Step by Step (2023)

frustrating over enjoyable

this is my first review please bear with me + english is my second language

the start seemed fine a bit boring but watchable. at mid point i actually started to like it but now i just need to rant.

what i liked:
i found it really good that they tried to give pat und put a resolution where pat realised for himself that it just doesnt work anymore (tho put didnt quite get the memo)
i did like jaab and jen together a lot more than the main couple as it just felt more realistic with these two friends that fail to communicate about their feelings to each other, not wanting to ruin their friendship and hurting each other in the progress. if i ever pick it up again i will solely do so for them if they get a good resolution with some character develpement with it.

what i disliked:
the main couple
i personally just dont like jeng..
at the beginning i was ok with the two of them becomming a couple but after ep 10 especially not so much any more
jeng is the boss of pat which is nothing to dream about. their relationship now involves the job so if they decide to break up pat would literally risk losing his job. jeng's behaviour can also be seen as sexual assault which...
i dont support workplace bullying what so ever but they cant expect everyone to just keep quiet if the relationship could mean that pat gets favourite by the boss when it comes to opportunities, salary and promototions. (which is literally a thing jeng wants to do)
private life and work life need to be sepperate to some point and flirting at your workplace is just inappropriate

i cant see how their relationship is supposed to last at this point as they are just unable to communicate. when pat says that he is unhappy about the reaction from coworkers to their relationship jeng sees it as an invitation to fuck him. like no shit sherlock he is not in the mood.
their relationship from the beginning is facing some major problems and they are unable to communicate and solve it as a couple. instead pat decides to quit without saying anything as well as he is pushed to a point where he is unable tolerate the gossip anymore.

i really hope with the two episodes left that i dint watch they some kind of resolution even tho it doesnt seem like a satisfiying one as the comment say.

jeng and pat should have met under different circumstances
jaab and jen should just sit together and talk
i wish ae and khanun the best of luck with their child
chot and krit i hope you live happily ever after

(i do wanna say that there is a difference between jaab and jen not being able to communicate and jeng andpat is different. jaab and jen dont wanna ruin the relationship they already have and jeng and pat are already in a relationship at which point they have to work together to make it work which involves playing with fire sometimes)

Leer más

This series tested my patience step by step

I initially enjoyed Ben's character "Pat". I thought he was cute and his weirded-out faces made my day and night. But as the series progressed, I realized it was one of probably four expressions he was capable of and it got annoying really fast. I loved Pat's friendship with Ae, Prem, and Nan. But once Chot was introduced, Nan, Ae, and Prem took a hard backseat. I love Chot, but not as much as Ae and Nan.

I thought Man did an awesome job as Mr. Jeng, although I personally did not like Mr. Jeng. I thought that the character itself for 10 episodes was lacking. Man himself is attractive but Mr. Jeng has little to no charisma.

When I discovered this show in June, I thought there were only 10 episodes (I didn't care to read the # of episodes obviously and it was still airing) so when I got to episode eight, I was a bit interested in how it'll end in the two remaining episodes. But once I found out that I had not two but four more episodes to go, I was bummed. It was then, middle of ep 10 that I decided to drop this show because it was becoming too much; a real hassle to sit and/or skim through.

In the scene where Ae gives birth (clearly as an Ae biased), I was frustrated with its execution. It was cringe, strange, and illogical. Openly recording someone, a stranger at that, giving birth and crying out in pain rather than helping her, calling the police/ambulance, or telling her everything would be okay were standard expectations but the majority didn't do any of those! Even the police who showed up did squat (why is the Thai union always depicted as useless in these films?). I'm sure the older women who were giving Ae disgusted looks had given birth themselves so for no one but a medical student to step in while everyone else recorded or judged was sooo so stupid. And wtf was Pat's problem??? This is his best friend going into labor in the middle of a street and he couldn't do one thing to comfort her. I understand he freaked but given how close they are and Ae's protectiveness of him, I thought he'd at least got her back. I hated Pat so much that I wanted Put to get away from him so when they broke up, I was so happy and I didn't even like Put. Not until Pat left Put and went and got drunk instead.

It really took me three months to try and get through this series but I refuse to watch another disgusted/worried/weirded out face of Pat's again.

And don't get me started on Jaab. He only existed for aesthetics. I was so mad it took him a lifetime to comfort Mr. Jeng when the usually stoic guy unexpectedly broke down ugly crying. For 10 episodes, except being told that they're brothers, a very small handful of their interactions actually felt like authentic brotherly bonds.

