Battle of the Writers

excellent visuals, actors deserved better writing/editing (watch suggestions)

Overall: there was quite a bit of potential but the choppy storytelling/editing hurt the series a lot. The last few episodes were better so that week break seemed to help. Aired 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. YouTube cut version https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzTP1IMPICl6R_dsvgKnBAMp6htoQwswK (episode 1 uncut was 47 minutes 29 seconds which is what I added up the cut parts on YouTube minus the breaks between parts so there wasn't a difference in episode 1, later cut episodes removed NSFW) and iQIYI Thailand only uncut version with delayed English subtitles https://www.iq.com/play/battle-of-the-writers-episode-1-21ue1zzg12c?lang=en_us I rated the cut version a 7 and uncut 7.5.

Content Warnings: non con picture taking, threat, stalking, non con kissing, drugged, non con touching?, injured/clubbed, violence/blood, manipulation, sexism, homophobia

What I Liked
- aesthetics/visuals
- good/realistic that she wouldn't give out his phone number
- tropey falls but they were cute
- supportive group of friends
- sweet moments
- good intimacy/NSFW scenes were well done

Room For Improvement
- with dreams, flashbacks, fast jumps, re-telling scenes from a different perspective, etc the series feels extremely choppy both in modern day and in the Xianxia parts
- the writing felt very contrived, the characters didn't act like real people and what people would say/do, also inconsistent characterization with the guy in black who started by being self assured and then suddenly was nervous/anxious, a character who was multilingual chose to speak a language that no one else could understand in the beginning
- having the panda face paint/jammies on the Chinese character felt a bit iffy
- completely not needed to character assassinate an established queer couple, there were multiple other ways the writers could have achieved what they wanted
- comedy sound effects detracted from the humor, the magic mushrooms in episode 3 were cringey and not funny
- the manipulation/lying by a character in episode 9
- random marriage in episode 11
- wearing socks (on feet) in NSFW scene
- no international release for the uncut version, only available in Thailand (deducted a half point for this as the uncut was better)

Watch Suggestions (it was really challenging in the beginning episodes so I included the Xianxia parts and then also included some sweet/steamy scenes)
- episode 1 part 1 beginning to 2 minutes (zero explanation of why one was blindfolded...)
- episode 2 part 1 beginning to 2:15 (pinned against tree, sword won't harm soulmate)
- episode 3 part 1 beginning to 3:10 (got something in his eye), 6:43 to the end (seem to be in school???)
- episode 3 part 2 beginning to 3:05 (talking about a character, gets a royal decree to kill the other guy? then flash forward then flashback???), 4:13-4:45 (2 other random characters talking to the guy in white), 10:10-10:30 (short fight)
- episode 3 part 4 10:50 -13:12 (introduced a noble genius character who becomes the demon guy's master???)
- episode 4 part 1 beginning to 1:25 and then jump to episode 4 part 2 at 2:55-3:12 to see the end of this scene (flower from his hair)
- episode 4 part 1 8:10-end, roasting a chicken blew out dust from his eye (same scene as in episode 3 part 1)
- episode 5 part 1 1:50-4
- episode 5 part 3 beginning to 3 minutes, 5 min to end
- episode 5 part 4 6:17-6:32
- episode 6 part 1 3:30-6:45 and episode 6 part 3
- episode 7 has a random couple introduced but they kiss at 16:30
- watch episode 7 uncut 29:50-33:15 steamy scene and then 33:30-42:30 for Xianxia kissing
- watch episode 8 part 1 3:45-7
- watch episode 8 part 2 2:40-4, 6:15-end
- watch episode 8 part 3 6-7
- watch episode 8 part 4 4-5:50
- watch episode 8 uncut 16-18:55 for a steamy scene
- watch episode 9 uncut 27-36:20 for a very steamy scene and then 43-end
- watch episode 10: part 1, part 2, start part 3 at 7:45 and part 4 at 4:30 (watch ep 10 uncut around the steamy parts for more steam)
- watch episode 11: part 1, part 2 beg to 3:30 and 11:45-13, part 4 beg to 1:45 (the elevator kissing might be a bit longer in uncut)
- watch episode 12: part 1 (watch the uncut until 10:30, they cut 4 minutes of NSFW here), part 2 and part 4 5min to the end

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Scissors... Dog Walks...Riding...and...Mushrooms?

First off, I'd like to apologize for episode 9...blood of the holy ghost, how do I explain that unholy episode to my ancestors? I thought scissors were a device used for cutting hair... but boy was I wrong. Ob-un did all that while having a sword wound!! Child?? And did Ob-un dog walked Shan up those stairs?? Also, Ob-un's villain laughter had me weak, dafug you mean, uhuhum uhuhum hummm. Boy, stop playing.

Listen, these actors are brave. Kudos to them for being able to act these scenes in front of so many crew members. Tutor a better human than me though, cuz after that stone bed scene, I'd have pulled Yim to the side and acted like that one k-drama and go... 'Listen buddy, I didn't want to say this, but like, my family have 30 cows, and my mom knows a monk...get dressed, we getting married.' No but, seriously, how you go back to being friends after all that??? This is the wildest they've been.

