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HEAVY AND DEEP STORY BUT I COULDN'T FEEL IT
STORYOkay, I must say I am impressed by the story, it is not original but, for someone like me who just watched this kind of theme of a BL I am glad I watched it coz we all know there are so many same themed BL out there and this kind of theme seems became popular this past few months.
The story was deep and heavy but I don't know why, I can't feel it. I don't know if it was because of the acting, but as I think about it the acting was fine, is it the execution? Or the dialogue ? I don't really know, it's like I can almost feel it but , it was just maybe not enough.
I understood the story very well, I just hated the fact that NeungDiao left Palm on the middle last part of the story, and now Palm was the one who left Neung at the last part ? It was annoying for me, coz it's like repetitive , So far of the last BL'S I watched it was always been like the story has to have the part where the leads have to be separated to grow .. like couldn't they just think of another way or plot of a story ?
Anyways still good, almost better but almost is never enough HAHAH
CAST AND ACTING
The leads did great job here, and I saw how they have improved on their acting, but Perth here and his Dad made the best acting, you know what I am saying, they deserve to have an award of being the best actor here ! Perth ? I've always loved his acting since day 1 like OMG he can really give depths of how he acted and he's always like that ! I am always been impressed by his acting ! The rest better acting was made compared to their day 1 like I know I am not good at acting but I just say things the way I see it and feel.
Pond Naravit, I am so impressed too, the more his face is shown on the screen the charming he becomes, I just hated that he was so dumb for many parts of the story you know what I am saying ? like why did the writers made him like that !? I almost wanna hit his head here If I were NeungDiao, but great acting too and also Phuwin did really great in portraying his character, I have nothing to say, he was great for the role, nice facial expression so perfect for me
SCRIPT/DIALOGUE
I have something I just really hate about this, it is that Palm and Neung was filled with cheesy lines like pls stop ! I was happy seeing them at first until the middle part of the story, but on the later part I only waited for Perth and Chimon's part and like what's gonna happen to them, but yeah since they are not the main leads here, their exposure was not so many but is enough, but not enough for me coz maybe they will steal the whole show HAHAH, also I don't like how the scripts was done on Neung's Mother, she was like she seems to be very strict and so many high expectations to her son, but she seems suddenly became tolerating, like I think her character must be like a parent who pressures their kid to be great and go against relationship with Palm , something like that, I guess the story would've been like more deep and better in my opinion, but yeah , coz it was too LGBTQ+ friendly it has to be pleasing and tolerating to LGBT, disclaimer, I have nothing against, coz I am gay also , but sometimes it was not good to tolerate too much, anyways I am particular to the story that is why I am saying this.
OST/MUSIC
Okay I am really surprised of the English OST here, I love it, it gives different vibe on the story, this is one of the parts of a show that I've always been looking for whenever I watch a drama and I am satisfied super felt the vibe .
OVER ALL
in spite of all, I had a good watch, I must say it is not a waste of time, still super good , I just wished I have felt it even more. I TRIED you know !
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How to make the main character so unlikable you wish misery upon him!
After seeing Pond and Phuwin in Fish Upon the Sky, I hoped they get to star in a better series since their acting and chemistry together in that was exceptional. Instead of this being the series that made my wish come true, it rather made me question their chemistry. How did that end up deteriorating? Looks like I am still left wishing for a better series with them starring together.Reading the synopsis, you anticipate an action-packed series about a guy losing his father at the hands of a hired gunman and a looming threat on his mother and him. But what we get is Phuwin acting like a naïve child who needs constant protection and becomes a source of misgivings for everyone around him especially the one person he loves. They keep running away from people after a little gunfire and then long stretches of them trying to act like boyfriends. God save us!
Although the series starts with Phuwin losing his dad, being outed as gay in school, being bullied and betrayed by the person who likes him, and his mother falling in to a coma, I believe the biggest victim still is Pond and the source for all the tragedy in his life is Phuwin. He was living a somewhat carefree and comfortable life in a small fishing village when his father takes him to Phuwin and asks him to be his bodyguard. He gets beaten, stamped on, reprimanded by the principal, suspended from school, humiliated in front of a crowd, made to feel like a slave by his own dad towards Phuwin, lost his mother while protecting Phuwin, had his father locked up and threatened to be killed in jail, takes a bullet and temporarily loses all function in his leg all because Phuwin is an idiot. After all this, Pond still keeps loving Phuwin and Phuwin shows pity on him and leaves him alone instructing him never to see him again. WTF! The series left no stone unturned to make me hate one of the main character who ideally, I should sympathise with.
