This review may contain spoilers
Add Merman to the list of supernatural romances you can't really pull off
I went from incredible curiosity to weird enjoyment to mild annoyance to general apathy, finally landing upon an honest feud with this series. The story itself didn't have as many dimensions as my feelings towards it.At the outset, Lover Merman had the potential to be metaphorical about so many things including identity, found family, hostility towards things we don't understand and finding love and connection in the rarest of situations. But they didn't care to think deeply enough about any of this and decided to go with "ocean vibes" as the plot. Which is honestly fine but you mess even that up and hey, well I don't like it.
The series begins with a crash course on the lore of the Merman of the island Khen, where Phu has come to take over the operations of a bar he owns with his friend Phana, a native of the island. His very first interaction however is with Nawa, a bartender and Phana's childhood friend, and they of course begin with a bit of flirtation. But the minute Phana sees this, he asks Phu not start anything up with Nawa, for reasons he won't say.
But because Phu is a rebel, he flirts anyway, an action that is not taken to lightly by Nawa, who is actually falling for the bad pickup lines, or by Phai, someone who has known Nawa since they were kids and is sort of a de facto older brother to him, only he has a big secret crush on the man. Sorry. Merman.
Surprise surprise, Nawa and Phai are Mermen and Phai has a deep distrust of humans because apparently humans have been hunting the mermen because of "greed and beauty" (that's the entire explanation), and for that reason, the mermen who once lived freely and cordially with humans on the island now have to hide their identity. But living on land has it's consequences - because every full moon night, they're required to dive into the depths of the ocean and "release the poison", cleanse their blood that has turned poisonous from being away from the water for too long. And when their blood turns increasingly poisonous, a tattoo shows up on their lower back, indicating that they need to "release the poison"
The characters in this series spend half their time flirting and the other half drinking, and Phu of course gets wankered, stumbles onto a secret cove to sober up and sees Nawa. Nawa right after he's "released the poison" and is in his merman form. Before he can figure out it is Nawa, he disappears and Phu chalks it up to an illusion.
This is all in episode 1 by the way, because nothing else happens after this. Atleast not until episode 7 because between the first and seventh episode, we got declarations of love rivalries, a step brothers plotline, absentee parents, a ton of drinking and some unintentionally hilarious NC scenes. There's no plot, no character development, things just happen. Episode 7, and everything is out in the open - most importantly that Nawa is a merman, which has been a secret from Phu for six episodes now.
But this is where the series hit a new low for me because I would rather have a story that hinged on vibes than a shallow attempt to make a point. I did say they could've made a wonderful allegorical plot but key word? Could've.
They didn't. And I'm furious with how they chose to go all preachy in the last couple of episodes, like they didn't actively avoid every semblance of difficult conversations for six episodes and like the audience needs every single action explained to them.
And by then, we got a terrible couple of episodes, yet again with no character development and one very bad redemption arc.
This is far from the worst thing I've watched but it's still not good. Episodes 1-6 were a whole mood. Episodes 7 and 8 will leave you in a bad mood.
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Hooked from the First Splash
What an enchanting and memorable series from start to finish. From the very first scene, hot, shirtless men walking into the ocean, the show establishes a unique tone that blends fantasy, beauty, and undeniable BL charm. This was my very first Mermaid themed BL and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. The concept feels refreshing and the execution brings it to life in the most captivating way.The series maintains a lighthearted, easy to follow atmosphere while being visually gorgeous throughout. The mermaid CGI is surprisingly well done, and the tails are crafted with so much care that the underwater world feels genuinely magical. Every swimming and surfacing moment looks like a piece of art, adding an extra layer of wonder that makes the story even more engaging.
The main couple truly carried the show. Phu is irresistibly charming with the sweetest smile, and Nawa has a captivating presence that balances perfectly with him. Their chemistry is instant, playful, fun and full of sparks from the moment they meet. Watching their relationship grow felt natural and consistently enjoyable.
