LESBIANS WE FINALLY WON
Forever grateful for GMM tv to FINALLY give us a GL!!!! MilkLove are finally able to shine and girl we’ve been waiting for this since Bad Buddy*insert ugh emoji*.Super stoked that ViewJune also took the place of GeminiFourth(much love for them) because this is how we have a first healthy authentic GL!
The show is hilarious and fun and not cringy (thankfully). Between Milk doing such a good job at showcasing the feelings of a love stricken teenage girl and Aylin (views character and my personal fave) I cannot get enough.
I hope GMMTV can see all the potential for other GL shows that they could produce that 23.5 has showcased.
Hopefully this is the start of a beautiful era of more GLs to come and finally giving Lesbians the same representation and love as they do for BLs.
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a story that will definitely comfort and heal your inner child
23.5 is not a 100% perfect series, the production had a few lapses here and there but i can assure you that if you're looking for a series with superb acting skills and relatable characters, this is for you. The series has its certain warmth (like a blanket comforting you during a cold day) that will surely touch your heart and somewhat heal your inner child deep down. It will bring you to a journey and the struggles of a 16-year old teen and how she navigates life, conquer her insecurities, and many more. Lastly, this series will teach you the value of friendship (no one gets left behind), and will show you different faces of love.Was this review helpful to you?
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So many wasted chances
I really wanted to like this series. And even though I kind of do, I have some major itches for it (there are also a few great things).Things I disliked:
1) I hate the "I text with my crush but they don't know it's me and we become emotionally attached" so much. Especially when all the lying goes on for a few episodes (MSP had this also but they gave it up after a short while). The fact that Sun fell for Earth was already like starting a romantic relationship in a very toxic way.
2) Outing each other. Since Ongsa didn't want to tell her parents about her relationship with Sun, we clearly do not have here a world where queerphobia doesn't exist. And if so, why is Luna outing Aylin (and calling her her girlfriend even though they did not talk about their status) and why is Sun outing Ongsa to her parents? Take a hint, Sun. This kind of things should be talked about first.
3) The whole alien treatment. Aylin is clearly autistic-coded and she was constantly (for the first few episodes) forced to do stuff even though she very obviously was not comfortable. For some things, she didn't even get Luna's apologies.
Things I liked:
1) The teachers' storyline. I hope this actress' pairing will be cast in other series cause it was very adorable.
2) How Charoen hasn't fallen for Ton's flirting. Otherwise it would have felt forced.
3) The overall cuteness.
4) How they developed Alpha's character and problems.
There were a lot of moments where the creators could have done the right thing and add a little apologizing here and there, and simplly not include some of this toxicity. But overall, for first proper GMM's GL, it was good and adorable and I sure hope they keep improving.
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A shaky, TERRIBLE start to GMM GLs
The more I think about 23.5, the more I think about it's wasted potential. This could have been an amazing first series that would skyrocket GL to as much popularity as BL, but that won't be the case, at least with this one.I came for MilkLove and will stay only because of them. My overall issues:
-> The fact Ongsa and Sun could not have LESS valid reasons to like each other than in this series! There is zero explanation or motive as to why either of them actually started liking each other.
-> Chemistry, who is she?! There is no chemistry between their characters. The awkwardness, the long moments of silence, the lack of any substance in their few brief conversations, the list goes on. I'm sad to see this considering they had FIRE chemistry in Bad Buddy.
-> Everything can be summed up with BORING. The reveal of Earth was supposed to be a big thing, like the main turning point of the plot. But everything was rushed, revealed, and solved in a single episode mid-series. Everything is a blur and felt like nothing ever happened.
-> Despite being set up as a main character, Sun was given a crumb of screen time. Even less than the side couple and side characters.
-> FLAT characters. Little to no character development, no pasts, no desires, and no passions. It feels like every character was written only as people who are supposed to be in love because they told us so.
I wouldn't recommend this series at all, but I have hope for the GL industry. Little effort was put into 23.5 overall, and it shows.
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23.5 "Even on the toughest day, something good can happen to you. It depends on how you look at it.
The first episode starts with this quote which gives the viewers a positive vibe. The first episode starts with a hope that gets destroyed with every next episodes. The main characters were supposed to be likeable but with their every actions they loose their original vibes that was shown in the first half of the drama.TALKING ABOUT THE PLOT AND MAIN LEADS..........
