Only Friends

TOXIC, CHAOTIC, ADDICTIVE

Only Friends is that kind of BL series where you’ll find yourself thinking, “What the heck did I just watch?” and honestly, I loved every second of the chaos! It’s hands down one of the messiest, most toxic shows I’ve ever seen… but also one of the most entertaining.

I didn’t skip a single scene. If you’re into clean-cut romances, this isn’t for you. This series is packed with love triangles (and squares), cheating, red flags, friends-with-benefits, betrayal, you name it. Basically, relationship drama dialed up to 100. Watch with caution: this is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Cheum is probably the only sane character in the whole thing. Everyone else? A beautiful disaster. But that’s what makes it so addicting. Messy as it is, the story pulls you in from the start. Just give it a shot and you’ll get why people (and reviewers) can’t stop talking about it.

Read More

WHAT A WILD RIDE

Okay. This is going to be a wild review so please hold on to the ride and hear me out. Lets talk about each couple shall we?

1. TopMew
Hm.. what can I say? FORCE IS A ZADDY ❤️ and he looks good as fuck in this series. He actually open my eyes that he could actually play variety of roles and UM HELLO BOOK? YOU PIECE OF FINE ART. Anyway, TopMew is the main pairing I guess? I could say that their relationship is very very damn messy. I dont even know how to begin with their messiness. Its like you are trying to untangle hairs in a pile of hairs. The more you try to fix it, the messier it get. I would say that Top is toxic at first but he then have a character development which is beautiful by the way and now Mew is the toxic one. I am sorry but I really dont like Mew’s character towards the end. Yes, Top made a mistake but he keep on picking that shit up and act like he is a saint. Well you fucked up shit too so you two are the same. Its like calling the kettle that it is black. Anyway, the ending is fine just that Mix’s appearance just started to stir everything again LOL.

2. SandRay
This couple is fucked up too but given how fucked up the other pairings are, I could say that they are the most normal one in this series. Actually, Sand is the most normal one LOL. So Ray is an alcoholic and met bar singer, Sand whom helps him to overcome his addiction, basically helping him to become a better person. FirstKhaotung feels ARE SO REAL IN THIS SERIES IT HELPS TO MAKE UP FOR THE PREVIOUS SERIES THAT LACK OF HEAT. Trust me when I said Khaotung looks so hot and (slutty?) in this series. UGHHHH!!!!! I just love them! I like that Ray is trying to be a better person too from time to time and I like how he asked Sand to choose between him or Boeing and if Sand couldn’t chase his ex away then he would do it himself ( WE STAN A BADDIE ) . anyway, I like their ending the most though.

3. BostonNick
What I can say… I love the pairing but hate Boston’s character. This man is literally the definition of manwhore. He will fuck anything that is breathing ( as per quote by Cheum ). This type of person, will never settle down and he prefers to ride solo and avoid talking about his feelings. Nick on the other hand is such a sweet guy. CAN I JUST SAY HOW FINE NEO AND MARK ARE IN THIS SERIES? Like um HELLO??????? I never thought I can like Mark but welp, here I am :’). Anyway, Nick been giving Boston a lot of chance and when I said LOTS I MEAN LOTS but Boston been fucking every chance that Nick gave ( no pun intended ). I am sorry tired of watching Boston betray Nick, i act wanna slap him. Fr. I wish their ending could have the part Boston really changed into a better person and show Mew that he is capable in loving someone but welp, life isnt fair.

At the end of this series, I still feel like the whole thing is lots of mess and everything and everyone is always connected to each other and especially the end of the series just got me like “aight so we getting season 2 or what?” But knowing GMMTV there will be no S2. I feel like the series have their own charm and I like watching this kind of series that makes me pull my hair a few times at the twist. LOL LOVE IT ❤️

Read More

Toxicity at its finest

A controversial show you either love or hate.

Toxic and emotionally draining, but that's the quality that makes it special. It doesn't feel like a fairytale, where everything is sprinkled with stardust. It's mature and focuses on the ugly and less attractive side of people, when they are at their worst and succumb to their lowest instincts. I enjoyed watching these six characters being humans. Petty and flawed. They will definitely frustrate you, you will love them, you'll hate them, you'll sympathise with them, but they are all multi dimensional they feel real.

Aside from the story itself the acting must be praised. Every actor gave it their best and the result was amazing. I will commend Khaotung a bit more for delivering --in a terrifyingly realistic way-- one of the best scenes I've ever ever watched on a bl so far.

As for the music, every song selected fitted each scene perfectly and amplified the emotions the characters conveyed.

Overall, it's a show I definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in a less perfect story.