What I Loved:
• The OST is beautiful and instantly memorable
• Nawa and Phu’s dynamic, the way Phu stays consistent and never gives up on pursuing Nawa, is heart fluttering. Their kiss scenes and NC scenes are hot, well executed, and full of emotion
• The side couple, Phana and Ping, added depth to the series. Ping’s storyline with his mother was heartbreaking and brought me to tears
The ending was great, though I would have loved an even more complete or extended conclusion for the couples. Still, the overall experience was wonderful. Lover Merman is unique, emotional, visually stunning, and absolutely rewatch worthy.
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Easy on the eyes with a touch of boredom and a rushed, crazy finale...
While I understand what the production tried to do - replacing homophobia with xenophobia for merman, they did not do a thoughtful job. Especially the story around the events 20 years ago were not done properly. It is mentioned in the middle of the series and culminates in the finale with a ridicilous solution to cure poisoning. Of course when you first see the actor playing Phraphai father, you already know who the bad guy is - that's when you "typecast" an actor for mostly bad guy roles. So the predicability shot through the roof - and I don't like that. That his adoptive son also plays a psychopath is also not helping.The rest is ok, they even put effort in the merman fins which did not look out of place. The setting is also nice, it's not in the city, but of course we have the typical rich city boy and a very naive bartender who does not stand up for himself and is under the thumb of the psychopath most of the time. Because it's not a school setting I expected him to be more pro-active and not display such a passive behaviour. He is old enough to know what he wants and what he does not want. The first four episodes drag on a bit and I wished they had introduced the past event much much earlier and kept that storyline more in focus and did tell that story in more details and not so rushed. The side-story of Pings mother was just ridicilous imho. If you tell your son for 20 years, that he is a "monster" - but then change your mind when he left for a day - it's just not realistic in my book. And they did not really need that story-plot.
Storywise this is an average show, the production was ok most of the time and it's easy on the eyes. But just cute/handsome actors do not make a convincing story. It's far away from the worst thai BLs we got to see this year but it's also not really good either. It's an ok show and if you like the premise it's not too bad to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
look elsewhere for a fluffy/steamy merman romance
Overall: I did not enjoy the aggressive pursuit/reluctant pursuee trope that happened nor the love triangles. Based on a web novel which I haven't read and I am reviewing the series on its own merits. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5806/lover-merman-2025-e01 (not in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Oceania, India, Japan and South Korea); uncut on Viki https://www.viki.com/videos/1263454v and cut on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb6_2JamS9iNQ_fRO37dRCtHX-QWgsQjE (available in some African countries, Southeast Asia, Japan & South Korea).Content Warnings: sexual harassment, held against will, beaten up, past (murders/blood, child abuse), manipulation, murder, suicide/sacrifice, prejudice
What I Liked
- visuals
- merman premise
Room for Improvement
- started with an exposition/world building dump
- flashback to a recent scene
- long pauses between talking
- love rivals/love triangles
- a ton of characters for 8 episodes and then 3 new characters introduced in episode 4 who left shortly thereafter (also a step brother romance tossed in)
- our supposed hero gave serial killer vibes while the other lead was wishy-washy and stupid
- terrible mom redemption arc, I can't believe the character apologized to her
- nonsense stuff, a character had no security, another character believed someone who had every reason to lie
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Monsters are unnatural. So are queers. And that's the point of the story.
