La Señal (2023)

Mi sa che in Thailandia non sanno fare i drama di azione....

Molto carino che ci siano degli esseri soprannaturali, Naga e Garuda, anche se non so quanto la loro rappresentazione sia reale rispetto alla mitologia thailandese.
I primi episodi sono una vera bomba e sollecitano veramente delle grandi aspettative che però, man mano che prosegue il drama, vengono un po' ridimensionate.
Mentre è lodevole l'ambientazione in ambito poliziesco, in contrapposizione all'abusato Cliché del dramma scolastico, devo purtroppo rilevare come la plausibilità delle indagini sia una completa sconosciuta in questi lidi. Purtroppo anche le scene di azione lasciano parecchio a desiderare, siamo ben lontani dal montaggio di una scena coerente: troppo spesso accade che qualcuno dopo aver sparato rimanga fermo diversi secondi ad aspettare che qualcun altro lo abbatta, le incoerenze durante gli appostamenti si sprecano, con telefoni che vibrano in modo molto udibile in mezzo a un bosco quando tutti comunicano a gesti, con telefonate personali in mezzo all'azione, con combattimenti al limite del ridicolo, con l'assoluta mancanza di rispetto per gli ordini dei superiori, e così via.
Si salva fortunatamente la computer grafica che, pur senza arrivare a vette di eccellenza, riesce comunque a fare un buon lavoro, che non fa piangere agli occhi lacrime di sangue.
Il commento musicale si difende abbastanza bene, non sarà musica da Oscar ma è adatta alle scene che descrive.
Sul fronte dei costumi, mentre guardiamo con molto piacere degli aitanti giovanotti in canottiera che fanno allenamenti fisici vari, rischiamo di doverci cavare gli occhi quando (e per fortuna si tratta di poche scene) intervengono gli esseri superiori: costumi così pacchiani penso si vedano soltanto al carnevale di Rio tra le ballerine di samba...
A parte ciò, il drama si lascia guardare in modo piacevole fino all'ultimo paio puntate. I ragazzi sono tanti e una vera festa per gli occhi e, onore al merito, recitano anche decisamente bene. Specialmente la coppia principale è molto affiatata e, soprattutto nelle scene di intimità e tenerezza, rivela una chimica più che soddisfacente. Sarebbe stato molto più carino se al cattivo della situazione non avessero imposto dei ruggiti ben poco attraenti e convincenti, ma comprendo che non si può avere tutto.
E, a proposito del non avere tutto, a 10 episodi di storia tutto sommato non dico credibile ma soddisfacente, sono seguiti gli ultimi due in cui le cose sono andate un po' a catafascio. Ci sono delle situazioni di pericolo che non si capisce bene come si siano risolte, dei salti temporali, dei cambiamenti di scena che non si capisce bene come siano avvenuti, e così via. Anche la risoluzione finale di tutto il conflitto è piuttosto tirata là, decisamente insoddisfacente visti tutti i precedenti. I santi finiscono in gloria, ma non si sa bene che strada abbiano preso per arrivarci.
Sul fronte dei personaggi secondari, molto azzeccato il dottorino e anche i vari poliziotti; un po' meno le piagnucolose famiglie. Menzione di disonore per il personaggio del monaco che, pur dovendo in teoria svolgere una funzione di protezione, al momento del bisogno non è stato di nessun aiuto. Ridicoli i delinquenti, a partire dal loro capo.
Insomma, sicuramente un buon drama, per essere un BL, e un BL thailandese. Così contestualizzato, è sicuramente un ottimo prodotto, ma solo a patto di non cercare verosimiglianza nella parte poliziesca. Sicuramente meglio di Manner of death, ma da questo punto di vista c'è ancora tanta, ma tanta strada da fare.
In compenso, ci sono specialmente all'inizio diverse scene di spogliatoio e doccia con nudi anche integrali pixellati nei punti topici, idem per una scena di letto verso la fine. Decisamente un buon fanservice per gli amanti del genere.

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It’s definitely unique.

It’s midnight in my country and I still have to write a review. Because I have just finished this BL, and also bawled my eyes out like a baby.
Anyway not a sad series if you not as emotional as me. A little action parts there, some famous faces (even directors), cute lovely scenes and enough of quality NC scenes.

If you love that action genre and are interested in some spice of mysterious legend with lots of love. You should for sure watch this. It’s definitely unique. We never had religious based BL before I believe.