Read More

Messy!!! (in the best way)

Imagine the messiest person you know - someone that always has drama, makes too big of a deal about things, etc. Now imagine six people like that who are all (loosely) in the same friend group. That's the plot of Only Friends.

The show was NEVER boring. I was screaming at the TV and pausing to take deep breaths every single episode. You've got Mew (Book), Ray (Khaotung), and Boston (Neo) who are all pretty close friends (plus their lesbian friend Cheum (Lookjun)). In an attempt to help Mew get laid, Boston sets him up with his friend Top (Force). Mew and Top hit it off, but instead of a one night stand, start going on dates. Things start getting messy when Boston and Ray seem to be jealous of this relationship for different reasons; things get messier when bar singer Sand (First) meets Ray, and Boston starts seeing Nick (Mark). These six "friends" seem to be anything but - and they are much too willing to hurt each other in order to get what they want.

This show was super fun. It was the boldest show I've seen from GMM, and it was done well. With this many characters, it's hard to keep them all interesting and dynamic, but they did an excellent job with it. It was juicy all the way through without a moment to rest. And while I sometimes do wish there were more happy moments throughout, or more instances of positive character growth, it was extremely entertaining to watch and had me yelling at each character for different reasons. Definitely worth a watch.

Read More

Messy but Fun

Only Friends, a 2023 Thai drama, follows Mew, Ray, Boston, and Namchueam - a group of business students running a hostel together – who blur the lines between friendship and romance.

This series is a breath of fresh air. Unlike the standard Thai BLs, Only Friends explores the complex dynamics of friendships and romantic relationships. The characters are flawed, sometimes to the point where you don’t cheer for them. Their relationships are complicated and often frustrating but very realistic and raw. Although the plot follows the friends running a hostel together, I find that the real plot lies in the characters' relationship development and character growth. It left me gasping and screaming whenever something happened, although I do wish the plot focused more on how their friendships/relationships affected the hostel business.

All the characters have very different personalities and face unique issues. The series touches on problems of jealousy, unfaithfulness, dishonesty, and addiction and how they impact characters' relationships with others. But it also shows the significance of growth, honesty, forgiveness, and self-love. Most importantly, it emphasizes that all actions have consequences, good or bad.

The actors did a great job portraying their respective characters, however "Neo" Trai Nimtawat, who plays Boston, does a phenomenal job, I truly enjoyed his performance. I wish more emphasis was put on Namchueam and her relationship with her long-term girlfriend instead of adding characters such as Atom and Boeing who in my opinion only served as a distraction and didn’t have such an impact on the plot. I was invested in some relationships more than others but was happy with how they all developed.

This drama was aesthetically pleasing to watch. I loved the dark-lit bar and club settings. Cool locations around Bangkok created great atmospheres for certain scenes. Big applause to the styling team for giving us amazingly dressed characters as well as interesting interiors. The music was good as well; I appreciate that they included some Western songs.

Overall, Only Friends is a well-produced, enjoyable drama, more realistic and sexual than your typical GMMTV drama. If you enjoy dramatic relationships this one is for you!

Read More

Gonna miss all this messy chaos from these characters

From the first trailer last year, I just know that this series was going to be messy (love) story. I was actually afraid that I was not going to be able to follow it, but...I actually did!

Story-9/10
I'm not even gonna try to explain it, because like I said, I was hella confused from the first time I saw the preview last year. But all I can say is that all of the main characters had their good side as well as their bad side. At one point, I was rooting for them. And then at another point, I was screaming bloody murder and wishing death upon them. It can also be seen as realistic, because not all of the three couples got their happy ending together (and this is why I was most happy for Nick's ending because he chooses to love himself than to be in a relationship with Boston who wanted to change for Nick, but still was the same- although I must say that he did try at least).

I just didn't really like the character Boeing (and nothing is going to make me to). All in all, I'm going to give it a 9.

Acting/Cast-9/10
Everyone was phenomenal, especially First, Khatoung and Mark. I really loved their character and felt that they portrayed the emotions well. Force and Neo played their characters well also as they had me hating on them at one point of the series. Due to this, I'm going to give them a 9.

Music-8.5/10
The music was interesting and went well with the series. As such, I will give an 8.5.

Rewatch-10/10
I will most definitely give this another rewatch. Because it may give me a better understanding of the characters. Also, I like messy and complicated stories once told properly, which this one was. I would give this a 10.

Overall-9/10
Overall, I give this series a 9/10. I was thoroughly entertained. And was interesting in seeing Force and Book yet another character that were totally different from their previous two. I would most definitely recommend this to others who want to watch a messy and chaotic series done right.

