Unpopularopinionbydemand
watching BL in the corner of my room
This review may contain spoilers
Expectations Weren't Just Ruined, They Were Destroyed...
When the 2021 lineup came out, Enchante was at the top of my most anticipated list. I remember thinking, "Wow, GMMTV is going to give us a series where we have little to no indication of who the main lead will end up with." I was so hyped and so sad that I had to wait until 2022 to finally watch, but I was hoping it'd be worth the wait. Unfortunately, it wasn't. I try not to go into too many shows with high expectations, but with this one, I really wanted to be surprised. But all that came crashing down before the first episode could even begin.
Let's Dive In.
Enchante is a uni-set BL surrounding our main lead, Theo, who had just returned from living in France to resume his life back in Thailand. He ends up reuniting with his childhood best friend, Akk, and they are back to themselves like in the old times. While at school, Theo writes out his feelings in a book that he thinks nobody will pay attention to until he returns again to find that someone had written a response back as Enchante. With the help of his best friend, they embark on an adventure to find out who is writing back to him through the possible 4 options that claim they are Enchante. The synopsis is what sold me on the series. A bit of a mystery, a slice of puzzle-solving (or what I supposed would be puzzle-solving), some fluffy uni tropes, and an endearing romance. Sign me up! But this series was a complete letdown and in so many different ways. There is a variety of things to do with such a unique concept as Enchante, and they don't take any of them. I won't blame this series too much, since the book is supposedly the real problem, but they had all the resources to switch things up. If GMMTV wasn't so worried about making money through this pairing, this would've been a hit series, for sure.
Getting into what I didn't like: Starting from the get-go, I don't think that this was the right novel to adapt to the screen. Granted, I've never read the book, but I was spoiled head-on before the second episode could even begin (it was a bummer, but oh well) I think as a book, the revelation of (SPOILER LARGE SPOILER COMING UP) Theo himself being Enchante might've been cool, but on screen, it feels like a waste of time. I love the concept of trying to figure out who is flirting with Theo through book pages, and it's a huge blow when it's revealed; albeit surprising for sure, but not in a good way. I kind of wish GMMTV or the director would've come up with their own similar version of Enchante, with it being obviously completely different than Enchante in all aspects, but still having that surprise element of who Enchante could be, without it being the main lead himself. Cause otherwise, after Enchante is revealed, the series to me just feels like a quick money grab and a waste of time and potential.
Getting into my problem with GMMTV, they basically told us who Theo ends up with without saying a word. With the amount of publicity that Book and Force do, it's evident they would end up together. Doing shows together, lives, interviews, and whatnot, it burns your soul that GMMTV doesn't give two craps about the concept of the plot just to gain coins from this new pair. Even when it's revealed that all the potential enchantes had a motive behind pretending to be enchante, it's still just aggravating. Cause before episode one can even begin, the plot, the mystery, the stakes, and everything in-between are just useless. Even if Enchante would've been one of the four who claims to be, it wouldn't have made a difference if Akk and Theo still end up together. The entire aspect of "who Enchante is" is now just taking up airtime for something else that could've been utilized. It's a sad c plot that was supposed to be the biggest part of the series. Cause imagine how much fun it would've been to watch five guys run after Theo and each week we try to theorize who'd he end up with. Sigh, wasted potential.
The series could just be very boring and bland at times. Getting through the first 4-5 episodes is difficult, and I would most of the time, end up falling asleep. I realized that when I watched, I would have to multitask so I don't drift off, but it shouldn't be that way. They do a decent job at the build-up of the world and the story, but it takes too long. Inevitably, this series suffered from a pretty tedious storyline.