The eight episodes that comprise Lover Merman rely on recycled plot and character beats to unspool the series’ three romances. Any Regular Viewer of BL will have encountered the story elements dozens of times over. Much of the time, Lover Merman feels like a retread. Still, over reliance on tried and true BL narrative elements guarantees Merman can become a guilty pleasure for many. Producers enhanced that potential by securing the dulcet tones of Boy Sompob to sing the title track. His pipes always add value. Yet amidst this sea of unoriginality, the series manages to deliver an allegorical angle whose emotional and intellectual wallop counts as a genuine surprise.Two principal romances carry the narrative. Later, a guest side couple pop-up for a few episodes. None of these relationships introduce anything innovative or remarkable for the BL genre. The relevant dramatis personae hail from a familiar catalog of BL stock characters: the “bi-curious playboy” (Phurich), the “wise voice of reason” (Phana), the “naïve youth in need of instruction or protection” (Nava), and the “intern who falls for the boss” (Ping). The guest side couple supply the umpteenth example of a “step-/adopted brother romance” (but we shall leave their story aside for the rest of this review). To introduce a jealousy-riven triangle, the writers throw in another stock type, the “unrequited crush guy who forgot for years to confess his attraction to his friend lest such confession ruin the friendship” (Prapai). When the object of the unrequited crush (Nava) inevitably encounters a new suitor (Phana), the last persona morphs into a variation on the theme: “jealous guy with unrequited crush who has been permanently friend zoned before he could confess.” To be more accurate, in this case he morphs into “psychotic, homicidal jealous guy who refuses consignment to the friend zone.” Of course, in the annals of Thai BL even “jealous homicidal maniac” counts as a stock character.
The setting on a Thai island offers mild relief from the predictable. The island is the sort of place where locals subsist by catering to the tourist trade. The Regular Viewer of BL has seen their fair share of these locations, too, but any show that sets itself away from Bangkok and away from a university campus can feel fresh by default. In this instance, Merman utilizes well the resort setting. A beachfront bar co-owned by Phana and Phurich serves as the central hub of action. The other characters either work there or pass through it frequently. Daily workplace interactions yield romantic sparks—let the standard-issue BL tropes commence! The stock characters’ efforts to court one another, bed one another, and build relationships with one another play out replete with all the false starts, misunderstandings, and failures to communicate that the Regular Viewer of BL will expect to encounter. Like any BL series, the writers leaven these melodramatic moments with an assortment of cuddly scenes, sudden kisses, and promises to “take care of you forever.” Naturally, anytime someone utters a version of that last quote, the Regular Viewer of BL will feel their stomach convulse in anxiety as they anticipate the imminent onset of some fresh melodrama liable to cut “forever” down to “we’re over.” On account of just how predictably the series assembles its tropey elements, Lover Merman should not merit a review. Except for one teeny tiny twist.
Perceptive as the Regular Viewer of BL tends to be, many can deduce this twist from the title. Surprise, surprise! Some of the characters happen to be mermen. The island has long been a place where merfolk and humans mingle. In story context, the merman culture exists right alongside the human. On land, at least, it is impossible to discern which people are not the same as which other people, their point of difference invisible to the eye. We might say, they can pass. The small handful of humans aware of this secret society fall into two categories: those who accept the merfolk despite the difference, and those who want to eradicate them because of the difference. The merfolk choose to remain hidden so that they can live their lives unmolested by humans who believe they should not exist. We might say, they are closeted. The worldbuilding stew concocted around the merfolk establishes a poisonous degree of anti-merfolk bias and legacies of frequent human-on-merman violence. Because contemporary audiences are well-steeped in franchises whose plots revolve around biases against non-humans (vampires, werewolves, extra-terrestrials), many viewers will perceive this storyline as nothing more than the latest example of monster-of-the week narrative storytelling in action. And, to be fair, this description probably suffices to explain the dramatic tension invested into the Phurich-Nava-Prapai triangle. “You can’t fall for a human! He will never accept you because you’re different!” is the standard refrain in such tales, and a merman-specific take on that thinking clearly frames the trinagularity. Accordingly, Merman’s recycled fantasy elements mightnot merit a review either. Except for one teeny tiny meta-twist.
