Romance and mystery – Great chemistry between new BL couple
Khemjira is a 12-episode Thai BL series that mixes supernatural elements with romance. The story follows Khem, a young man cursed to die before 21, and his journey to break the family curse with the help of Pharan, a skilled shaman.The series wasn’t quite what I expected, but I got drawn in anyway. The new actors did a great job, and the lead couple had fantastic chemistry that made their relationship feel real and engaging. The second couple also had good chemistry, but their romance felt almost unnecessary in the story. It seemed a bit forced to fit in so many gay couples, which slightly took away from the authenticity of the main narrative.
Khemjira feels fresh compared to many other Thai BL series. The story is exciting, and the supernatural angle makes it stand out. It might have been a little long at times, and the plot could have been tightened up, but it kept me watching from start to finish.
Overall, I really enjoyed the series and the journey of the characters. I hope the lead couple gets to star together in more projects because their chemistry was one of the highlights. It’s a nice change from the usual Thai BL shows and worth watching if you want something a bit different and a little more adventurous.
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This got me back into Thai BL!
I actually really enjoyed **Khemjira**It was such a refreshing change from the usual cookie cutter school BL dramas
I loved the ancient curse, paranormal, and spiritual elements—they made the story feel unique and kept me invested from beginning to end.
Another thing I really enjoyed was that I didn’t know most of the cast.
The only familiar faces for me were Net, Nammon, Mark, and Jab, who all appeared in guest or cameo roles.
Going in without knowing the main or supporting leads made the experience even better.
It’s been since **The Next Prince** that I’ve truly loved a Thai BL. For years they were my go-to, but I felt like they lost a bit of their spark for a while\. Recently, though, I’d been hearing that the newer dramas were getting really good again, so I decided to give them another chance.
First I watched **Love Upon a Time**, which completely won me over. Then I moved on to **Khemjira**
Two incredible dramas back-to-back! I’m so happy to see Thai BL finding its magic again, and I can’t wait to see what I watch next.
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A Unique Gem!
Khemjira is definitely the surprise BL of 2025 for me. I basically had no idea what I was getting into when I started to watch this whilst it was airing. This is also my first Domundi production and I will have to say that there is a clear difference in style and storytelling compared to GMM.Firstly, Khemjira offers a twist on the supernatural & traditional beliefs often seen in Thai BLs. I really appreciated this and how it really went all in on it. I liked how the show didn't overexplain every little detail of the world, but rather allowed the viewer different interpretations. I think the show did the horror elements of the show very well and almost wished they did more of it later on in the show.
The chemistry between both couples in the show was good and the acting in general was solid. I'm generally not someone that likes the whole “couple is meant to be with each other” as I think it deludes the actual romance, however I think it's fine here as it´s not as clear-cut (trying to avoid spoilers).
A few things about the show that I didn't necessarily love were the unnecessary random side-characters that would show up and just kinda disappear. Also I do think the show dragged a bit at certain points. There were a few scenes (especially in the middle of the show) that dragged on for like 20 minutes without really adding anything to the story. I also think the ending was a bit anti-climactic to be honest.
Other notes:
- One of my favorite Thai intros, really sets the tone for the show.
- Khemdijra is well done technically. They clearly had a big budget for this show.
- I loved the set design.
- One of the best pilot episodes i've seen in BL.
To conclude, I really enjoyed this show and would recommend this to pretty much anyone (even non-bl fans), however it did lack an emotional punch for me and I don't really see myself re-watching this for that particular reason. Khemjira is one of those shows for me that does most things right, and I can see why other people would absolutely adore it, but it just lacked *something* for me. Nevertheless, this will get a very solid rating from me.
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Khemjira — 8.5/10 and I am NOT OK
I didn’t expect Khemjira to crawl under my skin like this… but here we are. This series is beautiful in that quiet, aching way — the kind that doesn’t scream for your attention but slowly takes over your heart. The production alone already had me hooked: dark, atmospheric visuals, haunting sound design, and rituals that feel sacred, scary, and oddly poetic all at once. Everything feels intentional. Nothing feels cheap.
