Nitiman – Series Review & Ending Explained

Story review

Weak story

Nitiman's story is a bit unexciting. Only Jin and Bbomb's romance drives the plot, while the other characters don't contribute anything substantial. The relationship drama between Bbomb and Jin doesn't offer enough adrenaline to sustain your interest throughout all ten episodes. Plus, they're constantly cycling through the same types of conflicts. It's hard to feel inspired after watching one love triangle after another, like a never-ending loop.

This drama desperately needs more compelling storylines. It doesn't even have to be romantic in nature. The hypothetical subplots can be school drama, family drama, health drama, or anything else. We just need a reprieve from Jin and Bbomb's constant relationship scenes for ten consecutive episodes.

Cheeky humour

Nitiman gets a little cheeky sometimes. It sprinkles a bit of mischief and naughtiness throughout the series, but does so in an implicit way. For example, there's a scene in Episode 2 where Bbomb grabs a water bottle from Jin. However, the scene composition is filmed so that it looks like he's grasping at something else instead. 🤭

Another example is in Episode 8, which contains one of my favourite lines in the series. Jin and Bbomb are in the middle of a massive argument after finding a condom planted by Bbomb's friends. The condom gives Jin the wrong idea that his boyfriend has been messing around behind his back. As the cheating allegations escalate, Bbomb proclaims, "The condom is too small. I won't fit. It's not mine." This scene was supposed to be really serious and tense, so it startled me when he utters such a ridiculous line with a straight face. 🤭

Acting review

Okay acting

I thought the acting from the two leads was just okay. Both Jin and Bbomb's actors do an acceptable job with a very heavy workload. Jin's actor (Jom) improves over the series, becoming more comfortable in his role.

As for the supporting cast, I already raved about Jack and Singh, whose actors (Bhu and Tontae) exude lots of lively charisma. I also think Aim's actress (Natty) is pretty decent. She probably could've handled more material than what the plot gave her.

Ending review

Decent ending

I'm mostly satisfied with the Nitiman ending, which sees Jin and Bbomb's relationship at its strongest point so far. However, there have been so many similar conflicts between them, where Bbomb or Jin would get jealous towards each other. Even when they reconcile happily, it feels like yet another ~kiss and make up~ scene that we've already seen before. Let's count down until the next time Bbomb throws a tantrum and gets jealous over Jin again…

I like that Aim played a role in the happy ending, bringing the two leads together. The Nitiman series begins with Aim and Jin falling out of love, while it concludes with her helping him fall in love again. This ending gave both characters the necessary closure to move on with a fresh start.

Jin and Bbomb

Jin and Bbomb don't have the healthiest romance. Bbomb comes out of the gate very strong, aggressively hitting on a guy who doesn't show any interest in him. Meanwhile, Jin is very reluctant around him, barely tolerating his presence. He seems way more interested in flirting with Som than reciprocating Bbomb's advances.

Bbomb forces a kiss on an intoxicated Jin (🙄) at the end of Episode 4. In an emotionally tense moment, Bbomb insists that he made his romantic feelings very obvious. Still, Jin just pretends not to acknowledge them. While Jin admits that he's confused, he doesn't shut down the possibility of a romance between them. Surprisingly, Bbomb's persistence in the past few episodes rubbed off on Jin, unlocking a bit of bi-curiosity inside him.

Frustratingly, Nitiman manufactures tension by throwing a bunch of random love interests at the couple. Som, Mark, Maprang, and Aim all get in the way of the budding romance between the main characters. Driven mad by jealousy, Bbomb's behaviour becomes very erratic. One moment, he's moping and sulking. The next moment, he's prickly and pissed. The exhausting drama drags on for numerous episodes until they clear the air in the ending. Their relationship in the second half is a mess, and it's just not very fun to watch.

Bbomb's identity revolves around Jin so much that he loses any individuality. I was iffy on his character since the start because he came across as too desperate. Please stop thirsting after a guy who openly despises you! Later, Bbomb becomes increasingly unlikable as a love interest. The neediness, obsessiveness, and perpetual jealousy are such ugly looks on him. His behaviour is problematic enough that I'd rather ship Jin with a single life than with someone as messy as Bbomb.

Jin, Aim & Bbomb

Jin's ex-girlfriend Aim drifts in and out of the narrative, never establishing much of a presence. However, she plays a vital role in Jin's relationship with Bbomb. There's actually a dramatic irony to the story. Even though Jin blamed Bbomb for stealing his girlfriend at first, the twist is that Aim feels guilty for coming in between Bbomb and Jin. She only dated her high school ex out of boredom, whereas her friend Bbomb was the one with a massive crush.

That's why Aim has been pulling the strings behind the scenes, orchestrating some secret master plan to make Jin fall in love with Bbomb. I guess I sorta understand Aim's misguided motive, even though she has no business interfering with their romance in any capacity. If you want Jin and Bbomb to be happy, maybe just leave them alone and stop involving other people to meddle with their feelings?

Jin and Som

Although Jin has a reputation of being a flirt, I think he manages his relationships quite responsibly. As soon as Jin acknowledged that he might be attracted to Bbomb, he immediately cut off ties with Somsom. He didn't lead her on, didn't drag out their prospective romance, and didn't start dating her. Some BL leads use their female love interests as a litmus test for their sexuality, but not Jin. Despite his confusion, he shows clarity and decisiveness when it comes to Som.