Perceptive as the Regular Viewer of BL tends to be, many missed this one: while the merfolk subplot yields familiar tropes about “monsters among us,” it also doubles as an allegory for the second-class citizenship endured by queer people. Yes, Lover Merman—a series chock full of gay characters—has a lot to say about anti-gay bias and homophobia, even though no literal anti-gay bias or homophobia ever manifests to spoil the mood of happy courtship that suffuses the gay romancing. Queers on the island are simply accepted as part of the social fabric. Instead, the hate is reserved for the merfolk. The clever way the show presents these biases in action isn’t simply dramatic, it is outright allegorical.
The slings and arrows of second-class existence that effectively renders the mermen as Other, mirrors the kinds of hostility that rendered queer people as Other. In particular, it resembles the kind of existence led by many gay men and lesbians in the middle decades of the 20th century, before the dawn of the gay pride era. In those years, a thriving queer subculture might exist in urban areas, but it was largely invisible to respectable folk living in the same areas. Keeping one’s sexuality secret was actually possible. Among the comparative points:
• Mermen live among regular people but no one can tell just by looking.
• Mermen marry human brides without the latter having any clue of her husband’s true nature. It can be quite the nasty shock when the truth emerges.
• Young mermen may themselves not realize their difference until the onset of adolescence.
• Parents have no preparation with how to deal with a monster child. Disowning a monstrous child seems logical to them.
• Ah, “monster.” Literally true here (look up the definition of “monster” if you doubt this. “Literary monster” not the regular dictionary definition). Monsters are reviled because they are unnatural. The word “unnatural” was often used to describe queerness in mid-century culture. (This condemnation has not entirely disappeared, of course!)
• Children disowned may chose to disappear forever from home, whether by seeking out greener pastures elsewhere (err, bluer seas?), or by suicide.
• The mermen sub-culture thrives, but out of sight from those not in the know.
• Some humans accept the monsters with grace while many more believe the stereotypes. Bigotry in society is real.
Without question, the mermen storylines represent the underwater breathers who dared not speak their name. Much of the weight of allegory manifests via Ping, the intern stock character. Ping fears rejection by his family for being different. “All this time, I saw myself as a monster,” asserts Ping (e 7 21:00) in one of many instances the monster analysis is explicit. This type of internalized contempt for his own identity represents another stock character, but this one is found not in fiction but in history: the self-loathing homosexual. Prior to the pride era, when no counter-narrative existed to the dominant cultural belief that queerness was either a sin or a sickness, such self-perception was common among gay men and lesbians. Here, the writers want the audience to empathize with Pring, and they build out his plight effectively. So effectively, that many viewers perceive only the injustice of treating the monsters differently. To be fair, the mermen rank among the protagonists in this tale; so a surface level reading of Ping’s story works to explain how so many missed seeing the allegory. For those conversant with queer history, however, the coded aspects of the merfolk plot prove hard to miss.
For all its reliance on tropes, curtailed character arcs, and underexplained plot twists, Lover Merman ends up supplying, in the form of allegory, one of the more potent statements against anti-gay bias any BL series has delivered. And that is the aspect that inspired this review. If a series that resonates queer authenticity appeals to you, then Lover Merman will be worth the time to sample. Just understand that while waiting for the clever allegorical parts to manifest, the actual BL portions will serve up a lot of stuff you can see coming from miles away. But at least the boys are pretty to look at. In that way, at least, Lover Merman is absolutely in line with the genre as a whole.
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The Boat Left The Island
Frankly, I am not sure how I sat through this miscue. It is an inferior story with pedestrian acting. There I said it and am glad I did. I just do not know when these sappy BLs, will end. This is yet another in a L-O-N-G line of them. What saved this series from being on my Bathos List is the cinematography. The water scenes are exceptional but there are not nearly enough of them. If you are going to have a story about mermen, how about showing more of them and their communion? This whole story is so cliché driven and full of tropey other side-characters that quickly you begin to realize that this will be no different than a whole bunch of other Thai BLs of the same ilk. Dull, lifeless characters with no personalities. Love scenes that are more rehearsed made to feel quite quaffed and polished but not concrete. Couples with little to no screen chemistry and lightweight sexual tension. In other words, a zero-believability factor. While the merman scenes were quite good, there were so few of them that they almost were secondary to the story. This series started out so promising but swam off into the deep end not because of the actions of the mermen but because of the poor script and lifeless characters.Was this review helpful to you?
