Ron Does Stuff

Look at me trying to catch up with the show! I don’t know if I ever will but I’m going to be putting in a valiant effort!

I really feel like the show very quickly found its footing in the previous episode by refusing to put Atom in drag and by making the stage play become a musical. Yes, I know it’s all to sell a soundtrack, but it legitimately made the show better and have its own identity, so what’s wrong with that?

The previous episode also really showed the chemistry between the two leads and in its latter half had me kilig and clapping like a seal. Now if only they would do something about that background music situation.

At the start of the third episode, the class is assigned to pair up and draw their partners, and Atom of course picks Kongthap while the production decides to personally assault me with the fucking brick game/video game background music.

We get a flashback to Atom asking Mudmee for advice on how to win over Kongthap, which is rich because Mudmee can’t even progress with her crush on Half. But either way, we get a cute scene of Atom looking at Kongthap as he writes Kongthap’s name on his eraser and it’s cute enough to make me forget just for a moment the background music constantly playing.

Then we get Mudmee advising Atom to keep using that eraser so Kongthap comes closer to him and maybe it’s just me being a disgusting human being but the close up on his face makes it look like he’s jacking off.

ANYWAYS, now we get to the tutoring…arc?…of the story. Gotta admit, the complexity of Thai name/nickname conventions is still confusing to me so when the teacher was talking about a student with a low score it took me a second before I realized he was talking about Atom.

Of course, since Kongthap is performing spectacularly in class, Atom turns to him for some tutoring. And of course they have to do it at his house. Let’s just skip over the fact that Half and Mudmee will be there as well.

Just like in the Japanese original, the parents are conspicuously absent in the lives of these teenagers, which gives capitalists the perfect opportunity to insert A PRODUCT PLACEMENT.

Because he is a homosexual, Atom immediately takes a look at Kongthap’s room, pointing out that Kongthap’s got a carrot while he’s got a cabbage and would Kongthap please play him a song since he’s got a guitar in his room after all. Not the way I would have played it but then again I am an old, withered, and weathered creature.

Anyways, they get to studying and Half is just as dense as his Japanese counterpart and you can’t really blame Mudmee for being frustrated. Atom’s even sorry for his friend. But just like in the Japanese original, Mudmee’s seen his good side and quite frankly the actor playing Half — Chokun Jitbut — is plenty charming.

After Mudmee and Half leave — thanks in part to Atom — Kongthap and Atom are now alone in the house, and if memory serves me right we get a peek at Ren Meguro’s abs in the Japanese original. Is that going to happen here too?

Atom is a little sulky as he thinks that he’s the only one that hasn’t stopped thinking about Kongthap, but Kongthap reveals that Atom’s all he’s been thinking about. Which of course gets Atom’s homo heart all aflutter. So we don’t gets abs but I’m fine with it!

Kongthap’s mother arrives and I know I still have leftover trauma from Love of Siam because I expected the mother to disapprove. But of course, just like the Japanese original, Kongthap’s other is a fan of the pairing. And just like the Japanese original, Kongthap unintentionally starts a conflict when he says that he and Atom are just classmates.

Just like any good romance, Kongthap starts reconsidering his feelings after Atom throws “we’re just classmates” in his face. There’s a little misunderstanding there with Half that I’m sure is going to pay off later on in the show if I’m remembering the Japanese original correctly but what’s more important is that Atom got sick staying up all night thinking of Kongthap and now Kongthap is at his home with some rice porridge.

The rice porridge is quickly forgotten, however, as Kongthap and Atom start drawing each other because it’s a class project, you see. It’s due soon! So we have no choice but to spend the whole afternoon looking at each other so we can commit every detail to our art.

And of course we get to see Kongthap finally use the guitar — Atom conveniently has one in his room — and he really does have a nice voice! Anyways, the song’s done and so is the portrait Atom is making and would you look at that it’s almost midnight! Kongthap should head home but Atom feels it’s too dangerous to bike at home at this hour so why doesn’t Kongthap just spend the night. The MALICIOUS GAY FAGGOTRY going on is unbelievable.

Kongthap is spending the night and this definitely wasn’t in the Japanese original. And another thing that the Japanese original didn’t have is Atom’s daddy problems. Atom’s dad walked out on his family when he was just a kid, which hits Kongthap like a ton of bricks because he’s got a nice family and all.

I really like this deviation from the Japanese original because it gives the relationship and the happy ending more layers. When the happy ending happens — because it will! — it’s going to feel more earned.

The next day, Atom and Mudmee are doing a post-mortem on that night spent with Kongthap but their meeting is disrupted by Half, who drags Atom to the rooftop to clear things up with Kongthap. Cockblocking AND a cliffhanger!