Normally extras are just that, extra bodies in the background. But eventually, I was so bored with the main characters that I found myself scrutinizing for extras' interactions and expressions. It was funny as it seemed like they were told 'you guys can look in the same direction but no talking, don't even act like you're having a conversation'. The scene where Jeng and Pat were out trying restaurants was especially comical because they played a soundtrack where people were chatting and dining but the extras in the background were either on their phones or not looking at each other. Either way, this was a drop and I may or may not finish the last two episodes someday but I doubt they'll be missed...

Leer más

Mixed Feelings About This One

I'm a little disappointed in this series. The series started off to an amazing start but as one of the other reviews that I saw said midway through it started to feel like more of an obligation to finish. So I'll break down my review into 3 different parts: plot, acting/characters and overall.
Plot: The plot I think was a generally an okay story, but I think it was poorly executed. Midway though the series the plot started to get lost. The main story was annoying and, dare I say, boring at times. Also the side stories were just all over the place. From Ae giving birth on public transit to Jaab and Jane's whole debacle, I think the side stories were not planned out very well which ended up talking away from the development of the main storyline. I did the the main storyline of the series which was the employee falling in love with their boss trope, but again I just think it was poorly executed. A couple things I didn't understand concerning the plot was why Pat didn't think he was good enough for Jeng even after Jeng confessed his feelings, why Pat tried to start dating Put again after how Put treated him and knowing that he liked Jeng, and the last thing I didn't understand is why all of Pat's friends were happy that he started dating Put again when they know how Put treated him before.
Acting/Characters: Overall the acting was decent at best. Some of the actors were good and some were not. I absolutely disliked Ben's character (Pat) from the way he acted (like a baby even though he's a full grown adult) to the terrible facial expressions he made in every scene. Also idk if it was just me but I did not feel the chemistry between Pat and Jeng (or Put). I hated how Jeng and Jaab were both kind of push overs when it came to the person they liked. Jane was also annoying in the sense of like why did you borderline cheat on your boyfriend and push Jaab away but then get mad/upset when he had finally given up on you. I thought Khanun was annoyingly dumb, idk I just wasn't feeling that character. Chot was the only decent character in my opinion; everybody else was lowkey mid.
Overall: This wasn't the worst Thai BL I've seen but it definitely could have been a lot better. It had a lot of potential but unfortunately failed to deliver.

Leer más

Good until the middle. After that, nosedive.

I make it short: Don't watch it!

For me it was good until the 7th episode, the 8th was bad, the 9th was good again and after that it was just terrible.
I am especially disappointed by the last episode.
All questions and problems have to be solved and in the end I expect a happy ending in a BL. But one with tadaaaaaa.
Here.. lame.
Why walked the Mother through the Café? The Father threw the dismissal in the garbage, but what happened then? What with the new customer? There are other questions, but they are not worth enumerating.

That was not here at all.
Like in such series... you get closer, then some nonsense happens and in the end they get together. Here the pattern is also fulfilled. Only in slow motion.

Trisanu Soranun is really cool. I like him. I would marry him in a heartbeat.
I think he did a good job acting. I think that's because I have rose-colored glasses on with him and I'm not in my right mind.
Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn has a problem with nasal breathing. I do not want to recommend him surgery, but it needs to be advised. That's why his mouth is open all the time and he also talks as if his nose is closed. I'm sorry: this stresses me out.
Paramee Mahatthanadul would be my dream man too. He's a little too aloof. A little too posh. But honey, I'm not perfect either.
Sirikorn Kananurak is a surprise. His role got better and better.

I'm not a big fan of emotional outbursts. They were well acted from my humble point of view. But anyone who cries so heartbreakingly should have a tear to spare. This was missing and in the film it should not be spared.

When we cry, we all look ugly. In a film, this is very critical. Either it works or the viewer finds it too extreme and distances himself.
I found it much too exaggerated. There's constant crying.

To the script.
Writer, you need to try harder. You either ran out of steam or they didn't have any money left for you. The ending just sucked!
It wr like an ultra thin tea, lukewarm and lovelessly served in a dirty glass. I didn't like drinking it. One does it because ... yes why? Because you hope it started so well, so it will have a good ending.
No. The end was just ...... SCREAM

What happened during the production?

Leer más

Wasted potential

Started on a high note ,,then fell off.
Feels like you are skipping certain episodes when watching cuz the story isn't connecting.
Ps Ben acting is BAD....hope he improves in the future though
I get that he's new in the industry but he's constipated face and looking like he's holding a fart in almost all the time is off putting to say the least.
To much crying of the pats cahari.honestly I've never seen such a pathetically poorly written character until step by step ...what even was that..makes you wonder what Jeng saw in him.