It had potential but OMG
I saw a lot of bad reviews about this so I wanted to watch 2 episodes to test the water (no pun intended)Well it was interesting at first and the story had potential but there are a few things that bugged me.
1- Phu's character is so pushy, I don't really like flirty guys that can't take No for an answer and I couldn't for the life of me understand the reason for his severe attraction towards Nawa, like I understand the whole plot revolve around that but I simply couldn't buy it.
2- the whole bad guy thing and the crazy son are all too predictable and very not interesting, like I'm literally the opposite of at the edge of my seat, I even dozed off while watching ep4.
3- the slow pace slightly irritated me for someone who gave this show a 2 episodes trial, the first half of the first episode was full of swimming scenes and a lot, I MEAN A LOT, of staring at each other moments, that could lasts for minutes, of course there is no conversation or anything during those scenes.
However, I really admire the tails and fins, they looked very realistic, also some scenes in the sea was great, the story could be better with some acting improvement from the cast but it's generally not a bad series.
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This show needs a lot of work
Once I finish this show I’ll post my full thoughts and opinions (with full spoilers) about the characters, story, and lore + the romances. There will be some minor spoilers below!But what I have to say currently is that nothing in the span of six episodes has endeared me to the main couple or the side ones.
Phurit comes across as a Neanderthal who desperately wants to get in Nawa’s pants (to which he harasses him constantly until Nawa finally throws him a bone) and the chemistry between their two actors isn’t really that good to warrant you wanting them to get together outside of plot reasons. Even outside of Nawa there’s nothing that endears me to him + the actor’s performance isn’t the greatest to really sell that he’s actually interested in Nawa romantically.
Speaking of Nawa, he’s such a nothing burger of a character… he’s kind of just there and does nothing but either let others make decisions for him or stand there looking like he’s not even thinking or simply staring into space and looking confused/lost. Idk if it’s because of the actor’s performance of the character or that’s just how the writers wrote him but I don’t really care about him or anything related to him since he doesn’t have much weight to him outside of his backstory and being one of the main characters.
Phraphai is a mixed bag for me. Some of his actions I do understand but then there are others where I’m like why did you do this? What do you gain from doing this? Him being protective bordering on overprotective, i understand because of how the narrative is framed with the history between merpeople(?) and humans, especially with what happens at the end of episode six. However, I will also say that some of his actions regarding Nawa are a bit odd? Another unpopular opinion but is actually popular with what has been said in the comments but the reasons why Phraphai and Nawa would have been better suited for one another is because:
1. The Actors have more chemistry than the actual main pair. Even with how the show tries to frame their relationship.
2. Phraphai actually shows that he is interested in Nawa romantically and doesn’t see him (at least through the acting) as a simple lay. Yes, Phraphai does act weird at times and make even weirder decisions regarding Nawa, I can see where he’s coming from even if I don’t agree with them.
The side characters, okay so minor spoilers but there was no point in giving Phana a girlfriend if you were just going to pair him with Ping… but even then while there is chemistry between the two, they’re very boring and underdeveloped. The third couple… idek why they were introduced, like how are we developing this in the last two episodes? I do like how the show frames Ping’s secret as an allegory for homophobia.
The shows lore/worldbuilding is contradictory and incredibly counterproductive… like why aren’t there mermaids? Why are there only mermen? If the island is trying to be protective and secretive of the last mermen… why is the island such a big tourist attraction/destination?