To make matters worse, I did not find much chemistry between the two actors. They did a great job in a previous series but all that charm was lost in this one and I don’t blame them for it. The characters were just so unlikable and there was no reason for them to fall in love. In fact, I was hoping that Pond would do a great deal better if he hands Phuwin over to the bad guys himself.
In conclusion, this series paints a very unlikely picture of two people falling in love with each other especially when one is nothing but trouble for the other and loses a great deal with a lot of sacrifices with not much in return. I finished it because I wanted to know how it would close and at the end I felt nothing.
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Not a Mafia Series But a High School BL
If you were expecting a mafia series from the trailer, you might be disappointed with this one. It's primarily a boys love series, centered around Nuengdiao and Palm, high school students with no connection to crime or the mafia. The series revolves around a bad uncle's desire to take over the family business, which sets the story in motion.For true BL fans, this series is a delight you won't easily forget. Pond and Phuwin's chemistry is remarkable, reminiscent of MaxTul. Some may criticize their acting, but it's worth noting that this is only Pond's second series. While Phuwin might be a child actor, he has not had any challenging roles until this. People need to understand actors need room to grow and explore different roles. Especially, BL fans who love My School President, I can’t take your critique seriously. You want good acting but make leeway for bad acting when it suits you.
While the series isn't perfect, it's still much more enjoyable than many other BLs released by GMMTV and other Thai production companies. Pond and Phuwin's onscreen chemistry is simply magical, making them one of the best BL couples today. If you watched any of their deleted scenes, you know that the plot holes are the directors choice to make it fluffy instead of dark as many wanted.
This is why Director Jojo is overrated, mainly because of his acclaimed series '3 Will Be Free.' He claimed that he was inspired to make 'Never Let Me Go' 90's Hong Kong crime movies feel about an interclass romance Thai larkorn, but the final result deviated significantly from these concepts. The deleted scenes, in contrast, showcased elements that adhered closely to the original concept of the series. However, being a production under GMMTV, the series ended up diluted, much to the disappointment of many viewers who were eagerly anticipating the well-acted and conceptually-rich trailer. Even the second trailer was misleadingly edited to suggest a more dramatic and substantial BL series, leading to dissatisfaction with the eventual watered-down version. It is regrettable that Pond and Phuwin bore the brunt of the blame as the face of the series, while Jojo's editing choices went largely unquestioned and unaccounted for.
On a side note, I must admit that Chimon isn't the most exceptional actor, but Perth shines in his role. Some scenes, like the one outside the hospital room, rub me the wrong way, especially with Ben's smirking while the cousins were crying. I don’t see the great acting Chimon fans were raving about.
Lastly, I'd like to add that people who criticize the portrayal of bodyguards might be influenced by Hollywood clichés and may not have firsthand experience with wealthy individuals who have bodyguards.
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Despite a trope I love, disappointed by the writing, acting and production value...
This BL drama contains one of my favorite trope: the "master-servant" relationship, and here more specifically in a "heir-bodyguard" format. Unfortunately, it fell apart in many ways despite this very interesting premise. I was very disappointed by the series, in particular by its second half.Story-wise, the writing is pretty bad and get more and more bonkers as the scenario unfold. The protagonists are making unlogical decisions most of the time for dramatic purposes and there are very little character's development. The dialogs are super cheesy but not swoony enough.
Acting-wise, it was such a let-down. Chemistry between the leads was okayish but I think it is the trope that carried their relationship for me (in particular in the first half). In terms of acting skills, I felt a relative disbalance: Phuwin really lacked nuances and mostly acted pouting/upset as the young heir. I enjoyed a bit more the acting of his counterpart Pond as the bodyguard...Overall, I feel that both really really need to work on their acting chops. They were not believable in the over-the-top dramatic moments. The story got very melodramatic / soap-like and it requires good skills to make a bad script appealing to the viewer...Here the acting prevented me even more to connect to the story. The side couple was not better, I love Perth but I could not get onboard with the secondary relationship portrayed in the drama.
Production value is pretty low: the sound, the fights scenes, the props, everything feels super cheap. Music did not leave a lasting impression on me at all. I think it was a bit heavy in terms of amping the dramatic elements, and it felt flat for me.
I would not recommend this to people because there are BLs out there featuring much better that kind of relationship (for example "Where Your Eyes Linger" with also "heir/bodyguard" relationship, or "Utsukushii Kare" for more a "master-servant" bond)...At first, I was full of forgiveness regarding the weaknesses in the production, the choppy editing, as well as the flaws in writing and acting...But it became so nonsensical that even a trope that I usually like very much could not save the drama.