I do recommend to watch it. <3

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A very creative project, definitely a must watch except just take out the character Dao?

Not anyone has done a good thriller fantasy BL drama and have executed it well. Specially with this good CGI production. This one I must say is the best.

Everything is on point the thriller plot that connects to the main story, has been executed really well.
The VFX effects were really good. Made the series even more intresting to watch.
Acting of the whole cast was on point.

And yes there are things that I didn't like:
1. The character Dao: Why was she even there in the series. I rarely dislike a non-negative character but My God!!! She was the most annoying character in the series. Not just the character, the actress was equally stiff in her acting. She needs to work on it...

2. Unnecessary comedic angle introduced between Khem and Thong made me Cringe

3. Why are the camera angles in the kiss scene soo bad?

4. Last episode Love scene could have been shortened and they could have detailed showed what happened to Montree or how Tharn convinced Chalothorn.

And offcourse I need to give special mention to Yai:
This man totally charmed. I have become a fan of him ??. Everytime he was on screen I couldn't focus on anything else other than his ?. Lol!! Sorry not sorry!! Everyone wants a friend like him. I wish we could have seen more of his romantic story with Sand... It would have been absolutely beautiful.❤️. Please cast him in other projects!!!

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It Really was just OK!

The Sign wasn't nearly as good as its MDL rating would suggest. I've seen many other BLs from different countries that were far better in the plot, cinematography, direction and action that didn't receive the rating that The Sign received (8.6). For example (and these are merely examples): My School President 8.5, KinnPorsche 8.1, Last Twilight 8.5, The Eclipse 8.3, and HIStory3: Trapped 8.4. All of these BLs were just as good or even better than The Sign in many aspects, which further makes me believe that probably much of a poster's rating is based on their personal likes and dislikes, which is still ok.

What i like about the series:

1. The first episode was interesting and had a good premise.
2. I thought it was good that the producers brought in other aspects of Thai culture, such as their belief system in past lives (reincarnation) and the various gods and deities that play part of their beliefs.
3. There was good attempt to make this series a cinematic masterpiece, and the addition of CGI.
4. The actors were ALL gorgeous and definitely great "eye candy," especially Babe! He's certainly got the appropriate nickname.
5. I thought it was interesting that the story would have almost a complete unit of police officers who were lgbtq+ AND lovers! Again, I know it's fantasy. I guess there's no one who could protect your back better than someone you have sex with.

Now, what I thought was a little much (at least for me):

1. I though that Tharn (Babe) went from being a badass early on in ther series to a crybaby wimp near the end of the series. But, Likewise, so did Phaya (Billy). I guess their love made them "weak."

2. The doctor's story as the villain wasn't really hashed as well as it could've been, especially in the ending episodes. We never really got to see the real connection between he and Tharn.

3. I know they were trying to look like a big budget production. But the CGI scenes really needed some work. At times, it looked more like a saturday morning kids show than adult production.

4. Someone else commented there were too many subplots. YES THERE WERE!!!

Now, that I've stated these points, I will say that I did like the series. I didn't particularly like the ending with the way Tharne left and Phaya was so broken hearted that he would become a broken down bum. But, it was interesting. Is it worthy of an 8.6. IMO, if all were talking about is whether you personally liked it not, then probably so. However, if you really wanted to apply equal merit to its scenery, cinematography, direction. and plot, then probably not. One other Thai BL received a MDL rating of 8.6 was Night of a Thousand Stars. Hmmm! Think about it.

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Too draggy, a bit disappointing

Giving it 7 was me being nice, I had high expectations mainly due to the extremely high ratings of 8.6, but was very unfortunately disappointed.

I wasn't really even emotionally invested in the Main cp, and that's a huge flag for me. They really do lack communication, lots of unnecessary misunderstandings happening, lots of explanations that could've saved them from danger. But they were cute in a way, and it's my first time watching a BL with fantasy tropes, which was pretty interesting. (though it wasn't done nicely at all)

The fantasy bits were just confusing (slight spoilers) - e.g. why did the sister look for Phaya instead of Tharn? She could've explained everything to her ex-sister instead, but she chose not to for reasons unknown. It could've been a lot more cohesive, but instead it adds only confusion to the plot.

Now for the 'police' plotline that underlies the entire series, I found it pretty unnecessary honestly. Them being a police didn't add to the main focus of the series - aka Phaya and Tharn's relationship. It would've made no difference even if they weren't police officers, except maybe they would've gotten into a lot less trouble and danger.

