So cozy and heartwarming

I've started the manga in April this year and have re-read 3 times already, before discovering this beautiful adaptation. I was beyond thrilled. The Manga is such a comfort read for me, and after having watched the tv show, now it's also a comfort show.

I'm so amazed by... literally everything. The cinematography, the actors, the director, the vibe... it's exactly like the Manga. So, so cozy and heartwarming.

The actors have done an incredible job in bringing the characters to life and especially also the chemistry. How it starts off kinda awkward because they don't know each other at all, then slowly turns into a friendship where the characters are just incredibly comfortable with each other and are able to open up about their difficult past, and then Nomoto slowly realizing she might feel more for Kasuga.
Kasuga too, though. In the beginning, she's quite stone-faced and doesn't show any emotions at all. But slowly, as they spend more time together, she begins to smile more and express her feelings verbally more often, which Nomoto also points out.

Every time they look at each other in the manga, I get butterflies. Every time the actors were sitting at the table, I got butterflies. I'm amazed by how well they could capture the chemistry and channel it in their acting.
There's barely any physical touch between them. Only a little towards the end. Yet still... sparks fly when they're just in the same room and that's genuinely impressive.

The romance isn't in a sense of "omg it's love at first sight, they're so hot and I want to f*** them" but in a sense of strong platonic feelings and fulfilling happiness. Two souls who have finally found each other and found solace in being accepted the way they are (Kasuga by having a huge appetite and Nomoto for cooking because it's her hobby). It's very subtle.
And beautiful, because there aren't many self-discovery shows with characters at that age. But people seem to forget that you don't find everything about you during your teenage years, as the media might suggest nowadays, so this is a really great reminder to you and anyone else, that you grow everyday and if you haven't found your path yet, don't worry, because your time will come – even if you're 50 by then.

~

Season 1 covers Volume 1 and 2 of the manga, and ends the same way volume 2 ends: during the sunrise.
I was often quite surprised how close they kept it to the source material. Of course they added a few scenes here and there or changed little things to fill the time, but overall it is very very similar.

It's a perfect cozy show for autumn, and even winter. It plays around December (there's a Christmas and new year's episode), but gives more autumn vibes for me, maybe because of the lack of snow, lol.

Really recommended for any age group and especially a perfect cozy watch during the holidays. The episodes are very short as well (15 minutes), so you can watch it all in one evening. During the weekend with your family or some friends for example.

Don't forget to have food nearby, though, because the story centers around food – they cook and eat a lot –, so you will likely get hungry during watching. ;D

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What does Chon see in Ton?

I really feel bad for Chon. It’s clear he loves Ton, though I’m starting to wonder why. I genuinely don’t see anything in Ton, except for his good looks.
Also, i don’t like how Ton was using Chon, trying to find out if he has feelings for him. I get it, but I feel mostly bad about Chon.

This show is more comedy than drama, and the background characters (especially Ai and Ni) really carry most of it.

If you want to get drunk, here's a drinking game: Take a shot every time...
- Ton labels Chon as a brother
- Ton flirts with Chon
- Ton says MxM ain't possible
You'll be drunk before getting through the first half.

The background characters are mostly nice though. Chon's mom and best friend, totally supportive and have Chon's back all the time. Ai & Ni are goof-heads, in a positive way, helping Chon getting together with Ton. And Miriam, a character who's introduced in the 2nd half, also plays a big role in TonChon's relationship.

Other than that, it's mostly just cringe. It starts cringe and doesn't stop being cringe throughout the whole series. The way Ton obviously flirts with Chon, yet keeps repeating that mlm relationships aren't possible and that Chon is a brother to him, is just way too much. And when he does figure himself out, realizing that gay people actually exist, he completely neglects Chon's feelings, only uses it for his own benefit.
The amount of times Chon cried... bet it was just the director being a fan of the actor's ability to cry, nothing more. IT was really unnecessary. Going through so much shit, what's the point?

If you just see it as a comedy, it's fine I guess, but it's really nothing serious... at least for me, they're just a joke.

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I need a prequel of the prequel

It's marked as a prequel to how they got together, and while that's not wrong, it's not a prequel to the main series, cause it plays parallel. There are recap scenes from the main series, so basically you wouldn't need to watch Deep Night, if you only want the GL.

What confuses me is their relationship before meeting in episode 1. They said they went to school together and were best friends, but it's also hinted at that they had a relationship before. For me it seemed they were kinda friends with benefits on and off, maybe because of society. But does that line-up? Meiji asked in Deep Night "what kinda friends kiss all the time?" But if they were f+, that question wouldn't entirely make sense. Unless they knew they felt more for each other back then already?

Still, I'd like to know more about Max and how he agreed to this. Not saying it's unrealistic. It is actually quite sweet of him to help her in that way. But it did feel like a plot-twist.

Episode 1-3 were quite awful, imo. Meiji was evil towards Freya. They said it's seducing, but idk, it was much more provoking. The "let's see how jealous I can make you" trope.

But the rest, ep4-6, was really sweet. That's what I came here for. That's the vibes they gave in Deep Night. So mature and healthy, but also fun. Especially the kitchen scene was... a mess. But that's what makes it so good, cause it just feels natural.

Tanya and Ning are amazing actresses. I've got butterflies every time they were intimate or sweet to each other. Are they even acting? It feels way too real. Not like something that was scripted, more like that there were hidden cameras everywhere.