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THIS IS MY FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER WRITTEN A REVIEW , I HAD TO
FIRST AND FOREMOST, i got into NLMG late 2023 bc i have stopped watching thai bl for awhile bc of the same cliche plots and over the top scenes. i came back to the bl scene especially thai with kinnporsche and i didn’t t pick it up for awhile after that too.ill stop rambling on lol, i first saw NLMG on viki and watched it without even looking up reviews ( am glad i did) , alot of other places had alot of positive things than here , which is why i need to defend my show ? .
i loved the plot of this show , it was similar to kinnporsche with the bodyguard scene but it was a different kinda of light than kinnporsche. Alot of people are pissed about the plot holes , i was but at the end of the day which thai serie has no plot holes. i dont know for alot of people but for me if a show has a good storyline and amazing chemistry between the leads( fell in love with pondphuwin here) , ill enjoy it bc at the end of the day this is a show not reality and u can never put every detail in shows.
the other point is ep 12 when palm disappears , i know that no one wants a conflict at the final but i feel like this has to be done , my theory is that we have seen couple of times that palm didnt have any goals of his and his only purpose was to protect nueng and he couldnt do that if he was the one who has to depend on nueng nw, he felt that he was a burden. the other thing is , if the alternative ending was , that palm goes to stay with nueng at the house and they graduate and yadadda happy, in my opinion that would have not been ideal for palm bc he doesnt have to protect nueng anymore bc there is no threat to them anymore , what would his purpose be , so i liked that he went to rebuild his moms bar and they had time apart for both of them to close lose ends nueng with the company and palm with the bar.
wooow thats long ? , in conclusion this show was my favourite show i watched 2023 , it has the burning chemistry , perthchimon were good here too, the music , the cinematography and storyline was amazing , it so criminally underrated even though kinnporsche with the most plot holes did well( no shade). i feel if u come here and thinking of watching this show ignore the negative reviews and give it a chance , u might like it or not , judge it for yourself.
thx ☺️
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You have to watch it yourself in order to value it
When i read the reviews i almost dropped it without even giving it a try...but boy was i wrong.I can understand some of points discussed in the reviews and i can totally agree that the production took themselves a lil bit too seriously with the plot, i can also relate to the let down from watching the trailer, i was given the impression that this will be a mature type of relationship but AGAIN it's a teenage love drama.
But i can also say, i very muched enjoyed watching it, the chemistry between the leads is amazing, the second couple also is very cute, the soundtrack and locations on this was one of my favourites.
Now the donwside of this : the plot got too many holes, the fact that two teenagers can take over a mafia is kindaaa lame and overdone, too much blood shed for nothing, they could have stopped at the death of one parent, there was a lack of facial expressions when it came to sadness/anger, the character chopper needs some justice and also the lack of scars from all the battles and bullets not to forget the stupid ads ....
It's fun to watch and relax to, just do not expect something major and just because it's mafia related doesn't mean you need to compare it to kinnposrche.
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Such a Disappointment...
I was really interested in this trope after finding out that the plot is little similar to kinnporsche. but it was such a disappointment. To be honest I felt the chemistry between them quite weak.I didn't really enjoyed the drama. I expected so much more but it ended being a teenage school romance. there were 12 episodes and they literally could have showed us more chemistry. the chemistry between the characters in the beginning episodes was just ridiculous. and the beach scenes are really necessary in most of the gmmtv dramas?
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Gonna complain & spoiled big time.....
Watch this cause part of our sky. One of the bad apple with many2 plot holes... Let's discuss drama...Plot holes:
* It's weird for Nuengdiao as the biggest donor at school or you can say rich boy doesn't have any friend, even get bullied at school. Make no sense at all... Usually at least there's 1 'friend' or follower that try to get closer to get the benefit from being friend with rich guy. For this to be the fact we need background story, maybe someone ever take advantage of Nuengdiao so he trust no one or what.... Unfortunately no background story at all.... So yeah just makes no sense....
* Where the hell is security or bodyguard....?? Hello... Nuengdiao's dad just get murdered, not even made to look like an accident accident, it just MURDERED & the Perpetrator haven't been caught & yet so damn easy to get to Kiattrakulmethee's house to shot the wife & son. OH MY GOD!!! How stupid you are... Oh and after his mom get shot still no security to secure the house... The proof? Nuengdiao easily just enter his house. Yeah I know2 that's his house, but isn't his uncle supposed to be looking for him. Even he didn't monitor the house it just plainly stupid & weird all together....
