Love in Translation

Fun and light-hearted romance

The plot starts with the two main characters as enemies who are forced to cooperate to reach their personal goals. Their relationship warms up to a sincere friendship as they begin to trust each other and get to know each other better. I really liked how their romantic feelings developed, I felt like I could see them grow and bloom as the episodes went by.
The premise of the two main characters becoming equal business partners is also something new for me - I'm used to see romance between office workers, or romance between a boss and their employee, so this was a refreshing change of pace!
While the plot is cute and it's shown well in the first five episodes or so, things didn't look as good toward the end. Some elements of the plot would have benefited from being introduced earlier on rather than being shown at the last moment; there was no proper build-up for them and it felt more like an attempt from the writers to stir-up things. These plotlines were also not cared for properly, as their resolution felt kind of underwhelming to me.

The cast was very good. It's the first series I watched with Daou and Offroad, but I could immediately tell that they're very at ease with each other - it's hard to find this level of chemistry in most on-screen couples. I was also really happy to see Ngern here! His performance as Phumjai's older brother was actually my favorite out of the entire cast.
The secondary couple was interesting, but I believe they needed more screentime for a proper development of their plotline.
The secondary characters were all chosen well and I really liked the atmosphere they created in the series, making the store feel like an actual home to everyone.

In conclusion, while this series definitely has its flaws, I still believe it's a fun show to watch and its romance deserves the attention. Recommended if you're looking for something mostly light-hearted!

Read More

CONFUSING LOVE START

I jumped into Love of Translation right after watching The Century of Love because I was still riding the DaouOff wave and honestly, they didn’t disappoint! There’s a lot to love in this series.

Phumjai’s playful and adorable side is such a highlight. He brings this light, sweet energy that balances out the more serious moments. The overall concept of the show is fresh and fun, and the cinematography + OST? Chef’s kiss. It’s beautiful to look at, and the music fits the mood perfectly.

One of my favorite parts was the warm, wholesome friendship between the convenience store staff, especially the bond between Yang, Phumjai. It made the world feel cozy and real. The chemistry between the leads is strong, and both Daou and Off showed solid acting throughout.

That said, the plot had its confusing moments. Like Yang said, he loved Phumjai from the moment he saved a cat, and then they just argued nonstop after that? It felt a bit off and inconsistent. Also, I couldn’t stand Phumjai’s brother. He was way too possessive and straight-up toxic, both as a brother and a boyfriend. His whole vibe threw me off every time he was on screen.

Another plot hole is why a convenience store would have no sales when it's located in the center of the city? It just doesn't make sense at all.

Btw, fair warning: it’s a slow burn. Most of the early episodes focus on Phumjai crushing hard on that influencer, which made it harder to get into the real love story at first.

Overall, Love of Translation is sweet, visually lovely, and packed with great moments, especially if you’re already a fan of Daou and Off. Just go in with patience and maybe brace for a few annoying characters along the way.

Read More

Story destroyed by TERRIBLE writing.

I thought i could wait for the cute moments and it would do it, but no, it just got worse.

The story had potential. The 'trying to impress my crush by learning chinese from the guy that likes me' was interesting. I liked the chaos of the main leads at first. I wish they kept them "enemies" a little longer.

The characters are meh, but i want to talk especially about Phojai and Phumjai. The relationship of the two brothers needed a better storyline cause it's more important that you realise at first. I believe Phojai is a more complex character than it shows. We needed a backstory, the reason why is he so protective of his younger brother and also a little story between him and Tag.

The writing is horrible and when I say horrible I really mean it.
There were lots of things that remained unclear. For example: Tammy doesn't know that Yang is the one texting her online in Mandarin. She thinks it's Phumjai. But when she meets Phumjai in real life, he has no clue what She and Yang are saying in Mandarin and she doesn't suspect anything?? Or the parents didn't ask about their son that was held hostage for a whole 3 months? And aren't they rich?? Well I guess asking for parents money is more pathetic than agreeing to be a slave (well not for much cause somehow he bacame boss nr.2??).