Khem also had some nice scenes. I love how supportive he is of their relationship, and how smiley he gets whenever he sees his mom being happy. Also confirmed that he knew about their relationship all the time.

~

Overall: The first half should've been changed or at least more explained. Why did they part, why haven't they seen each other for so long? What was their relationship before?
But as soon as they kissed, it gradually got better and the 2nd half was amazing. Would give it a 10 for that, but unfortunately the start wasn't good. I can see some people dropping it, if they for example haven't watched Deep Night and don't know that this will develop into a mature romance.

I am excited for season 2, but the trailer seems to be another jealous trope, and... oof. I hope it won't stretch that long at least.

Would be cool if the episodes were longer as well. 15 minutes per ep ain't much, but also if you subtract the recap scenes, you'd get 10 minutes per ep.

Conclusion: awful start, wonderful ending. Do have patience and don't drop it. It's worth getting through the first episodes.

-03.09.24

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Romanticizes (cyber-)bullying

Oof... I don’t know.
People keep saying that it deserves the popularity that 2gether has, but the thing is: yes, it’s entertaining, but whereas 2gether was boring, FUTS was toxic in how they dealt with serious matters, especially when it came to Pi’s insecurities.

First of all, he was bullied pretty much all his university life (and perhaps even before that). Then he gets harassed again after having changed into a "hot guy", yet Mork still cannot accept that. Y’all be calling that love? That is stubbornness, not love. He kept pressuring Pi into making the relationship public, even though Pi several times stated that he doesn’t feel comfortable about it. When you were bullied and harassed, you can’t just miraculously move on from that. Things like these take time; and Mork really wanted to rush things.

Overall the series feels like a mix of 2gether and TharnType. 2gether is the main vibe, but with the toxicity and being dealt in a wrong way from TharnType – also romanticizing toxic behavior.

The only characters that kept me going was Duaen with his gang and Meen. The gang is friendship goals, and Duaen is the best brother ever. And MeenDuaen were at least a healthy couple.

I really want this to have a higher rating, but the way they dealt with these serious matters really isn’t acceptable. The actors delivered well, as expected from GmmTV, but the writers should’ve dealt properly about it, instead of romanticizing it once again. :/

-29.11.21

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A BL Drama for the Queers and such a fresh breath! Sets the bar high for the industry.

23.5 is airing currently and after watching the 1st episode, I found out that Milk & Love (the two actresses who play the lead couple in 23.5) are also a side GL couple in Bad Buddy! I didn’t even know there‘s a lesbian couple in BB, when I added the series to my watch-list a year ago.

Bad Buddy was really good actually. I was surprised by how good – I had not expected such a fresh breath in many aspects!

It often reminded me of SOTUS & SOTUS S... But it’s more of an “updated”, more modern version of S. It’s like what S & SS could’ve been, if homophobia hadn’t been such an issue back then.
Which is nice. S had been (and maybe still is) a classic in the (Thai) BL fandom, but essentially is very outdated already. BB shows how much the world/genre has changed – for good. How much we’ve grown. A new, better generation started.

While most BL Dramas are made for straight women, this series feels like it’s been made for us, the Queer community.
PatPran’s relationship is so healthy, so natural and just happy vibes. They’re not together because the “kisses are hot”, but because they’re each other’s safe space. All the physical stuff that comes with most romances is more like a side bonus for them, but not the main reason for the relationship.
They communicate and respect each other’s boundaries. They fight for happiness and don’t let jealousy get the better of them. (Thus resulting in plot points being cleared quickly, without unnecessary dragging.)

Not only that, it also calls the toxicity of other BL Dramas out, especially those that are very heteronormative & stereotypical. Plus it shows how to do it better. Some quotes as an example:
1.) “I can’t say exactly when. I don’t even know for sure when I changed. Maybe I’ve liked men for so long, but I just realized it.” – Pat
“I thought you’d be like: ‘I’m straight but Pran is the only guy I like.’” – Pat’s sister
2.) “Does calling me a wife make you feel superior?” – Pran to Pat

And finally: SWITCHES!!!

Not only was it not heteronormative, it also had no homophobia.
Just like Only Friends, a world where queerness is simply normal and not very special anymore. That was for example shown when a guy had a crush on a girl, but that girl was on a date with another girl and he realized he was totally third-wheeling, so he stopped pursuing her and accepted his “heartbreak”.

Generally, female characters are treated well.
I’ve mentioned it in my review of Only Friends already, but even though BL Dramas have women as its target audience, female characters are usually treated the worst, for some reason.
Not here.
Except for Pat’s attitude towards his sister, there was no misogyny present at all and females are actually respected. As you can see in the example above, GL isn’t seen as “girls being girls” either.

Parents actually seemed like parents.
Writing a realistic & natural family dynamic is apparently difficult everywhere in the world. But gmmtv managed to write the parents as people, not just characters who have a certain role in the MCs’ lives. Conversations felt natural, not scripted, and their dynamics felt real.

The “rivals to lovers” trope was also really well done. Even though they were more like frenemies, their rivalry didn’t magically stop once they started dating. Their bickering totally continued and they used that to their advantage in the relationship (e.g. by pushing each other through competing).

I loved the comedy.
Just like in Only friends, no one served as the comedic relief, everyone had funny scenes. Scenes that went along with the story and weren’t forced in. Scenes that felt natural, not written. Scenes that will still make you laugh even after re-watching it for the 10th time.