* Why must hide the fact Palm work for Nuengdiao, to protect Nuengdiao. Make no sense. His dad just get MURDERED & he as the only heir to Kiattrakulmethee's family makes sense to have bodyguard lurking around.... So what if the bodyguard is the same age with Nuengdiao, it's not weird. It's maybe even better cause Palm can be near Nuengdiao as much as possible. Like in the class, cause it's weird to have bodyguard in the classroom, but if u're the same age as Nuengdiao u can join the school. Palm called to be bodyguard but can't be in the same car with Nuengdiao, what if something did happen, will Palm's dad only enough to protect Nuengdiao? Isn't gonna be better if Palm in 1 car with Nuengdiao. Overall it just so so weird... I run out word to describe it....
* Nuengdiao too easy adapt from rich lifestyle to run away & do all the job or housework. Never see someone that easy to switch lifestyle....
* The weird relationship between Kiattrakulmethee's family. The uncle-dad-mother-Nuengdiao-Chopper. It just they try to make family relationships but everything feels wrong... Like how Chopper try to friend with Nuengdiao, but never really friend too...
* Where the heck is the board member. Company that big have no shareholder or board member is so weird... After Nuengdiao's dad gor killed his mother just automatically become the CEO & after that his uncle & Nuengdiao himself in the end, usually there's drama with board member... Haha...
What i don't like apart from the plot holes:
- The forced relationship that Palm's dad try to make Palm does to Nuengdiao. He really see himself as lower class & kinda forced Palm to act like it.
- The cringey relationship between Palm & Nuengdiao. I don’t know how to describe it. Maybe just like Shiro wrote: "there are some sweet well preformed moments here and there but neither of the leads are very good with facial expressions and emotions. That said both are pretty good at delivering physical scenes as well as action and tension. However the moment they are supposed to feel something it just becomes cringey be it sadness, love (not lust though), anger... It just feels off...." Yeah i agreed. It just feels off....
- Mom always baby-ing Nuengdiao. She always said want Nuengdiao to be strong & grow... But u still baby-ing him, how can he be strong & grow... Ugh....
The only thing that I like from this maybe how in the end Nuengdiao grow up & learn to take his responsibility in family business....
Overall maybe just like jpny01 wrote: "It wants badly to be a PG-rated KinnPorche" but failed in general... Everything just feels off....
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Heart warming to its core
I was waiting since Fish Upon The Sky ended ; Lets not say its the best show out there but was I disappointed ? Definitely not.Yes, it might not be the best but its different. It really is. It doesnt have a strong storyline, but it will leave a trace. You'll end this show with a smile, or it can be a few drops of tears as well if you immediately start missing PalmNueng like I did- and the whole cast fell right in their places.
Its a pretty one. Something which makes us feel what they are feeling. The plot is would not make you think too much so relax and go ahead with a sweet, heartwarming story.
P.S Perth does it again. He remains the favorite. Cant wait for more of him!
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Conflicting emotions
This series is probably the hardest for me to rate as of yet. It was really good at times and then it takes multiple turns into "shaking my head" territory that was really the main reason a few stars got knocked off.First off, for a series called Never Let Me Go, there was a whole lot of letting go. It's one of my least favorite tropes where one lead claims they don't love the other anymore because they think they are doing them a favor. That happens here at one point. Another time, Neung leaves Palm by leaving a note and saying "don't follow me." Of course, Palm follows and they reconcile, only for Palm to turn around and do the EXACT same thing, leaving a note and saying "don't follow me." And this is after he knows how much it hurt him to be on the receiving end. There were just so many episodes centered around one of them leaving, the two of them sulking and then getting back together. Really, once in a series is enough.
Besides which, there was a whole lot of interesting plot going on otherwise that I felt like the writers could have easily done without the constant push and pull dance. The family business and side characters (mainly Ben and Chopper) could have had more going on which would have been perfectly fine as filler. I found them interesting even with the small amount of screen time they got and would have preferred to see other sides of the feud through their eyes instead of the same old same old with the main couple.
Even the uncle was fairly well written and used effectively. Although in the beginning of the series, he's bitching about running a casino instead of the hotels then when he's in change, he's trying to turn the hotel into a casino. And a lot of the conflicts (other than the main couple's romance) is resolved with an off-the-cuff remark or short discussion after spending the entire series as the main plot.