What happened in the last 2 eps was extremely unnecassary or at least could've been done better. Someone getting kiddnaped and used as a slave has a too big impact to the story for us to only find out when we have 1 and a half eps left to go. Rather than starting with "One wants to run a succesful bussines, and the other..." I think "One wants to TO PAY HIS FAMS DEBTS" could have been a better choice. Also at the end when they find out they met when they were kids was something...

About the acting.../
-None of them could pull the emotional scenes and it was really really bad I had to skip those.
-Daou & Offroad have more chemistry irl than on screen.
-Daou didn't fit this calm poker face type of character cause you can see that he was doing better with the type of personality he had when he was fighting with Phumjai in the first episode.
-Samuel was a perfect pick for O To. He did a great job portraying a cheerful character but also did good in those not so happy scenes.

Read More

The chemistry between two MLs are very cute!

After quitting BL dramas for years, I was drawn back by OuRoad's chemistry, which I find them really cute together, so I decided to give their first drama a try.

At first, I found some scenes a bit cringe, especially how Phumjai obsessively fanboys over P'Tammy in front of his parents like that?? I felt second-hand embarrassed😔 Aside from that, the story was cute and had a good pace in the beginning. But sadly, the ending felt kind of rushed to me. Like, how can you just solve everything in one episode? And how did they manage to gather 5 million baht in just three months from a minimart? That felt way too easy and unrealistic.

Some plot points also lacked depth in storytelling and character development. For example, why is Phojai constantly checking up on his brother? Doesn’t he have a job or something? He even goes to help at Phumjai’s minimart — it was a bit much. I totally understand that Phojai was worrying about his brother's life, but come on bro, he's not a 10 years old kid😮‍💨

Lastly, I wish it ended with them officially becoming a couple and gave us a bit more of their cute story. The final episode didn’t add much to the story and, as I said, felt really rushed.

Overall, I think it had potential to be better, both story-wise and character-wise. And the acting was great — in my opinion, every actor did a good job👏 And the songs? Loved them!

Read More

well.....p

honestly its a pretty fresh concept when it was 2023 coming from someone who just watched it recently. and tbf its fun and cute

yet the series kinda flopped itself at the last bits of this series with adding another problem when they're officiating their relationship (typical bl clichés), but this one didnt feel natural in a sense it gave the series an unnecessary additional plot. and about their chemistry, maybe because this was one of their early days of doing a CP together that it felt like the tension was abit loose and how they potrayed it was pretty obvious that they are as fond as they are now.

what knocks me off was the unnecessary usage of chinese in some scenes (coming from a chinese descent myself) it felt very forced and unnatural. the debt collector part especially... my gosh that chinese accent threw me off so bad im sorry, maybe they could've had a searched for someone better. also the random chinese characthers (hanzi) on the wall, yall when i first saw it i laughed so hard.

overall, it couldve been better but the main story (setting aside that gangster thing) is pretty good. the buildup was okay and a very decent acting for a new CP (ive seen worse.)

Read More

Funny and Cute but confusing...

I found it funny and cute when they were bickering a lot but what I found was confusing was suddenly apparently Yang liked Tammy (I think that's her name) and he was so in love with her and stuff and I found the story good because it sort of moved slowly but what was confusing was how the plot twist was so random like suddenly Phumjai is the ex of tammy? and then I was so confused about it because then Tammy suddenly liked Yang back but then Yang was happy but was like hesitant sorta and then what I found weird was she gave up and stuff like that so Phumjai can be with him and all of it just makes me go 'huhh?' but other than that, it was a really good series I can't lie about that. The music isn't really catchy lol but the main thing is the show so obviously the music doesn't have to be so good. But really did enjoy this series.

Read More

Watch for Daou and Offroad

I'm going to be honest, I only watched this because I liked Daou and Offroad in Century of Love. I didn't expect too much from this one, and it was exactly what I thought it would be - a sweet, cute BL with not too much going on. Based on the title, I did expect a little more.....translation? Or miscommunication because of language? But none of that happened.