The actors' chemistry is just as wonderful as in Only Friends. Maybe even better, since PatPran’s relationship was much more explored on the romantic level, than any of the couples in OF.

~

Mixed feelings:

Upon first watching, I wasn't much a fan of Pat's personality, but that's mostly because of his attitude and the way he was treating his sister (Pat's family dynamic generally is rather toxic, compared to Pran's). But he warmed up to me in the 2nd half and especially when he was using that "charm" of his to help Pran out. Plus, Pran didn't let Pat win as easily, so there's also that. They balance each other out and you can see why the universe paired them up.

At first, the reason for the feud seemed pretty anti-climatic. The way it was built up and given it’s a drama, you’d expect something more “extreme”, more devastating.
But after re-watching and imagining myself in the person’s situation, who was the most hurt by the reason, it is actually pretty dramatic. I guess the problem was just how they revealed it, that made it seem like it’s not really worth being so upset about it, but if you really think about it and put yourself in the shoes of the person (and think back 30-40 years, times were different), it gets more understandable. And totally valid.

The zero waste village was rather contradicting. As an environmentalist I do like the idea and am glad that gmmtv uses their popularity to talk about these things. However, on the other hand, the amount of plastic they've used and continued to use, as well as promote brands that are just plastic...

~

Overall I love it, it's become my favorite of gmmtv.
I watched it on the 12th March 2024 the first time and re-watched the entire series just one day later. I'm swooned and can't help to come back to them.

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More like 7 days.

The characters have not changed at all. Everyone is still so damn toxic to each other. 7 years together and they still don’t trust their partner.

When jealousy becomes the main plot once again, it shows how one-dimensional the love between TharnType actually is.

The only non-toxic characters are P’Cir and Phu. They truly trust each other and it was a true relief whenever they had screen-time. Also the Family of Tharn is very non-toxic. The way they also side with Type — I love it.
The fact that Tharn’s family is so lovingly but then there’s Tharn being toxic af is kinda paradox, but nvm.

If you ship TharnType, then there’s lots of fan-service and probably also why people love it so much.

I never shipped them tho, so I really enjoyed their “breakup”.

-09.11.21

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GmmTv really said, "let’s make everyone kiss everyone in this series".

This was such an amazing ride. I binged it in a day, and had such a blast, laughing and grinning ear to ear in every episode. After the last episode, I just wanted to go party like the characters did in the series a lot of times. Not gonna lie, I felt totally high after finishing it – high of laughter and fun. XD

Why is it so great though? Multiple reasons:
* Although it’s a college BL, it doesn’t focus that much on studying and some characters are also from different majors, so there’s some variety.
* The characters are toxic, yes, but it’s part of the plot, doesn’t get romanticized, and instead calls lots of toxic tropes out.
* Bi- and pansexuality are actually acknowledged, there’s no "I’m only gay for you" or "I was hetero but you turned me gay" trope.
* Instead of a love triangle, we have a heptagon.
* Two lesbian couples.
* There’s an age gap relationship.
* Everyone basically got to kiss everyone, so if you don’t happen to ship the endgame couples, chances are you’ll at least see some kinda make-out between your ships.
* Some of my favorite love tropes: "rivals to lovers" and "friends with benefits".
* Date variety: rollerblades, music shop, laser tag, bookstore, and some more. (Not the typical places.)
* There are actually switches – no extreme top/bottom stereotypes and everyone’s treated like a man.
* Wonderful chemistry between the actors, platonically, romantically and sexually. Sex scenes feel real, not acted, and the kisses are hot.
* Pretty much everyone is gay in one way or another, but there’s also a hetero couple I got butterflies for.
* No homophobia, as well as no coming-out-scenes; everyone knew already they’re gay/bi/pan/etc (well, except for one character later on) and no one minded that – every sexuality was normal and not highlighted. 
* Simply a chill series. 
* Also, finally a realistic representation of a bookworm/booknerd. 
* And the comedy isn't too forced/much, but actually funny.


~

College BL:
While the plot is based on the main friends’ graduation project, it doesn’t focus on college or studying too much, but rather shows the partying side of college life. There are also characters from different majors/classes, so you don’t have the whole cast from the same studying field. 

No homophobia or coming-outs:
A very famous trope in school BLs is the "finding oneself" by a guy flirting with them and them figuring out they’re gay/bi/etc. That's usually accompanied by homophobia, albeit most of the time it's the fear of homophobia, the fear of not being accepted or even bullied, especially by their own friends.
That's not the case here.
Not only because everyone already knows their sexuality, but even in public, no one is afraid of PDA or getting seen or whatever. Even their parents know which gender their kids mingle with and it’s never been a topic. No one hates themselves because of their sexuality either. 
Really, every sexuality is treated the same. It’s not highlighted in any way, not seen as something special, just chill. 
But at the same time, also, there’s no heteronormatism. When new characters don’t know the sexuality/interest of other characters, they ask, instead of assuming things. Or they lean in for a kiss right away, without worrying too much about it. 
So chill.

