My review is about comparing Romance to Drama. Even though the plot of the series is inferior to Romance, I quite enjoyed it.
I confess that I read the novel before watching the series and I really like the story. If my evaluation is based only on the romance, or even on the performance of some actors like Mean and Perth, who, in my opinion, stood out, my evaluation would be much higher, however, to evaluate it, it is necessary to be impartial .
If the plot was totally faithful to the novel, the users' evaluation would be much higher, because it really had everything to be the best BL series, because it is not cliché like many others, however, they added new couples and tried to adapt other stories, such as the couples KengklaTechno and TumTar, which have nothing to do with this novel.
I believe that, they should have focused only on the couples of the story itself, being AePete and TinCan, this way, the plot could have been better worked out about the history of each of the characters and would have shown better about how the relationship between them develops, and also, there were many parts in the novel, that should have been considered essential to be in the series, that they did not put, because in the series, some things were not clear, and only by reading the novel , people will be able to understand better.
Important facts about the characters that the series did not address and only become clear in the novella:
AE is a simple boy who never compares himself with anyone, his life is just studying, helping his family and playing soccer, until he meets PETE, when he develops feelings for PETE, it is revealed that he has low self-esteem, behavior that leads him to be possessive with Pete, it is because he compares himself with Tin because of his social status, even though he trusts Pete, he feels that Tin has interest in Pete and sees him as a threat and this comparison makes him not want Pete around Tin. And, another important fact that must be addressed in Drama, for a better understanding of the AE character, is that Pete met his friends at Pond's birthday, AE compares himself to his friend Sun, because he is handsome and shows interest in Pete, which becomes the main reason for not wanting Pete to travel with him and his friends.
PETE, is a shy and insecure boy, and after the bad event he faces with Trump, his ex-boyfriend, is left with many traumas and fears. When AE opens his heart to Pete, he is happy, but at the same time discredited, he thinks AE is straight and will regret getting involved with him, so he asks AE to open her mind to other people, in this case Chompoo, because in Pete's mind, although AE is sure that she wants to be with him, Pete doesn't want him to suffer the same discrimination he suffered for being gay. And even after they are already dating, Pete is still very insecure and also shows a possessive side towards AE.
We get a glimpse of TIN and CAN's story, but their story develops more in the second season, and of course, just like AE and PETE, they also have their internal, psychological, social and family problems to deal with. TIN, as a child, went through an episode where he felt betrayed by the person he trusted most, in this case his older brother. He then began to distrust everyone, and became a cold and calculating person who treats everyone around him with contempt and shows his "superiority". It is only when he meets CAN, a naive, hyperactive, and immature boy, that he gradually helps him to overcome his problems.
A negative point of the series is that they adapted these four couples in the story and, in the end, the plot of none of them was well developed, leaving many points open, even to drag it to a second season, which would not be necessary. And another negative point, is that in the last episode there is a scene that can be considered rape, being this event of a couple that has just been adapted and does not belong to this story.
Overall, I liked the series, it has a light and funny atmosphere, and that each of the characters did well in their respective roles.
For those who have not yet watched the series, I advise you to read the novel first, because the events of the series are well summarized, you will have a better understanding of the characters. And for those who have already watched the series, but haven't read the novel, you should read it, it may change your concept from negative to positive, or it may make you fall in love even more! The story really goes far beyond what is shown in the Drama.
But even with these comparisons, LBC is still one of the few BL's that I like. The story is very good and has a lot of potential, it deals with several themes and concepts and social and family issues, and also the internal struggle of the characters to overcome their traumas and fears, the story also shows us, about how the events and the internal and external relationships can influence the behavior and personality of people, besides relating the development of the relationship and the personal maturing of each one.
Give it a chance, it's worth it!