BLISS RATING: ★★★
“Today we cannot do that (get married). We must love each other even more. We have to show them how beautiful our love really is” – Thitnuea from Coffee Melody
Surprisingly, I liked this series more so as an audio exercise than a visual one. If you simply listened to this series, it is surprisingly good. Why? Because it is smartly written. The dialogue between the various couples is close to what I think most young gay couples would be saying to each other. It is not esoteric, and states fairly clearly how they feel, which is unexpectedly refreshing. Its message is very evident from the beginning. With a bold yet subtle fashion, they are stating a case for gay marriage and the acceptance of gay relationships. Noble causes that ought to be applauded.
This series is a trilogy. One more intense than the other two but ironically, the other two were more interesting. The major focus is between Duean Yi (Benz Vongjorn), an up-and-coming song writer, and an owner of a coffee shop, Plengrak (Pavel Promphaopun), that Duean Yi comes to a lot. This relationship starts out quite interestingly. It is Duean Yi who through innuendo and sometimes outright statements indicates his interest in Plengrak. That was refreshing and the dialogue between these two is very well written. We get to understand who they are, where they are going, and what makes them tick. Again, if you merely listened to them, you became intrigued. However, watching them is a different matter. The acting is not necessarily bad, but it was so laid-back with such a flat affect, that not for one minute did I believe they even liked each other let alone are in love with each other. No matter how hard they tried to feign love, it was simply not believable. Their actions did not match their words, unfortunately. How do you expect to believe a relationship exists when all you see are the usual kisses on foreheads or cheeks or silly child-like bantering that 12-year-olds do? That is simply not believable for adult men.
The other relationship is between a barista named Jean ( Palm Chalermponphrapha) and another barista/boy band member named Thitnuea (Tar Leelaphiphatkul). Their relationship is on an even slower burn than the other one. But that time is taken in getting to know them better. Jean is a very insecure person who does not think or feel anyone of Thitnea’s stature would even remotely be interested in him. Again, the dialogue between the two is also well written. However, much like the previous couple, they both act like school boys rather than adults in the development of their relationship. There is no intensity acting-wise in their relationship. They did the bare amount to establish a ‘relationship’ but no more. Even after a year of being together, both act as if are in grade school and show no outward signs they are boyfriends. I just did not get the hesitancy in wanting to show any type of intensity to their relationship. The words were there; the actions were not.
The third relationship was even more obtuse, and we only saw glimpses. It is between the band manager, Janjao (Minty Chawasathienphong) and her boss, Nawa (Max Phermsuwan). They have known and liked each other since their college days but he is now her boss. Indeed, some of his comments were inappropriate and bordered on harassment. This causes Janjao to rethink her employment situation. Again, great dialogue between these two and surprisingly a bit more animated acting to go along with the dialogue. They were believable and towards the end, we see perhaps that a relationship, which they both want, might just happen.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Honestly, none of the acting is particularly deep or even memorable here. It was all so laid back and one-dimensional that none of the major actors/actresses stood out. But that does not mean that no one stood out. Someone did take a minor role and made it his own. Beam Lawansathian as the drummer, Sekram, was impactful. He had to come in as an outsider to the band and prove that he could do it. At the same time, he became attracted to another band member. There really was some depth to this character in that he had to show his interest in this person without appearing to be obvious. He also had to show disappointment when this person showed interested in liking Duean Yi. Yet again, not be obvious about it. I thoroughly enjoyed the subtleties of his acting in displaying these emotions sometimes just in short snippets. It became evident to me his interest in someone without being obvious. He made this character sympathetic and likeable.
There is no way anyone can hate this series, but you can certainly find this series droll. If you merely listen to it like an audio book, it is a great series. But the acting failed to reach even a modicum of credibility for any of the couples. Sure, the acting is acceptable, but quit being juveniles in your approach to love. There is way more to love than pecks on cheeks, or quick kisses, or laying in bed fully clothed, especially if you have been in a relationship for a long time and literally no one else is there except the two of you.
Two things just have to be mentioned that for me were glaring. The music is painful to listen to. It was off key and out of synch and uneven. If you are going to have scenes with singing and music, cut away before it starts or at least dub it so it does not sound like it is a bad rehearsal. The second notion is from the “special’ episodes at the end, which I suggest be watched. Duean Yi says to Plengrak that he is going back to Singapore to work. And true to form, Plengrak accepts this and will wait for him. This was bothersome to me as in almost all cases, long-distance relationships do NOT work out and to not deal with that possibility is naïve at best and stupid at worst. That is the one reality that I wish had been dealt with more veraciousness.
I rated this series much higher than I expected. Only because of the realism of the dialogue and adept screenplay. Otherwise, this series, from a visual perspective, was a huge disappointment.
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