Until We Meet Again The Series (2019)

Buena

Siendo esta la segunda vez que la veo puedo decir varias cosas.

En cuanto a historia está bien manejada y estructurada, aunque hubiera deseado que se dejaran en claro algunas cosas de las parejas secundarias, en general que se ocuparan mejor de los personajes secundarios.

Las actuaciones me parecieron buenas para el tipo de serie que es, creo que logran trasmitir los sentimientos de los personajes.

A pesar de esto la sentí lenta por las largas escenas sin diálogos y que ponen varias veces, sé que esto es debido a la trama y puede ser necesario que estén ahí, pero creo que lo pudieron hacer de otra forma sin necesidad de que aparezcan tan seguido y también funcionaria.

En conclusión las escenas largas y repetitivas le quitan mucho a la buena historia y actuaciones.

Leer más

Esta serie me ha roto el corazón, lloré en absolutamente todos los capítulos, sea de tristeza o felicidad.

Es una MARAVILLA, las actuaciones son impecables, especialmente la de Fluke hacia el final cuando amenaza con suicidarse como si fuese el espíritu de In hablando. Es muy triste cuando Pharm se ve en casa de su abuelo y recuerda todo mientras ve las fotos...Aunque cuando habla con la abuela de Dean/hermana de In da muchísima ternura, en general creo que el que más sufrió recordando fue Pharm/In.

La segunda pareja me gusta muchísimo y no puedo esperar a que estrenen su temporada.

Leer más

me encanto

la he visto infinidad de veces y no me canso de eso. la trama esta tan bien explicada. maravilloso el dean pharm es tal cual al libro. yo lei primero el libro y despues rfecien vi la serie y no tiene nada que envidiar a la novela.
korn e in son tal cual al igual que team win. es una maravillosa y fascinante historia me enamore de cada uno de los personajes, tanto que los he seguido en todas sus demas series y ninguno me ha decepcionado. ellos han logrado que tenga un concepto distinto al que tenia de los dramas bl.
siempre crei que los dramas bl solo mostraban sexo y nada mas pero ahora tengo una perspectiva distinta de ellos al punto que ya me he visto varios algunos me encantaron otros no. pero todo es a esta gran serie que me hizo ver de forma distinta al mundo bl. UWMA los amo

Leer más

Sinceramente muy aburrida no me gustó nada la historia, hize el esfuerzo de continuar viéndola porque la había dejado al episodio 5 pero volví a verla y la dejé al ep 14 simplemente no me gustaba y me aburrí demasiado, los actores son geniales y las parejas tmb simplemente la historia no es de mi gusto, muy decepcionada porque perdí mi tiempo viendo esta seríe..................................................,..................................................................,...................................................................,...................................................................,.................

Leer más

BL that manages to be more than BL in some ways

In a nutshell:

The story is interesting though some may bemoan the way the series doesn’t seem to have a major conflict or point of tension for quite a few episodes. However, the series never feels slow or boring to me. There is a lot to love about this series because it doesn’t always tell the story in an in-your-face manner. But this could well be its weakness too. For example, if it had emphasized how one of the main characters’ (Pharm) incomplete recollection of his previous life early could pose a problem to their relationship, the tension and suspense built could have maintained the interest of more viewers.

In a coconut shell:

The series starts with the tragic double suicide of Korn/In, certainly not the lighthearted schoolboys-fall-in-love stuff that is so common in BL (though the characters are students). The double suicide is the result of parental objections to their relationship because of their sexual orientation, a rather serious consequence compared to popular BL series that treat the topic of objecting parents less seriously (e.g. Together with Me: The Next Chapter in which the parents change their minds, and Dark Blue Kiss in which the parents are surprisingly open-minded). The seriousness in tone, though not all that persistent, makes it different from a lot of BL that focus on the couples’ relationship without such a strong regard for the society in which the story is set). Where the Dean/Pharm story is concerned, the use of common BL tropes (like a “straight” guy falling in love with another guy) is rather sparing. This may be a good thing, but the side couple (WinTeam) may appeal to BL fans more and may be more conventionally BL.

