#itsayrewatch

[bellarkeandclintashaandsuch]

ITSAY Rewatch! Episode 1 Continued (Finally)

- Why are there so many random firecrackers? Seems dangerous

- I guess it reflects their friendship going up in smoke though

- He passed with the top score for the abroad entrance exam? What does that mean? He didn’t go abroad, did he? Oh, wait the uni program with the China program or something

- I've never talked to him since :(

- Free meals! I love Teh’s mom. Is she speaking Mandarin?

- Uh-oh. His program is house-wreckingly expensive 😬

- Is Teh upset that his mom is talking about how expensive it is/how he should’ve just done the normal entrance exams? Or that she’s praising Hoon now and saying they rely on his money?

- You won’t be so embarrassed by the motorcycle with the sidecar when you have your bf with you

- You know, I thought these two other friends of Teh’s in this class would have a bigger part

- “Local devil” 😂😂

- If you’re so tired, don’t you think you should have someone to take care of your heart? 😂😂 how can Teh be so smooth with Tarn? He’s probably not actually smooth at all to most people, but I think so. Especially for Teh

- Oh, right. it’s because it’s not so serious (even though he does like her), and he knows she doesn’t want to date until after her exam. So that’s probably why

- But with Oh-aew it’s like, how do I express an emotion? What even are my emotions? Let me just smell you a second

- Two years hitting on her and he’s still trying*

- If you find someone better, you can be with that person… *enter Oh-aew stage right*

- Their friendship is so cute 😭 I missed Tarn in IPYTM

- Oh, studying with your old Chinese classmates, eh? Can’t see any problems popping up here

- So how often has Teh talked about Oh that Tarn’s first thought is, is your friend that you had a fight with (several YEARS ago) going to be there?

- And Teh’s face! Still so raw about it

- The MoRaoYuLok group chat!!!!! 💬

- And here are Philip, Kai, and Mod little babies :)

- You still hit so hard 😂

- My God. Everyone just knows they’re obsessed with each other even after not seeing each other for years. The others looking at each other when Teh looks inside. Oh’s already inside. Get in there, bud

- The whole scene when Teh walks in and Oh-aew turns around is a masterpiece. They're facial expressions are everything

- Oh's smiling when he turns around, but his face falls the second he sees Teh

- Not at all traumatized in his little name card frame

- (Also their friend tapping on Teh's shoulder, like look who we brought, Oh!)

- But I also love how he keeps looking at Teh, like he can't look away, while their friends introduce Bas

- He has a crush on Bas, but he's just looking at Teh while someone else introduces him

- And my ship-adled brain is like, mmm Teh clocks him as a love rival right away 😂 I'm sure he's not thinking that, but he could be thinking, great i've been replaced in my friendship group

- Get to know each other so we can be together a long time (😭). Meanwhile, Oh finally looks away but is now going through an existential crisis

- And Teh looks back to him with this face before the teacher comes in 💔❤️‍🩹 (also their friends' faces in the background are good too. they're loving the drama. Or that could be me projecting.)

- I don't know what this face says, but I think it's Oh thinking "we could've been dating for like half a decade by now if it weren't for you." Or maybe like, damn why'd he have to grow up hot

- And then Oh's cold face when he blocks Teh from sitting down 😂😂❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 (those outside, come inside 👀)