Now for the ending, the most unsatisfying part of the show. Why the hell did they shorten the reunion to 2 minutes. That was just unacceptable. They decided to cut out everything that would show us the dilema Doc had to go through, Tharn trying to explain his love for Phaya. Just everything important was cut out. All we got was 2 minutes of Tharn and Phaya reuniting happily, and Doc the sea-dragon leaving. Why did they cut out all the emotional parts, the conflicts, the important scenes?? I could never understand this.

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It’s not your typical BL series. If you watch BL mostly for the love story, this might not be the show for you. The main and second couple have good chemistry but the show doesn’t focus on that. I especially like the bond between the gang/boys. The first three episodes really showed that. The first three episodes were very good. As for the rest, I felt it became a bit messy. The last few episodes really felt rushed. The side couple and other cast lacked a lot of plot development. The side couple have really good chemistry but it wasn’t shown off as much in the show. Their story was rushed. I also wanted to know more about the other cast in the show. Given that it’s a crime and fantasy show, for a 12 episode show, it might have been a challenge to fit all the stories together. I say it’s still a good show and it’s still worth your time. The cinematography is really good.

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Silver Screen Insights: The Sign

| GENERAL SYNOPSIS

Among each BL that was released in 2023 (with the exception of the phenomenal 'I Feel You Linger in the Air'), The Sign has secured its place as one of the top 10 BLs of all time, and has set major expectations for future BL series. I was hooked from e1 and was eager to learn more with every episode released afterwards. To conclude, The Sign is not a perfect series, but the performance from all actors and the team behind this series was constructed excellently.

| Spotlight of Excellence (Positive Elements)

• All of the abs (especially Gap Puribhat [Yai]) and butts shown in e1 was a sight to see LOL
• Billy Ounsa-ard (Phaya) gave us everything in the last few episodes and should be applauded
• Each couple had sweet moments which was appreciated
• Nat Sakdakorn (Art) out-acted everyone in this series with only 20m of screen time
• Phaya & Tharn have beautiful chemistry and really fought to remain by one another's side
• Saint's cameo at the end gave me goosebumps (in a good way)
• Subtle inclusion of a GL couple was nice
• The NSFW scenes were excellent and had me blushing
• The police and special forces aspects were well done

| Shortcomings and Flaws (Negative Elements)

• Khem taking the bullet for Thongthai was unnecessary
• Overall the CGI was wonderful but looked cheesy at times (take notes from Game of Thrones)
• Tharn's plan for justice/revenge for his parents' deaths could have been executed better
• The antagonists (except for Chalothon) were lackluster

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The Best BL Ever

I've never seen or watched a BL series like this since I started my interest in BL series. This is Epic!!
The plot or storyline is amazingly layout where it makes you want to know more. 60 to 83 minutes too short. Seems like 60 to 83 seconds!! That's show how amazing they tell story to the viewers. Every each episode has its continuation or link to another story or scene which I believe it is brilliant.
The Director of this series really looks into every details that make each episode connected to one another without fail ... brilliant. The CGI.... the quality, I must say equally Hollywood style. Amazing.
The actors and actresses, they are perfect for their characters.... indeed.
The chemistry between the two ML, they are excellent.
Bottomline this is my kind of BL series I love to invest my time in. This is big time Epic.

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I like Billy & Babe Yet I Miss Seng

This is not a bad series quite the contrary in fact. It does suffer from a storyline that is all over the place.

As a huge fan of Saint since Love By Chance, I want to support his every action but this has to end for me. I can't continue on with this. I like Babe but I look at him and his adorable handsome face and all I can think of is Seng.
I may be alone but I love the dynamic of BILLYSENG when they brought to life Nuea and Toh in SCOY so Babe seems like an interloper.

In addition why does Billy lead all of IDOL FACTORY's BL's which is only 2 but why not give Heng a chance to lead a BL or even Surprise. Everyone seems to take a backseat to Billy.

Please dont get me wrong Billy is gorgeous and talented like MIX of GMMTV but the difference is GMMTV have different male leads in BL. Yes IDOL FACTORY is not as vast as GMMTV but it could be much better than GMMTV if it uses it talent pool besides Billy.
Seng has BL coming out soon and I look so forward to seeing him again, he has that special something like Saint did in Love By Chance. Like Saint he is an immense talent and he brings out the best in his co-stars. Perth was already great on his on but working with Saint made him shine that much brighter and Seng did that for Billy in SCOY.
So fans of The Sign please enjoy I look forward to reading your positive reviews at the end but my journey has to end before the ending. And here's hoping IDOL FACTORY comes back with another fascinating BL soon.