Read More

Not Everything We Thought It'd Be, But Still a Great Show

Let's be honest. We as fans got collectively way too into this show. People were piecing together fan theories and character motivations like this was Game of Thrones or something.

And it wasn't that.

The show is exactly what it sold itself as, the story never venturing beyond the expected. But you know what? That's okay, because it was still a well executed show. This was the closest to realism that I've seen in BL- especially in Thai BL and the characters were great, complex and messy. Just being in the fandom while this was airing was like riding a crazy tidal wave, and I enjoyed every second of it.

Top notch acting, nobody dropped the ball. Were there storylines that I liked more than others? Yes. We're there couples that I was rooting for and others that I was actively rooting against? Yes. But not once did the quality dip, and it really felt like they told a complete story, and that was the story they wanted to tell. Also, the music was fantastic.

I wouldn't be mad if they decided to do a season 2, is all I'm saying.

Read More

Oh my...

Well...this is the story of a dysfunctional friendship group with lots of toxicity and poor behaviour. I guess there must be some friendships that are this bad in real life, but my advice would be to run.

Straight off in the early episodes, there are a number of NC scenes. They are the kind that leave much to the imagination...but also don't....(the car scene!).... Neo (Boston) as a jealous, sex obsessed 'good friend' is not what I expected, but he's very good at it. Mark (Nick) as the lover who wants to be a permanent fixture in Neo's life is heartbreaking to watch. It's that feeling of desperation and longing that is almost too much to bear. There's a particular scene that really showed all the pain of wanting and finding out the truth and he was great.

What I like: Neo's acting - I've only seen him in roles where he plays the slightly silly friend, but his role as the jealous, selfish friend, is well acted. Mark's acting: I thought I didn't know who he was, but then realised he was in Moonlight Chicken. Such different roles and he's so good. I think I love him! 🫣 Khaotung (Ray): complex character, well acted, great facial expressions (as usual)

What I don't like: there are parts of Neo's role that feel like he's a cartoonish villain. Force: I don't like the character and not impressed by his acting.

It's like reading a book and you want to know what happens in the next chapter, so I'll be watching until the end.

Just watched episode 6 - Book's acting in this episode was top tier (no pun!). I haven't liked his acting before, but the last scene was brilliant. So wicked and so cool, but so full of raw emotion.

This is becoming crazy! It was heartbreaking to watch Mark's character as he sobbed, but what a good actor! There are so many self-serving characters that I can't look away....

I'm still watching this toxic mess and every week, Neo's acting and character get better.

Episode 9: what I liked: First (Sand) and Khaotung (Ray) have great lines and have such tender, sweet scenes. Loved it. Neo's acting (obviously!)
What I didn't like: not sure I like Papang's character (Daddy (ugh!) Dan) - a mix of needy and a little creepy

Read More

2 Years, 2 Rewatches, and It Still Lives in My Head

One thing I don’t like about BL: too much fan service. Well, in BL there’s no fan service like abs in k-dramas. I think BL is a genre that is fan service itself. But when you add fan service to fan service — well… they make a lot of sex scenes. I don’t mind it if it makes sense, but most of the time, it doesn’t — and that’s why I try to avoid shows like this. That’s also why I’m scared to watch many popular BL shows. I don’t want to be disappointed.
And what do I mean by “makes sense”? Well, some sex scenes are there only because of fan service, like I said. Yeah, people like sex, but if you want to see both love and lust in one, porn is not enough. So to fulfill the fans' desires, they make shows like this, and in every episode, there are like 10 sex scenes. And to be clear — I’m not that type of fan. But if you are, that’s fine, I guess. Even though I’m not a fan of the type of BL where there are too many spicy scenes, I fucking love this show so much that I call it my No.1 favorite — and I even changed my whole personality because of it.
Since I’ve written this long-ass intro, I have to talk about that first. Well, Only Friends has a lot — a lot — of spicy scenes, and most of the time, I don’t mind it. It "makes sense." Why? Because it’s about friends with benefits, and what would be the point of that if there weren’t scenes like that? Of course, there were some unnecessary scenes, but okay I can accept that.

The plot and the characters. The plot is basically Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? by Arctic Monkeys. So if you like that song, this is made for you. I wouldn’t like it if the characters weren’t so fun. It’s a story you’ve definitely heard somewhere else (yeah, Arctic Monkeys literally sang about it), but have you ever heard about characters like these? I definitely haven’t. They are so toxic and such big red flags that you have to love them. It’s like Azula from Avatar — such a bitch that you just have to love her.
The relationships between the characters are so well written that you’ll say: “What a small world.” Yeah — such a small world that they all know each other because of stupid things like sex, stalking, being roommates... “This one is my crush’s crush,” and “this one is my roommate’s sex friend”… and many more. Doesn’t that sound like fun? To me, it pretty much does.