With all that being said, I still really enjoyed the series and thought there was a lot of good in it. The acting was great and I, personally, noticed a huge improvement in Phuwin and Pond's performances. I'd just finished Fish Upon The Sky before this and so it was super noticeable how much further they'd come in just one year. I have yet to see a series where Perth doesn't give a great performance. Whether he's a main character or side character, he fits the roles well.
Personally, I don't know if I would watch the series again, seeing as it's frustrating for a good portion of it and there weren't any surprise twists or anything unexpected that would tempt me to watch again for signs of it. You know right off the bat who the bad guy is so there's the satisfaction every time someone calls him an "asshole" (of which there are a lot).
I'd still say it's worth a watch, even if not a re-watch.
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Questionable writing but overall enjoyable
Was I the only one that thought Palm’s character type was going to be the rough and tumble, super casual, rural boy type? Like this boy worked on a boat and likes wearing Hawaiian print shirts, you’re telling me he’s the quiet, reserved, loyal dog type? Missed opportunity.I have conflicting feelings about this. On one hand, I did enjoy it. On the other hand there was something that was preventing me from getting fully invested in this story.
Getting the elephant out of the room, it’s totally GMMTVs response to Kinnporsche. Another drama I have mixed feelings about lol. It is different, in some ways that are better and in some ways that are worse.
The good: the overall vibe of this show. They’ve cast this sort of warm glow around everything that makes it feel sort of dream-like. It gives this show a unique essence about it that I haven’t seen before. I can’t explain it but I actually do quite like that part of the show.
The leads have good chemistry, likely because they have starred alongside each other before. They felt comfortable and I love a good longing stare lol.
I also like the soundtrack. The choice to mix Thai songs with Western songs worked with the overall feeling of this show.
The bad: I feel like they didn’t know what kind of show they wanted this to be. Is it a mafia, crime drama? Is it a teen romance? Because they didn’t commit enough to either one it just felt very unrealistic.
The choice to have this set around high schoolers was an interesting one. They were probably hoping that it would make the show stand out or appeal to a broader audience but it ended up feeling more like a teen drama posing as a mafia drama. Like why would Nueng’s mom want a HIGH SCHOOLER as her son’s bodyguard. That just doesn’t make sense lol. And then when Nueng, you know, an 18 year old starts running the company…????? It would’ve been better if they committed to them being adults and properly delved into the mafia element.
You say this company is built on illegal business? Where?? Where are the drugs, money laundering, etc. I haven’t seen it, so for all I know this is just some random company that people are willing to kill over.
The writing decisions are definitely the most questionable part of this series lol.
Acting also isn’t completely there. The actor’s are young and they have improved from their roles in FUTS. They have potential, so I’m not gonna hate too much.
Overall though, I would recommend giving this one a watch. There are tons of BLs out there, but despite this one’s flaws, it is still one of the better one’s out there.
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unfortunately a bad review
i must say i was pretty disappointed with this one which i had quite a hope for at the start.the story was interesting and so it only left the acting and script writing to be great.
But unfortunately, i was surprised to see both the acting and the script writing were not to my liking which was pretty strange, i had faith in phuwin and pond since i enjoyed their acting in their serie "fish upon the sky" but it was opposite to my expectations. Both didn't seems to fit their role well enough specially pond who doesn't fit the "obedient servent bodyguard" image, i think i would have liked it better if he was more confident and flirty, just hearing him calling "kun Nueng" was cringy and felt too robotic
it was new seeing Phuwin in more harsh and confident character but i didn't disliked that much except the script writing that ruined it even more. which leads us to the second reason : script writing
1) i didn't feel the connection between the main leads, it felt more like sexual tension than anything. Palm literally kissed Nueng to comfort him from a heartbreak ?
2) Nueng was too much of a redflag, he only knew how to order and be harsh to palm which in opinion is more because of his gay panic than anything and even tho i knew he loves him it felt like he was using him more than anything. like "i will curse at you and humiliate you but you still got to obey me and love me"
No.... please no...
3) too illogical, i usually skip the logical thoughts while watching because i want to focus on the story and acting more but sometimes too much is too much ! boys were literally having the time of their life knowing their parents could be dead and next thing i hear is that Palm's mother is probably gonna be in dager too yet they still living happily in their own bubble like ?♀️ so again No....
3) side couple? not gonna even talk about them, their love is so dry.... felt like i was in a desert empty of all interest to satisfy my thirst for good couple stories. was a Finally No that led me to be completely uninterested in the following episodes so i stopped
kept trying to persuade myself to give another chance but honestly what i'm seeing on the net about it isn't really persuading me in anyway ?
so unfortunately it will be a no for me for this serie
hope to see the actors in better roles next time
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