I Promised You the Moon (2021)

This is how a perfect drama should be !

I've watched the first season "I told sunset about you" and I loved it so much , that's why I decided to watch the second season and I am GLAD I did !
This is how a drama should be ; and I am not exaggerating if I say that this (along with the first season) are the BEST Thai drama I've ever watched ( my drama list is long btw ) . Thai Bl directors : PLEASE TAKE NOTES .
=> The acting : Billkin and PP excelled in their roles . The way they talked, looked at each other, cried and hugged each other made me feel like I am watching the real Teh and Oh-aew and without any doubt their real story . Also all the supportive actors were amazing and convincing .
=> The story : I loved the realistic approach this season has taken . Changing and making mistakes are natural processes during our main journey : The journey of discovering ourselves . As time goes by , people change , feelings change and relationships may face huge challenges, only people with strong bounds could face all of the obstacles ; and came back together even after being separated.As they say , we realize someone's worth only after loosing them. I also loved how the story highlighted the value of friendship and it's power of helping us grow stronger and more confident .
The cinematography was a success too , professional and innovative .
Finally , I would like to express my gratitude towards the directors, the screenwriters, the producers, the actors and all the staff for giving us such a masterpiece that we will remember for years to come .

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Everything I Wanted

HOLY FREAKING CRAP. This hit me like the first season did. Everything about this series makes it a masterpiece. The execution of a pure and realistic love story makes it relatable and the emotions easy to comprehend. The acting is always superb from these two. It made me cry and want to throw fists just like the first season did— BUT ON A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL. I was so anxious that this would end badly— and so sad that my favourite love story ever would comes to a sad closing. I won’t overlook the cheating that occurred— nothing excuses cheating, but it’s really such a natural thing that occurs, and I’m not sure i can be mad about it. I personally haven’t been in the position to where I would cheat— but I can totally understand why some people do it. I can even imagine myself doing it to be honest, though I’ll never commit to someone to where I then feel trapped and want someone else that way. In Teh’s position— I completely understand what he did— of course, i hated him for it, but I under him. I have to agree with what another reviewer said— ‘Love when you are ready, not when you are lonely’. I wasn’t disappointed at its beautiful conclusion in this sequel. The music in these series work very well with the emotions that are being acted out. I am a huge fan of the lack of music in certain scenes, which allows for me to focus on the characters and their actions without distraction. I think this use of no music in some scenes is something that brings me into a world of reality, as though what I am viewing something real and not fiction. It’s something that I don’t ever notice being done in other dramas, and if it is being done, it’s not done well enough for me to care for it. The storyline is a super simple one, and it made me think about my own life and experiences, future and present, with love, which is something I like to have from shows. If I can connect what is being shown to me to myself, it makes the experience about both reflection and enjoyment. The editing, choice of camera angles, and scenes with little to no talking are SO GOOD. Like these actors and the people that chose how to execute everything that makes a good show did a damn well job. They can say more about their feelings with no lines and only their faces/actions than any other actors and their dragged-on lines can. I’ll never forget this show.

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An Outstanding Drama ,that is unfortunately compared to its previous part

First of all, you can't compare „I told sunset about you“ with „I promised you the moon“. They are both different from the atmosphere, storytelling, and even from the genre. While ITSAY is a coming out/coming of age drama, IPYTM is a drama about a relationship, that slowly falls apart...

And when you see that IPYTM is a masterpiece with an emotional force that leaves you speechless and exhausted.
Music, Cinematography, and atmosphere are always on point and it’s hard to find a series that convinced on that level.
But this series needs no big drama effects and it’s more the slow subtle emotions that make it so wonderful. Like the scene where Oh-Aew and Teh are performing on stage, then the music fades and you see only the face of Oh-Aew.

Let’s talk about the acting: Everyone is doing a great job and even the side characters are unique and give you emotional feelings. Billkinn as Teh bares the series with his „not so perfect“-personality and even when I didn’t support all of his actions, he’s always acting plausible. But I appreciate PPKrit more for playing such a fragile and still powerful Person like Oh-Aew, so multifaceted but also so realistic and besides that so far away from toxic masculinity. The Scene where his acting was too girly, was for me a critique on the common stereoroles, but also an important message for the LGBTQ+-Community.

This Series shows anyways some critics of the acting genre, broken dreams of young actors, manipulative directors, or managers who are controlling the social media of their talents. And even in that way IPTYM is far much better than other series.

