Legs in the air, butterflies in my stomach and I'm giggling like a middle school girl.
It's Movie Monday again!. This is The Eclipse BL Series Review. We'll explore what sets it apart, its characters, their chemistry, and its impact.
Table Of Content
Plot Summary
The Eclipse is a 2022 Asian LGBTQ+ drama adapted from the Thai novel "Eclipse" by Prapt a young Thai writer.
This romance drama series is about an uprising in the country's top school, Suppalo all-boys high school which is rigidly governed by its administration. As the solar eclipse draws near, rumour has it that a curse will punish students who act out.
Naturally, where there are rules, there will naturally be those who oppose them. A group of students calling themselves “The World Remembers” unite to challenge the school's authority and demand their rights.
Ayan(played by Khaotung Thanawat Ratanakitpaisan) is a new student who recently transferred from Suppalo's rival school Parot High School. Akk(played by First Kanaphan Puitrakul) is the president of the prefects club that makes sure the students of Suppalo for its rules. While Akk is always prim and prepared to follow the rules no matter how wrong they are, Ayan regularly challenges the school's norms and isn't afraid to make enemies of his teachers.
When Akk, his best friends Khanlong(played by Neo Trai Nimtawat), and Wasuwat(played by Chayapol Jutamas, nicknamed AJ), and the rest of the prefects club are tasked with dissuading The World Remembers group from their none stop protests and rebellious acts, the arrival of Ayan, a mysterious new student easily makes Akk suspicious of him.
Ayan only enrolled in Suppalo High School in hopes of discovering the person who pushed his uncle Dika to suicide. His single lead to Suppalo School is his uncle's old notebook. Ayan's method of dealing with Akk's continuous scrutiny is to toy with him while we the audience question where the game ends for Ayan and where his love began.
ALSO READ: Bad Buddy: 2021 Thai BL Series Review
Review
The Eclipse Bl series genre is Youth, Mystery, and Romance, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I got to know about this series through YouTube edits but never planned to watch it. But once again I was beat and I put my life on hold for hours to binge-watch a series because a video edit made me do it. Do I regret it? No. Would I do it again? Yes.
I think the LGBTQ+ representation in the series was appropriate and realistic because it didn't seem like a theme they intended to explore deeply but I appreciate that they displayed obviously the hardship faced in the LGBTQ+ community.
My first series of Khaotung and First is Only Friends and coming back to watch their previous series, They obviously have been great actors from day one. Khatung portrays the emotion of his character with each facial expression, and First is more expressive with his hands and body.
One of the things that made me enjoy The Eclipse even more is the chemistry between all the characters. It was obvious that while Akk didn't like Ayan, he didn't hate him either. Their character development was at a perfect pace. And the interactions between Akk and his friends were natural and relatable.
I noticed in other Bl series I've watched that the interactions between the characters in the friendship circle aren't always natural, with no chemistry and I would feel that these actors either weren't friends outside of the series or the role just wasn't a good one for them. But for The Eclipse I liked their interactions because I knew that if I were in some similar situation with my friends, I'd react the same.
The story was centred around the curse at Suppalo, how it's affecting the students, and the secret of Ayan's uncle's death. I applaud them for originality in content because this wasn't another Bl series set in a university and the mystery of it all added to its appeal.
While I enjoyed the series thoroughly, I noticed a lot of plot holes that could have been done better. For example, through the series, because of how they portrayed the incident, I was under the impression that Ayan was the last person his uncle Dika saw before he committed suicide. But in episode 11, they came up with a whole new narrative that it was Teacher Chadok instead who witnessed Uncle Dika's death. This will be explained further in the spoilers section.
At this point in episode 11, it just seemed to me like the producers tried to squish 2 more episodes of the story into 1 episode so it will all be 12 episodes long because there was still lots of drama to unfold before the series ended.
Aside from that, I think this is a highly underrated BL series. And I enjoyed this more than I enjoyed many others that I hear of more often. The actors of The Eclipse carried a totally great performance.
I never regretted starting this series for a minute.
It is a 4 out of 5 stars for me. This is because of its plot holes and rather poor storytelling. The story had a lot of potential and we'd all have loved it better if it wasn't cut short. If you've watched Bad Buddy and enjoyed it, I recommend you watch The Eclipse next.
ALSO READ: Bad Buddy: 2021 Thai BL Series Review
Spoilers
We've discussed Akk and Ayan's story, but let's take a moment to discuss the conflict—Ayan's uncle's death.