Gender equality:
Even though BL Dramas target more women than men and the audience is mostly women, the female characters in the dramas are usually treated very badly.
However, not in this series.
It might be genuinely the first Thai drama – no, the first asian drama –, where women aren’t treated like shit. They aren’t used as whiny characters, who want their exes back, or as flings one of the guys can make out with, to make their partner jealous, or just as "decoration" to fill the room, but essentially have no lines/voice and no saying in a matter. 
None of that crap here. They’re actually equal, are respected, aren’t whiny, have a voice and are likable characters. Just like with sexualities, the genders aren’t treated very different, have equal respect and it’s just chill.
Of course, since it’s a BL drama with 3 BL main couples, there aren’t that many female characters to begin with, but with what there is, it’s well done. 

Stereotypes:
Another "equality" this series does, is the way tops and bottoms in BL relationships are treated. Usually it’s unrealistic and not really the way actual gay relationships are, because, again, the target audience are women, and straight ones to that. And what is one thing straights can’t seem to accept? That every relationship is different, and when you say "love is love", it doesn’t mean queer relationships are just like hetero ones.
Heterosexual relationships are technically the only genre where top and bottom labels should be used, as you’ll rarely find a same-sex couple, where there is only one person doing everything. 
And this series finally acknowledges that.
Not entirely directly and there are still things to improve, but it is going into the right direction.
For example:
- two tops get a sex scene,
- multiple bottoms each have a make out scene,
- both the supposedly top or bottom are horny,
- and both have scenes where they lead the way.
While it’s not directly said they are switches, it’s not needed, when you can clearly see that the one who’s been more dominant, also enjoys it the other way round.
What it does, is, it’s acknowledging that they are both men.
The tops and bottoms stereotypes have gone so out of hand in the last years, that the bottoms in the relationship are completely treated like a girl. Studios make them usually shy, more feminine, more emotional, more "innocent", and all that crap. 
Again, not here. Both people in a relationship are men and are treated as such. The "tops" here are just as emotional or sometimes even more than the "bottom". A beautiful portrayal of this is SandRay. 

There's also an age-gap relationship (the actors aren’t that far apart, but the character should have at least 10-15 years), and while the older one was seen to take the lead and be more dominant, he wasn’t a top-stereotype, too had emotions, and they both felt equal, both were initiating things.

Oh, and another stereotype they dropped or went against, was the nerd character. While he does seem stereotypical at first (having that innocent vibe), it is actually – finally – a realistic representation of a bookworm. Yea, they might have no experience irl, but by reading a lot of books, you are quite experienced and knowledged in things.
That shows, for example, by him seeing through others more easily, details that are usually overlooked by everyone else, or when people are lying, and has more confidence with his boundaries. And he slays his villain era. 
As a bookworm myself, I cannot express how happy I am to finally get a goddamn realistic representation of us. No kidding. 

Toxicity:
By deciding against extreme stereotypes or stereotypes in general, it does already take a lot of toxicity away, at least for the relationships itself. 
However, this series is based on and revolves around the main characters being toxic, each in their own way. But the difference is that it’s not being romanticized, and the characters are called out for their behavior.
For example: consent. Even though with that much toxicity going on, every character does value consent when it comes to intimacy. There’s no sex where one is drugged (like in KinnPorsche) or where one is asleep (like in TharnType).
Especially Mew has quite a lot of scenes where he voices his boundaries and the other characters respect it without pushing or gaslighting him.
After-sex care is also a thing – no, none of the "I’ll carry you because your butt hurts", but asking if they’re okay with it being a one-night-stand or how it was. 
The toxicity in this series mostly is abut being toxic to oneself and how this impacts your relationships/surroundings. 

Comfortable actors:
The actors here are just as comfortable with intimate scenes as the ones in KinnPorsche. The kisses are hot – or cute, if the scene isn’t supposed to be hot. The sex scenes feel real and not acted. 
Maybe that’s also because the actors have acted before together in series – mostly as background characters, though – and therefore know each other quite well.
And some have acted as couples before – FirstKhao, who play SandRay, are also a couple in The Eclipse, and ForceBook (as TopMew) are also in A Boss and a Babe, so they have experience/chemistry already. I haven’t watched either of those two series, but you can see they’ve done this before. Particularly FirstKhao's chemistry slays. 

But not only the "hot" scenes are good. The actors also have wonderful chemistry with the platonic relationships they play. And romantic too, of course.

Additionally, the best way to describe this series is by saying, "everyone gets to kiss everyone". Therefore, actors don’t just stay in their bubble with that one other actor they’re playing a relationship with, but you actually get to see different actors acting together, who maybe never were seen in a scene together. Actors got to experiment and expand their chemistry. 
Also, not only actor-wise, but character-wise: chances are, that if you don’t ship the main couples and instead some random side character with an MC, it’s likely you will actually see a kiss or hook-up between them. Which is great. 
I also love this because I got disappointed in Big Dragon with the "rivals to lovers" trope, and this series kind of fulfilled it. Well, not all rivals became full-time lovers, but did have at least some kinda intimate scene. And I’m so here for it. 
Basically as if the writers said, "why let rivals fight verbally or with fists, when they could just make out with each other?" And I love them for it, lol.
Thus resulting in this series not having a love triangle, but an entire heptagon. XD

GL:
Since SOTUS had an open lesbian character, it’s becoming more common for other BL dramas to include GL as well. Although most of the time, if there is any of that, it usually is a mention of a couple with no visual "proof" – and if there are visual scenes, the two women usually seem like close friends, nothing romantic, let alone sexual. Kisses are usually on the cheek and even those are awkward (*cough* Big Dragon *cough*). Of course I’m happy we get at least *some* representation, but why are they still so shy about it in 2022+? 

