just finished itsay and bruhhh that was an experience. gonna be a bit of an ass here but i don't like bl dramas (not gonna get into it too much but jesus they are often such trash IM SORRY- i'm sure you can come up with a few reasons), so i had a few reservations. i only ended up watching it because i came across some gifs randomly and the cinematography was immaculate. i need to just express why i love itsay so much.

the positive female/side characters, there is no misogyny and the love triangles aren't made to make you hate anyone, they get you thinking. everyone in the show acts like an actual normal person lol I just love them all and want good things for them. the guys in the friend group not all pairing up like this is matchmaker. the cinematography. the certain realism and simplicity, between the filming location, script and editing (no slowmo and same 2 ballads repeated every 5 minutes god bless). the chemistry between the two actors and lack of awkwardness that generally make me cringe in these shows, cause some of those actors look like they want to be anywhere else lol

you just know this show wasn't created to pander to cishet audiences, even if it's overshadowed by the BL drama label (not saying bl dramas can't be good like itsay but they get lumped in with the many other bad ones sadly). you can just tell the creators set out to make something good. you see companies pumping out these like (im sorry) porn-quality (though full respect to those on a budget, it's more @ those who dont put in effort) low-effort dramas simply because it's what gets views.

this is not some bl drama it is a piece of art and i wish it wasn't marketed as such because i would love to recommend it to other people and not be associated with fetishisers. i would LOVE to see it be given the same respect/hype as films like call me by your name. to you know, see some mainstream lgbt rep that is not white and doesn't have a gross age gap. speaking of which the MELANIN thoughhh omg and it's not presented as a flaw or made fun of by any of the characters i love it, just adds to the realism.

now i know a lot of people criticise the crying in this show but it honestly made sense so i didn't mind it, it wasn't like a constant thing. mind you this is coming from someone who legit cannot take tears seriously in films/shows like i have to look away 95% of the time because i will laugh lmao. during the first few episodes i was like huh? is this just a wholesome trauma-free gay story? which can definitely be good!! but i think a lot of these dramas just get it so wrong so i was like ehh, i think this show found a good balance though personally.

i think my favourite episodes were 2 and 3.

1/2. SORRY HAHA.

TLDR; WATCH THIS SHOW I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR IT AND IT HAS SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE IT'S REPRESENTING.

I also just want to talk about how this show resonated with me personally.

1. ya girl's actually a first year uni student studying communications so i was like ayy. tbh the series made me kinda find passion for one of my study units (film studies) because damn i understand what it is to appreciate cinematography and good direction now.

2. my signature scent is coconut as well!

3. i am in love with the filming location. i love those beachy towns with colourful buildings and kids running around/biking. it's truly my aesthetic and the type of place i want to live.

4. this show really made me kinda think about my sexuality. like i don't identify with any label i'm just vibing (leaning on the male side though). watching the two yearn for eachother and be confused was kind of comforting? definitely helped me paint a clearer picture regarding how i feel about girls.

5. listen childhood best friends to enemies to lovers is my shit so that being the basis of this beautiful show is just *chef's kiss*

i just enjoyed the series a lot and as i said i wish it wasn't labelled as a bl drama because i feel that it got so many things right, a lot of people could benetit from it.

Okayyy it's over im sorry hahaha

2/2

my face when I saw your long ass message lmaooo, I didn’t even know you could send messages that long :’) okay so this is gonna be a long ass response as well. as a bl drama fan, let me just defend bl dramas for a minute jiduiudedsj! so while bl started out as a genre for straight women, today I’d say a great majority of the fandom is lgbtq+, meaning that the writers have started to realize that people want actual representation. and don’t get me wrong, while a great majority of bl dramas are mediocre as hell, some even trash, more & more have started being REALLY good. so I understand your reluctance but for me it’s not bl that is tainting itsay with its label but itsay that is showing what bl truly is & can do. at the end of the day bl is still mlm representation no matter the quality of the show & it still promotes love and equality for all. yes there’s a long ass way to go for every show to be good but I believe we’ll get there someday lol. NOW, I agree with everything you say about this show, I won’t go back on every point you made but yes everything was genuinely immaculate. I must admit I freaking laughed at the ‘porn-quality’ shows reference bc a few shows popped into my head jknshnjqhb. also when you say ‘it’s not a bl drama it’s a piece of art’, I just have to answer: why can’t it be both? at this point the definition for a bl drama would be ‘a show that focuses on a love story between men.’ it’s said or written nowhere that bl shows are bad, or can’t be art. again just bc the majority of bl shows are bad doesn’t mean the whole genre is synonym with being bad. it’s like saying that bc most horror movies are trash the whole genre is trash. also the bl label is what made itsay so big, if it was just labeled as a gay series or idk what else it wouldn’t have been as seen & appreciated. which now that I think about it could not happen bc any thai gay series falls under the bl label. the crying on the show was a lot, but it’s what made it special in my eyes. it wasn’t crying for the sake of crying, it wasn’t angst for the sake of angst, it was all there for a reason & to show us that those are teenagers who are growing, learning & evolving. and that usually comes with some tears. my favorite episodes were also 2 & 3! also my signature scent is also coconut as well lmao, I never realized :’) and yes the childhood best friends to enemies to friends to lovers trope........... PERFECTION. anyway it was fun to receive such a long ask lmao, but I do hope I can change your mind about bl, bc at the end of the day you can decide not to watch it or to dislike it, but at least know that itsay being associated with bl is not a bad thing by any means. it doesn’t lower its quality at all, yet it increases the percentage of good shows there is under this genre. have a good day!

xxx