In the parts of the story that use common BL tropes, the series does become more like BL and somewhat less realistic. The inclusion of a BL fangirl of sorts (Manaow) and the way Dean’s swimming team do not seem to bat an eyelid when their captain brings his boyfriend with him on a team outing are where BL fans find themselves in familiar terrain, though we can guess how often that happens in real life in Thailand. Interestingly, these elements seem to be used to contrast past and present, making a point about how increased openness towards homosexuality in society makes a huge difference for same-sex couples and even the two fathers who live in regret after their sons’ deaths. The society in the Dean/Pharm parts of the story feels much less oppressive that the atmosphere in the Korn/In story. We can see this from the minor characters’ behaviours: whereas Pharm’s friends accept and encourage his relationship with Dean, In’s good friend only quietly feels happy for him when he sees In together with Korn. Such subtle touches make the story rather interesting and worth re-watching.

There doesn’t seem to be a rush to bring the plot to new heights of tension. There is neither an excessive preoccupation with kissing and sex scenes nor an aversion to them. Although a number of viewers seem to find UWMA to be rather slow-moving or that it’s not clear where the story is going, I have a different opinion. In fact, the story is fairly well-paced, with the flashbacks seldom being unnatural as they show the parallels between the previous lives and the present lives. I suppose one thing that frustrates some viewers is the way the Dean/Pharm storyline doesn’t seem to have any obvious conflict for a large part of the series, which may give the impression that it is going nowhere. However, I like the way events are foreshadowed and how the characters slowly recall and come to terms with their past lives. As I watched each episode on a YouTube playlist, I get to the last part before I know it (it’s quite a different experience when it comes to series like I Am Your King Season 2).

Another aspect of the series that I like is how Dean and Pharm have different personalities from their past lives. The differences are more subtle in Dean, who seems calmer but also more determined to make his relationship work out than Korn. As for Pharm, while he’s clearly attracted to and in love with Dean, he does not rush into the relationship. As a really good cook, Pharm is set apart from In who cannot cook to save his life. This difference isn’t merely superficial for the patience and skill with which he cooks indicates a different personality. Both Dean and Pharm seem to have “learnt” something from their previous lives. The dynamics of their relationship are somewhat different too. While we see more passion between Korn and In, we see more tenderness between Dean and Pharm. The interplay between the parallels and differences indirectly creates suspense: will the couple finally have a happy ending, or will history repeat itself? Most of the time, the story seems geared towards a happy ending but there is foreshadowing of a problem to come, especially in a scene where a monk reminds the couple of the importance of forgiveness. In the end, we see that Dean/Pharm must reconcile with the people in their past lives and settle their unfinished business before moving on as themselves in their present lives. It seems paradoxical in the end, but it makes sense: Dean and Pharm have acquired new identities and cannot be living in the shadows of Korn and In forever, so while accepting that they are reincarnations of Korn and In, they must still be able detach themselves from their past lives. (An interesting scene in the last episode with Dean and Pharm dreaming of Korn and In as third parties and not as themselves for once shows that they have finally managed to move on as Dean and Pharm, not reincarnations of Korn and In.)

I also love WinTeam in this series although it often looks like the WinTeam scenes are a teaser/test for a possible Season 2 which will focus on them. I would love to watch a Season 2 with WinTeam as the focus though even with the same production team, I believe a Season 2 with WinTeam will be enjoyable in a rather different way. If this series doesn’t appeal to you, you could still give Season 2 a chance if it is made.

Edit: After considering why I've been feeling that something is a little lacking in this series despite my love for it, I realize that there isn't that much on how the characters fall in love. For Dean and Pharm, each immediately feels like the other is the one on first sight because of their past lives, so we can only look to Korn and In. But while we can see the depth of Korn and In's love, we don't see enough of what makes their love so strong. Our involvement in their story would be stronger if there had been a bit more showing Korn and In's love for each other.

