these two had the best combination of story and fluff. There's a good balance of both. Unlike with Never Let Me Go, the story is a continuation that fits with the original drama and unlike Star in My Mind, it's more than pure fluff. I thought going with a continuation of Wat's moviemaking was a unique choice since it played a relatively minor role in the original, but a good one. The scenes with the characters imagining themselves in various movies was incredibly cheesy, but also rather entertaining. It does feel a bit rushed at times, but with just two episodes, they didn't have a ton of time to fully flesh out the story and it's still good as is.
I did like that there was a clear progression in the character's growth. They were not exactly the same as they were in the original which makes sense since time has obviously passed and that was refreshing since a lot of times specials or subsequent seasons pick up acting like no time has passed when in fact it's been years. I liked that Akk and Aye were shown as having to actually work at their relationship. It showcased that relationships are something that require effort and aren't something you can just neglect. With everything that happened in the original, they didn't really have a chance to get to know one another on a more personal level. They were always a study in opposites, but with the drama behind them, that comes to the fore, and they need to learn to communicate and compromise. I do wish there was a little more of a focus on them learning to communicate. Akk keeps things bottled up and there's no way for Aye to learn from or try to rectify the problem, when he's being tight lipped. Kisses are great, but they don't solve the problem. On the flip side, I liked that Thua did communicate his feelings to Kan. There was still the element there that kisses solve problems, but I felt it was a better progression than with Akk and Aye.
I love the friendships here, especially between Akk, Wat, and Kan. The way they support each other is just so wholesome and I really love that even though Akk and Kan aren't into the indie movies that Wat is, they are still willing to encourage and support him in his dream.
The acting is, of course, fantastic. This is such a great cast and they all play off of and interact with each other so well. First and Khaotung have such a level of authenticity and I think that just comes from the fact that they've known each other for years and are comfortable with each other. That can be good or bad as sometimes actors who have known each other for an extensive period time seem to struggle with bringing romantic chemistry to the screen. That is not an issue with these two though. There's an almost perfect blend of romance and friendship between them that just works. They have such warmth and I adore how they've brought these characters to life. Neo and Louis are also very talented and I really enjoyed their portrayals of Kan and Thua. They did a good job showing how their relationship has developed since the original drama and their chemistry together is equally good. They're more subtle than First and Khao in how their relationship is shown, less demonstrative, but there's a lot communicated between them simply by eye contact and body language. AJ, Pawin, and Ploy all brought their A game as well.
I cannot even begin to express how much I love the song Akk and Aye sing. It is perfect and I am anxiously waiting for it to appear on streaming so I can listen to it on repeat.
My biggest qualm, honestly, was Aye pretending not to remember it was Akk's birthday. I know he was trying to surprise him, but every time I see that come up in dramas, I can't help but think it's just a recipe for drama as it nearly always leads to issues. If you want to surprise someone, then find another way to do it. Don't do something that can hurt the person you care about and potentially damage the relationship.
I really enjoyed this special. Some of the lines from it just really hit home, like when Aye talks about the difference between "place" and "space". I think its safe to say that The Eclipse and many of these other dramas became a space for a lot of us where we feel warmth and love and I think that is just beautiful. This was a wonderful addition to The Eclipse story that you don't want to miss.
Of the episodes that have aired thus far, I felt these two had the best combination of story and fluff. There's a good balance of both. Unlike with Never Let Me Go, the story is a continuation that fits with the original drama and unlike Star in My Mind, it's more than pure fluff. I thought going with a continuation of Wat's moviemaking was a unique choice since it played a relatively minor role in the original, but a good one. The scenes with the characters imagining themselves in various movies was incredibly cheesy, but also rather entertaining. It does feel a bit rushed at times, but with just two episodes, they didn't have a ton of time to fully flesh out the story and it's still good as is.
I did like that there was a clear progression in the character's growth. They were not exactly the same as they were in the original which makes sense since time has obviously passed and that was refreshing since a lot of times specials or subsequent seasons pick up acting like no time has passed when in fact it's been years. I liked that Akk and Aye were shown as having to actually work at their relationship. It showcased that relationships are something that require effort and aren't something you can just neglect. With everything that happened in the original, they didn't really have a chance to get to know one another on a more personal level. They were always a study in opposites, but with the drama behind them, that comes to the fore, and they need to learn to communicate and compromise. I do wish there was a little more of a focus on them learning to communicate. Akk keeps things bottled up and there's no way for Aye to learn from or try to rectify the problem, when he's being tight lipped. Kisses are great, but they don't solve the problem. On the flip side, I liked that Thua did communicate his feelings to Kan. There was still the element there that kisses solve problems, but I felt it was a better progression than with Akk and Aye.
I love the friendships here, especially between Akk, Wat, and Kan. The way they support each other is just so wholesome and I really love that even though Akk and Kan aren't into the indie movies that Wat is, they are still willing to encourage and support him in his dream.
The acting is, of course, fantastic. This is such a great cast and they all play off of and interact with each other so well. First and Khaotung have such a level of authenticity and I think that just comes from the fact that they've known each other for years and are comfortable with each other. That can be good or bad as sometimes actors who have known each other for an extensive period time seem to struggle with bringing romantic chemistry to the screen. That is not an issue with these two though. There's an almost perfect blend of romance and friendship between them that just works. They have such warmth and I adore how they've brought these characters to life. Neo and Louis are also very talented and I really enjoyed their portrayals of Kan and Thua. They did a good job showing how their relationship has developed since the original drama and their chemistry together is equally good. They're more subtle than First and Khao in how their relationship is shown, less demonstrative, but there's a lot communicated between them simply by eye contact and body language. AJ, Pawin, and Ploy all brought their A game as well.
I cannot even begin to express how much I love the song Akk and Aye sing. It is perfect and I am anxiously waiting for it to appear on streaming so I can listen to it on repeat.
My biggest qualm, honestly, was Aye pretending not to remember it was Akk's birthday. I know he was trying to surprise him, but every time I see that come up in dramas, I can't help but think it's just a recipe for drama as it nearly always leads to issues. If you want to surprise someone, then find another way to do it. Don't do something that can hurt the person you care about and potentially damage the relationship.
I really enjoyed this special. Some of the lines from it just really hit home, like when Aye talks about the difference between "place" and "space". I think its safe to say that The Eclipse and many of these other dramas became a space for a lot of us where we feel warmth and love and I think that is just beautiful. This was a wonderful addition to The Eclipse story that you don't want to miss.
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