When starting this series, I had no idea there even will be a lesbian character, but got surprised in the first episode when it’s confirmed the main girl has a girlfriend already, and then we actually got to see the girlfriend very soon! While they did seem a bit more distant than their BL colleagues, it was definitely better acted/directed/written than in other series. And they also got a kiss! On the lips! <3 

Before I even got used to the openness of the series, Gmmtv introduces another lesbian couple. Can you imagine?? One GL couple already is something for a BL drama, but TWO?? That was one amazing surprise.
Even better: they’re not teens, but old adults. Two moms of one of the main character, and one of them is confirmed bi. Old queer representation is also quite rare, so that’s another plus point. Love Gmmtv for doing this. <3

Hetero couple:
Yes, here too you have that "one hetero couple because they don’t want a queer-only cast" trope.
But it wasn’t actually too forced. The actors had genuine chemistry, it felt real (in a sweet sense) and it wasn't out of place. Their scenes were short, but still made an impact.
I’m quite surprised myself, but this might’ve been the first hetero couple in a queer show that I actually got butterflies for, when they hugged. 
Maybe also because they too dropped the gender stereotypes here, and it wasn’t about them being hetero, but rather just another two people in a relationship. 

Sexualities:
So, we have confirmed gays and lesbians (and heteros), but there’s more.
Bisexuality is actually a thing, and none of the tropes "I’m only gay for him" or "I was hetero but he turned me gay" exist.
There’s also a pansexual character – while it's not said explicitly, he pretty much confirms it by saying, "I’m open to all genders, appearances don’t matter to me". 
There was also a bit of hinted poly, though, again, not entirely confirmed. But one character often mentions he wouldn’t mind a threesome (I counted 4 times throughout the series) and that he can have feelings for multiple people at once.
Demisexuality also kind of was hinted, by one character pausing a make-out scene and saying they’re not ready for sex because they don’t know that person. Only when they got to know each other more, they slowly got more intimate. When that maybe-demisexual character was making out with someone else he didn’t know, he looked quite uncomfortable, compared to other people he does know. 
While it would’ve been nice if the labels had been used (like with gay and bisexuality), it’s still better than nothing and I am very happy for the diverse representation. 

Comedy:
As dramatic as a drama can be, every series will have some comedy. Some dramas have too much of it where it feels forced, others may have too little. 
Here, I found the comedy to be perfectly balanced. There weren’t really any characters who explicitly served as a comedic relief, instead, everyone got to have some funny scenes. And it was actually funny. 
Gotta add that point because most of the time I don’t really find all comedic scenes funny in dramas, even when they are technically good, but there’s always some scene I don’t like. Here, however, I don’t think there was ever a moment where I didn’t laugh. 

Generally it was a very fun series, not just during the explicitly comedic scenes.
Yes, there is drama, but it’s not overly dramatic in a sad sense. They focus more on everyday toxicity you’d find in every random person, and not make it about sexualities or genders. That doesn’t mean it’s kept overly lighthearted, because it does tackle deep issues like depression, and one character also goes to therapy because of an addiction. 
But for me, at least, it was a fun series that I could really enjoy in a positive sense and never be afraid of certain things.
For example, it’s also a meme/trend to make episode 11 in BL dramas to be full of sadness and heartbreak (because it's two straight lines), but that wasn’t the case here. The heartbreaks or sad scenes were scattered throughout the series and there wasn’t really anything "special" about ep11. 

What I didn’t like:
"Couples have to be endgame" trope. With particularly one couple (won't spoiler which one). Even though they would be better off separately, the producers feel like they couldn’t risk that much because fans would die if their OTP isn’t endgame. I personally didn’t ship them much from the beginning, and while I do see their well-developed growth character-wise, I think it would’ve been a much better lesson to let them go separate ways. 
I’m not too angry with this, because they did let one couple go their separate ways, albeit for a bit of a different reason. (Not gonna spoiler which couple.) And that was really great.
Still, though, I’m not too much of a fan of that other couple.

The crying scenes.
Some actors did a really good job with the crying scenes and I’m not annoyed by them in itself, but rather the amount of crying scenes two particular actors got. Khaotung (Ray) and Mark (Nick).
Khao already had lots of crying scenes in Tonhon Chonlatee, and, just like with Gun (another gmmtv actor), they’re kind of obsessed by his skill, so end up overusing it. At least it wasn’t in every episode and didn’t feel too forced (like Gun in Theory of Love), but maybe 1-2 crying sessions too much. (Although I'm not sure which ones should've been cut, because they are well done...) 

Overall:
Compared to everything I did like, the negative points are very minimal. Overall I enjoyed it, will now watch FMVs of my favorite couples/characters and definitely recommend it to anyone.

The entire series feels like Gmmtv simply wanted to try some new things out, without having any real "goals" or targeting a specific audience (in the BL fandom), and I really love that. It totally became my favorite series from them. I hope they do more like these or at least aren’t afraid to be more adventuresome, instead of chewing the same tropes over and over again. 

I really hope there will be a 2nd season, as it has been hinted in the last episode, but nothing confirmed yet.

-09.01.24

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Amazing changes for the BL genre, but still lots of things to work on.