Well the plot isn't anything new at all, it was predictable, a cliche misunderstanding plot which is often disliked by many. The drama losses it's touch when Ongsa lied to Sun about her identity, she literally played with Sun's feelings using being introverted as an excuse. Then Ongsa didn't have the gut to confess her lies, and she would have continued to do so if Sun hadn't found out. Ongsa couldn't do anything for this relationship until the last episode. Also at one point Sun was wrong. If the main characters losses their vibes like this, it becomes hard to continue watching the next episodes.
SECOND LEADS AND SUPPORT CHARACTERS
I really didn't like how they showed us the story of second leads because it felt so out of the place and random. They just randomly showed us their their cute moments without much background or story, there were only random romantic moments. Alpha was the most matured and likeable character of this drama. Ciize was so different in this drama from her all previous roles. It was refreshing to see her as Alpha. Rather than Tinh and Mawin, Ton and Mawin had more chemistry together. Tinh, Mawin, Ton and Charoen, their stories as a couple didn't make much sense. As I feel they were paired wrongly. I liked Teacher Nida and Teacher Bambam's story more than others. As they were caring and honest about everything.
The last episode felt like a special episode rather than the last episode. I was expecting something different not the common plot with unlikeable elements. There weren't any memorable moments in this drama.
Overall, It was just okay nothing special. They could have shown us the Grade 11 Ongsa and Sun's story from episode 9 to 12, Ongsa being matured, brave, straightforward and not caring about others opinions. It would be something different and special.
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Yes! A good Thai GL!
I have been waiting for GMM to release a GL and 23.5 did not disappoint! Whether or not you like the school-type romance, it is a genre that GMM has managed to perfect. I loved MilkLove in Bad Buddy, so when they announced they'd be starring in a GL, I knew I'd be watching it.Ongsa recently transferred from the countryside to a school in Bangkok, where she happens to run into Sun, a girl she's been following on social media for awhile. While Sun and Ongsa become friends in real life, they also start chatting on social media - except Sun doesn't know she's texting Ongsa, and thinks it's a boy named Earth. Scared to reveal her true identity, Ongsa plays the part of Earth as long as she can, but knows Sun will eventually find out. She can't help but wonder: what would Sun do if she knew she was texting a girl? Even if Sun likes Ongsa, what would other people say behind their back about them?
This show is very cute - again, it's your typical high school romance but between two girls in the same class. The main conflicts bring up points that a queer high schooler would likely relate to - issues of internalized homophobia, the fear of other people's opinions, and the possibility of rejection. It's a great show that isn't too intense and is just a light and fun watch. I think that if you enjoyed GMM's BLs like My School President or Bad Buddy, you'd really enjoy this one. There are conflicts I wish they would have fleshed out a bit more, but overall I had a great time watching this weekly.
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It is a start!
This series was.. . somethingThe first episodes got me hooked like nothing else but pretty quickly you could see they were running out of ideas until most of the episodes had filler scenes and nothing else.
It was “nice” until episode 8 when they officially ended all they had to say (don’t get me wrong I LOVED the romance between the teachers but we could have had them ending up together sooner instead of waiting episodes and episodes of nothing) after it was just, eh boring until it got BAD in episode 11
I will not talk about episode 11 because I’m pretty sure the fandom talked about it at length, i will just say that it was incredibly fucked up how they treated Ongsa and as a LGBT member myself NO ONE should be forced to come out.
Said this, I think this is still very much a good starter GL series for GMMTV
The quality is the same as a modern BL series (which is a lot considering how high GMMTv treats its BL series) and you could see a lot of thought was put behind this
The chemistry was amazing and the story at the beginning was very very good so i truly hope that the awful (and right) feedback they got for the last episodes doesn’t stop GMMTV but instead motivates it to do better
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Cute but lacks some things
I'm quite disappointed because I wanted to love more and to give it a higher rating.. However, it was because in terms of the story, it lacks some things that could captivated me. I think I know some messages that they wanted to send and that was really nice but unfortunately it was not enough.There's also some things or behaviors from certain characters that annoyed / frustrated me, it didn't help to fully enjoying the serie.
However, ok I admit, it was really cute and funny for some points, I did enjoy some moments, the actresses were doing great and the OST were also cute and catchy.
I only blame for the execution of the plot.. I think, I just hope to see MilkLove again with a better script / story with different characters and also, would be glad to watch another GL serie with ViewJune as the main couple.