Lover Merman could be a better show if more effort and time went into it. I’m not saying it’s unwatchable but it’s not the best show either and it’s not even because of the special effects and costuming with the tails (even though that in and of itself is kinda bad but it seems like this show had a budget so work with what you’ve got) but the acting performances from most of the main cast outside a few, the writing and pacing, and uninteresting romances are what makes this one of the lesser BLs to watch this year. Most of the actors are good to look at though!
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Beautiful Faces, Gorgeous Tails
This series honestly started off with a lot of promise. The plot felt fresh and unique, especially with the whole mermen angle—it’s not something you see every day, and it immediately caught my attention. The casting was spot‑on too; the actors really looked the part, with their striking faces and lean, athletic builds that made them believable as these mythical sea creatures. The underwater visuals were another highlight. The shots had a nice polish to them, and the mermen tails in particular were well‑designed and looked pretty convincing on screen. But as the episodes went on, the excitement just fizzled out. The story lost its direction and started dragging, almost like the writers weren’t sure where they wanted to take it. Instead of building momentum, it felt repetitive and meandering, which made it harder to stay invested. So in the end, while it had the potential to be a standout series, it ended up being just okay. Not terrible, but not memorable either. I’d give it a fair 3.5 out of 5 stars—worth checking out if you’re curious, but don’t expect it to blow you away.Was this review helpful to you?
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Love that it's over
I absolutely hated this show from start to finish. The only reason I give this a 1.5 instead of a 1 is because of two reasons: the mermaid scenes were actually filmed in the water, and they trained with the tails; and secondly because of the scene in the finale where Phraphai went crazy was actually good.This show was so terribly bad that I genuinely cannot say enough bad things about it and could go on all day. I'm just going to list the reasons it was awful.
1. All the acting was terrible (except for Phraphai's scene in the finale I previously mentioned)
2. The main leads had 0 chemistry at all. Nava and Phraphai had more chemistry than the other two ever did
3. So many unnecessary characters whose names I couldn't even tell you if I tried. Didn't really need more than the main five to be honest
4. The music,,,whoever did the music for this should never work in music again. That may sound harsh but the abrupt transitions between songs and the music not fitting scenes were just terrible. Someone with garage band could do better.
5. The main couple's relationship was so empty. They never talked about anything. they felt more like friends with benefits because their relationship had no depth at all.
6. Not enough time was spent on Ping and Phana's relationship. This couple could've been quite a likeable and strong couple if they got more than like 30 minutes out of an entire 8 hours spent on them. They should've either had more time or just not been a thing at all.
7. The plot felt pointless especially with how the show ended. I almost wish it ended with a tragedy to make it feel more worth it. I'm not just saying that because I didn't like the show either, I just think it would've made more sense for the plot if one or both of then died in the end or they just didn't end up together.
8. The whole show just felt like nothing was happening the entire time. This was only eight episodes and even that felt way too long.
I could actually keep going but these were definitely my biggest and most consistent complaints.
DO NO WATCH! NOT EVEN A GOOD CRINGE WATCH!
JUST STRAIGHT UP BAD!
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Did not like the plot.
Honestly the plot was just bad. I really didn’t like how the main character was useless and in every decision. He just let everyone just walk all over him and control his life. and also, it was also so stupid of how he couldn’t tell him the truth and the other character Nawa’s childhood friend was you so weird, controlling his life all the time and Nawa just let him and then he tried to kill Nawa’s lover, but they still forgave him just because he sacrificed himself that’s just so stupid. Overall I did not enjoy watching this especially at the last 4 episodes and there’s literally 8 episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
After the first few episodes, the show kind of lost its charm. It’s frustrating when you have such an interesting premise, but weak direction and a messy script ruin it. The characters felt underdeveloped and lacked the emotional depth needed to make an impact. The actors showed occasional sparks of personality, but the poor writing killed any chance of genuine performances. I also didn’t feel any real chemistry between the couples.
Even though the final message was nice, the series dragged for six episodes before cramming in a bunch of twists at the very end. Sadly, by then it was too late to save it for me.
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