Leer más

Drama That Transcends Its Genre

Until We Meet Again is unique drama in its genre in many ways: it has unique story, exceptional acting and tackles some very hard, but important, subjects like homophobia, domestic violence and suicide, but also love, friendship and forgiveness. What this drama does not offer is instant gratification.

The only reason I rated the story 7.5 and not higher is not actually the story itself but rather the execution in some parts. Some moments were stretched too long and that time could have been used on some other moments which were cut too short. I didn't mind the pacing which seems to be a major complaint about this show. I actually liked to feel live I was living with these characters.

In spite of major fantastical element (reincarnation), the biggest plus for this drama is that it depicts a healthy, positive, loving, realistic gay relationship (two if you include In and Korn, in spite of their ending, three if you include Win and Team). Nothing is sensationalized or fetishized, there are no toxic tendencies, . On the other hand, homophobia and, especially, suicide are treated seriously and respectfully . Their consequences are serious, horrifying and lasting, the entire families devastated.

The other strength of UWMA is its spectacular cast. From the main actors (Fluke especially) to the people with barely two lines, from novices to veterans, every role was filled by someone who cared, someone who did their best. And I don't think production team slouched either. Their efforts are visible on the screen.

I could write much more about this drama, but I know I would inevitably stray into spoiler territory and I don't want to do that to those who still haven't seen this gem. I just know that this show will be re-watched and re-watched and re-watched in the months and years to come. I am jealous of those who have yet to discover it.

Leer más

Until We Meet Again (UWMA) is undoubtedly the best of the best BL series productions in decades. The sweetness and character development are so good as they bring the emotions to all audience who have “feelings” or “empathy.” This series has the most number of excellent soundtracks compared to all BL series ever made. The casting selection, chemistry and acting are the best of the best in BL world. The series is the gold standard for future BL productions and stories. To complement all the series best features, this series has beautiful and adorable actors. Studio Wabi Sabi has done the best BL production ever made.

I suggest all prospective audience to ignore negative reviews before watching it. Only audience with “taste”, “feeling” and “empathy” appreciate the story, beautiful soundtracks, excellent acting, superb chemistry, great casting and character development.

Leer más

The plot had so much potential with the reincarnation trope leading the story, but it was never really used. While I enjoyed the beginning episodes quite a lot, at some point I was questioning myself for watching it. It wanted to be deeper, more dramatic and moving, but used all wrong directing choices to achieve it, and in the end, it did not work for me.

CHARACTERS/COUPLES
Truth to be told, I was far more interested in all side/past couples than the main one. I didn’t feel that much chemistry between them. Don’t get me wrong, there were moments when I found them as cute as possible, but I always thought it was more about good directing and not their acting. The romance scenes were simply well written and shot. I still believe Pharm and Dean’s first kiss was filmed in a fantastic way.

I truly loved the fun and entertaining chemistry going on between Team and Win and I wish we could have seen more of them and how they developed feelings for each other. We kind of knew they would end up together… and then they did. Not much of that development was really shown.

Earth and Kao were really good in their roles and I truly did feel the pain and desperation watching their scenes. Wish we could have a prequel telling just their story in greater detail.

Sadly, I felt like Ohm had the same facial expression 90% of the drama, with Fluke showing a bit more diversity: happy grin, shocked grin, massive crying (+ the quite well acted total meltdown in the last episode). While at the beginning I did not mind, at some point I was just bored by their scenes and performance.

Character wise, both Dean and Pharm were nothing special. I mean… Did Dean even have a personality? I did enjoy their relationship though, because, they played off of each other's characteristics well - Pharm being on a shy note and Dean leading the interactions, but as separate characters… they had close to nothing going on.

THAT SAID, I have to applaud the drama for one specific scene. We got some good representation of setting boundaries. When Dean gets a bit too touchy with Pharm, but Pharm quickly puts him back in place, clearly says it was unwanted and it must never happen again. We don’t see scenes like that a lot in BLs.
Also, justice for Manow. Poor girl was literally forgotten at some point of the drama.

