I’m in a weird mood lately and am trying to find the right Valentine’s vibe show for this week, which has instead led me to rewatching High School Frenemy, because I guess nothing is more romantic to me than unrealized potential.
Currently Watching (on air)
Perfect 10 Liners: As per usual, the parental stuff is resolved a little too easily, but in some ways that’s part of the escapism, I guess. But aside from that, I really loved this ending for Gun and Yotha, and thought it set up Faifa’s arc really well.
It’s kind of unfortunate for ArcArm that there’s such a natural way to transition from part 2 to 3, because it makes their story feel kind of like an anomaly, but I do like that they’ve still been around and continue to contribute to the story. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Klao and Warich either, those fucking disasters.
The Heart Killers: This last episode really reinforced to me that Jojo isn’t as interested in the hitman plot as he is in the interpersonal relationships in this show, which is totally fine, but I did wish the resolution to Lilly was a little more exciting. I guess I shouldn’t get ahead of myself—there’s always the possibility that something else will happen in the prison episode (LMAO btw). This episode IMO could have stood to be a little shorter, but there were some really good scenes—obviously the ones at Fadel’s grave and in the therapy gym being my favorites.
Us: I’m perpetually a week behind on this show, and at this point I don’t remember much about last week other than a) confirmed lesbian View character, b) Rak absolutely accidentally outing herself with her reaction to finding out View’s character is a lesbian, and c) they kissed?? ALREADY??? HELLO!!
Ossan’s Love Thailand: I haven’t mentioned Thor I don’t think, and he is so fucking funny in this show. Honestly, everyone except the baby is top notch, and the only reason the baby isn’t as good is because, well, he’s a baby. But Thor’s facial expressions and sheer intensity as Ten is hysterical when he works in Clown Office HQ. And that’s honestly what works about this show—the characters take the circumstances they’re in seriously, so you take them seriously too despite how insane everything is.
The Boy Next World: Sometimes I wish we saw less.
This week was the most MAME episode so far, from the absolutely deranged backstory of Cirrus’s mom to the second bj scene of the show. This is not necessarily a bad thing, I clearly enjoy a lot of MAME’s shows, but it was cracking me up the whole time.
Wim and Jin are such a funny b couple in this show because they’re very much crazy4crazy, but in many ways their relationship is 1000x more normal than Cirrus and Phu’s despite Jin being able to, you know, read minds. Which has still not been explained. A little worried about what we’ll be getting in these back four episodes at this point.
ThamePo: WHEW BOY. I don’t know where to begin. This was such an episode, in so many ways—the new absolute banger of a song from LYKN/MARS, the relationship progression, the MARS friendship—that I did have to watch it a second time but more locked-in.
I saw some people complaining about Baifern in this episode and how nosy/pushy she is—but to them I say, you’ve never had a friend who makes consistently terrible relationship decisions! I have been the person who is actively trying to stop a friend from going out to see their shitty ex (which they did ask me to do if they felt weak) so I got her. And Po is even more of a pushover than my friend! Baifern and Thame both show this side of themselves as the person who stands up for Po, Baifern with how ready she was to fucking fight theoretical Earn and Thame with being able to do what Po hasn’t been to this point and change his damn sandwich order.
Okay, I’ve talked enough about other stuff, it’s time to talk about William and Est and how much they popped off in this episode. Hello?? This was more intense and believable kissing than I’ve seen from a lot of seasoned couples, which frankly a show with this kind of slowburn needs. And they delivered. They delivered.
Est says there aren’t a ton of “love” scenes in this show, so I’m curious to see where it goes from here (I have this whole side ramble about how a lot of shows lean off the sex as they go on). And also, a little worried about what’s going to happen this week on Valentine’s Day (which is also William’s birthday).
Currently Watching (completed)
Bad Guy My Boss: I’m up to the last 2 episodes + I think a special episode and had to stop watching for a breather because of how deranged the preview for episode 11 looked. I still don’t know why these men are into each other, aside from apparently having good sex. And both of the other couples are somehow worse. Is this toxic yaoi at its finest? Perhaps!
Never Let Me Go: God, this show was my pick for something excruciatingly romantic, which I was correct for. Episode 4 is perhaps my least favorite just because I think the last scene is kind of tone-breaking, but now that I know a bit more about lakorns, I do kind of get what Jojo was doing. However. Episode 5. I’m ready.
On rewatch, I’m picking up a lot more about Chopper specifically—both because I’m more primed to notice Perth but also because I know I should be paying more attention to him. He’s such a relatively normal character and boy does he go through it for real. I do also keep thinking about how different the Yotha and Gun dynamic would have been if Chimon hadn’t left the cast, because there’s a sassiness to Chimon that he literally can’t ever shake.
Finished
Your Sky: I stand by what I said last episode, which is that the main weakness of this show is how much the Teerak’s dad plot seems to come out of nowhere. I also think it has some pacing issues (common to Domundi shows), and the b/c couples need to either have more or less time to not feel like they’re just distractions or being added in because the main couple doesn’t have as much going on. However! Overall this was a delightful and sweet show, and I’ll miss having it as a Sunday evening treat.
4 Minutes: Upon finishing, I’m still so fucked up about Korn and Ton Kla and probably will be forever. It’s still not a perfect show, and I get why people have issues with it—my main thing is that the time skip robs us of the opportunity to see Thyme and Great reuniting outside of their delusions, which I think would have been a really good and useful scene to have. It still cracks me up that the only song BOC apparently has the rights to is “Why Don’t You Stay” and possibly not even Jeff’s recording of it??
BL News:
MosBank may have once again hard-launched their relationship, and once again people will probably just say that it’s a publicity stunt, but at this point I’m like they simply don’t have to be doing all that.
Only tangentially related, but new Jeff Satur music has me ready to go.
Happy Valentine’s! I’m going to be at a wedding, very appropriate, so hope yours is also romantic but maybe in a more personal way.
urs,
hk