Big Dragon (2022)

This is as consistent as lumpy pancake batter.

It's been a hot minute since I've watched and rated a show this low and this was me being kind.

While there are too many negatives to point out, besides having major plot holes and unresolved topics throughout, a lot of the character's personalities or traits were somehow changed. We're not talking in a sense of character development here, but somehow they were vamped into totally new personality types? The entire drama felt more like a major fan service providing shorts for juicy Tiktoks than actually giving us solid substance, and instead of tackling an issue or two, they decided to superficially deal with many.

One thing that positively stood out from the drama and deserves a mention, was the chemistry between Mos Panuwat Sopradit and ISBANKY, as this was what kept the drama alive and watchable until the very end.

Hopefully, for the second season the writers can redeem themselves by fixing some of the plot holes and inconsistencies.

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plot what plot/prn without plot

non-spoiler part
Due to this serie beginning with them having intercourse, it loses its 'rivals to lovers' type. After the first episode, it starts to feel like exes to lovers tbh. There are some social messages thrown here or there, only to be accompanied by "wife" trope. Constantly having unresolved conflicts and unreasonable behaviours leaves a dissatisfied feeling, plot does not contain important linking scenes. Chemistry flies away after couple of episodes, they do not bond well and their happiness (as well as sadness) seem superficial- poor acting being the reason. There could be a better storyline and it feels like this was another wasted potential.

spoiler part:
1-girls' coming out to parents part was severely unrealistic and the reason why they suddenly talked about having marriage rights was not explained, because they never faced discrimination in the plot, and was always supported in their decisions (even their coming out was so easy, over text?!)
2-right after proposing to be friends and developing a whole dialogue regarding that, mangkorn kisses yai. Like heck dude, kissing homies is a very friend thing to do?
3-beginning was all about Yai being a kinky demon but now it is all about him being cute, small, vanilla, playful kid. Power play is out of the window, mangkorn literally proposed to have kids to his "wife" and he blushed.
4-there is no proper character introduction and/or development other than whatever these 2 are doing. Bodyguards? No they are just goofy side characters that appear when it is conventional to Yai. Girls? Yeah just side couple that we only see in a happy mood. Nine? Nop just a thirdwheel.
5-I laughed so much at kiss scenes and how they filmed it from 5 different angles every time. Camera quality is good but the angles are questionable. Some crucial scenes are missing but hey, do you want a whole episode containing them running around in a park?
6-So they are engaged, but mangkorn does not tell yai, however yai is mad at him for not saying it earlier. I am not judging his priorities but plot would be better if he was inherently mad at him for having a fiancee and choosing to express this in another way, maybe a bit gaslighting too. This would be the Yai that tried to drug and SA mangkorn, and would be relevant to his character. And mangkorn would be better by seeing thru his actions, and that Mangkorn would be the one that could reverse the blackmail card and assert his own dominant figure.


Whatevs, I was expecting some mythical touches and them being relevant to the plot, but no, it was too much to ask.

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1 of the better BL's from Star Hunter Entertainment

The trailer of this series is what got me interested in it. But it also made me wary as it was a Star Hunter Entertainment series. And I muat say, all except one of thier series has fell flat with me. So, I didn't really have high expectations for this series and I guess that's why I was still sort of entertained by it.

I would also like to say I don't know why people got the misconception that this series was another KinnPorsche. The trailer in no way showed that to me. And even by watching the first episode, you can clearly see that this series was nowhere the same as KinnPorsche, except for the ML's first time together with a 'drug' and I guess to a very small extent the cinematography. Heck! The ML's were still in college here and they were not even apart of the mafia! That's all I got for similarities.

Story-7.5/10
This story starts off with Yai and Mangkorn being romantic rivals. But that changed when they spent a wild night together. And that's how the story begins from rivals to lovers. Along the way, we learn a bit of Yai and Mangkorn's life and the fact that they met wach other qhen they were younger. And it was nice to see that Yai wanted Mangkorn to go and study for his masters as Mangkorn's happiness was his happiness. It was nice to see that they end up together at the end wih Yai even saying hecwas moving to the States to be with him until he completes his masters.

