schorschi100

A series with rare qualities, which kept me captivated, hoping and crying at their same time. It's not action (in fact there is very little going on), it's not high school or college drama, it's not struggling in life. It's acquiring awareness, it's eternity, it's closure and a new beginning at the same, all at a metaphysical, philosophical level. I also like the fact, that the series is well-paced and finishes once the story is told; it doesn't stretch more than necessary.

The acting is very good, both main characters excel in their respective roles, conveying their emotional development with minimal actions (as required by the script). The cinematography is simply spectacular (what with Thailand's breathtaking nature), the music is ok. The plot, however, is a bit confusing. There is a strong tendency towards abstraction and vagueness (which is justified), but it goes a bit too far. This does not diminish the series' worth, since the plot per se is not the main focus.

Reminding a little bit of "What dreams may come" with Robin Williams, this series may speak to the not-anymore-so-young ones among us a bit more.

Watch with your closest and oldest friends and plan for a couple of beers or a glass of wine afterwards.

This is a sad story, with a sad beginning and, unsurprisingly, a foreseeable sad ending. I sort of liked the plot, but I am rather indecisive regarding the acting. The story is just a miracle which happened due to love. So far so good. It becomes clear from the onset that this miracle has an expiration date and that it is all about coping with sadden loss. The idea is rather genuine (although it bares similarities for instance with "Ghost", staring Woopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze), but the realization is quite stylized in a typical Japanese manga fashion. Unfortunately, the developing of the characters (mainly of the one left behind) is unsatisfying - after 8 episodes the mourning lover has not come to terms with what happened, in fact he has not really progressed at all. If the story had some comic instances in-between, I might had forgiven this, but alas this is not the case. So we are left with an unresolved emotional burden (no catharsis, no absolution, no new hope). Perhaps, if the penultimate scene replaced the last one, we would at least have been left with a shimmer of hope.

Generally, the story feeds on the emotional distress induced by the sadness of the event (but not the ensuing plot), offers a predetermined unavoidable course of events. It generally falls under the definition of a kitsch movie/series, namely one that gives no food for thought and just evokes tears through pre-chewed emotions (very much like your typical tele-novella, simply in a more artistic Japanese style).

I was really pleasantly surprised by this BL series. I suppose the main reason is the originality of the plot. Everything starts with a certain focus on some friends trying to develop a vlog channel, when a "newcomer" enters the scene. Then slowly our attention shifts on the new relationships develop, and equally importantly, on how these ones affect the old ones. When secrets slowly get revealed, the plot thickens. What I really liked about this particular aspect, is that the secrets themselves, although they trigger changes, it is not their revelation per se but rather their effects on which the story concentrates.

The acting is quite good. Perhaps not stellar, but then again it is not needed. This is one of the rare cases in such series, that the emotions of the characters are adequately described by their actions, and therefore overly emotional outbursts are not really necessary (which does not mean that the characters are blunt, it is simply that the series does not rely exclusively on the chemistry between couples). I also liked the side couple's story, which beyond filling air time also supports the plot (having been an established couple for four years). All characters are mature (in the sense that they adults and use their heads, but also grow as time passes by. Perhaps they are all a little bit too good-hearted, but then again this does not save them from pain (which for a change does not stem from a crooked world or a particular big bad wolf).

Perhaps some viewers will be perplexed about the existence or not the temple our adventurers are looking for, but in my opinion this is completely irrelevant. The quest more than adequately serves its purpose in offering material for the vlogs - it gives the backbone but not the flesh and blood to the plot. It is nice to occasionally have a story which is different, in that it makes you think a little bit, and not just brainlessly cry your eyes out.

Compared to the overall rating of the series, I give it a relatively low rating for the rewatch value. This is no contradiction, it is simply a consequence of the genre. It is neither a comedy, where one wants to listen to funny lines again and again, nor a sweet romance, where one simply wants to enjoy passion. Here we are dealing mainly with realizations, which per definition are absent in any subsequent second run.