Acting. Oh my god… The actors are so good that I believed they were the characters. Ever since I watched Only Friends, I consider First my favorite actor. He has such a passion for acting — and you can see it. He’s a great actor. But he’s not the only great one in Only Friends. They all did a fantastic job.

Directing. Jojo Tichakorn and Ninew Pinya — I love you. I love you so much. Their work was so creative. In the first episodes, through their direction, they made sure we really got to know the characters — like we knew them personally. How? All characters had their own role in the club. Also, we’d never know what the characters truly thought of each other if it weren’t for the interview scenes because these characters are so fucking fake that they’d never say anything to each other directly. For them, communication is not the key.
There was also this scene — the therapy session scene — which I still don’t quite understand, but it was very creative and it felt like art. Also, Ninew Pinya (one of the directors) is an acting coach, so maybe that’s one of the reasons why the actors were so good.

Shows with themes like this can be easily messed up. You have to keep everything in mind so you don’t contradict what’s already been said or shown. And in Only Friends, they did a pretty good job. Let me explain with examples — spoilers ahead:
The main conflict between Mew, Top, and Boston — everything you might ask about it does get answered. Why did Top cheat? Well, he didn’t love Mew at the time — he just wanted to be someone’s first. Why was Mew mad even though he and Top weren’t officially dating? Mew thought Top was dead serious about him — since he already told Mew that he wants to date him. And also he slept with his best friend. Why didn’t Boston get a redemption arc like Top did? Because Boston doesn’t even care. He took his friends for granted. And you may ask many more questions and it still be answered.
Also, I was really scared they’d mess up the part where Ray cheats on Mew. Ray, who hated Top the most for cheating, would be forgiven too easily for doing the exact same thing. I was nervous — but it turned out great. Everyone knew Ray was no better than Top. But at the time Mew was dating Ray, he wasn’t exactly innocent either, so he didn’t really have the right to be mad at him
There’s one thing I really don’t like about Only Friends. And if I had to rate this show objectively (which is a stupid thing to say but whatever), I’d give it 9/10 — because of this one thing: the fucking Boeing guy. Like, who the fuck is he? He ruined everything I loved about the show. The screenwriters had to stick to 12 episodes, so they needed another conflict — and this conflict didn’t make any sense. The whole show, Sand was holding back only because he was deeply in love and most importantly, it was a one-sided love. When he finally gets to be with the one he loves, the fucking Boeing guy shows up and the screenwriters suddenly make Sand act out of character. He starts thinking about being with his ex? Does that make sense? No, it doesn’t. He was loyal and devoted the whole show — how could he even think about something like this? Yeah, Boeing could’ve been there, but it would’ve been better if Sand didn’t look like he was hesitating.

Okay, I think that’s all for now. I wrote this two years after I watched it for the first time, and it’s still on my mind. I’ve seen it many times, and each time feels different. Every time, I notice something new. I’m not saying this series is for everyone, but I really loved it — even though I’m not a big fan of BL. I usually watch BL only when I want something light and unserious, but I think this one is actually a pretty serious piece of work. And I dare say it’s one of the best BL series — if not the best.

Read More

Wonderfully messy

I like many others have been counting the days for this show to air. As usual GMMTV has another iconic show on their hands.
The acting: I already knew the acting was gonna be good because of the beautiful pairings we had for the casting but I was still so pleasantly surprised at how much more everyone had gotten even better. Khaotung and First blow me out of the water every single project they do but this one right here is the one! Just breathtaking. THE CHEMISTRY.
Force and Book are another pair that have stolen my heart. Book has really shown how versatile he can be going from a boss and a babe to only friends. When I heard Mark and Neo we’re gonna be paired up I was so excited. People were upset that Louis wasn’t going to be with Neo but I just knew Mark was gonna be such a good pair with Neo and give us what we needed. And I was not wrong. Like I was nowhere near wrong. Like at all *insert the blushing emoji.”
Finally GMMTV has given Mark his time to shine instead of giving him the side character treatment.
The story: the story is messy as hell and so scrumptious. This show does a beautiful job at discussing difficult topics and showing the process of not so pretty consequences. I really just want to highlight GMMTV for not giving all of the couples “happy” endings just because the pairs have wonderful chemistry. One of my favorite things to come out of this show is you should love yourself and not lower your standards for no one. Absolutely gonna miss this series forever hoping for a season two.

Read More