This series is an attempt to adapt the novel Are You Addicted?, which already has two previous versions: Addicted and Stay with Me, both Chinese. The earlier series suffered from Chinese censorship, leaving the first one unfinished (it only reached episode 15) and the second without a second season (it covers the first book of the novel, leaving the second one pending). Nevertheless, both have established themselves as two important series in the BL industry, with Addicted becoming a cult series and Stay with Me known for its great, great quality. When it was announced that Thailand would be releasing this series, all fans of the novel and the previous series were hopeful that, being in a freer industry, it would deliver a quality and complete series. Unfortunately, things went wrong from episode 1.
This series presents clear problems in both script and direction. The choices about what to tell and how to tell the story have simply been poor. Certain contexts have been prioritized, while fundamental elements that capture the heart of this story have been omitted, starting with the characters. The character of "Pop" or "Poppy" (Bai Luo Yin in the novel) has been reduced to an amorphous character, lacking personality and the defining traits that explain the love, obsession, and relationship with Hero (Gu Hai in the novel). The strength of both characters, their fractures, pains, resilience, dignity, and madness-all the things that build them and make them who they are-are erased in one stroke, making the story, at times, incomprehensible.
The entire story is reduced to superficial scenes, lacking depth and texture, turning this series into just another among many, without any relevance. Adaptations can take liberties and make changes. That's fine, and there are many examples where this is done successfully, sometimes even making the adaptation better than the original novel. But if you decide to tell a story that is not just any story in the BL world, one that already has two previous successful series despite censorship, the challenge is to do it well. In this case, that wasn't achieved. I feel sorry for the actors. I hope they have more opportunities in the future.
This series presents clear problems in both script and direction. The choices about what to tell and how to tell the story have simply been poor. Certain contexts have been prioritized, while fundamental elements that capture the heart of this story have been omitted, starting with the characters. The character of "Pop" or "Poppy" (Bai Luo Yin in the novel) has been reduced to an amorphous character, lacking personality and the defining traits that explain the love, obsession, and relationship with Hero (Gu Hai in the novel). The strength of both characters, their fractures, pains, resilience, dignity, and madness-all the things that build them and make them who they are-are erased in one stroke, making the story, at times, incomprehensible.
The entire story is reduced to superficial scenes, lacking depth and texture, turning this series into just another among many, without any relevance. Adaptations can take liberties and make changes. That's fine, and there are many examples where this is done successfully, sometimes even making the adaptation better than the original novel. But if you decide to tell a story that is not just any story in the BL world, one that already has two previous successful series despite censorship, the challenge is to do it well. In this case, that wasn't achieved. I feel sorry for the actors. I hope they have more opportunities in the future.