Nitiman has been building up the Jin and Som romance for the past few episodes, so it's almost anticlimactic how this storyline got resolved so effortlessly. She confessed, he rejected her, and they moved on. Understandably, Som got upset at first, but Jin gave her space and time to process the heartbreak. Once Som was ready to interact with him again, Jin offered another sincere apology for hurting her feelings earlier. They both handled the rejection very maturely. The two of them go back to a cordial friendliness with each other.

While this storyline didn't amount to anything, I liked the way Nitiman handled it. I was impressed they didn't try to milk the drama between Jin and Somsom, showing a remarkable restraint instead.

Jack and Som

Somsom had some nerve approaching Jack for matchmaking help, considering their history. Jack confessed his feelings to her before, but she had rejected him. Afterwards, Som asks Jack to be her wingman so that she can date his friend Jin. I don't know if this girl is naive or simply thick-skinned, but why would you get him involved!? As if it wasn't humiliating enough that you turned him down, now he's supposed to help you hook up with his friend? 🥴

With that said, I'm glad Jack and Som ended up together as a couple because it gave both characters happy endings. One of the ongoing minor subplots is how Jack behaves like a sleazy playboy, flirting with every girl he sees. Later on, we find out that his over-the-top antics simply mask his insecurities about getting rejected. Jack puts on this bravado so that he wouldn't feel hurt when they turn him down. Deep down, Jack just wants to settle into a steady relationship, so I'm glad Som gave him another chance.

Jack and Singh

Anyone who watches BL properly knows that the best ship in Nitiman is Jack and Singh. This drama's biggest mystery is why Pang and R-Rui chose to ship Jin x Bbomb on their fan page when there's Jack x Singh right in front of them. Imagine the two goofy best friends who are always together as they develop feelings for each other. C'mon, the BL content writes itself.

I thought Singh's storyline was that he'd end the unhappy relationship with his girlfriend after finding love with his best friend, Jack. Instead, he was randomly paired off with Pang in a heterosexual ending that no BL fan wanted. Jack and Singh have an undeniable spark. If I was the director and witnessed the chemistry between these two actors, I would've thrown away the script and made them a couple on the spot. In my fantasy, they'd be the secondary romance instead of the nonexistent Keam and Ball relationship.

Yes, I'm aware that pairing the two straight characters with girlfriends puts me on the same level of delusional fandom as Pang and R-Rui. And what about it? The fact that they aren't canon only makes their impossible romance more epic, to be honest. My heart wants what it wants, and what I want is a JACK x SINGH gay romance~ 😚

Keam and Ball

The Keam and Ball romance amounted to nothing in the end. Their nonstarter relationship was designated the lowest priority, treated as a mere afterthought with minimal focus. Ball barely appeared in the series, had no relevance to the plot, and we didn't know who he was as a person. Not to mention, the scenes were awkward as hell every time the two characters interacted. I don't understand what Nitiman tried to achieve with this storyline, but it was mishandled from start to finish.

Keam's character felt like he had bigger plans that never unfolded. He started out with some intriguing ambiguity, since his coy glances at Jin & Bbomb imply there's more to him beneath the surface. You'd suspect that he might have secret feelings for Jin or Bbomb. OR BOTH!? Now that would be a twist, haha.

However, nothing interesting happened during all ten episodes, as if they skipped Keam's turn with the character development. The actor is pretty telegenic with handsome leading man looks, so it's a shame that he didn't get more time in the spotlight. I feel like Keam's awesome hairstyles ended up having more of a journey than he did during the series.

Happy ending

There's a happy ending in Nitiman, where Jin and Bbomb reconciled after they clear up their misunderstanding. In the last episode, Jin reassured Bbomb that he had no feelings for Mark. However, Bbomb still felt insecure after witnessing Jin and Aim in an intimate embrace.

As the semester comes to an end, Bbomb disappears from university without telling anyone. He wouldn't answer calls and texts from Jin or his friends. Just when everyone is at their wit's end, Bbomb finally answers a call from U. They learn that he's back home with his mom, so Jin and Aim fly to his hometown to clear the air with him.

Ending explained

Upon their arrival, Bbomb realizes that he got it wrong and jumps to conclusions again. During a heart-to-heart chat, Aim tells Bbomb to stop feeling sad and insecure about his relationship. He needs to start believing in Jin, who has stuck with him for a very long time already.

During the visit, Jin and Bbomb's mom also meet for the first time. She teases him at first, pretending not to know about their relationship until Jin comes out as Bbomb's boyfriend. However, Bbomb had already told his mom everything, and she's very supportive of them. The mom gives them her blessing and hopes Jin can continue to make her son happy.

Final scene

Nitiman concludes with a picturesque scene by the lake, where Jin and Bbomb reaffirm their love for each other. Jin finally goes "Facebook official" with his boyfriend, updating his online status to confirm their relationship.

All their university friends see the update and respond happily. We see that the other supporting characters have paired up as well:

• Jack and Som are now a couple.
• Singh and Pang are flirting with each other.
• R-Rui and Tong are also getting cozy together.
• Keam and Ball share a moment as well, but their relationship is still kept a little ambiguous.

Back at home, Aim is relieved that her plan worked. These two guys are finally together, just as she had hoped for since breaking up with Jin. The final scene has Jin and Bbomb holding hands as they stare into each other's eyes lovingly.