And the romance??? Oh it hurts in the best way. This is not loud love. This is longing, restraint, stolen glances, hands almost touching, emotions swallowed and held for too long. The love story feels fated and fragile, like one wrong move could break everything — and that tension just *wrecked* me episode after episode.
Harit Buayoi… sir. SIR. He absolutely owns this role. The way he expresses pain, fear, devotion, and love without even speaking should be illegal. His eyes do half the acting and somehow say more than pages of dialogue. Watching his character slowly crack — then soften — then love anyway, knowing the risks? I was gone.
That said — the reason this sits at 8.5/10 (and not higher) is the writing choice for Khem. The character is written quite effeminate, and while the actor plays it beautifully and with sincerity, it sometimes leans into a portrayal that feels more stereotypical than necessary. It’s not an acting issue at all — it’s a writing decision. The performance elevates the character, but I couldn’t help wishing Khem had been written with a bit more complexity and balance.
Still, Khemjira feels like a series made with care and heart — one that trusts the audience to feel rather than be told. It’s haunting, tender, painful, and beautiful. I finished it with that hollow-but-full feeling, staring at the screen like “okay… now what do I do with my life?”
8.5/10 for I would still suffer again. Would still rewatch. Would still recommend — emotional damage and all.
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Khemjira: One of the Best BL Series I Have Watched
The cinematography, village setting, costumes, rituals, and supernatural atmosphere were beautifully executed. The story was engaging, the characters were connected well, and the series managed to combine horror, folklore, romance, tragedy, and family history without feeling empty or superficial.
One of the things I appreciated most was how much the series introduced me to Thai culture, history, Buddhism, spiritual beliefs, traditional clothing, and local customs. It made me curious enough to start reading about Thai history and religion, even though I am not Buddhist. Very few series make me want to understand the culture behind what I am watching, and that gave *Khemjira* even more value.
The soundtrack was another major strength. This is honestly one of the few series where I loved almost every song, whether it was a regular soundtrack song or one with a more spiritual and religious tone. The music matched the atmosphere beautifully and made the emotional and supernatural scenes even more memorable.
The acting was also impressive, especially considering that several of the main actors are still relatively new. Some of Khem’s more intense crying scenes were weaker, but overall the cast handled the material very well.
My biggest issue was Ramphueng’s ending. For most of the series, she was presented as the villain, but her backstory revealed that she and her son were actually the original victims. Her revenge became cruel and harmed innocent descendants, but it still felt unfair that she was expected to apologize while no one properly apologized to her for the betrayal, humiliation, and injustice that caused her suffering in the first place.
*Khemjira* was ambitious, visually beautiful, culturally rich, emotionally powerful, and supported by an excellent soundtrack it remains one of the most memorable BL series I have watched.
**Rating: 9/10**
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Overhyped and Boring
Khemjira (also known as Khemjira Must Survive) is a 2025 Thai supernatural horror boys' love series produced by Domundi TV. Centered around a young man named Khem, who is trying to survive a deadly family curse before turning 21 with the help of a powerful sorcerer named Pharan, the show generated massive amounts of hype. While online fandoms and social media are absolutely obsessed with this series, the actual viewing experience reveals that it is nothing special. Beneath the flashy occult elements lies a plot that is heavily flawed, repetitive, and ultimately tedious.It is honestly difficult to understand why people praise this show so intensely, as the execution of the story feels incredibly boring and poorly thought out. What should have been a thrilling, high-stakes supernatural horror quickly devolves into a cycle of predictable scares and stupid character decisions. The pacing drags immensely, making a one-hour episode feel like a chore to sit through. Instead of building a complex lore, the writing constantly relies on cheap tricks, and the main conflict often feels plain silly and illogical rather than genuinely frightening or engagingThe absolute saving grace of Khemjira—and the only reason it manages a 6.5 rating—is its fantastic cast. The lead actors, Keng Harit Buayoi (Pharan) and Namping Napatsakorn Pingmuang (Khem), are incredibly talented and possess a lot of natural charm. Despite the weak material they were given, they deliver solid individual performances and do their absolute best to carry the entire show on their shoulders. They have great on-screen presence, and it is clear that the actors themselves are highly capable professionals who deserve a much better, tighter scriptUltimately, Khemjira finishes as an overhyped 6.5/10 experience. It is a textbook definition of a show that looks good on paper but fails completely in its storytelling. If you look past the loud internet hype, you are left with a fairly boring and occasionally nonsensical plot. However, if you are a fan of Keng and Namping, it might be worth a casual watch just to appreciate their acting skills—just don't expect the masterpiece that everyone else claims it to be.Was this review helpful to you?