Short review:

What I liked:
❣️ No heteronormativity!
❣️ No coming out scenes or dramatically figuring out your sexuality bc the same gender kissed you.
❣️ Barely any toxic masculinity. Men cried together without it being awkward or seen as weak.
❣️ The chemistry of the actors and the acting generally!
❣️ The cinematography. Some really nice shots there, especially the slow-mo scenes during fights.
❣️ Tankhun. He’s my number #1 favorite character!

What I disliked:
? The imbalance of the couples (top/bottom).
? KinnPorsche’s first times. Porsche basically always being drunk/high.
? The 2nd half of the series. Too many lies.
? PeteVegas ship. Basically Stockholm syndrome. Was very uncomfortable to watch, especially Pete, not able to let go of Vegas.
? Certain characters, who deserved to die, but didn’t.
? The whole thing with Porsche’s mother. Not just the lies, but also the way she was treated. Like a doll.
? Porsche’s extreme stupidity at the beginning. It was mostly for comedic relief, but at some point not funny anymore.

~

Long review:

? First of all, the ending.
Nope, nope, nope. Don't like it. Dude gets to walk after having lied to literally everyone, while so many other pople die. Fair, no one's really good in Mafia and everyone of them deserved it, but the one who get to live, was literally the worst of them all. Even worse is that he got forgiven by everyone he lied to at the end. Lies that stretched throughout multiple episodes and created lots of drama.

? Imbalance:
I also really really didn’t like the imbalance of Porsche and Kinn.
It was fine at the beginning, Porsche was his bodyguard, so of course he wouldn’t be treated like an equal. But when Porsche said, at the end, “my life is yours”? Which, yes, was a parallel to the first episode, but, really? If Kinn at least had said it back, okay, that would’ve been great. But he didn’t. He just replied “I’ll treasure it the most”. Even after both being heads of the family and basically announcing they’re gonna marry, Porsche is still a level below him.
I just hate that in relationships. I’m all about balance and equality.

? 2nd half
— Honestly, the first half was really good. I had so many butterflies watching this. But the second half... when it was all about the lies, over and over again; and typical jealousy drama with the couples... ugh, no. It stretched so long, always going in cycles, and not really that enjoyable to watch anymore.
— Especially the new ship, PeteVegas. Literally Stockholm syndrome. Pete was tortured so many times by Vegas, bled so much. And Vegas was just doing it for fun and emotional projection. Because his dad doesn’t respect him, blah blah. Sure, they had their emotional moments where they just talked, got to know each other, and that’s what trigged the Stockholm syndrome in Pete, probably. Him feeling sympathetic for Vegas, but knowing he didn’t enjoy the sex. He wants to leave, but also feels bad for Vegas. Really got uncomfortable.
— It did get emotional pretty often, though, and I often had to pause and reflect on things that were said. Mostly because it fits in my current life and simply made me think about certain things. That’s one thing I do love of the 2nd half tho. The slowness. The reflecting and thought-provoking dialogues/monologues.
— But that, of course, wasn’t the main goal of the series. It’s a BL, and while the actors were really great, the 2nd half just annoyed me in that regards. So much imbalance, and injustice, and deadly cycles... too much of it.

? Non-consensual
— KinnPorsche reminds a bit of TharnType. While KP is healthier than TT, the characters are similar tho, especially Kinn and Tharn. Both tops, of course.
— I really hate these words. Top and bottom. I hate it so much. When can we finally get a BL series with a couples who are both switches??
“Bros”, the Movie, did that. It was beautiful.
Why do people like the “top and bottom” roles so much?? That’s so disgustingly hetero.
— They’re also, kind of, based on rape. Porsche was drunk the first time they kissed and didn’t remember until like 2 days afterwards. He didn’t push him back and also wasn’t confused or angry about it, but yk, drunks can’t really give consent. But, okay, it was just a kiss anyway.
When they had their first time though, Porsche was drugged. Really drugged. He was totally high.
Well... it’s not like Kinn forced himself on Porsche or anything. Quite the opposite. Porsche initiated all and Kinn was the one who hesitated. But, again, he was totally high and it was his first time with a guy.
So, yea, not rape but also not fully consent. And kinda sad that both their first times were when he was drunk/high.
And the first time they did it (while Porsche wasn’t on the verge of passing out), it was also after he has drunk a lot. (There was consent tho, but not much.)

? Apologies/consent
While their first times did start non-consensual, Kinn did apologize for it. Even said if he could turn back time, he wouldn’t do it a 2nd time.
— Which TharnType for example never did. Not once was it acknowledged in the other series that Tharn half-raped Type.
— And, when KP did each other the first time (although Porsche was half-drunk, but awake enough to give consent), Kinn did ask, kind of, before opening his trousers. It was more of a nod but clear enough for anyone.
So, yea, that was great.
— After that, there was always consent present. And a lot of apologies for other things.

? No homophobia
— What was really great though, is that there was no single mention of homophobia and no coming out scenes. Everyone in the business knows Kinn is gay, and no one makes a comment regarding that. It’s simply normal. It’s not treated as special and no one even looks differently when two guys kiss.
— Even though Porsche had only fucked girls so far, he didn’t freak out when he noticed his feelings towards Kinn. He just let it happen. That was refreshing. No 5 episodes wasted for the main character to dramatically figure out his sexuality.
He was just like, “oh he kissed me... Damn... Well, anyway. I’ve never done it with a guy, but I like it, so let’s just continue”, basically. So, so refreshing!
— But also the side couples. There was never heteronormativity present. When a guy confessed to another guy, they weren’t like “uh? What’re you doing? I’m not gay”, but simply reciprocated it. Or kissed back, without pushing them away. (Well, unless they generally weren’t in the mood for kissing, but not because of the gender.)
— Only once a sexuality of a character was mentioned, and that was Kinn, being openly gay. You don’t know the sexuality of any other character.
And that’s beautiful. I’m not a fan of labels anyway, so living in a non-heteronormative and unlabeled world, that’s the goal.