What was not nice was seeing someone name Turtle appear at the end of the finale episode; leaving us viewers confused and then them saying a Season 2 is coming. I despise continuation of series. If I KNEW that a second season was coming, I honestly would not have started this series. Also, I find the actor who played Nine needs his own series by now. I have watched THREE series with him basically being the second male lead and ALWAYS never ending up with the male lead. Star Hunter Entertainment - time to cast this man in his own series where he actually gets the guy. Finally, the bodyguards storyline should have developed more. I was waiting for something and was left with nothing but dissapointment. And because of that, I'm giving it a 7.5.

Acting/ Cast-8/10
This was the ML's first main roles and they actually did a better job compared to other actors under Star Hunter Entertainment. While I felt Mos was a bit weaker in his acting to ISBANKY, I can say hecwas way better to the other actors under Star Hunter Entertainment who have more shows under his belt than him. As such, I'm giving them an 8.

Music-10/10
Music is a 10. Nothing can change my mind 'Dancing With The Devil ' is a song that is stuck in my head. ISBANKY did a wonderful job with the OST.

Rewatch Valu-6.5/10
The rewatch valu would have been a higer rating IF there was no announcement of a second season. But because there is a second season (which I honestly did not see any need for, especially if those last few minutes were not added), my rewatch valu is a 6.5

Overall-8/10
Overall I give this an 8. I don't know how and why, but it kept me entertained every week. However, I still do not see the need for a second season.

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Most incoherent thing I’ve ever watched

I don’t know what to say, I forced myself to finish just for the sake of it.

This was 8 hours of pretty much nothing? The two main characters relationship gets off on a terrible foot but we overlook a lot for the sake of entertainment. It started out strongish for like 1.5-3 episodes, with promising at the very least sexual tension and two very handsome guys going enemies to lovers (or something of the sorts).
After that everything just sort of happened without any logical order or actual effort to make their relationship development make sense or at least show the viewer how it develops. We sort of just hop between happy and problem (that’s actually a non problem) back and forth without any actual substance until it’s over.

Giving this 4 stars cause I enjoyed the first 2 episodes, the music was good and the actors worked well together.

Would not watch this again and honestly hope they do not make a second season, or if they do I honestly don’t care for it.

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Are we meant to care about these people?

I had my doubts but I kinda enjoyed the first episode, it was all very tongue in cheek and the ending with the tables being turned made it OK. The next few episodes just plodded on with both characters getting more and more unlikeable, two very morally corrupt characters that I assume we are meant to care about.
I don't want to go into too much detail, but after what happened in episode one I couldn't understand how they could get together. If in episode two there had been some conversation addressing what happened and some apologizing then maybe I could have had some empathy for the characters later on, instead they doubled down and decided to make them both even more disgusting.
Thai BL really do make some very disgusting drama's but people seem to love them, I am not sure what I am more angry about, the drama's or the comments section on Youtube

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Clichè,Crime normalisation,Wasted couple

All I can think of is that a nice new couple with great chemistry was wasted on a weird and clichéd scenario.
The only thing that was attractive about the series was the soundtrack with voice of Isbanky.


I don't know why the author thought that a big crime like threatening with video that it taken without permission would be an interesting story for a series.
This is officially a crime! and its really bad that they normalize it with these kind of series...


Their acting was not bad, but the scenario was so strange that I think the actors themselves could not feel charactors that much.
The first and second episodes went well, but the rest of the episodes failed and the audience had to continue just to finish it.


There was nothing new and interesting in the scenario.
a complete clichè. nothing more nothing less.

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Too bad to be even a guilty pleasure.