Yang (Daou) is opening a business in Thailand, but because he's Chinese, he needs a business partner. He ends up in a partnership with Phumjai (Offroad), and though the two get off on the wrong foot, they end up opening a convenience store together. Phumjai just has one condition: Yang must teach him Mandarin so he can impress the popular Chinese influencer Tammy. As they work together and Phumjai tries to win over Tammy, feelings between Yang and Phumjai unexpectedly emerge.

Honestly, this show wasn't anything special. It was cute, it was fun, and hit a lot of major tropes in Thai BLs (including kidnapping.....which I still feel was unnecessary). Daou and Offroad have great chemistry, and I didn't feel like any conflict was too drawn out. If you're looking for a quick and light watch, this is a good one, but don't expect anything more than that.

Read More

The series is actually quite good. No question with the chemistry of the leads because it is overflowing, I even got tired from silently screaming. It was going well not until the debt part, I don't know if its just me but it just seems off. I would love to have it continued to be about him liking Tammy, then realizing that he is not and opening a convenience store at the same place the father built his own before.
Overall, it was a cute series that you can finish in just a day. Would love to see more of Daou and Offroad.

Discovered the series because of Daou and his song so I rated the music higher, streaming the song for almost a month now.

Read More

NOT A VERY GOOD STORY BUT NOT BORING

To be Honest , if this is a real life story and If I were PhomJai, I would leave Yang because of all the trouble he has in his life, even the fact that Phomjai was rich and have a super supportive parents and caring brother, I would never let a man like that ruin my life no matter how I like him. I was actually looking for a part where Phom Jai's parents must take him from P Yang and it was funny that even Phom Jai's Brother Phojai did not even blamed Yang for every thing that happened to them, like hello ! being abducted is a serious thing ! and they should have reported it to the police no matter what , well they have reported but there was no update from the police (even policemen in dramas are soooo damn slow and always late at the crime ! ), and even the fact that they later found out where P Yang was , it was s o absurd that they did not reported or have given the Police an update ! they reasoned that they will be in even more trouble but being abducted is a a big trouble itself !? and it was funny that I it was PhoJai, Phumjai;s brother who convinced P Yangs lender to leave them alone ! and where was the parents of P Yang ?? they only showed up when everything was better !? and they even have the guts the video call P Yang where as far as I've understood it was their family debt , it was too painful for P Yang to shoulder every thing and to have a pressure to pay all the 5M Baht ?? about PhomJai, it was annoying how much addicted he is of being Fan of P Tammy but I quiet understood it , but it was also absurd that P'Tammy was famous but she seems not famous , I don't know why I said that but based in the drama she was just live streaming and many views her but whenever she comes to the Convenient store she seems isn't famous .. and who did even made her character ? HAHA she was a gold digger and a player hAHHA, I did not agreed with what PhomJai said to P Yang when he asked him if Phomjai would still accept her in spite of her character-- that all of us have something we did not want everyone to find out , yeah that's right but what isn't right is that he still accepts him just because they met and what was that ? Phomjai felt that Tammy Trusted her ? everyone can do that ! HAHAHH. all in all I did not like that story at all AND this is all the negative things I have seen on the drama.
About what I like was the team ! specially Jae Bojii she was funny , I only felt a but irritated with the black guy but he was funny also ,,
I only liked the story of the brother of Phomjai, I like sad stories like that , like if I were Tag Phojais' boyfriend I would also feel the same way .. it was right and it was valid that Tag have chosen to have a break of their relationship, it was so so hard to be not proud of . and I also like the character of Phojai , and he is handsome by the way. and finally off course our only DaouOffroad ! like I am actually here because of them ! I just felt that P Daou's acting was not maximized here as on the Century of love but it was okay , and since every viewers here is actually here for the romance of DaouOffroad so , in that part Immana give them 10 out of 10 ! the both of them was great giving us butterflies in spite of the absurd story, they filled it with love so that we may not notice the story as a whole it was really bad . they really so cute together , their height and body difference is something else ! you know what I am saying ?? . so yeah that's all, I don't know If I would rewatch this one but maybe maybe I would do that , it was not boring after all.

