BLISS RATING: ★★★★
Romantic, angst, but misses the mark. Unfortunately, I watched ‘Love by Chance 2’ before I watched this one. So, I re-read my review of ‘Love by Chance 2’ and will not change anything about that one. This series is a bit better but again, there just is too much of a good thing. Way too many characters and way too many very serious issues that are dealt with so cavalierly. Let us start with the love stories.
The central love story centers around Ae, played by Tanapon Sukhumpantanasan (Perth) and Pete, played by Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana (Saint). Ae is an accomplished actor. Saint as Pete is also very good. He plays vulnerability beautifully and his charm and sense of compassion and empathy for others is almost overwhelming. In fact, it is. While Pete does grow and becomes a bit stronger in his acceptance of who he is, his timidity is almost unbearable. And deep down, he just does not seem capable of changing his fragility. He HAS Ae, yet he seems always on the verge of losing him to his own insecurities. Pete is gay from the beginning and Ae must grow into that. Pete sees the relationship as a gay one while Ae sees it as pure love for another. Their relationship does display some of the best romantic scenes in any BL series. They deal effectively with taking their relationship to the next level. They actually talk about sex and what they both want. Ae says to Pete, I want you and cannot hold back and Pete says I do not want you to hold back. This is what happens in a relationship and I very much appreciated how that was handled. It was not assumed or implied that they had sex. They did!! (Not on camera of course). And they were not afraid to show their affection to others especially to each other’s families. Both dealt with jealousy by talking about it, not just assuming the worst.
This series is the best portrayal of what a relationship looks like when it can grow organically without a lot of obstacles or roadblocks especially ones contrived by writers. This relationship was refreshing to watch because the artificial drama was kept to a minimum which allowed the characters to grow and mature. Having said this, I still had a hard time with Pete’s constant smiling and looking at life through rose-colored glasses. His character is annoyingly cute and frustratingly one-dimensional. I think Saint is a fine actor and is capable of doing more with that role, but he plays it too consistently. He plays it safe which for me was disappointing. Their relationship runs the full gambit of coming out to friends and family in a sane, sensible, and mature way. Very refreshing for a series to do that. Yet, Pete continues to be always in the background. There is also a relationship between Pond, played so beautifully by Surat Permpoonsavat (Yacht) and Cha-am, played by Nachjaree Horvejkul (Cherren). Pond is an incredibly likable but irritating friend that is self-centered but so well meaning. He develops a relationship at first half-heartedly with Cha-am but later becomes infatuated with her in a more serious fashion. It is charming and funny, and she keeps him in check. Pond is such a great character. He is funny, witty, and so full of charm with a devilish approach to life. He almost steals this series. I found this character to be so good and enjoyable.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? Perth deserves this distinction. He is simply outstanding. I have watched a lot of BL series and he is far and above all the rest in his portrayal of the depth of his character (except for one other that I shall comment on as well). It was almost like watching a documentary. You see, feel, and believe all his emotions. He is incredibly handsome with a boy next door look about him that would charm anyone. Watch this series simply to watch him on screen. In my review of ‘Love by Chance 2’, I commented on him and his impact on that series and now I know why. He took this role and grew with it. Showed emotions. Showed strength. Showed vulnerabilities and was willing to talk about them. He WANTED this relationship to grow and put effort into it with Pete. In other words, he WORKED on the relationship and wanted it to succeed. Now I understand why, in ‘Love by Chance 2’, he was so distraught. He loved Pete, deeply, genuinely, and completely. I appreciate his role in that BL series even more now. And the beauty is, it all seems so natural to him. I want to see him in more series and will follow him. He is amazing.