Have you ever come across a series which was bad, but you couldn't stop watching it because it was somehow interesting? On my watching list, there are several series like for instance "Fahlanruk" or "Unforgotten night" which are absurd, poorly played and very predictable, but I couldn't stop watching them till the last episode because they gave me pure entertainment. Well... "Big dragon" won't be assigned to this list, even tough I was hoping for that. Definitely not. It is entirely bad. First thing first, the series was really hyped long before it was aired because of great teaser and trailer, which deceived many people (including me) to watching it. I together with loads of people expected this series to be something different, refreshing or even groundbreaking, unfortunately it turned out to be a total mess.
Let's start from the plot : problematic one - two rich assholes who are players, Yai who wants a revenge on Mankorn for taking his crush, intrigue with ra*ing one another and blackmailing eo with that. As if that was not enough, somewhere in between there is an arranged marriage included (the main problem of the series, which is resolved in 3 minutes. BRAVO...). Total chaos. Give me a break.
Overall, I would divide this series into two parts: from episode 1 to 4 and from episodes 5 to 8. The problem is that this series lacks of balance. My biggest fear was that I won't be able to deal with the humour (which wasn't explicitly shown in trailer, so it caught me out of guard). Sometimes it was difficult for me to bear it, especially first four episodes was like a cabaret with the bodyguards as main clowns. Still, the sense of humour of viewers is diverse, so maybe some people enjoyed this "comedy" but I didn't. After exhausting (but somehow kinda aye-catching) 4 episodes I was still hoping for improvement of this series, but I didn't wait it. The series from being kinda intriguing, with the seed of potential for a better story, developed into sleep parade with the melodrama in the background. Nah, I was bored to death. It was a challenge to finish this series as every episode was getting worse and more predictable (esp. ep. 8).
Let's talk about the characters. I don't like the main leads. From the episode 1, there were so many problematic issues about both of them and their hate /love story that I was not able to root for them until the last episode. Please do not romanticize bad, disturbing behaviours and do not change sick people into lovers. I like Isbanky though and I think he did well. The rest of crew was very avarage. When it comes to other characters, they were there as always to fix or destroy something. Bodyguards-useless, P' Nine- cheasy and naive, two girls (couple? ) - well, their whole story is actually presented in trailer, so no need to watch the series because there is nothing more about them there. I need to appreciate the "Mothers segment" though -it was moving and if I were emotionally attached to the main leads, I would shed a tear or two, but not here. Last but not least is OST- for me, "Dancing with the devil" is one of the best songs created for any drama I have ever heard. Congratulation Isbanky, but even this great OST couldn't save this wreck. Sorry :(
Finally, as the series turned out to be nothing new, with the same old cliché hate-love story with happy ending, I think there is no need for this series for a second season. I know many people enjoyed the 1st season and would watch the next one, but I think as the plot of the series is so weak, the series does not have potential to be further developed.

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Uma das melhores do ano, sem dúvidas!

Essa foi uma série que esperei bastante, e não me decepcionou!
Uma série esplêndida, um roteiro lindo e bem detalhado, com cenas de amor que são verdadeira poesia.
Tem falhas? tem! Mas a maior parte é de beleza e coerência.

O roteiro fala sobre Yai e Mangkorn. Yai é um jovem universitário rico que administra um bar de sua família, Mangkorn é um outro universitário que acaba sendo contratado pelo pai de Yai para ajudá-lo na reforma desse bar. A questão é que antes disso, Yai tem uma paixão secreta por uma amiga, que coincidentemente é sênior de Mangkorn, e ao vê-los juntos num restaurante imagina que ele está dando em cima dela e decide se vingar, drogando-o e dormindo com ele na frente de uma filmadora. O tiro saiu pela culatra, Yai ficou sob o efeito da droga e eles acabaram transando, e Mangkorn levou consigo o cartão SD com a filmagem. Eu poderia problematizar aqui a questão do consentimento, e tal, mas o contexto como a situação ocorreu deixa margem para uma bela passada de pano para ambos.

Após esse acontecimento, um fica perseguindo o outro: Yai persegue em busca de tomar de volta o cartão. Mangkorn persegue tentando forçar uma amizade, já que depois ele confessa que gosta de Yai desde que eram calouros. Eu particularmente achei a tal vingança muito sem noção, pois obviamente ele não usaria o vídeo... também achei bem desnecessária a presença dos dois seguranças trapalhões, que tiveram como única serventia um pouco de alívio cômico.