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I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece, but it was pretty close.

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

Overall, this was a very interesting series. The general story concept was great, but the script quality was not consistent. However, it successfully connects multiple story lines and characters together. The ending of the whole series was ok, but it was a little lack luster. However, I liked how they tied up everything in the end.

The positive: The series had a very strong beginning and really knew how to draw you into their world. The areas that the script did very well in were the supernatural and suspense thriller elements. The actors were incredible and did a great job with their characters. The cinematography was stunning and had incredible special effects.

The negative: The big miss for me was the comedy element. It would have been fine if this was your usual series with a high school or college setting. Considering this was supposed to be a more mature series with the police setting, the comedy seemed very out of place. A lot of the humor came across as very juvenile.

The in-between: The romance element was a hit or miss for me. There was just something off with the romantic relationship with all of the characters. The relationship development between the main characters in the beginning was also a little off, but it did get better as the show moved forward. The only two characters I didn’t like were Yai and Dao. The character Yai was very annoying, immature, and unlikable during most of the series. As for the character Dao, she was very irritating.

Random Note:

Don’t stop watching after the ending credits in episode 12 because there is a bonus scene after it.

The location used for the coffee shop scene in episode 4 is the same location used for the restaurant scene in episode 8 of “Step by Step”.

I did not take point off for the obvious money grab maneuver they used for the last episode. I like how all of the series they made at this point address many social issues, but this has tarnished my viewpoint about Idol Factory a little.

*****Spoiler Alert******

Although the ending had one of my most hated story element (time jumps), this is one of those times it made sense and served an actual purpose.

The reunited scene with Tharn and Phaya was a little anticlimactic for me. I would have liked to see a grander way for them to meet again.

The bonus scene is open to interpretation. I don’t know if it was a hint of a second season or the only way for Saint to find a way to make his usual guest spot. Either way, it was cool.

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One of the Best….

The Sign has been one of the best BL’s I’ve ever watched!
Idol Factory really hit a winner with this series!
Plus, based on the exchange between Phaya & Saint after the credits, dare I hope for a sequel? Yes, please!
The whole cast were superb…everyone brought their acting talents to their roles.
The comic value between Khem & Thong always came at the right moments, the groundbreaking role of Sand as Yai’s partner was encouraging, the fantastic acting of the children playing young Phaya & Tharn, and the chemistry between Billy & Babe made the series!
If a series keeps me engaged until the very final episode to the point I am in tears and clapping at the last scene (even after seeing spoilers), then it is well deserving of all the stars!
I look forward to many more wonderful series from Idol Factory & Saint!

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exactly what I always wanted ?

I absolutely adored this show from start to finish. Something about the mix of tone was just so compelling to me. While the underlying romance (and other relationships) was so strong and taken so seriously, the rest of the plot wasn't afraid to have fun and lean into tropes in the best way. The action was fun and bombastic, the reincarnation lore was fantastical and epic, the friends were bright and funny, and the chemistry was truly off the charts. I know not everyone will appreciate the way this style sometimes undercuts it's own tension, but I really enjoyed the way the show didn't let itself get bogged down for long.

Of course, I have to give accolades to the cast. Billy is, of course, a wonderful actor (as always). Phaya always has his heart on his sleeve and Billy's ability to show that in every moment is really quite beautiful. Especially as a new comer, Babe is incredible. Easily one of my top actors (I'm lying to seem less biased, he's the top). Nothing ever felt forced or put upon between these two, and the characters were crafted so completely that they could be understood without words from start to finish. It was a really exceptional performance. (Of course, there were many, many wonderful performances from the supporting cast as well).

My only faults with this show were some minor pacing and story issues. I would have liked to see a bit more care and craft in the way information is revealed, especially regarding Phaya and Tharn's past lives. Art's arc in Ep. 7 was so wonderfully done in subtle flourishes and circling narrative, it was disappointing to see the main characters get a less thoughtful info dump of a flashback. In general, I think the writers could have trusted the audience to pick up on clues a little better, as characters frequently repeated information that, at that point, had become pretty obvious. But this honestly didn't affect my enjoyment of the story all that much.

I am absolutely looking forward to the upcoming special episode and whatever BillyBabe have coming next! I certainly wouldn't complain if that happened to be a season 2 ;)

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