One aspect I felt could have been handled differently was the mystery surrounding Uncle Dika's death. Throughout the series, it was made clear that Ayan went to meet his uncle at the cliff where he committed suicide, he was shown to be in distress and attempting to save his uncle. However, in episode 11, the narrative took an unexpected turn by introducing Teacher Chadok as the sole witness to the event, without Ayan's presence. The series offered no explanation for this disparity, leaving us wondering if it was a product of Ayan's imagination, if he was somehow in the background, or if it was an exceptionally vivid dream, to say the least.
This narrative diversion aimed to keep the truth concealed until a later revelation, but it left me somewhat unsatisfied.
Episode 11 also sheds light on Thuaphu's (portrayed by Louis Thanawin Teeraphosukarn) role in the events involving the protesters. While his intentions may have been noble, his methods were undeniably flawed. Additionally, we learned about Teacher Chadok's connection to Ayan's uncle. At this point, the story transitioned from a romantic focus to straddling the line between suspense and thriller.
What disappointed me was the lack of resolution regarding the conflicts among the characters. By episode 11, it was evident that tensions ran high, particularly directed toward Thuaphu, and even Akk's friends expressed their discontent with Akk's involvement in it all. The story, however, swiftly moved past these issues without providing insight into how the characters reconciled. These scenes are often conducive to significant character development, this is why I said that much-needed drama was regrettably compressed into a single episode.
Lastly, I still wonder when Ayan began falling for Akk. From the moment they initially crossed paths, Ayan delighted in teasing and flirting with Akk. It would have been insightful to pinpoint the moment when Ayan stopped flirting with Akk to annoy him and started flirting because he had feelings for him.
Despite these narrative nuances, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this series, and I'd like to highlight some of the best moments in The Eclipse from my viewing experience and my thoughts about them.
I was already in episode 6 and they hadn't had their first real kiss yet. I mean, they were running out of episodes! We all know that a typical BL series has 12 episodes, by episode 5 we should be getting a real kiss, in the next episode we have one of our main leads having a sexuality crisis, and in another episode both leads or one of the leads denying their feeling, following episode a huge fight that happens after they've finally gotten together, next is the sudden appearance of a final villain in the form of an ex or just an obstacle, then the happy ending. Between episodes 6 and 12, I needed there to be more episodes.
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| The kiss between Thuaphu and Khanlong at the end of episode 7 |
I must make an honourable mention here – this was a particular moment that gave me goosebumps. The atmosphere, the lighting, the palpable tension, and the deliberate, slow unfolding of events. If you've watched this series, I'm certain you felt it too.
Thua and Khanlong's side story added significant depth to the series, and I've always relished the presence of side couples in a BL series. It somehow feels incomplete without them. To add the cherry on top, the side couple in this series is Neo and Louis, and their chemistry is undeniably adorable.
Following episode 7, Khanlong's decision to deny the kiss left me with mixed feelings. While it would be easy to feel frustrated with Khanlong for brushing off the passionate kiss he shared with Thuaphu the night before, it's important to remember that Khanlong himself was still grappling with his emotions and working towards coming to terms with the situation. Emotions were understandably complex, and the series did a commendable job of portraying the intricacies of these relationships.
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| Ayan confesses his feelings. |
"I will tell you my feelings and you'll tell me yours" - The words of an already smitten Ayan.
Aye understood Akk even when Akk was uncertain about his own feelings. Aye was patient and made Akk aware of his emotions in the most subtle yet meaningful ways. Aye didn't rush things; he was prepared to wait for Akk to come around.
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| "Don't look at anyone like this, I'm jealous." |
The writers of this series must have put in extra effort because I was left speechless when Aye told Akk, "Don't look at anyone like this, I'm jealous."
Legs in the air, butterflies in my stomach and I'm giggling like a middle school girl.
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| The side couple we all wanted to see happen |
It's definitely unethical, but I couldn't help but root for a romance between these two characters. If you secretly hoped for the same, join the discussion in the comments – let's revel in our delusion!
Lastly, I highly recommend this series and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
ALSO READ: Bad Buddy: 2021 Thai BL Series Review
Film Credits
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| The Eclipse 2022 Promotional Poster |
Drama: The Eclipse
Genre: Youth, Mystery, Romance
Written by: Prapt (A Novel Adaptation)
Screenwriter: Yokee Apirak Chaipanha, Chot-anan Kasamwonghong, Kim Minta Bhanaparin
Directed by: Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit
Starring: Khaotung Thanawat Ratanakitpaisan, First Kanaphan Puitrakul
Country of origin: Thailand
Original language: Thai
No. of episodes: 12
Air Date: August 12, 2022 - October 28, 2022
Original network: GMM 25
I watched this series on a streaming platform called Bilibili but you can watch it on YouTube.
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