Unfortunately in some parts its’s far too rushed and the whole series could have at least 1 or 2 episodes more to avoid the time jumps which was the low light for me.

But still, with that flaw, it’s an outstanding series, not for a BL, but for the drama genre itself.

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Why?

People said that the sequel is often not as good as the prequel and yet, I still placed high hope for the sequel and ended up, everything that others said become real.

1. The first episode is alright. Was very glad that Teh's mother accepted Oh Aew and supported her son.
2. I expected angst but never did I realize the angst is cliche (with the cheating) and for the angst, I don't feel sad at all. But instead, I'm super pissed. I didn't cry when the angst happened and instead, I rolled my eyes and saw this coming.

People said that this is reality, people's feelings fade when they get together for a long time. Teh's feelings faded for Oh Aew but the audacity he has to confess to someone when he didn't even clear things off with Oh Aew.

I don't know and I will definitely get scolded by the fans who supported the ending.

I feel that the ending is....too forced?

Like the scriptwriter is trying to force this s*it and make them patch back.

Everything changed in this sequel.
Teh's feelings, the art, the cinematography, everything, and there's a lot of things missing that I can't even put out with words.

Giving this a 4.5 is already counted as fair enough because I actually wanted to give it a 0.
10 for the acting/cast because of the upgrade and the amazing improvement of BKPP along with other side characters!

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A Sequel That Matches It's Predecessor Seamlessly

I am not going into intense detail on this one, I just want to throw my spaz hat into the ring. This show is fire, the original season was fire and the cast are unmatched at this point. The shows writing pushes past any cultural barriers and becomes something relatable to most people who have at least had a crush. There really is something to feel for anyone watching (super young audience potentially excluded). But really though, the variety of characters you see and the deeper meaning behind the simplest stares or side glances. Q's character is massively underrated and I really hope to see more of him in this genre. This director did not skip a beat and I mean it. Nothing lulls, pacing is perfect and every moment or interaction has purpose. Above all there is not really an emphasis on any side character plots and the two main actors are the core of this show throughout. Stay away for the love of God from the comments, you'll find many a friend and quite a few foe. This show is real, raw and timeless. It's one of my favorite shows of all time, period.

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Wow… Just wow…

No one’s doing it like these guys. The acting is phenomenal, the directing is insane, the soundtrack is gorgeous, and the new friends are so great, there’s no time to miss the high school friends.

I’m reading a lot of reviews saying not to compare ITSAY and IPYTM, that they were going for something different; personally I disagree. I absolutely felt that IPYTM was following in ITSAY’s footsteps. It was very much giving me the same vibes. It’s perhaps somewhat darker but they’re growing up so I was prepared for that.

The way these characters are written is honestly brilliant. Even in the most frustrating moments, when things start happening that you wish weren’t happening, looking back at their past, it makes sense. It’s not drama just for the sake of drama. I genuinely think people dropping IPYTM aren’t trying to understand these characters and that’s a shame.

I was so happy to first find a very sweet and adorable Teh being affectionate and being just generally so happy. It was lovely. As for Oh-aew, he's still a beautiful angel. Then, I thought I was prepared to get hurt considering how painful ITSAY already was, but I didn’t expect to literally feel my heart breaking inside my chest. Thankfully, that gorgeous ending mended my heart back into one piece.

(Warning for vague spoilers) Obviously there are things I wish were different: I wish we got to enjoy the end a bit more, but I felt that way about ITSAY as well so at least it’s consistent; I wish the final time jump wasn’t so long, and I wish Teh’s friendships had a more satisfying conclusion. Yet at the end of the day, I wouldn’t change a thing; it’s beautiful the way it is.

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A Must Watch!

Both the first season and the second season were expertly told. I want to see more of this in Thai BL dramas than some of the same storylines that we normally get. Not once did I feel like I was watching a drama, but instead I felt like I was watching two young gay men discover themselves and bring two characters to life. Nothing seemed to be too farfetched or impossible.

I don't want to spoil too much of this drama, but I will mention that episode 3 seemed to piss off a lot of people who were appalled by a certain action. I'm not convinced that it was as bad and diabolical as most people painted it out to be. I do think that it was important for them to go through this since many couples will experience something similar, especially at that age.