Pra ser bem sincera, eu não consegui identificar direito, mesmo depois de ver a série 3 vezes, o momento exato em que a animosidade se tornou amor. Achei super fofo incluírem um casal GL na trama, pois isso ajudou a amenizar a situação do casamento forçado, situação ridícula, por sinal, bem clichê.

A coisa que mais me chama atenção nessa série são as cenas de amor, exatamente por não terem nada de vulgaridade... elas são muito poéticas, fazem um uso espetacular da fotografia, fora a química do casal, que é incrível. A ost da série é mágica, complementa os momentos do casal. A fotografia, como já citei, é um dos recursos mais bem utilizados, a atuação de todos é muito boa, e os pequenos furos existentes acabam ficando para trás em meio a tanta qualidade.

Amo essa série... verei sempre que a saudade bater e recomendo com certeza.

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Big Dragon ... or Big Let Down

I came into this show with zero expectations. I left episode one with a poor taste in my mouth, but I decided to follow through just to see what this show was about. And wow, was that the wrong decision.

Within this review, I will be giving both the pros and cons to the series. Full disclosure: Although I heavily dislike the premise of two people ending up together out of the set up of revenge p*rn and s*xual ass*ult, my entire review is not based off of this fact, so I hope you know this is not being written from a biased perspective.

With that all out of the way, let's get into the nitty gritty of Big Dragon the series.

Big Dragon sets up a story about a rich boy named Yai who feels socially threatened by the success of fellow colleague, Mangkorn. When Yai learns that Mangkorn is eating dinner with a girl he likes, he does what any rational person would do. He drugs Mangkorn's drink, kidnaps him to a private room, and records him r*ping him with the intent to distribute the video to ruin his reputation. Except, this is all an attempt because Mangkorn catches onto Yai's plans and decides to take advantage of the situation by r*ping him instead and stealing the footage to hold over his head.

As we can see, the relationship is already starting off very healthily...

That being said, since we all have an understanding of how this show starts, I will now give my pros and cons list.

Pros:
- Discussion of marriage equality:
So few BL actually touch upon the social and legal discrimination within Thailand. Although these moments were brief, it was refreshing to see Big Dragon take the time to discuss the importance of legalizing same-sex marriage and how the country needs to do better for the LGBTQ+ community.

- Discussion of trying to be communicative:
While most BL shows have miscommunication, and trust me, Big Dragon does too, there are moments when Yai will ask Mangkorn to be more communicative so that he can be a better partner and give him advice. I like how the show touched upon the importance of communication.

- Caring moments:
There are many sweet and caring moments between our leads, which can make you appreciate the couple and gives the characters redeeming qualities.

- Good acting overall:
While not perfect, I thought Bank and Mos did a great job with what they were given and really convinced me that they were a couple. They had lovely chemistry together.

- Wonderful visuals of production:
The cinematography was great! I liked the angles, colorization, set design, and costumes within this show. It gave major KinnPorsche vibes, and visually, this show had a great appeal for me.

- Generally a light-hearted show despite the dark themes:
Even though this show can be dark as heck, it still managed to find many lighter places to allow the viewer to breathe so as to not be overwhelmed with drama.

Music:
The OST slapped and was always used appropriately. Great job, Bank!

Now that you've seen the pros and can see that I've given the show a fair viewing, I will list my cons.

Cons:
Unclear Rivalry:
- Although I understand that Yai feels semi-threatened by Mangkorn's success, and he dislikes that Mangkorn is on a date with a girl he likes, there isn't a clear reason for Yai to feel specifically threatened by Mangkorn. There are many successful people on campus. Why choose this guy? Are they fighting for the same scholarship? Are they fighting to be the most popular? It isn't entirely clear why this feud exists. We do understand that Yai dislikes how Mangkorn took a girl he likes out on a date, but how much importance does that really play within their relationship? Surely, guys have taken girls he's liked out on dates before, and I highly doubt he tried to drug and r*pe them too. What makes Mangkorn so special?