DIRECTING
Oh boy. All the long, slow scenes of them doing literally nothing, like… looking at their phone, or cooking but without interacting with each other. The dialogues with way too many pauses. They literally took breaks every 2 or 3 words. There were many scenes that just felt like fillers. Few seconds here, few seconds there… but no content to be found. It made the drama look more aesthetically pleasing, but at the same time, I could not move my finger away from the right arrow on my keyboard, because I was sure there will be more than one occasion I will want to skip the next 5 seconds of them doing nothing.

As I was watching and the story progressed more and more, I could not wait for it to end. It dragged so badly and it was so amazingly slow. Everything was slow. They talked slowly, the shots were slow, the background music was slow, how they moved and walked was slow. I was honestly getting sleepy and tired after watching. The fact that, by an accident, I was able to watch 2 parts of an episode set on 1.5x speed and did not notice says a lot about the directing.

The violin soundtrack started to drive me nuts at some point. It made it seem like every scene was so profound and important and had deeper meaning… most of them did not. The overuse of it made it not an asset, but an annoyance in my eyes (ears?).

WRITING/STORY
I feel like the planning just failed. With the minimum of Team and Win scenes, they should just cut them out completely and make a sequel showing their relationship from the beginning. Focus only on Dean and Pharm and the past story of In and Korn. Show us in more detail how they slowly connected all the dots and accepted their past and current selves.

What’s most important, introduce a conflict AND NOT IN A LAST EPISODE. With the reincarnation trope, there are so many ways to go about it. Giving me Pharm questioning his love for Dean, not being sure if it's real or it's just reminiscence of the relationship In had with Korn, it’s awesome. What’s the point of shoving it in our faces in the last episode? It could have been gradually introduced. The more Pharm knew about the past, the more he would start questioning his feelings for Dean. This way you would have two driving forces for their relationship clashing in an interesting way - them being drawn to each other by the past connection, but also driven away by the fear it’s not real. I guess this isn’t the drama’s fault, since it is based on the novel, but it does not change the fact that there weren’t really any stakes presented. They tried to introduce some struggle by the end, but since the set up was not strong enough, it failed to move me and make me care.

The mental breakdown Pharm had at the end was so ridiculous too. He knew the story, he had flashbacks showing exactly what happened. It’s not like finding the box in the previous episode gave him some new information. He knew it all… And sure, we can argue that the reality of it hit him the moment he saw the photos and the gun, but it still makes no sense pacing wise. Make it happen at least two or three episodes earlier so we can actually feel the pain of then splitting/taking a break. Give me that emotional journey not some cheap emotional thirty second roller coaster with some bullshit “three months later”.

Overall, I guess I was simply not convinced by Fluke and Ohm’s acting so the scenes that might have been sweet, emotional, sad… were, for me, boring. I was not connecting to their feelings so I could not bring myself to care. The moment I started to care, the pace slowed down so painfully, I was getting distracted by the fact nothing was happening. Sad conclusion to the drama I was so excited to watch.

Leer más

Until I Rewatch This Again

UWMA is a flawed drama but when it comes to personal enjoyment I want to give it 11/10 and it wouldn’t be enough: An essay. Contains TL;DR. Perhaps light spoilers.
Note: I haven’t read the novel yet so these are my opinions based solely on the drama. I’m also trying to be objective but know that I love the show a bit too much.

Do you ever watch a drama and think “man, I cannot believe this drama was made solely for me”? cause I felt like this while watching UWMA.

Admittedly, it is not a perfect drama – it would definitely benefit from having less episodes – 17 (basically 18) was indeed a bit too much. Making it 14/15 episodes would definitely please people who weren’t into the drama same way I am and it would make the storytelling more dynamic because the slowburn felt way too slow in the middle of the story. I personally don’t see it as a major flaw – considering this type of storytelling was present throughout the whole series it is obvious it was a deliberate choice and not accidental and I actually didn’t mind it at all (but I can see it why it could be annoying for others). The drama would also profit from having more dialogues and/or less “blank space” which seemed to occur in many scenes. Stuff was just not happening at all sometimes. On the other hand, this (little dialogues, slow pace) created a very calming and comfortable atmosphere.