I do want to say that the acting continued to be splendid. The pacing of this drama might feel slow to some because it doesn't move fast and every plotline actually has time to develop and grow. Things build up, things get worse and then better and then worse until finally it explodes. I think this is expert storytelling and I could feel the tension rise again and again. This drama definitely is worth rewatching. I'm going to take time away from it though to let me finish digesting this, but it's on my rewatch list for sure!

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A good try.

This is not bad. Definitely not. But when you expect something as good as the first part… you might be disappointed.

I Promised You the Moon clearly wants to be realistic, impactful and emotional. It works, most of the time, not in a good way. Actually, it leaves you confused, wondering about the characters' true intentions and true feelings; as much as what was introduced to us the season before and what was shown literally two scenes ago. The plot is fickle and turns around creating so many situations (to not be properly explored). To be honest, does away with any “surprising” meaning.

The 5-year trajectory of Teh and Oh in 5 episodes is terrible. In one year, something happens, only to be forgotten the next year or not have any development at all. Each year felt like empty, because it was as if the characters hadn't really lived through those situations and that previous trouble don't matter anymore, as their crucial doubts suddenly lost their value. Not just about romance, also about their internal questions. It is said Oh found himself. But how? When? Teh has matured. But how? When? How do you expect me to believe if I couldn't see anything? The bad is not what happens, but how it happens. The reasons and motivations are at no time justifiable. Character development was so poorly done.

As for the production, it was satisfactory, top-notch. The cinematography managed to be quite beautiful, despite almost all the sets being closed places. You can see the great effort to look aesthetically perfect. While editing/directing... it doesn't help much. The story itself is not that confusing, but there are so many elements and nothing has been properly inserted. Please focus on the things that will really matter. Well, who would do miracles to make such a mess make any sense? Anyway, I need to talk about random flashbacks in a specific episode of something I just saw. Like??? Are you serious????? LMAO.

Bro... the music is beautiful. It's intense. If I was slightly immersed in the show it was because of the good songs (although at times seems out of place and the “funny” song in the first episodes got on my nerves). Same for acting. It was good. PP Krit was amazing, even if the relevance in some episodes was that of an extra. Billkin always with his good acting to play that dumb boy. The new cast also surprised me, everyone did a great job.

To sum up, the series is not the worst, it's special, but everything has a “but”, nothing worked perfectly, it didn't live up to what it promised. It's not hard to see what was tried to be shown, despite the progress of the plot was frustrating and the end tastes bittersweet. IPYTM tried to be deep. Tried.

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So disappointing

Seriously what the hell happened? In a way it's better cause Teh doesn't cry that much and It was going so great but then they just ruinned the whole series with this indie thing of trying to be realistic and making Teh cheat on my baby Oh-aew and then just making them get back together like dude wtf I just wanted to be happy I don't want reality where people suck. ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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This is for those who saw the spoilers but are hesitant to watch: give it a go!

Firstly, it’s best not to compare ITSAY to IPYTM, although the latter is a continuation of the first part the style of storytelling, coloring, visuals, almost everything is different, but that does not mean it’s a bad thing. The second phase of their life is captured well with this new direction taken- it all comes together to form a beautiful whole.

I will not deny, the kind of butterflies the first part brought were not replicated here, however the amount of pain this brought me is far more. That might not sound like the most fun thing but everything is so hard-hitting that no matter how angry the on-going events made me, when I later looked back I was amazed by how they carried this storyline out. The feelings it evoked in me are hard to describe with words, the acting in this part will leave you amazed!

Addressing the biggest complaint with the show- the cheating storyline. It was completely unnecessary and their problems could have been addressed in a different and yet believable manner. Them having different visions for their future, lesser things in common and lack of time for one another are enough points to show how their distance grows. All the while we saw scenes displaying Teh’s disloyalty I was broken and wondered how could he? I later came to realize his character is always in conflict and one who is guided by momentary emotions, so when you actually see what he did it does fit his character. That does not make me a fan of this direction they took, but somehow it doesn’t make me like the show lesser.

For the same reason the ending might not be perceived as happy for all as they do get together, and I was angry at my weak heart but I whole-heartedly smiled in episode 5.

If ITSAY was a heart-warming masterpiece that brought you equal amount of pain and joy, IPYTM is a heart-wrenching sequel to it, that brings you more pain but you can not help but be amazed by its impact.

I would definitely call this a very successful sequel, not like I imagined it to be, but the raw emotions it captured through the stellar cast are commendable and the story as a whole is real and beautiful.