- And yet this is his face after Teh walks to the other side of the room

- And Teh looking at him again :) :'(

*This is why I still have trouble with the cheating plot in IPYTM. I know that he’s kinda starting a relationship with Tarn and Oh in ITSAY. But I can see from his perspective how it’s not like that. Tarn keeps rejecting him. She even tells him, if you find someone else, that’s fine. So it’s confusing for him, and with everything that’s happened between him and Oh (and his possible internalized homophobia or at least fear of having to come out), I don’t see it like him cheating on Tarn or Oh. Once Oh comes back into his life, he’s mostly just confused. He’s not really in a relationship with either of them. But once he decides to let himself love Oh for real, it’s set. Nothing will change his mind. He spent two years asking Tarn out because he had a crush on her. I’m sure he could’ve asked other people out, but he didn’t. He doesn’t have a crush on Oh. He’s in love with Oh. He loves Oh like he loves acting. Nothing can deter him from either one once he makes up his mind. Like I can see the thought process to why Teh would cheat (with lots of inferring because there’s a lot we missed over four years in the story), but Teh is dedicated once he decides on something. In contrast to Oh-aew, who Teh perceives as fickle (to be fair, Oh said he quits things when he gets bored and put that thought in Teh’s head himself, which I did only realize in this rewatch (over a year ago…)). So I get Teh doubting Oh or thinking Oh would leave him eventually (not that I doubt Oh, but I can see that being the story), but I still have trouble with Teh cheating. I would rather the story had focused on Teh’s doubt of Oh than have cheating. Like Teh needing to understand that Oh isn’t a kid getting bored with an after school activity and that he doesn’t just drop everything after a while. I could definitely see that taking a toll on their relationship when they can’t spend as much time together as they want and with Oh dropping out of the program that Teh gave up to make sure Oh could have. I think that’s what Teh’s cheating ultimately stems from, but I just don’t see him actually cheating. (Especially not with someone as gross as what’s his face. Teh literally saw him making out with their professor. He can’t possibly be that stupid. And also I didn’t like having to assume so much of Teh’s thoughts in IPYTM. In ITSAY, it’s clear what he’s thinking even if he doesn’t say it.) I'm aware this scene could also be an argument for why he would cheat on Oh. But I just don't see it that way : \

[tehohaews]

• 男主角 • What if there are two “Nan Zhu Jue”, will that be alright? 

I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU (2020) directed by Narubet Kuno

↳ One year of I told sunset about you

[liyazaki]

ITSAY Rewatch: Cry Laughing Through the Pain of Ep. 4

Bonus: The Kiss (i.e. when the episode actually ended)

[sunsetandthemoon]

“Even if no one could promise that everything would work out perfectly, right here and now, in this exact moment, it was perfect.” – SOPHIE GONZALES, ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTATED

[shortpplfedup]

ITSAY Rewatch Mini-Moment

So when I'm watching, really WATCHING a show that I enjoy, I enter this kind of liminal space between myself and a character, where I'm watching the character and also inside the character, imagining and trying to feel what's going through their mind, how their body is reacting, what their senses are experiencing in the moment I'm watching. It's an old writing technique I've kept from my fiction days that really helps me in finding character voice, but has also been useful in analysis.

I probably won't ever do a scene breakdown for either of these scenes, because 1: what can I say that hasn't already been said and 2: these two scenes are so visceral to me they resist textual analysis beyond 'that's hot'. But there are a couple of tiny things that I love about them and as I was rewatching episode 4 I realised those tiny things connect the two scenes.

The character's head I'm inside in these scenes is always Oh Aew for some reason. The moment he closes his eyes when Teh nuzzles into the back of his neck has stayed with me in a way that defies reason since I first saw it. It's one of my favourite little moments in the whole of ITSAY, because it says a million contradictory things all at once. But the thing I never noticed it was saying until today was 'I'm having a pretty intense flashback right now'.

He's being rocketed right back to Teh's hands all over him. And he steps away because he also is rocketed back to what happened next...

...but this time when he leans in for a kiss, Teh doesn't turn away, he leans in too.

All hail @liyazaki my beloved for the gif visual aids!

[narutomlinson]

I Told Sunset About You (2020) OST

[seatawinan]

ITSAY characters as Pokémon Trainers

[baek1nho]

itsay rewatch: teh smelling oh aew’s hair

[suniteh]

ITSAY: Teh and Oh-Aew character design study [July 2021]

Also on Twitter (x)

[elnotwoods]

Itsay memes 3/ ?

[tehohaews]

• 可以嗎  • 可以 •  Ke yi ma? Ke yi

I told sunset about you : Episode one

[liyazaki]

ITSAY Rewatch: Phuket Homecoming

[sunsetandthemoon]

ITSAY REWATCH EPISODE 1

 oh-aew being extremely relatable

[itsayrewatch]

Two days left until the ITSAY 1st Anniversary Rewatch begins!