The other relationship stories in this series are very weird and for the most part totally unnecessary. The relationship between Tin, played by Phiravich Attachitsataporn (Mean) and Can, played by Rathavit Kijworalak (Plan) is a bit more interesting in this series than in ‘Love by Chance 2’. I saw some character development in this one with Tin being a bit more human. But this bitter, angry, arrogant, not trusting anyone person got old after a while. I am not saying it was not justified, but having a mean look on your face all the time seemed incongruous in trying to develop a relationship. As I did in the other series, my feelings for Can (I loved his name Cantaloupe!) are both love and hate. He is an intensely honest, loyal, and forthright individual who says exactly what is on his mind. Yet, he is at times so needy, whinny, and ingratiating that I wanted to scream. His use of physical aggression also is quite disturbing. He overthinks and, in the process, reverts to child-like behavior. (Whinny people drive me crazy). I do think he has some far greater and more intense acting skills than simply going around wailing all the time. It is too bad that seems to be his sole way of dealing with things. It might be cute for a while, but it gets old very fast. This is no more believable of a relationship here than it was in the other series. I just never believed it and Can is right in this series. They should have only remained friends.
But then this series goes off the rails a bit. There are two characters that at first were puzzling and disconcerting. They are apparently stepbrothers who seem to have a deep connection with each other if not spilling over into love. The older brother, Tum, played by Kirati Puangmalee (Title) seems to have an unrequited love for his stepbrother, Tar, played outstandingly by Katsamonnat Namwwirote (Earth). He is a character with deep-seated issues with his innocence taken away from him at an early age. Nothing like that should ever, ever happen to anyone. His brother, unknowingly, tries to force himself onto him with uncontrollable consequences. This is such an extreme topic to cover and one that REQUIRES greater attention. I know this is a BL series, but if rape (if you could not figure it out) is to be addressed, then address it more fully. I applaud this series for tackling this topic (most American series or movies will not even touch the subject) but please do not treat it so cavalierly. It is a significant issue that must be address with more foresight and compassion. Again, if I may digress, Earth for me is one of the finest actors in BL series. He brings such profound understanding, emotions, and downright commitment to his roles. He is so intense yet so human at the same time. He for me is overlooked by his quiet fortitude and passion for his work. He and Perth make this series top rated. I am so profoundly moved by these two actors that when I see them acting, I believe them. (Earth is nothing short of superb in ‘Until We Meet Again’, my ultimate favorite BL series by a wide margin. He is the same here. He is outstanding).
The other relationship that goes off the rails is one between Techno, played by Napat na Ranong (Gun) and Kengla, played by Siwat Jumlongkul (Mark). It is a very weird non-existent relationship that is unrequited on the part of Kengla. He knives and schemes to try and get to Techno but to no avail until the end. Techno barely recognizes him throughout this series except as a friend in passing. But they end up in bed as Techno stumbles into his bedroom by mistake because he is totally drunk. And of course, they have sex. I find this disconcerting and offensive. Again, to take advantage of someone who is incapacitated seems abusive (if not rape) and should not be treated as if it were a comic relief situation. Here again, something that could happen, maybe frequently, is treated so cavalierly and not seriously. We just cannot have sex with anyone we want without the permission of each other, and each is in full capacity of all their facilities. It is a shame that they missed this and treated it almost like a joke. This is not funny. I could understand it (maybe) if they had been in a budding relationship, or knew each other more closely, or even remotely expressed an interest in each other. But this was not the case in this situation. This could have been a very good teaching moment that no matter what or how much I wanted someone, I shall not take advantage of their diminished capacities. Just because it is two guys does not necessarily make it right.
This series tried to do too much with too many people with too many overlapping situations. Sometimes, simple stories work best but this was overly busy and filled with a lot of very unnecessary individuals. Had this story focused on one or even 2 relationships, it would have been tighter, leaning, and a more watchable series. I loved Ae and Pete. I also liked Pond and Cha-am. I disliked the relationship between Tin and Can as they are totally incompatible (even in the second series, when I thought it was even worse). The other relationships needed a whole series themselves to explore and should be so. The acting, for the most part, is all very good. The love between Ae and Pete is treated realistically and with great sensitivity especially with the frank discussions about what each other wants in sex. They are all so incredibly handsome and beautiful actors and actress as well. Perth and Earth are so worth the watching of this series and it is frankly the reason I am giving this series a higher grade than I really should. If I ever were to meet then in real life, I think I would be star-struck and tongue-tied. There are only a few persons in acting that would cause me to feel this way and these two have been added to that list. Their acting is top notch and beautiful to watch.
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