P.S: If cheating in any storyline puts you off like me, I understand your hesitation in giving it a go, maybe prepare yourself mentally and still give it a chance!

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Bravo Nadao!

This "review" contains no spoilers. I commend Nadao, the writers, producers, actors, cinematographer, director and anyone else that had a hand in the production of this series. It tackles a number of issues which are usually glossed over or completely forgotten in most other BL/Coming of Age dramas. Although, at some times it can be a a little "over the top" I find it to be very realistic and "true to life" for the protagonists. College life can be scary and exciting at the same time. However, going into this while in a relationship, especially when frequently separated can be very daunting. Change is inevitable and not everyone can accept it as easily or readily as others. In a "real world" situation which this series portrays, things don't always go as we the audience would like and that's why I really enjoy this series. In life, mistrust, betrayal, jealousy, misunderstanding, miscommunication, love & hate are all part of learning about one's self as one grows and matures. It is a pleasure to watch a drama which isn't afraid to "piss off" it's audience to show us that life doesn't always have a "happy ending". And that sometimes, we have to hurt the one(s) we love the most to truly understand them and ourselves... Bravo Nadao!

Update..

I very much enjoyed watching this series now that it has concluded. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions but in the end your heart knows what is wants, even if it defies all logic. If you are undecided as to whether to watch the series or not please please do not pay any attention to all the social media comments, or any "armchair critics" here in this forum. Watch it and decide for yourself. Go into it with an open mind, it may clash with your moral standards, and while what transpires can and does happen in real life, it is after all just a dramatic series with fictitious characters created for entertainment purposes. Again Bravo Nadao!

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Now what you're gonna read are my honest non-biased thoughts about the sequel of the masterpiece like ITSAY. Again I'm saying I'm being non-biased and I'm not saying these things not becuase I'm angry or disappointed because the show didn't go where I wanted it to but I don't like the show cuz it's an absolute disaster that wanted to many things but failed on its execution. I'm gonna explain why further.


Ok first of all, let me talk about the things that I did liked in the show ; The acting was great. Both BK and PP did a better job in the acting department then what they did in ITSAY. You can clearly see their development. Oab and goy being the seniors in acting they are were obviously great. The other cast also did a good enough job, nothing ground breaking but I don't think their roles offered enough for them to show potential.

Another thing that I did liked about it was the amazing cinematography.  The cinematographer is someone who's work I've seen before and I'm not surprised how she outdid herself in this show. The Wong Kar wai references touched my heart since I'm his fan and truly the cinematography is one of the best I've seen. The environment they created was brilliant. Thanks to the BG music the atmosphere was again built in the most perfect way possible. Although ITSAY' BGM would always be the best, this show's BGM was Definitely not disappointing.


Now that's all the good things about the show. Now the where the show failed is in its script and execution and for me, cinematography and BGM comes as a bonus. If they are not good they don't affect my feelings or rating or enjoyment about the show but if they are very good but the show in itself is crappy then again it doesn't change my feelings about the overall show. Even acting comes as second for me. I really don't mind crappy acting. The story and execution is what matters to me the most and that is why I didn't liked this show and this is not at all because what happened in episode 3 but the show in its entirety is badly executed.

Episode 1 was the best one and yet it still wasn't moving one. You know the show is going downhill when they start the show with the timeline showing its 2021 when the prequel's story started in 2021 and ended in 2022. It's a small mistake at first but these small mistakes are everywhere in this show and to think that this show was supposed to be the sequel of a drama like ITSAY where the smallest things holds deeper meaning and symbolism is disappointing. I know I shouldn't compare but I can't help but do it cuz it is supposed to be it's sequel so I have every right to compare.


Anyways, let's talk about the execution and story now. The dramas writers wanted to represent the struggles young adults face trying to fit in a complete new city and how people and relationshipe change. They also wanted to add the struggles of actors and theatre and they wanted to talk about method acting. They also wanted to talk about not knowing what to do with your life and questionaning if you do belong to the major you chose and they also wanted to talk about how the entertainment industry in Thailand is very rude and old minded and doesn't cast people cuz they are too "feminine" ( the only point they were able to address well btw ). AND they also wanted to explore how young adults have to make a choice between career and relationships.  You see there were MANY things that they wanted to address but they had only 5 episodes to do so and so they failed. They couldn't deeply explore any of the issues which made the drama a disaster.


What's the point of watching a show if you HAVE to watch it's behind the scenes to understand what's happening ? And when the BTS documentary is much more interesting than the show itself!