A MASTERPIECE, but
Overall, this is a masterpiece. The plot is fresh, the setting, the ambience, and even the soundtrack—it is indeed a (almost) perfection. The thing that bothered me the most was the product placement. LOL, I know they needed a lot of money to produce this one, but at least use the products correctly. Also, the acting sometimes kind of feels off. Not that bad "bad", though. It's still a masterpiece. KENG IS SO DAMN HOT HERE.Was this review helpful to you?
Khemjira Will Survive and so will my hopes in Domundi from now on
Khemjira is easily a must watch show, even if you haven't had exposure to BL stories before. I wanted to be critical so bad but I couldn't help but just enjoy the show for it was. It has a lot of deservingly viral moments. Production is top notch and by far the best in the genre and there are a lot of locations the drama is shot in so no scene feels like the production team was limiting themselves in any way.This show rightfully caught people's attention the moment its pilot trailer aired. It immediately stood out in the crowd of BLs for its unique setting and genre. While many BL production companies acted fast and try out the themes this series does before it aired, they just couldn't deliver it in a way this show did.
I'll say it out right. I disliked every Domundi show before this. The production for their shows always seemed extravagant but the actual content was just slop. To see Domundi come up with a show that has both the budget and actually good content is a huge miracle itself.
Here's what I liked about this show. This BL is the ultimate representation of what one can expect from other Thai BLs. I'd usually be unimpressed that the show is doing familiar tropes but why it actually works here is because it actually takes the best Thai BL drama tropes and puts them together in this one beautiful mixture that somehow just works wonder. So if this is one's first experience with Thai BLs, I can imagine them being extremely impressed with everything.
The cast is really likeable. All of it and that's something I haven't felt from this genre in ages. The ladies of the cast entirely carried the acting department despite having just supporting roles and they deserve far more recognition for the work they did to make this show what it was.
However, the biggest selling point was Keng Harit's role in this drama no doubt. He's one handsome man that has crazy amount of swoon worthy looks and characters in the show. I know it's crazy but this alone becomes 50% of the reason why you become so engaged to the show. I felt his character and his acting skills were best explored throughout the entire show. It's hard to not fall in love with his character's depth and range. The mysterious hot guy trope always wins. And I'd argue even if they had any another handsome guy over Keng Harit in this role, the show would most likely not take off the way it did. This role needed him.
The overall storyline was well thought but what stood out to me was the amount of scenarios each episode had. I know people hated the length but I feel like there was a very valid reason for this show to be this lengthy. Unlike I Feel You Linger in Air and many other BLs, each episode had back to back memorable scenes being thrown at you nonstop. It didn't feel like it was stalling anywhere or had filler moments. Everything just kept going on and I really admire that.
I still had some issues with the show which I think could easily make this show a 10/10 if they had handled them better. First, my biggest issue has to be the romantic development. There were a lot of really good slow burn moments where its implied that the leads are attracted to each other but it just should've been far more explict. There clearly aren't enough moments where they clearly just fall in love with each other together at the same time so it just feels like the confession is a bit out of place. My favorite scene by far is when the Master first asks Khem to call him by his name in Ep 8. That scene just stood out to me a lot despite its simplicity and I really wished we just got more of such full fledged romance before they got together.