? Actors/acting:
— And the actors were great. The chemistry between the couples was intense and fire, but also the chemistry to other people. They all looked like they had fun shooting this.
— It also felt really natural. Not acted. Awkward scenes felt awkward, not because of the acting level, but because it could’ve been a scene from real life, not scripted at all. Like when you dwell in memories and then there’s this random awkward conversation you once had, and you get second-hand embarrassing of yourself.

? humor/stupidity:
Another, rather minor thing, I didn’t like or it was just really annoying: Porsche’s stupidity at the beginning. Dude really got no brain, only muscles. Really wondered how tf he’s still alive. Must be his charming aura, otherwise he’d be dead by now.
I get that this was mostly for comedic relief, but at some point it really wasn’t funny anymore. Just stupid. In an annoying way.
— And then they call Tankhun crazy and dumb for being different? That brother may be different, but certainly smarter than Porsche. Which especially got to show around the ending when Tankhun was the only one to notice Pete’s absence being unusual.
— Porsche did have his smart moments tho and by the end also grew some brain cells. Probably from experience in the job. But yea. Empty head mostly. Talks and smiles a little too much.

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GL with badass women and a touching story

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!). I watched it, googled 'Club Friday' and – holy shia – 16 seasons?? Good thing it's an anthology, alas, you can watch each story on its own. (I hope...)

As for the actual review:

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... kind of 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.

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 polite. (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

-03.09.24

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The actual episode would be 10 minutes long

Most of it is a recap (mostly from their kiss scenes), so if you'd cut all the scenes that were taken from the main series, you'd be left with round about 10-15 minutes of new scenes,

Is that bad? Depends what you wanted.

I personally hoped for more screen-time for the side characters, maybe get a backstory from one of them or something, which could potentially be used as a base for a spin-off. Or just generally show more of that "happily ever after" of the couples, as episode 8 was quite fast-paced.

It wasn't bad. I did like seeing the polycule again (they're soo cute and need their own series!!).

Just not really needed for me, as I've binged-watched the whole series in a day, so a recap of the main couple wasn't necessary. And their new scenes weren't new character-wise, so that felt a bit shallow. Could've given the screen-time to the BG characters.

-02.09.24

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I need a spin-off with KeJaSe ASAP!!

The series is available for free on Youtube, however, Youtube's version is cut (smut scenes are missing, even though you don't see more than their naked upper body, otherwise a few naughty sounds). An important scene from episode 7 is completely missing, which makes more sense for episode 8's conclusion. (You'll still understand ep8 without the scene, but it gives more character depth, and the scene is generally worth it.)

– Main couple: 
Nothing new, a bit shallow, and quite the stereotypical (sweet) couple you'll find in almost every BL series. 
The difference: communication skills. While they do have their jealous drama scenes and misunderstandings, it never stretched for more than one episode. They have a pretty quick character development when it came to the little (but important) things, and also show they've learned from that. 
As (Thai) BL series are known for having two men that absolutely cannot communicate other than with their body, this verbal change was quite refreshing. 
My personal issue was that each of their sweet scenes was always concluded with a kiss. Their kisses are good, yes, but not every emotional/sweet scene needs kissing, so after some time it felt a bit too forced. 
There was a hint in the first two episodes that they might be switches, but sadly never brought up later on again. I'd loved to have another switches couple, but it's at least safe to say that Wela is a switch. 
(Side note: They did low-key gave me YaiKorn vibes sometimes. But more as in, what YaiKorn wanted to be (at the end of their series, where they've been more sweet.) Maybe cause of the short/slight BDSM scene?)

– Everyone is gay/queer: 
We've all seen that trope at least once. If there's one BL couple, there's likely a second one, maybe a third and a fourth, and at the end it's like the whole cast is gay. Sometimes that will feel very unrealistic, however, as this is a night club setting with male hosts, it's not surprising and it works. 
I found it actually quite funny that they were very direct about it in the first episode already. There was only one character I was more or less surprised to find he's gay too, but it's also nothing new for his character role. 
The sexualities aren't actually said anywhere, so you can assume that some characters are bi or pan as well, especially considering that the club is a mixed one (where they serve every gender). Wela for example was seen serving both women and men, but as it never went past stroking and cheek kissing, you won't know for sure what his orientation is. (Not that it really mattered for me, but in case you prefer bi rep.)

– World-building: 
When so many characters are queer and openly queer as well, you'll wonder in what society they live in. And that was another fresh aspect. Queernormaticism. None of the characters were heteronormative, no one was queerphobic and no one batted an eye when seeing same-sex couples make out. There was only a bit of a slight drama with a lesbian couple, but overall very relaxing. 
None of the couples had a "oh shit I'm crushing on the same gender, wtf should I do about that"-moment. No one questioned their crush, no one had to "find themselves" and no one was afraid of telling it to people.  
These kinda settings are my favorite, and I'd give it a 10 just for that. 
Not only sexualities, but self expression was great too. Dai for example was slaying with their wardrobe, and there was one guy that Wela served who was slaying their make-up as well. No fear of femininity whatsoever. I think all of the main guys wore make-up at least once (especially lipstick) and it looks so good. Can the west please adapt this? 