I knew the show was a slow burn but boy oh boy ,was is sloooooow....It took too long to climax ..and it was just underwhelming..
And the time skips certainly did not help

I wanted my time on this,cuz I thought it'll get better but no.
Gave it a 5 just coz of handsome men in there
Otherwise as a drama itself Big NO.

Leer más

An office lovestory ... something different from uni and highschool love affaires

The story did sound good, employee and heir/boss falling in love ... only that´s it at all.
The characters did not really develop, which is not the acting, but the storyline. Chot is over the top exalted and portraits a caricature but not a real character. He had his own love story which developed ... The lead characters but stuck in the not developing script but do their best. Why but Pat has to be that whining and immature, especially having been abroad in USa is a total miracle to. His character could more be in an antifeminist plot as a women ... Jeng is controlled and calm partly reduced. but that I can understand, he is an heir and under special surveillance ... He has to be cautious and can´t be too "familiar" with his employees. Those persons are most the most lonely in any labour situation.
The crying of Pat is like an Ariadne thread till the No12 and is most anoying ... incl. the missing tears when crying the soul out. Men hetero and gay are allowed to cry ... but here? For the drama? For portraying weakness? Secretly the writer wanted to have a "weak women" for a strong man?Or is the charakter of Pat designed to please / mirror women? If so ... what an antifeminist shit. Women? Weak? Okay to many men die die from a simple snot ... and if they had to give birth ... the Homo Sapiens might already be extinct, without climatechange. And then the monthly pain. No man would stand it ...
The 3rd love affair in the show, Jaab and Jen ... disapointing, but Murphy´s Law ... or sit happens and not all relations go smooth from attraction and good vibes into a real relation ... some encounters are just a flutter.
Crybaby Pat and an own company ... hm ... veery realistic ... and then there he is still unstable ... as I said, Pat stays unstable from beginning to end. And very realistic that a love affair is looming in 2 for 2 years ... and then they are switch together? Dreamland ... okay these shows are dreamlands but sometimes one is wishing for realism. And most LGBTQIAplus are realistic and move on after a break up. Especially gay men.
The story is too flat, despite a spicy potential as an office romance. Most relations are starting in the workplace today ... and there is a huge potential for telling not only one story.
Rewatching value? No!
I forced myself through the shows.

Leer más

Literally Slow Burn

Gosh my head hurt while I watched this (in a good way). It was kinda slow burn but the climax and falling action was not upto the mark and did not satisfy me. It felt like it was rushed and there was an incompleteness. A lot of scenes that should have been there was skipped.

The ML Couple had a rushed ending-
1. They met accidentally (good start)
2. They had accidental meeting (okay good)
3. The ML caught feeling (great!)
4. Pat dated his past Bf (also good. Might happen in reality)
5. They break up (Pat&Put), Pat goes through heartbreak and starts having feeling for Jeng????? (How can this happen???)

This is where I feel they messed up. You cannot love a person who has feeling for you right after you dated your ex. Can you? There should have been a few more episodes prior to Pat catching feeling for Jeng where he was shown he was recovering, his moments with Jeng , and a realization that who is good for him.

The 2nd ML couple was sad. They did not come to a closure. Realityyyy.

The friend of Pat were good though. The office colleagues were a bit overdone but that's how the office scenario works.

That's all guys! I really expected a LOT from this drama. This is the first THAI drama that disaapointed me. Generally C-drama does because they make Romance into Bromance and K-Dramas because of lack of skinship.

K bye!

Leer más

do you like to test your patience?

first i want to say i have nothing agaisnt slowburn, thats why i watched 10 eps already, while i started this excited i have to say the first half was good ,yeah the eps were long but watchable, but the second half was really bad..and im struggling to finish this

the plot:
there is many flaws with the plot, i dont mind long eps if there is things to include, but no in this one its long for no reason, many filler scenes ,for example did they really need a whole part of an ep to show a pregnant woman giving birth?
we dont need 12 eps with every ep 1h and 20 mins of nothing going on?? this show had potentiel but was ruined by both the long eps and Pat's character, this could do better if it was a 7-8 eps (30 mins per ep) its enough of time for this serie..
and while i like what the story about, you know office and work romance etc and that they are focusing on the professional life ,but why the ML is acting like a kid? yeah Pat's character is what i will talk about next