[shortpplfedup]

In the end, it's the writing for me: some meta on the experience of translated works, and the poetry of ITSAY in English

I think you know. You really don’t? But I think you do. Or you really don’t? But I think you do. I don't know. I just know that I want to be close to you, and I don’t want you to be close to anyone else.

I Told Sunset About You (2020)

English title by Pea Sarit Trilertvichien

Written by Boss Naruebet Kuno, Goy Arachaporn Pokinpakorn, Kate Karakade Norasethaporn, Junior Naron Cherdsoongnern

We haven’t talked for so long. If I could choose, I wouldn’t want it to be this way.

Writing is such a joy for me, whether I'm doing it myself, or reading good writing, or listening to good writing being read out, or watching good writing being acted on stage and screen. But I had lost some of that joy in the grind of life for a while, until ITSAY came to me and lovingly took me by the hand.

‘Shang Xin’, meaning ‘sad’. If you can’t memorize it, just think about these two characters, their roots are from the word ‘Human’. Plus ‘Li’ means ‘Force’. And this word ‘Xin’, which is ‘Heart’. When these two combine, it’s like...two people using force against each other's hearts, which means ‘Sad’. I know that you're about to be in a relationship. I get it. But don’t give my time to others.

Writing is all about the imagination; not just of the writer, but of the person absorbing the writer's words. Capturing the imagination is about technical proficiency yes, but also about appealing to the soul. What are the words, the collection and arrangement of language that will enter the hearts of your audience?

Why do you have to think about it that much? Just let it go. Do whatever you feel like. There's no need for an answer if there’s no answer.

What if there are 2 'Nan Zhu Jue'? Will that be alright?

And when you find those words in one language, will your ideas translate to another? How universal is your writing? What about it goes beyond the understanding of words and phrases and idioms and specifics and straight into the soul itself?

Actually, if you don't want to do it, it's fine. But don’t do this to me in the first place.

I love it when the seawater touches my back. I feel like something is holding me up. But you need to hold your breath all the way with this posture. Sometimes, it gets uncomfortable. And when I don’t want to control anything, I release my breath and let myself sink.

I think...I'm not sure. One day, I’ll stop feeling this way. Then stop it today.

ITSAY is special to me for this very reason. I don't understand Thai or Mandarin Chinese, and relying on translation always means losing some of the meaning of the words on the page, losing nuance that is specific to the culture in which the original language lives, but the translated script of ITSAY has managed to retain so much resonance, so much beauty. Even the English title I Told Sunset About You is part of the poetry of the piece.

How could you change what other people think? Even if you held a guy’s hand, there would be people who’re okay with you, and there would be others who weren’t. But I’m okay.

If I can be anything, can I be your boyfriend?

ITSAY's resonance for me is because at its heart it's about growing up, family, friendship and love, and that is a universal experience. The translated language is uncomplicated and direct, but it also has a softness and a care to it. ITSAY's writing is so TENDER, even when it's breaking your heart. It makes you want to hold yourself close in comfort. It urges you to be gentle with yourself, and with others. It reminds you that joy is possible, and love is beautiful and fragile and worthy of your protection. And as for me, it burrowed deep into my heart.

Happy 1st Anniversary to a story that burrowed deep into so many hearts, all around the world. May we feel its beauty forever.

[watchinglikeafangirl]

I told sunset about you rewatch - Episode 1

What new did you discover?

The first thing we discover about Teh is not his face, it's him being the winner of some chinese opera contest and more importantly his reason why he's pursuing this exact career. I quote "wish to be a main character to show my friend that I can do it." This can be understood as either meant for his best and closest friend or some nostalgia. The second the jury says "what would you say to him right now" Teh's face changes and his gaze is filled with regret. It's amazing how they establish the backstory of Teh and some friend he had a fallout with so quickly. It's basically the first thing we know about him because Oh defines him.