Book and Force have good chemistry until they do end up together, and then it gets exceedingly awkward and cringey. I think finding two close friends to play a couple in a series has its good benefits, but also its bad ones. I would say they are in-between; whereas, in some cases, their closeness in real life plays out perfectly when they are just friends in the series, but when they have scenes where they have to be close and intimate, you can feel that tenseness they both present (sometimes it's mostly just Book) and it can be a bit too intense to even watch. There are some times when it doesn't feel like that, for instance, during their first kiss, and some moments when they do incidentally get close, but I felt it a lot when they kissed other times, and when they become boyfriends. Talking about incidentally getting close, there are some tropes that are way overplayed -- tremendously overused -- like the getting close trope. I love a good cliche trope if used right, but after the third time, I just roll my eyes.
The conflict between Theo and Akk in the end is such poor writing. It is so unreasonable for him to get mad at Akk, and it's even more unreasonable the obstacles he goes through to try and get his parents back together. Sure, it's a sad predicament most children have to face, but god, you're in college, handle it like an adult, why don't you. It was equally aggravating to see Theo going through all of that trouble of making up Enchante just because he wanted Akk to notice him when he could've just communicated his feelings. Of course, no story if communication were real, but wow, this is what you call commitment.
I was intrigued by Tan's little crush on Natee, but it's terribly executed. It feels pretty one-sided, even at the end when Natee wants him back, it feels more like he just wanted his friend back -- which is sad in Tan's case. But at least we got to see a healthy male friendship (kind of, sort of, not really).
Me being nit-picky, but I'm tired of seeing JJ (and AJ) always playing support roles. Please, JJ would've dominated as Akk, or maybe even one of the enchantes. God, please give the twins what they deserve.
What I enjoyed: While I would've liked for one of the enchantes to be the real enchante, I'm not mad when we find out they were all kind of using Theo for their own gain. I love a little bit of mischief and vainness, (but then we found out Theo is enchante, and by then, what's the point? Like, why did he do all of those things for them knowing he was enchante..?)
Gawin. That's it. and Jimmy, cause he's a dime to look at.
The ending is the saving grace for this series. I feel like I was a bratty kid who had to sit in time-out for acting up, but then I have a realization that I am bratty and I was acting up and I can't be mad for someone sitting me in time-out. Explanation: I was pretty aggravated that what I wanted to happen in this series didn't, but seeing how adorable they were in Paris made me realize that I should just appreciate what I got. And the little proposal was cute, I wish that Akk would've said something about France having legalized same-sex marriage before proposing, but it's still really precious.
Ratings:
Story: 6.5: Horrible execution of the Enchante plot. Especially when it's pretty much useless since we see who Theo ends up with. Just a bunch of tropey stuff between the leads, some villainess side characters trying to get their way, and sweet ol' Gawin. I'll give six stars for the parts that I did find intriguing (Tan's crush on Natee, some moments between Theo and Akk, Akk's sisters, Wayo and Natee's storyline and reason for pretending to be enchante, Phupha for maybe the first few episodes,) and a half star for Gawin and Jimmy.
Acting: 7.5: No one really stood out to me as the best, and everyone was pretty much on an equal line when it came to acting. There were a few times Force and Book gave us nothing in the expressions department, with Force probably being the worst out of the pair. I'll take two stars off for Gawin, cause as much as I love him, his acting felt weird in this one compared to the stellar performance he gave us in Not Me. Another half off for them using JJ as a supporting role for the umpteenth time. #thetwinsofGMMTVdeservebetter2k22.
Music: 8 - I quite liked it. It was super soothing and perfect for the tone of the series.
Rewatch value: 1 - when hell freezes over, I will watch this again.
Sadly, Enchante could fit into the same box of My Gear and your Gown, My Oxygen, and Water Boyy -- series forgotten for the inevitable sucky-ness of itself. I don't feel like I'm alone since the views of Enchante have been the lowest I've ever seen come out of GMMTV. I feel bad for the actors, and part of me wouldn't mind seeing Book and Force again if they can be put into a series that is well developed and actually going to follow its original plot. I really do dump on this series, and it's because I had high expectations that just came crumbling down, and it fucking hurt. I think my interpretation of how this series was supposed to be was completely opposite, and that's why the entire series threw me off with each episode. If anything, there were some really good parts that I don't mention just cause I'm so upset that I kind of look past it. But part of me does think this would be a fitting BL series for someone wanting a lot of fluff and nothing too serious.