It's not that they didn't had enough story or problems to make a sequel about but more like maybe they had so much pressure and less time and they half-baked the show and presented it to us. It's like the show copied its own prequel. Same story with same characters going in circles. But with ITSAY it made sense cuz both of them were dumb teen-agers who know nothing about life and are confused about their sexual orientation and so much more. It made sense and millions of people related with it. But in IPTYM it does not make sense. Both are them are in their 20s and they should be matured enough to understand atleast their own feelings. In the end of ITSAY we were shown that teh has got character development so what's the point of degrading his character after such awesome development ? To create drama ? I'm not saying that you can't be confused when you're in your 20s but why is always teh who's confused or does something dumb ? Why is it never oh-aew ? ITSAY was about teh's confusion so shouldn't IPTYM be about oh-aew's confusion ? Him being confused ? Him making dumb decisions ? Honestly I don't like oh-aew. Yeah I know he's an angel but that is the exact reason why I don't like him. His flaw is that he's flawless and I'm sorry but in a coming of age series the Characters are not supposed to be this perfect especially the main characters.  Yeah they did addressed his issue of him being confused with his college major but that wasn't explored deeply at all. Again too many problems less time to execute them all properly, making them a mess. Also I don't think the writers understand that being confused or dumb when you're young is totally different than being toxic. There is a big difference and the writers are apparantly blind cuz they couldn't see it.


Now let's talk about the method acting theme. So first of all, the method acting was addressed in a PROMOTION Nadao did and the word or even the clue of it was never mentioned in the drama itself so there's no way they executed it properly. Plus who practices method acting with their director ? If they wanted to address that issue they should've done it with teh's co-actress. So again big failed on the execution.

Also let's talk about how the time-jumps made the story lose its essence so much. Ok I know a lot of people think that the time-jumps and fast paced story is to represent the fast paced life in Bangkok and I respect your opinion but NO. Just no. That just ain't it. And people are saying that we are not able to digest the story cuz our comfort characters changed but that's the tagline of the show so we should try to understand ... First of all, my main problem with the show that both teh and oh-aew DID NOT changed at all! When you're show's tagline is about my people changing, it should show that to both of the main characters are still dumb and probably more dumb compared to their teenage selves. I wanted to see them grow when all I got is them becoming dumber and dumber and characters being dumb was never a problem for me but when you're promised that the characters are gonna grow you expect that.

Also the editing was SO dramatic with slow-motion and all  that it felt like a makjang. See ITSAY was also dramatic, I admit that but again the ITSAY's team executed it the most beautiful way possible whereas here it just feels like a makjang.

And don't get me started on how people think this show represents how "ADULT" life works. I'm sorry sweetie but just becuase you are an adult in a city does not mean everyone's gonna end up being in a toxic relationship. The show literally justifies being in a toxic relationship. No it romantices it and I'm a person with high moral compass who can't let that go. Yes people grow but how many second chances ? And you can not redeem what teh did in this season. You just cannot. I won't go further on that cuz I don't want to spoil.

So yes the show is utter rubbish to me cuz it failed big time in its execution. ITSAY's story was full of cliché tropes just like IPTYM but their execution is what made it great and just like that IPTYM had interesting and clever ideas but it failed on execution so it sucks. As a sequel it sucks more but if it wasn't a sequel I would've dropped it at episode 3 or wouldn't have started in the first place .   I'm not gonna be "nice" with my ratings cuz I can rate how I want to and I'm not nice at all.  3 things I liked about the show so my rating is 3. That's it.


Like you know a show is bad when fan-fics about it and fan theories about it are more interesting than the show itself. They should've made the fans wrote the script at this point lol. See I  like a show when it makes me think about what's gonna happen next or even after it ended I'm still thinking about it and analysing it . I like it when it makes me feel the same things as the characters even though I've never been in there place and ITSAY did that, that's why I loved but IPTYM, I couldn't care less about what's gonna happen next and just didn't care about anything. Teh-oh used to be my comfort characters but I couldn't care or feel anything about them. That just shows how much i didn't like it cuz I was just laughing at all the sad and even romantic moments, not becuase the acting was not realistic but the story was just like it came straight out of wattpad lmao Anyways, Thanks for reading my long review! If you're a fan of ITSAY like me , I suggest not watching this cuz for me IPTYM does not exist. My Phuket boy's story ended in ltip.

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