= STORY =
The story itself has amazing premise but somehow, the execution on a scriptwriter’s/directors’s side seems lacking. In general, the story lacks big external conflict – I can imagine that in novel everything happens on the “inside” which leads to visually low-dynamic story that is hard to transfer to the tv show. There were not enough dialogues and actors can convey only this much emotions through their expressions. We know that characters are having great internal debates but inner speech is not shown though voiceover often enough which is a pity. Sometimes, the scenes were a bit too long. Storytelling was also sometimes a bit off – for example, based on what we have seen in the drama, KornIn had pretty comfy relationship with only few reasons to commit suicide – the drama showed them snuggling, kissing outside, playing outside… I’m aware that reality was different and they did experience hardship behind the scenes and what we saw were supposed to be a cherry-picked moments, but really, I think the suicide deserves stronger juxtaposition and build-up (even retrospectively).

While I have my comments on the execution of the story, I must admit that they are not actually deal-breaking flaws for me. Annoying – yes. Would I want to see some scenes done differently? – yes. Do I want to see something else? Also yes. But I still rewatched so many scenes. I think the case with the story is – the novel is a pretty standard soulmates AU which means there were not many reasons to go for some totally new plots and I don’t really see that as a flaw.

Ultimately, what I really loved is the focus on the main couple. Usually, in BL dramas we get a lots of struggles and only few snuggles but UWMA made it other way around. Also, the focus was solely on DeanPharm either in past or in present. No forced secondary couples you don’t care about which I loved as well.

Anyways, contrary to popular complaint – I liked the cooking scenes – it helped develop Pharms character besides the fact that hes In and also Deans BF.

What I also liked are the parallel/contrasting situations/scenes between KornIn and DeanPharm relationhips. And in general – I absolutely adored KornIn and DeanPharm. They were so soft, cute, loving, supportive, trusting, playful… I find it refreshing to see these healthy relationships being the main focus of the drama. DeanPharm do lack communication just like any other main couple in drama ever (this time one of possible excuses can be magic behind reincarnation) but when it comes to the physical stuff, they are actually consensual and have established boundaries.
Plus, the final episode was great – maybe it is a bit pity its story didn’t happen earlier – the ending felt a little rushed. But it solidified this drama on the top of my BL faves.

= ACTING/CHEMISTRY =
I see acting as the strongest aspect of the drama. Thanks to solid to great acting performances most of the flaws were evened out for me. Casting of main leads was done so well – both Ohm-Kao and Fluke-Earth are able to project similar energy while having their own personal color just like their characters do.

Fluke and Earth managed to carry this show with their performances to new heights. Ohm and Kao weren’t bad (actually, Ohm got better and better throughout the series and by the end I really enjoyed him. With Kao it was a bit obvious this is his debut role) but considering the nature of their characters, their job was mostly glare menacingly at everyone except their partners and be handsome. Fluke was great. No wonder he is one of the most acclaimed BL actors. That boy can cry and is not afraid to look ugly! And Earth is so damn sweet. Honestly my favourite BL actor atm. I also love the fact they got several accomplished veteran actors to act in this drama. I feel like thanks to them many tense scenes went so well and they made the story more multidimensional.

Personally, I don’t stand behind the decision of having casted LBC actors in minor roles, though. One or two maybe, but casting so many of them took my attention to things that werent really supposed to be noted. Oh and wth? I realized too late that Del is played by Pineare aka Yuri from Lovesick! She’s all grown up now!!