Let's Dive In.
Enchante is a uni-set BL surrounding our main lead, Theo, who had just returned from living in France to resume his life back in Thailand. He ends up reuniting with his childhood best friend, Akk, and they are back to themselves like in the old times. While at school, Theo writes out his feelings in a book that he thinks nobody will pay attention to until he returns again to find that someone had written a response back as Enchante. With the help of his best friend, they embark on an adventure to find out who is writing back to him through the possible 4 options that claim they are Enchante. The synopsis is what sold me on the series. A bit of a mystery, a slice of puzzle-solving (or what I supposed would be puzzle-solving), some fluffy uni tropes, and an endearing romance. Sign me up! But this series was a complete letdown and in so many different ways. There is a variety of things to do with such a unique concept as Enchante, and they don't take any of them. I won't blame this series too much, since the book is supposedly the real problem, but they had all the resources to switch things up. If GMMTV wasn't so worried about making money through this pairing, this would've been a hit series, for sure.
Getting into what I didn't like: Starting from the get-go, I don't think that this was the right novel to adapt to the screen. Granted, I've never read the book, but I was spoiled head-on before the second episode could even begin (it was a bummer, but oh well) I think as a book, the revelation of (SPOILER LARGE SPOILER COMING UP) Theo himself being Enchante might've been cool, but on screen, it feels like a waste of time. I love the concept of trying to figure out who is flirting with Theo through book pages, and it's a huge blow when it's revealed; albeit surprising for sure, but not in a good way. I kind of wish GMMTV or the director would've come up with their own similar version of Enchante, with it being obviously completely different than Enchante in all aspects, but still having that surprise element of who Enchante could be, without it being the main lead himself. Cause otherwise, after Enchante is revealed, the series to me just feels like a quick money grab and a waste of time and potential.
Getting into my problem with GMMTV, they basically told us who Theo ends up with without saying a word. With the amount of publicity that Book and Force do, it's evident they would end up together. Doing shows together, lives, interviews, and whatnot, it burns your soul that GMMTV doesn't give two craps about the concept of the plot just to gain coins from this new pair. Even when it's revealed that all the potential enchantes had a motive behind pretending to be enchante, it's still just aggravating. Cause before episode one can even begin, the plot, the mystery, the stakes, and everything in-between are just useless. Even if Enchante would've been one of the four who claims to be, it wouldn't have made a difference if Akk and Theo still end up together. The entire aspect of "who Enchante is" is now just taking up airtime for something else that could've been utilized. It's a sad c plot that was supposed to be the biggest part of the series. Cause imagine how much fun it would've been to watch five guys run after Theo and each week we try to theorize who'd he end up with. Sigh, wasted potential.
The series could just be very boring and bland at times. Getting through the first 4-5 episodes is difficult, and I would most of the time, end up falling asleep. I realized that when I watched, I would have to multitask so I don't drift off, but it shouldn't be that way. They do a decent job at the build-up of the world and the story, but it takes too long. Inevitably, this series suffered from a pretty tedious storyline.
Book and Force have good chemistry until they do end up together, and then it gets exceedingly awkward and cringey. I think finding two close friends to play a couple in a series has its good benefits, but also its bad ones. I would say they are in-between; whereas, in some cases, their closeness in real life plays out perfectly when they are just friends in the series, but when they have scenes where they have to be close and intimate, you can feel that tenseness they both present (sometimes it's mostly just Book) and it can be a bit too intense to even watch. There are some times when it doesn't feel like that, for instance, during their first kiss, and some moments when they do incidentally get close, but I felt it a lot when they kissed other times, and when they become boyfriends. Talking about incidentally getting close, there are some tropes that are way overplayed -- tremendously overused -- like the getting close trope. I love a good cliche trope if used right, but after the third time, I just roll my eyes.