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Aylins story is the best
„23.5" was my first GL series, which made me very excited while watching it. Honestly I started watching it because of Aylin and her unique style, but the main couple also charmed me, making me enjoy the whole series.Ongsa is a very relatable character, she is also very funny and slightly oversensitive, which is understandable, although it might slightly irritate some viewers. Overall, Ongsa and Sun had an interesting and enjoyable story, just like the side couple which kept me from getting bored. I would also like to mention Ton, who charmed me a lot, and I have a feeling that without him, I wouldn't have laughed as much.
The acting was good and I would particularly like to highlight View, who did very well in the role of Aylin. I focus mainly on her story because her subplot was quite original and really moving. I am glad that GMMTV undertook such a story.
The soundtrack, as in many GMMTV series, was so-so. The same song kept repeating but if someone is familiar with GMMTV series, they won’t be surprised. I always wonder why some series (including "Not Me") have a varied OST, even with American songs, while others have very few OSTs or just one.
Overall, I rate the series highly - I really liked it. I also enjoyed the behavior of the fandom on X, as we achieved a very good result in the hashtag.
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WE, WHICH REVOLVE AROUND THE SUN
23.5, how I love you. How could I not? I love love LOVEEE MilkLove and ViewJune, but as much as I was excited for this series, I may have let my expectations take a toll on my rating.STORY: Ongsa, whos just moved to Bangkok, meets Sun, who's a bubbly and bright person, just as her name suggests. Although it may seem like they've never met, Ongsa secretly has known Sun. How? They met through Instagram, of which Ongsa uses a fake name as "Earth." Scared of how she'll react, Ongsa keeps this a secret from Sun, as she doesn't want to lose her and this friendship that begins.
LIKES:
-Luna and Aylin my cuties😞😞
-The patience in the couples relationship
-The friendships within the characters
-Side Characters in General
DISLIKES:
-The awkwardness between the characters.. Weren't they supposed to be together? They had known each other for a bit before, yet could barely speak to each other without one of them either feeling flustered or just not knowing how to speak inn general. I can understand if it's due to their ages because I'm around that age range, but even I have seen less awkward couples.
-I was looking through other reviews and someone mentioned the fact that they didn't even really have a reason to like each other, which I slowly began to agree. Other than the fact that they share a bond for the fact that they have a FRIENDSHIP, they don't really have a valid reason to of liked each other. I understand if it's just you fell in love, but we didn't even see any of that.
-The story overall went downhill after halfway. I only continued to watch for the cute scenes of the couples, but even that almost couldn't keep me up. I loved MilkLove in Bad Buddy, but this.. It's just not doing it. I'm usually good at keeping ongoing series, but I got episodes behind because I just couldn't get through episodes.
OVERALL:
I can't bring myself to give this lower than an 8, for the fact that I love these two couples too much. This won't stop me from loving them, but this just wasn't it. Other than the cute scenes and great OST, there wasn't anything special. Just a plain gmmtv high school series but gl version. It's not a horrible start at gl for gmmtv, but it definitely could've been better.
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A Very Sweet High School GL!
I swear, there was no one more excited for this show than I was! I have been on the MilkLove train since day one, and practically sobbed when this show was announced. And it took so long, but here it is!! And it was really good!While I'm not always a big fan of high school stories, I thought this one was well done and nice. It was sweet without feeling juvenile, and had a lot of fun and silly moments. The side ships (ESPECIALLY AylinLuna) were great, and I enjoyed watching Ongsa and Sun fall for each other.
Of all the actors, I was most impressed by View. She did such a good job with Aylin's character, and really stood out! I sincerely hope we see a lot more of her in lead roles in the future, because she really deserves it. But the rest of the cast was really great, as well! It was a larger cast than these shows tend to have, but every character felt distinct and had their own stuff going on without overwhelming the narrative.
While I have my complaints (largely about the entirety of the eleventh episode conflict), on the whole this was a great show! I can't wait to see what Pluto, Us, and all the future GMMTV GLs bring!
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ONGSA & SUN ARE THE BESTTT!!!
OMG if you suprisly haven't watched 23.5 yet YOU SHOULD!! Its saur good and its such an amazing cute show. It pulled me out of my severe depression :p. This is the best gl I've ever watched and I hope I can see milklove and viewjune in a diff gl series! I freaking hate that company tho not promoting 23.5 enough like wtf!!!Was this review helpful to you?
