my first c-drama was Meteor Garden... which led me to my first k-drama Boys over Flowers. and it has brought me to my first thai drama, again! and I have to admit, so far (till ep.5) this is the best adaptation in all aspects (screenplay, editing, cinematography, costume, scenario, and acting). Hands down. Period. End of analysis.

if Lee Minho's Goo Joon Pyo felt awkward, Dylan Wang's Daoming Si was comedy gone wrong. Bright's Thyme is immature (which is the character attribute) but still believable and rootable.
all 2nd leads were handsome and stiff actors, and while Darren Chen's Hua Ze Lei was like a fluffy dream, I find myself liking Dew's Ren the most (I'm biased as a Yibo fan. I seriously think they look similar).
Kim Bum was the standout actor in the 3rd lead position against Caesar Wu, but I can see Win has quite a charismatic presence.
and lastly, Tu wins easily over Gu Hye Seon and Shen Yue combined. But I suppose credit needs to also be given to the character restructuring that's changed the flavor of this drama so far.

If my 2019 was spent discovering the land of k-dramas (which btw, hasn't changed) and 2021 spent exploring c-dramas... I think it's time for me to check out thai-drama-land in 2022. and what a great way to start!