This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat. The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
Hengly is like the bad boy of his class. He doesn't conform to rules and often blame onto everyone else except himself. On morning he runs into Same on his motorbike and the two have an altercation that doesn't end well. Same is a studious student who stands up for himself. After a few misunderstandings, their friendship starts to grow when it turns out that Same's brother is close friends with Hengly's cousin. They spend sometime together, and it seems like Hengley is almost flirting with Same. Same’s feelings for Hengly grows stronger and more overt. Hengly, more so unconsciously, is drawn to Same but for him, it is all still so ill-defined. He has always considered himself ‘straight’. Finally, Same confesses he likes Hengly and kisses him (very awkwardly). But Hengly, confused and overwhelmed, rejects him, even though his outward overtures towards Same have always been ones of closeness. Same is devastated and angry. Then a lot of episodes are spent in angst and self-reflection before Hengly also starts to realize that his feelings for Same may have just been more than platonic. Thanks to a close circle of friends, cousins etc, the duo eventually talk this out through.
Not evener one single moment was I able to connect with either the story or its characters. They acted decent for likley the material they were given, but it just did not work for me. The two kissing scenes were absolutely awkward and horrible and looked like they were kissing a dead fish. Like most BL series, towards the end we also have a third person enter the game who shows some liking for Same. This is what creates jealousy for Hengly and eventual realization. For a small production company, the only positives were that the show was totally focused on the main couple. There were no parallel multiple stories for no reason. But despite this, it felt quite stretched out to me. The actors were quite average to look at too , so not of an eye candy either. I think Cambodian BL will take a while before they start bringing on some really cool shows. They are still quite new in this department. I know I am being a bit harsh here but for now, this was totally avoidable. (2.5/10)
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