Read More

Too Much Drama for Too Few Episodes, But It’s a Good BL

A BL where everything happens by coincidence — in other words, it's all plot-driven and forced. But thanks to the charisma of the characters and actors, it ended up being a good BL. The leads have great chemistry. Even though Phumjai is pretty annoying with his obsession over Tammy, I still managed to like his character.

For me, the main issue is the need to create drama where there didn’t need to be any — the characters just needed to say what had to be said. This kind of conflict caused by poor communication is extremely frustrating. We get six episodes of Phumjai talking only about Tammy, and then two episodes of total chaos with an ending that makes no sense.

Another thing that really bothered me was the excessive product placement in such a short series. So, I’d say what saved this show were the actors, who are genuinely very good.

Read More

Simple Pining Love Story

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Employee): Phumjai
T (Boss): Yang

- Beginning: B and T work at the same convenience store with them also being business partners. T owns the store and B owns shares. T is chinese so when B needs to learn chinese to flirt with a girl, he goes to T. The more time they spend together, the more attracted T is to B and wishes they could be more. In the name of helping him get the girl, they go on dates so B will know what it's like to be on a date. By that point, it is obvious that B is also attracted to T but hasn't realized his own feelings yet and is still hung up on the girl. However, when he is on the date with the girl, he keeps thinking about T.

- Middle: B confesses that he keeps thinking about T when he is on the date and T, thinking this is B telling him he liked him, kisses B and B freaks out. He runs away and spends the next few episodes avoiding T, which hurts T deeply. After a while, B finally realizes that he actually likes T and gets together with him. They are happy for a while until T's past catches up to him. It is revealed that T is actually hiding from creditors. Realizing they've finally caught up to him, T breaks up with B, tells him he has no feelings for him and was only joking, in order to protect him. At first B doesn't believe if but when T starts acting like that, B slowly gives up, even deciding to give up his shares and leave the store.

- End: Just as B was leaving, T realizes that he'll probably lose the best thing in his life and goes to stop him and begs for him to stay. B, still in love with him, didn't ask for any apologies before accepting him and they get intimate in the store. Later on, T explains to B what was actually going on and B promises to be with him every step of the way. The story ends with them still in love and opening a company together.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- The actors playing B and T. Their chemistry was amazing and their interactions were cute and sweet. They also do a great job in portraying the affection between the characters.
- I really like the foreplay/flirting. B's reactions are very cute as well.
- The characters are very likeable despite each having their own flaws.
- The writing is okay. The story flows well despite the plot being very weak as all the attention is put on the development of their relationship. The story does well in portraying its bittersweet aspect. It's shot really well and we can really feel T's pain when he has to support B in getting the girl he wants when he wants B for himself.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- Plot as a whole is ok but there aren’t any plot twists or memorable moments. It is however a very cliche and predictable plot.
- Use of lack of communication and misconceptions as source of angst is overdone. A lot of issues would have been resolved if B and T just talked to each other. T made the universal mistake of making B's decision for him, not even giving him the chance to stay with him. Because of this, T hurt B deeply. I felt that B forgive T too easily but I guess that's because B was desperate for a reason to stay and didn't care about the pain T put him through. The fact that T has given up on B so easily and had to wait until B was leaving to wake up makes me question the sincerity of his feelings.
- Acting is okay overall but there are some scenes that are awkward and some reactions can seem unatural. The scene where B finds out T has been kidnapped, the reaction looks very unatural; the actor failed to communicate the character's worry to the audience.
- The intimate scenes are relatively tame with focus on kissing.

**Conclusion**
An OK watch but probably won’t be revisiting.

Read More