Anyways, back to the topic. The chemistry was on point. Personally I love KornIn scenes a bit more but it might be because their moments are so soft (and I like Earth. Did I mention that I like Earth?). Their beach scene (ep 8 – 4/4) is going to be one of the most legendary scenes in history of BLs and can be rivalled only by KornIn laying in bedroom (ep 10 – 1/5) and In being sick (15 – 2/4). (Okay, I might be overreacting a little now.) Of course, KaoEarth had as actors easier position considering their characters didn’t go through major trauma (yet) and you know… they didn’t have to portray some sort of split personalities like DeanPharm had to. But don’t get me wrong – I loved DeanPharm ship as well. I think they were extraordinary soft, loving and understanding and I loved them nearly as much as KornIn. (And since I named good scenes for previous couple, I should do the same here: Christmas lights scene 11 – 2/4; snuggles 11 – 4/4; Dean comes to terms with the past 9 - 4/4)

I didn’t care for WinTeam couple at all – I didn’t really feel their chemistry and they just felt forced in the grand scheme of things. I honestly don’t understand how someone managed to get attached to WinTeam couple to the point to only watch the drama for them. Same goes for PrukManaow. What was point of that. I get it – Sammy deserves a loveline with a Hot Hunk but honestly, couldn’t they make it feel a bit more organic?

Dick Energy aside – the cast overall had a nice chemistry. The friendships/families were so damn cute.

= MUSIC =
At the beginning of the show I felt like the music – or its use, to be exact - was the major weakness. I remember complaining that background music was too loud and by the end of drama I am not sure if the volume got fixed or I just got used to it. The case still stands though because sometimes, the use of music was unlucky. There are scenes that are void of any dialogue and then, suddenly Boy Sompob or Dome Jaruwat start YELLING acapella to the scene. What a buzzkill.

Other then that, I actually like the ost. The score is beautiful and feels really grandiose at times – especially the orchestra parts where the string instruments join. And I also love Dome’s song. The fact is, however, that considering the length of the series and the fact that the music is used in every “mute” scene (so basically in every scene), there seems to me not enough songs/pieces to not feel repetitive.

= CONCLUSION/TL;DR =
Objectively, the issues of this show lie in the length/pacing of the drama and some storytelling choices while positives are in acting, chemistry, music and general storyline. The tipping point that depends largely on personal preference is the overall atmosphere of the drama which someone might name pretentiously artsy due to coloring choices and slow development while others might call it calming – either it works for you or not.

The drama is not perfect, as I tried to address in this jumbled mess of a text, but in my POV the positives weight much more than the negatives do. UWMA became my most favourite thai BL. Very wholesome, cute, soft and full of warm and fuzzy feelings together with interesting plot that is much different from any other mainstream thai BL and with fantastic acting performances and chemistry.

Leer más

Fluke's acting deserve an Oscar!!

I just finished watching UWMA and I must say, this serie is one of the best BL series I have ever seen.

First of all, the plot is excellent. It's funny, it's beautiful, it's mature and more. But most importantly, it has a good message. The story takes place in both present and past. They have to handle problems like family issues, homophobia etc.

The acting in this serie is really good. We deal with both well known actors and new actors. Fluke (one of the main actors) is such a good actor it is almost inhuman. He handles the more dramatic scenes like a true pro and it is hard not to believe that he is going through exactly what the character is. Though, he's way of acting embarrassed becomes a bit too much when he says "P'Dean" all the time. Other than that, I loved and enjoyed every single actor in this serie (which is honestly uncommon) and their chemistry in real life is also amazing and cute.

I really hope we get a season 2 which focuses on the relationship between Win and Team.

Two things I dislike about this serie: Firstly, when they show scenes from the past, it is sometimes hard to understand what time it is set in. An important part of the serie is to know that the past is set in a time which being gay was not acceptable. But you can't really understand that it is set a long time ago, it looks like present. Secondly, some scenes are really slow. I am a very impatient person, it was also hard not to skip forward since it was kind of easy to understand what was coming next. Though, I think the slow tempo is important to the plot.

I would re-watch this serie anytime.

Leer más