SA Treatment:
The s*xual ass*ult was never properly addressed. I understood the premise going into the show, so fair enough that they will have a darker take on relationships. But neither Yai nor Mangkorn were reprimanded for their actions. Mangkorn never confronted Yai and said, "Yo, what you tried to do to me was messed up. You're sick." Yai is never properly punished nor vilified for his actions, and instead, the show sweeps it under the rug and even jokes about it as some points. In fact, the show tries to act like we are supposed to like Yai, but I can't get behind a guy that tried to r*pe somebody unless he faces major consequences, learns from his mistake, and does everything in his power to redeem himself. His redemption must equal the weight of his crime. His crime weighed as much as the world, but unfortunately, his redemption arc was lighter than a feather.

Unclear Relationship Reason:
I don't really understand why Yai or Mangkorn fell for each other. They went instantly from hating each other to flirting with each other all because of a sexy night together. Now, if it were a consensual sexy night, I'd understand. But as we all know, that is far from the case. I understand that Mangkorn liked Yai since he was a freshman, but that was based on the infatuation of what the person was. If Mangkorn were a normal or sane person, he'd lose feelings for Yai the moment the guy tried to r*pe him and would run the other way, not flirt with him afterwards. And considering that Mangkorn took advantage of Yai and blackmailed him with the tape, I again don't see why Yai would really fall for Mangkorn, although there is a stronger case to be made as to why Yai would fall for him. Other than Mangkorn sometimes being nice and always flirtatious, I didn't see any real reason for Yai to let his guard down so soon and so easily. You'd think Yai would question Mangkorn's motivations, especially given what Yai had attempted to do to him. First Episode Yai would be weary of Mangkorn and question everything this guy does, but episode 2 and onwards throws all that out the window. Because of this, their relationship is confusing, rushed, and just needs to be more fleshed out.

Unlikable Characters:
Yai and Mangkorn do have redeeming qualities. But they also can be just insufferable. Beside the r*pe thing, Yai is spoiled, hot-tempered, throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way, and is rude to family members. Wow...sounds like a keeper. Mangkorn never communicates his thoughts and continually hides things from Yai. When Yai confronts him about it, Mangkorn complains that Yai is too busy being hurt to think of his side of things, as if Yai doesn't have a right to be mad for being repeatedly lied to. And then after he is caught with one lie, he still continues to hide things because he is admittedly a coward. Relationship is built on trust people, not on lies.

Trying to do the most:
This show is trying to do way too much, and 8 episodes just isn't going to help that. Enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, third wheels adding jealousy, lesbian side characters, bar renovations, mourning the loss of a dead mother, etc. This show needs to stick to one or two themes and just let go of all the unnecessary plot devices of every BL cliché.

Drawn out scenes:
Every scene felt five minutes too long. There was unnecessary dialogue, many pauses, and so much of it felt drawn out or like unneeded filler. When I put the show at 1.5 speed, the pacing of the scene was actually almost perfect, and that is a concern. I found myself bored or not paying attention many times just because conversations went on for too long or scenes just dragged.

Useless Bodyguards:
While many liked the bodyguards, the concept of two men sharing one braincell being in charge of protecting someone's life just made no sense to me. I found myself more annoyed with them. Had they been Yai's friends, I wouldn't have minded them at all. But two grown men acting like idiots while supposedly being able to guard Yai with his life...I just couldn't buy it.

Overall, I thought this show was terribly written and executed, but the good-looks of the cast and the great production quality help mask its flaws. I even found myself forgetting how bad it was supposed to be because of how great it looked. And while I'm reluctant to give this show a low rating, I ultimately must be honest with myself and admit that this show was a bore. If you're looking for a fun show about two guys that hate each other, I'd recommend KinnPorsche or History 3: Trapped. If you have nothing else to watch and are looking for a show to kill time, then this show might be for you. If you're looking for a show that looks good and doesn't require you to think to enjoy it, then feel free to give this show a view. But personally, this show was just a big waste of time.

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