Later when Teh calls his mother and sees Oh-aew walk to the exit of the same building, we as the audience don't know who he is. I didn't even know who to focus on because there are many people in one frame. But still, the idea of an ex best friend is more concrete now.

I noticed the OST played various times in the beginning because this chinese show is the reason for Teh to become an actor. He sings in the costume of the main character of that show and when he leaves to home, he listens to it again. The soundtrack reappears when the flashbacks start. The show influences Teh not just today but also back then and it's what brought him and Oh together, and it's what parts them.

Oh-aew doesn't talk most of the time. We don't hear his voice until they hang out in this restaurant. Their rivalry but sadness over the past is cleary seen through their facial expressions and behaviour when they're around each other. The others are just tense and walk on tip toes around them whilst Oh is annoyed by Teh staring at him all the time. I guess Teh just wants to figure out if Oh feels as aweful as he does. Because of the flashbacks we know their ways parted in a fight and it's really symbolic that the first time they talk and the first time they "hang out" together, they fight again. They need a second try which then ends in an apology but all that stuff that's been unsaid for so many years needs to be said. Since they didn't talk because they didn't have a reason to, it fits that the first time they talk, it's a mess and it shows the audience how deeply they hurt each other by ending their friendship thus we get to hear Oh-aew talk for the first time when he's shouting at Teh. It shows the pain.

What still surprises you?

I'm still very amazed by the technique to start with the audition but keeping the end as a secret until the end of this episode because only then we can totally understand why Teh said what he said. "How is your exam going. We haven't talked in a while. If I could choose, I wouldn't want it to be this way. I hope you get in. Good luck." Tears stream down his face and he's filled with regret. Just like the scene when Oh-aew discovers he didn't get in. Oh is devastated and disappointed and Teh is there. But Oh runs away, shouts at him in tears and it makes Teh cry as well because he doesn't want them to be so distant. There's a distance between them and Teh caused it all those years ago. It's regret.

That's why the scene at the beach still has so much meaning. Bringing Oh-aew's bags back seems like a peace offering and when Teh starts crying and apologizes, Oh gets what he's apologizing for. It's regret all over the place and the acting is still incredible.

The coconut scent and taste are established as well. Teh has to drink it because it brings luck but he hates it, makes a face because of it. We all know, later he will love it but I didn't know it was already mentioned in the first episode. Everything is mentioned and comes naturally, so amazing.

It's no secret "I told sunset about you" works a lot with colours an their meaning. But one scene explicitly shows how detailed this show is. After Teh insulted Oh, Oh storms outside, is sad and angry and Bas tells him to calm down. It might be just me but I believe it's on purpose but the trafic light reflecting on Oh-aew's face changes its color and it mirrors him calming down. First, it's red and Oh is angry. Red symbolizes anger, as we all know. Then, it switches to green. Green isn't necessarily a warm color but still, he's much more close to earth now. I think it has meaning.

I'm still surprised by the way Teh and Oh are presented as one and the same person. "We even did the same when we were bored." I think it's because Teh wants them to be alike, a unity. Best friends aren't the same but it seems like it here. They have the same dream and hobbies and just share everything. It's established pretty quickly that Teh thinks they are the same but later he learns they are not. It's all stated in the first half of this episode. The audience can easily follow because they know so soon what the main conflict will be.

5 acts of a drama - first part: the introduction and inciting incient

"I told sunset about you" has five episodes and I think they mirror this model of Freytag. This first episode would be the introduction. We are introduced to Teh looking like an ambitious theatre kid because he showed in this costume. We are introduced to a probably lost friendship. Then the flashbacks start, explaining and showing the beginning and end of Teh and Oh-aew's epic friendship. It's the whole backstory that takes up various scenes and a big part in this episode to let them take their time, for us to get their vibe to then understand why their fight was so fatal. Then they see each other again, but are tense. It's an introduction to their conflict. The story goes on with an inciting incident: the scene at the beach. It marks the real beginning of this show. Then their friendship starts again. The whole flashback is no cloud between them any longer and the action can start.