‘Club Friday’ is an anthology series that is based on real life events, taken from a radio programme. Each story is around 4 episodes long and a stand-alone.
‘Hot Love Issue’ is the 16th season, depicting messy interpersonal situations. ‘Love Bully’ is episode 23-26. Available for free on Youtube.
‘Love Bully’ Plot: Night had a difficult child- and teenhood, and therefore doesn’t let anyone close to her heart. She runs a bar with her aunt Jo. They have debt problems, but somehow manage. When Irene goes into the bar, ignoring the closed sign, things stir up a lot. They fall for each other, but due to being from different social classes and their surroundings not wanting them to be together, they have a hard time accepting that love. Things become really messy when Night and Jo loose their bar and Irene being antagonized by her mother.
I’ve never seen anything from ‘Club Friday’, nor have I ever heard of it. ‘Luve Bully’ was randomly recommended to me by Youtube (thanks for that!).
–– Story:
Story-wise it’s nothing new for these type of Dramas. But it being GL surely gives it a bit more originality.
It really touched me in episode 3 and 4. I didn’t think I’d cry that much – because I could relate to both Night and Irene a lot –, but I did.
I found it quite awkward, in the beginning, how Irene kissed Night on the cheek and her hands, after having talked for, like, 2 minutes. Now, I’ve watched some one-night-stands, so it’s not uncommon that people kiss without knowing one another, but they usually do when the vibe or atmosphere is there. Which wasn’t the case here.
I’m gonna say it’s because they didn’t have time to let them part and meet up later again, due to having a maximum running time.
On the other hand… since it’s based on true events, maybe it’s just Irene’s character? I guess it is, but it was still very weird.
The way they got together also was a bit… mood-ruining? Reminds me of the manga ‘How do we relationship?’. Basically like: “hey we’re both lesbian and single and we happened to meet each other, don’t you think it’s fate? Let’s date.”
At least they did have a proper kiss soon, to not only be “girlfriends because I don’t wanna be alone” but actual ro-se partners.
They had 3 sex scenes, but just like with the hetero pair, you saw them kissing – cut – and then they were lying in bed (or in a bath tub) together.
It was cute though. The actresses do have quite the chemistry. (But they’ve also acted together already in ‘Show Me Love’, and have another upcoming series ‘Petrichor’.)
–– Characters:
Irene was quite badass, like you’d expect it from a woman who has spent 10 years abroad in the USA. And I like how she points out Thai’s fake politeness, due to the language and culture being overly formal. (Don’t get me wrong, I do love the thai language. But fake politeness can be found in many languages/cultures and it is always quite annoying imo.) It does also become part of the story.
I liked that there was an open transgender person (where the word “trans” was acknowledged verbally, not just through subtext), but I wasn’t a fan the way she was outed. At least the main girls did treat her positively and respected her pronouns afterwards, but that moment was a bit cringe. (Especially Irene asking whether she can call her “Dad” or “Daddy” …)
The antagonists were annoying af (especially the guy, oof).
But I’m glad that one of them changed sides and befriended the 3 main characters. That was a sweet ending. I’d actually love to see more of them, especially the teased partnership between Jo and another woman (well, Jo said she’s not into women, but it could be a QPR for example) … <3
–– Overall:
Recommended. Do ignore the slightly off-putting scenes in the first episode because the last two are really worth it. (Especially that one character development!!)
I’ve seen from other reviews that this is Club Friday‘s first GL with a happy ending, so that’s nice as well. I might actually check out the other stories, cause the anthology idea is quite intriguing.
Side note: I really like how the title ‘Love Bully’ was explained at the end.
| Criteria | Scores | Our Score |
|---|---|---|
| Acting | 1-5 | 3.5 |
| Script | 1-5 | 3 |
| Cinematography | 1-5 | 4 |
| Soundtrack | 1-5 | 4 |
| Originality | 1-5 | 3 |
Finale Grade
B
Watched & finished the series: 3rd September 2024
~Arden Skye
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Written By: Arden Skye
Favorite game/film/book: doesn’t have one, cause there are too many good ones!
About: generalist, who likes a bit of everything, but especially has a love for; magic, queerness and melancholy. When they’re not arting, they’re probably dreaming/reading through another world, or spending time in nature with their dog.
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