I also somewhat dislike how they set aside only episodes 5-8 for the BL elements but then they simply move back to the plot progression which leads to their romantic development being sidelined again until the end of Ep 10. I would've loved them to keep up with both the plot and romance at the same time rather than focusing on one more than the other.
Second, Rampheung as a villian was a bit weaker than I hoped. Her backstory and conclusion was amazing but I dislike how quick they take away her mysterious and powerful image. I feel like they should've kept her as mysterious and strong as possible until the very end. It always should've been the characters barely escaping her wrath rather than the characters somehow managing to stall her efforts.
Lastly, Khem was a bit too much of a damsel in distress. I would've loved to see him being more bratty in some instances. Now I don't think Khem should've been someone exact opposite but I feel like if they somehow managed to integrate a bit more of enemies to lovers trope into this show too, it would've been everything.
Overall, I had a very fun time watching this. I've seen many great BLs and truthfully, I'm genuinely surprised by how much I ended up liking this. I just think it goes to show that a good BL needs two things: a good plot and execution backed up by high budget. (and also a super handsome guy like Keng to play the lead)
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A BL I Didn’t Feel at First, but Might Love Forever !
When I watched it for the first time, I wasn’t deeply touched—and honestly, I don’t think that was the drama’s fault. It was mine. I wasn’t in the right emotional headspace to fully connect with it. Still, my instincts kept whispering that this story had something special waiting for me, something I just couldn’t reach at that moment.Because of that, I gave it an 8.5, but I truly believe a rewatch could easily push it into my all-time favorite BL list. Some stories don’t hit instantly—they wait for the right timing.
This might be the first series where the first kiss happens in episode 8, yet it never felt like a slow burn. The pacing and emotional build-up were so natural that I stayed fully engaged the whole time.
The second couple’s chemistry also deserves praise. I usually end up skipping one couple in dual-pair BLs if the chemistry doesn’t work for me—but not here. This drama kept me invested in everyone, which says a lot.
And lastly… the ghosts in “Khemjira”?
Absolutely slaying at ghosting. Iconic. Unmatched. Peak supernatural behavior. 👻✨
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Khemjira
The series portrays traditionalism, religion, and beliefs in a way that keeps you entertained by the characters and makes you wonder what will happen in the next episode. The episodes are numerous and lengthy, which is why I deducted some points because it became a bit tiring towards the end; it could have been a little shorter. However, it's an impeccable piece of work, with good actors who managed to convey their characters effectively. However, it's necessary to point out that the ending seems a bit anticlimactic, as there were many good scenes only for something that seemed very simple to happen at the end. I would like to praise the performance of Rampueng's actress , who was a very important part of this story and managed to raise the level of acting in this series. I would probably think twice before rewatching it because it's very long, but it's interesting how they managed to incorporate elements of Thai culture and finally for Domundi to get something right. Charn&Jet my beloved <3Was this review helpful to you?
This will haunt me forever
I came into this expecting a horror story that somehow devolves into lakorn territory making everything convoluted or ridiculous. But the story took itself seriously from the first episode and kept the same gravitas all through.While some world building elements leave more questions than answers, I'd say that's ignorance of Thai shamanism/mythology on my end than the show's problem.
The endgame being Khemjira's survival didn't erase the stakes within the game. Ramphueng was an actual threat and did cause harm making her simultaneously frightful and in need of compassion. I do love that the story didn't feel the need to add dumb fight sequences but some choices left a lot to be desired. (A CGI boar comes to mind).
PS. Thailand decriminalised homosexuality in 1956. But only made gay marriage legal in 2025. Adoption by queer couples there is also legalised by the Marriage Equality Act. You see world? That's how you do it 🥰 (But really Thailand, let single people adopt kids too).
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ost ate
Visually wise peak, the color grading was very pleasant, acting and story are also solid overall, but the original soundtrack takes the win for me, especially the intro song and mantra. Khemjira is a nicely done production with a properly used budget, I can see the effort that the team put and it truly deserves all the success that it has, probably the best Thai BL of 2025. It managed to truly create its own universe and bring it to life since the first episode, great work by the actors and production.Was this review helpful to you?