– Side BL couple: 
One of the 2 BL side couples was very bold in the first episode, so i was a bit surprised they didn't continue with that maturity, until the last episode. But it was hinted at why they're distant, so that's fine. Great (the character (yes that's his name)) made for some good laughs. 
The actor of James (Nathan?) is really good. He made the scenes so natural. And mature. I'd love to see him in more BL Dramas.

– Throuple: 
My favorite BL pairing is the lovely polycule, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to finally see a BL polycule in a (Thai) TV Drama! 'Only Friends' kind of had a threesome but it was more of a "fooling around" (still loved it). Very happy to finally get the real thing. 
It was just way too short. They were hinted to be an item very early on, but the majority of time was focused on pining and the love triangle, until they finally realized: "why choose?" (And that's why you need to see the uncut version of episode 7.) 
Please please please give them their own series!! They had a few new ones in the special episode, but it was too few yet.  

– GL couple: 
Gotta love that lesbian couples are becoming more and more popular, especially in BL Dramas. 
'Only Friends' made a big breakthrough with their 2 lesbian couples, and I guess that served as an inspiration to not only have an old couple (characters in their 40s) but also give them kissing scenes. Whatever the inspiration was or not, I'm just glad to finally see real kisses between women, and not the awkward cheek smooches like in 'Big Dragon' for example. 
They were cute and badass as well. A power woman with a power woman by her side. I'm really glad they got their own series. 
In that regards, it was also nice to see women not being whiny characters only, but actually with personality and a non-annoying role. (Well, there was one woman that was very annoying and the antagonist of the non-romantic plotline, but that wasn't because of her gender.) Glad to see women being respected more and more in BL Dramas. It's been a long way. 

– Setting: 
I haven't seen a trapeze male dancer in a tv drama yet, so that was nice as well. The cinematography in those scenes were amazing and the actors got skills. 
The characters do also go to university, but there aren't many scenes there. (Luckily, because who isn't lowkey done with the school setting?)

– Overall: 
There were scenes that were a bit shallow and could've been better, but all in all quite refreshing. If this is where the BL industry is steering to, then yes please. And also please more polygamy.  

-02.09.24

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Better than TharnType but still toxic

Meh. Didn’t expect that much, considering it’s a spin-off of TharnType, so that already says a lot.
I did like the main couple a bit more than TharnType but Fiat was just way too annoying with playing “hard to get”. I don’t get what Leo sees in him. Though he did get a development and was definitely better written than in TT.

I mainly watched this bc LeoFiat fans kept saying that Fiat is better here than in TT. I hated him so much there, yet was curious so I gave it a shot. Well... big disappointment. He didn’t change at all. Okay, maybe a little bit. But he keeps hurting Leo and then denying it or puts the blame on him. And worst of all, Leo actually thinks it’s his fault. Dude, whaat??? If your boyfriend was a sl*t his whole life, how are you to blame? T_T

At least this beautiful ship LeonPob was introduced, so I had to continue. They’re so damn cute. And even tho I didn’t trust Leon at first (cause he was a player), I did root for him at the end. Also, respect to this man who kept pursuing Pob.
Which makes the ending even more sadder. Yes, it’s realistic, but cmon! The only reason I watched 12 episodes and then... :(

What I did like overall, also with LeoFiat, is the realism. E.g.: finally becoming a couple but then not knowing how to act; being embarrassed during your first time and not knowing what to do; the talks about how to improve in bed; etc. That's really awesome, instead just giving us the hot scenes, that usually never take place like that in real life.

-14.11.21

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I still don’t ship TharnType, but at least there was no toxicity in this special so it’s a bit of a relief and also one of the reasons why it gets such a high rating.

What I didn’t like is the cheesiness. I get they’re a couple but c’mon, does every couple talk that cheesy? It gets really boring after sometime... oof.

Well, I loved Type’s dad tho. Usually I don’t like it when parents don’t approve but this time it’s nice cause I don’t like Tharn either. It was really funny to watch Tharn getting “killed” by his dad so many times. Also the dad is a really good Comedian.

The comedy was nice to watch here. Especially Champ with his food (e.g.: doing cheers with a chicken wing, and then the bet with his friends whether champ would ask them to go on lunch or not).

I’m also glad Type could reconcile with his childhood friend Kum. Although I don’t like how they made it that Kum had a crush on Type. Can’t childhood friends just be that – friends?

-12.11.21

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Good comedy

You might be wondering why I watch this special when I don’t ship them? Well, I guess I was just curious. I mean I watched both seasons, so I guess it wouldn’t kill me to watch one more episode.

I did like the comedy – especially Techno, lmao he’s just the best – in this one again. Without techno, it would sure be boring. Tho Type’s father was also pretty hilarious again. The dad talk was pretty funny ngl ?.

The wedding scene was kinda awkward tho. I get that same-sex marriage isn’t allowed in Thailand but couldn’t they’ve still made it like a traditional marriage? As in, the father bringing one of them to the altar, instead both of them just walking in there. Also, are you even married if you’re not blessed by a priest? ?

Well, nvm, the ending with the behind the scenes and bloopers was really nice tho. ?

-12.11.21

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