Pat's character:
fr how did they think a character like Pat is likeable and suitable to be a ML? i dk, we are supposed to like the MLS together but here i'am wanting Jeng to look for someone else, Pat's attitude,not only he cant handle criticism ,he is crying every ep and being a dramaqueen, are we supposed to like this type of character? the happy ending should be about Jeng finding another guy
fr how did Put (his ex) put up with him in the past? also how did Pat finish his education if every word about his work and his project presentations hurt him and make him look rudely at people? thats a mystery
it was a very wrong move for them to make Pat's character so unlikeable like that

MLS relationship:
Jeng /Pat:
so while the nc scenes are hot, and Jeng being whipped, they literaly gave us 3 out of 4 parts of an ep for them to be happy ,later on bringing drama on part 4, drama again, not even one ep of them being together and happy.. so people waited for forever in order for them to get together, it happened and in a very short time they are breaking up and then the time skip ? no thank you.
Jaab /Jane:
while it started as a cheating situation, the eps are so long but they didnt bother to show Jane apologizing at his current bf at that time for what he did, ridiculous? yes
right when Jane broke up and told Jaab , Jaab gave him the cold shoulder and the situation stayed like that for ages, so all those eps and they didnt think to talk and communicate?
and suddenly Jaab getting a boyfriend but they didnt bother to show us how he did meet him, its like "hello now i have a bf"??, those things show the issues of this plot, they dont show important scenes but they add filler scenes instead

there is only 2 eps left to watch, and usually if im near the end and start to not feel in the mood to watch, i still watch because its only 2 eps left, but even i cant bring myself to watch, so im putting this on hold so maybe later when i feel motivated enough id finish it, and i dont find myself recommending this,
the only positive points:
i love Chot's character he is so adorable, i also like to stare at Jaab's visual, this guy is so pretty fr
and the main positive point is Jeng, we discovered him through this serie, so i hope i see that actor in more bls in the futur and i hope he pick up better series

Leer más

all business and zero romance

This is my first review (written mostly because it is a waste of the actors)
I want to say first that I love shows based on books because the characters tend to be more three-dimensional. Here we get NO idea why people get together, or break up or basically why anything happens.

It seems the screenplay writers focused on the workplace and less on the characters. The main character comes off very shallow and just plain dumb.

The pacing of characters like Jeng, his character goes from one end to the other almost overnight.
You will love or hate it...

in general, I agree with most that it's still worth a try....if you like to yell at the TV screen.

Leer más

What were those last few episodes and the ending???

I definitely have a big ass beef with the way this bl ended. Okay so i absolutely loved this series in first half but second half of episodes just disappointed me. What had me most frustrated was the fact that they announced second coupled storyline trough the beginning of the show and i got really interested in it but they just forgot about it and they never talked more deeply about it like you cant leave it unfinished, i was waiting for second couple closer or something but we never got anything which is so frustrating, its like im super glad that main couple had their happy ending but like what, also i think that the time jumps weren't that necessary.

Leer más

LOVE SIGNAL

I have just watched the first episodes and I am very pleased with its remarkable execution, being an office romance it is one of the most exciting plots and not to mention that age-gap is another of my addictions when it comes to BL series but anyway aside from that I want to point out the intense elements that make the series a masterpiece.

Jeng's good looks will probably get you high anytime and screaming and not to mention he also has that game face that is so sexy even when he is serious, he is a very deep character that appears to be assertive yet a closer look could only make one realise that he has vulnerabilities that he likes to keep to himself which bittersweet mood always gets you curious.

Pat on the other hand is this one guy from abroad that is always up and down and for some reason acts childish despite his old age which makes me love him, as he is playful, active and very lively most of the time, he's that one person that makes the office scene look less officey and is a hopeless romantic.

The fact that the two leads are from different personalities makes the plot all the more interesting and furthermore, I love the fact that the pacing seems to be at its finest that it almost feels that the story is flawless, the leads each seem to have developed a sense of impartation to their characters and like it or not the fact that it starts to have the elements of a cat and mouse relationship makes it fun to watch giving them a very cute chemistry together.

I had been waiting for a whole year for the release of this series which automatically means that I had very high expectations especially after I watched the pilot trailer and it hasn't left me disappointed at all because it further surpassed my expectations.

This is probably the best office Romance of the year as you can get the feeling almost instantly owing to the fact that every moment of every scene feels very real and every emotion intense it just has a way that gets you absorbed and hardly bored you can't stop hoping and wanting more of their love.

Leer más