23.5

Crazy how much I love this silly show. I rarely submit reviews for mainstream productions; never have for a YouTube serial. But here I am... feeling a need to spread the word. If you want an injection of feel-good, take a shot of this show on YouTube.

So much is absolutely absurd, but all the characters are so lovable, and the dialog is surprisingly well written, sometimes even deep. And of course the best part is the off the charts chemistry with my new favorite girl-girl couple. I look forward to the releases every Friday, but try not to watch them right away because then the wait starts over. There will be a void when it ends! I hope they keep churning out these charming GL romances.

This a goofy, comforting and sweet coming-of-age story that will make you smile from beginning to end.

All the different side stories bring out a number of important dynamics (in a pure and non-toxic way) from friendships and family support, to intimacy and neurodevelopment. The also allows for many different kinds of love (especially amongst the different girls/women) to be explored. That truly stands out!

The chemistry between the two main leads is simply outstanding. The two actresses bring you on an emotional journey like no other. Every single interaction is packed with emotion and tenderness. Shyness, embarrassment and angsts are all beautifully portrayed. Truly 10/10 there! Intimate scenes deserves a special praise as well for being pure and a fairly realistic representation of teenage love. They showed the love many queer women wished they had experienced back in high school in a very sweet and tender way.

In hindsight, I wish it had been a longer show. Throughout the episodes there were instances where I felt like time was taken away from the main storyline. It was also somewhat imbalanced. The two main characters (Ongsa and Sun) were not explored to the same extent. It felt more like a coming of age of Ongsa. While showing growth, the very last episode was overly predictable and lacked the emotional depth of previous episodes. The usage of voiceover was soothing but more could have been done there.

Overall, the depiction of first love is as beautiful as it is clumsy. I loved the casting and all the different subtle references and the little details (from outfits and makeup to lighting) that the production team deployed. I genuinely wish shows like this had been around when i was in high school.

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.

I can't stress this enough, this is the Thai GL with the greenest flag characters ever. Not just the main characters but all of them. The way this series just makes you feel good while subtly tackling sensitive issues in a comforting way is incredible. The character development is also well portrayed. The only thing lacking in this show is that it ended :( I need more. But nevertheless, it truly deserves more recognition. Ultimate comfort show. 😭

It's too late to wish for a season 2, but I'm hoping the Thai GL industry creates more healthy shows like this. Dramas are good, but sometimes we just need a feel-good series to watch when we need comfort. Until then, I'll just keep rewatching 23.5.

I love how it was written! Each characters on this show was given a background story in every episode. I like how it was not mainly focused on the main lead characters, but rather the other characters was also given a chance for their story-arch which contributes to the growth of the main lead couple.

The story line was not cringy and awkward, which makes the actors extremely great for delivering their roles. I also love how every issue was tackled like it is happening in reality, such as the difficulty of Ongsa's coming out, the situation where Sun and Ongsa are gonna be on an LDR, the struggles of Alpha as the eldest child, the harsh and sad bullying story of Eylin, the family differences of Sun and Ongsa, the hopes of having an "accepting" parents of both Sun and Ongsa regarding their sexual preferences, and how to handle each other when you are in a relationship. And despite this taboo issues, the writers still manage to instill some comedic skits! Not to mention the "right" background music and sounds which makes the comedy so funny and the romance that will surely makes you feel giddy and have butterflies in your stomach.

Overall, it's a-must watch Thai series!