The conflict between Theo and Akk in the end is such poor writing. It is so unreasonable for him to get mad at Akk, and it's even more unreasonable the obstacles he goes through to try and get his parents back together. Sure, it's a sad predicament most children have to face, but god, you're in college, handle it like an adult, why don't you. It was equally aggravating to see Theo going through all of that trouble of making up Enchante just because he wanted Akk to notice him when he could've just communicated his feelings. Of course, no story if communication were real, but wow, this is what you call commitment.
I was intrigued by Tan's little crush on Natee, but it's terribly executed. It feels pretty one-sided, even at the end when Natee wants him back, it feels more like he just wanted his friend back -- which is sad in Tan's case. But at least we got to see a healthy male friendship (kind of, sort of, not really).
Me being nit-picky, but I'm tired of seeing JJ (and AJ) always playing support roles. Please, JJ would've dominated as Akk, or maybe even one of the enchantes. God, please give the twins what they deserve.
What I enjoyed: While I would've liked for one of the enchantes to be the real enchante, I'm not mad when we find out they were all kind of using Theo for their own gain. I love a little bit of mischief and vainness, (but then we found out Theo is enchante, and by then, what's the point? Like, why did he do all of those things for them knowing he was enchante..?)
Gawin. That's it. and Jimmy, cause he's a dime to look at.
The ending is the saving grace for this series. I feel like I was a bratty kid who had to sit in time-out for acting up, but then I have a realization that I am bratty and I was acting up and I can't be mad for someone sitting me in time-out. Explanation: I was pretty aggravated that what I wanted to happen in this series didn't, but seeing how adorable they were in Paris made me realize that I should just appreciate what I got. And the little proposal was cute, I wish that Akk would've said something about France having legalized same-sex marriage before proposing, but it's still really precious.
Ratings:
Story: 6.5: Horrible execution of the Enchante plot. Especially when it's pretty much useless since we see who Theo ends up with. Just a bunch of tropey stuff between the leads, some villainess side characters trying to get their way, and sweet ol' Gawin. I'll give six stars for the parts that I did find intriguing (Tan's crush on Natee, some moments between Theo and Akk, Akk's sisters, Wayo and Natee's storyline and reason for pretending to be enchante, Phupha for maybe the first few episodes,) and a half star for Gawin and Jimmy.
Acting: 7.5: No one really stood out to me as the best, and everyone was pretty much on an equal line when it came to acting. There were a few times Force and Book gave us nothing in the expressions department, with Force probably being the worst out of the pair. I'll take two stars off for Gawin, cause as much as I love him, his acting felt weird in this one compared to the stellar performance he gave us in Not Me. Another half off for them using JJ as a supporting role for the umpteenth time. #thetwinsofGMMTVdeservebetter2k22.
Music: 8 - I quite liked it. It was super soothing and perfect for the tone of the series.
Rewatch value: 1 - when hell freezes over, I will watch this again.
Sadly, Enchante could fit into the same box of My Gear and your Gown, My Oxygen, and Water Boyy -- series forgotten for the inevitable sucky-ness of itself. I don't feel like I'm alone since the views of Enchante have been the lowest I've ever seen come out of GMMTV. I feel bad for the actors, and part of me wouldn't mind seeing Book and Force again if they can be put into a series that is well developed and actually going to follow its original plot. I really do dump on this series, and it's because I had high expectations that just came crumbling down, and it fucking hurt. I think my interpretation of how this series was supposed to be was completely opposite, and that's why the entire series threw me off with each episode. If anything, there were some really good parts that I don't mention just cause I'm so upset that I kind of look past it. But part of me does think this would be a fitting BL series for someone wanting a lot of fluff and nothing too serious.
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