That's My Candy – Series Review

Guy is a hardworking nurse with a busy schedule. He works long hours at the hospital, eager to help many patients. Guy is in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend Jing, a film school student. They have known each other since high school and currently live together.

Guy and Jing have an upcoming anniversary. Jing has made elaborate dinner plans to celebrate this special occasion together. However, his workaholic boyfriend misses the dinner because of his busy job. Guy apologizes for forgetting their anniversary, but Jing is too upset to forgive him. It isn't the first time Guy prioritizes his career over his romance. Jing suggests that they should break up, devastating his remorseful boyfriend.

Jing moves out of their home and lives with his good buddy Kana. Although they are platonic friends, Kana has a crush on Jing and uses this opportunity to get closer. Meanwhile, Guy wants to win back his boyfriend, but Jing is distant and standoffish. When Guy falls asleep, he dreams of a mysterious older man. This man gives him three magical candies, which can grant him any wish. Guy wakes up and sees the candies on his bed, but he doesn't know if they actually work.

Jing has a hobby of following online celebrities and watching their live streams. One of his favourite VJs is Viking, a popular media personality. Viking has recently partnered with Tamtam, another VJ, as part of a promotional campaign. The two of them get along and develop feelings for each other. Tamtam's hospitalized brother also plays matchmaker to help them grow closer. However, Viking and Tamtam face various misunderstandings that give them doubts about starting a relationship.

That's My Candy is an excruciating BL drama with a senseless story, loathsome characters, and tedious romances. Maybe the first two episodes were okay enough. Not enjoyable, but at least watchable. The quality soon takes a rapid nosedive, and completing the remainder of the series is a painful slog. The flimsy plot goes off the rails with outrageous conflicts, obnoxious comedy, and offensive melodrama. Ugh, I was fed up with the constant nonsense.

The surreal series has a fantasy element that involves granting the protagonist three magical wishes. The premise sounds innovative, but the story never does anything creative with this useless gimmick. Instead, most of the series repackages the same old BL tropes, from dull love triangles to dumb misunderstandings. That's My Candy approaches these topics with wacky humour, quirky punchlines, and random zaniness. Sadly, their embarrassing attempts at comedy are seldom funny.

The worst issue is Jing's character, whose behaviour is despicable and detestable. He does something shockingly inappropriate in Episode 3 that makes me react with horrified disgust. His wretched actions are so beyond the pale that it's impossible to redeem this scumbag. Putting aside the egregious offence, Jing acts like a miserable nightmare in every scene. He throws childish tantrums, picks unnecessary fights, and gaslights his boyfriend constantly. Not to mention, he's also whiny, needy, hypocritical, and irrational. Oh my god, I despise Jing so much.

I actively rooted against the Guy & Jing romance. Their tiresome relationship feud makes me roll my eyes, shake my head, and groan in exasperation. I hate their repetitive conflicts about prioritizing work over romance. Both leads look unflattering whenever they argue and beg for forgiveness in a dreary loop. Jing also takes an ugly stance and bitches about his boyfriend helping hospital patients. In one scene, Jing almost stops Guy from assisting an unconscious woman because they have a dinner date. WTF!? Why is the main character such a callous monster!?

Although Guy and Jing share affections on various occasions, these scenes are insubstantial fluff. You'll quickly forget the lovey-dovey moments, which all feel the same in an unrecognizable blur. The other couple has a harmless romance, but their rapport is unremarkable without any complexity. You can foresee every predictable beat in the relationship. Also, Viking and Tamtam are vapid characters with no definition outside their careers as online celebrities. That's My Candy could've trimmed the bloated supporting cast and developed the secondary leads.

At least That's My Candy looks decent. Sometimes, the experimental cinematography explores a freaky aesthetic, reminding me of BL meets Clockwork Orange. However, the solid production values also remind me an entire crew worked on this series and still produced an incoherent mess. They delivered four hours of unintelligible, unfunny, and underwhelming content. At some point, it crossed my mind That's My Candy might be an intentionally awful parody to mock the BL genre. Otherwise, this series feels like the worst insult, offending me with its pitiful effort.