And like, as if that scissor scene wasn't enough, we had the dog walk, which imma be honest got cringy in the middle, and that double riding in the finale... Susan, I think someone can get pregnant from all that. And the second leads also had that couch scene which had full on display cheeks and the whole demon lord thing in the finale. How these actors look into each other's eyes after that? Cuz, I can't even make eye contact on public transport, I always have to act all creepy like something interesting is on the floor. Like one time on the bus a baby smiled at me and I tried to hid behind one of them thin poles, cuz I ain't trying to have no awkward stare offs with no baby but like that's...wait, what was I talking about?

Right, mushrooms. yes, I definitely needed whatever mushroom those two took to fully enjoy the first couple of episodes of series. It was soo boring. Before I knew they were on mushrooms, I was like, does TuturYim need paper that much? I’ll start a go fund me, ain't no way they out here on this bus acting a-fool, cuz what in the bloody hell was that? Literally, as writers, I’d assume they’d try to steal a library or type on a rock, instead of acting like frogs on a public bus, the second-hand embarrassed I felt stayed with me until that Thursday.

I had high hopes for BOTW. TutorYim are one of my favs from Cutie Pie, so I'm seated for whatever they do, but this show took some time to get into. I didn't care for the plot that much, and all the childish over the top-acting nonsense didn't help. And what was Shan's work? And was it me or there were too many characters? The writers tried to give everyone their moment, but really, I did not care one bit about that wedding. Up until that point, I'd be lying if I said I noticed him being part of the writers. Her dress was beautiful though.

So yeah, it disappointed me, cuz the plot didn't hold my interesting, and I found it boring in some parts. Yes, the cutsy outfit in their writing space scenes were cute, but I didn't really care for it, but I liked those cute things they had in their hair. and I had no idea what half of the characters were going on about until much later. I did like some things, like the Costume plot. They looked sooo good as ancient characters. Really, I wanted to watch that plot-line instead. Sin and Jingjang's story was cute and I liked it.

CHARACTERS
I liked Shan and Ob-un, there weren't any unnecessary drama between them, and even the 'big fight' when Shan lied about his eyesight ended with a reward so... But I felt the show had too many characters, and I barely remember half of them. That one character who acted like a bad face mask, confessing to Shan but getting turned down and coming back like a bad lunch, trying to pull stuff, like boy be quiet and go hug a tree. Literally, in the finale when he was there during the proposal going 'kiss kiss kiss' I was like.: 'wait that guy is still in the show?' lol.

PLOT & FINALE.
They did have one with Ob-un and Shan's past and everything, then of course them writing that bl. I just felt like it was all done in a jumble. The execution made the plot come off boring in same parts. It felt like after episode 9, they sort of ran out of ideas and we got long 'papapa' scenes and just filler stuff. Literally, what was the point of the finale, and what did we really get? The story felt concluded waay before the finale, so it just felt like a filler episode. Though, I was happy Sin's partner came back.

All-in-all, interesting plot done in a messy way, but as a fan of the leads I still tuned in, and enjoyed some episodes. I recommend it all bl lovers out there, watch it if you have some time or you looking for spicy bls, cuz...episode 9..blood of the holy ghost that ish was wild! I am looking forward to TutorYim's next work, I'll be tuning in, hoping without mushrooms.

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Genuinely Surprised....definitely worth the watch...

This ended up much longer than I planned, I am sorry for that. I don't normally write a review on the shows I watch. No matter how good or bad it was. But after reading all the negative comments and even some negative comments in reviews, I decided to sit down and watch it. I'm someone who has a hard time focusing, and Thai dramas (any Asian drama really) give me the chance to fall into another world and ignore the real life around me for a bit. It brings me back to calmer state of mind. From episode 1 to episode 12 I couldn't walk away. Feel free to skip to Paragraph 4 which begins my actual review. And please remember, this is MY opinion, I don't expect many to agree with it.

I can understand where people are coming from with the negative comments about this show. Yes, there was some cringy and just plain cheesy dialogue, yes, there were parts that didn't make any sense, I do tend to find myself asking "why?" and "wtf?" multiple times while watching any Asian drama.

I've learned over my few years of watching Thai dramas as well as any Asian drama. What I as an American see as cringy, cheesy, inappropriate, embarrassing, and just plan horrendous writing, not all Asians do. Our ways of life are different. So naturally we have things that Asians may find embarrassing, inappropriate, cheesy, and cringy as well.
I've learned to watch Thai dramas with a different mindset than I do American tv (on the rare occasion I watch it). Therefore, though I find myself covering my eyes, feeling embarrassed and just laughing at the ridiculousness of certain things, I've accepted it's just a part of THEIR culture and writing.

We also have to remember, this is Domundi. Not GMMTV, not Change 2561, Not Idol Factory, Not Me Mind Y.
So why compare them? Naturally what's written, directed, and produced, IS going to be different. Domundi delivered what is considered their...style? genre? Everyone says Tutor and Yim get Zee and NuNew's scrapes or the scripts they didn't want. But even Zee and NuNew's series are of the same quality. I find myself cringy at certain dialogues and scenes with them. Same for any Thai drama I've watched. Thai writers are different to what we're used to, so why bash so much?

If you've made it this far, I appreciate it, I will now share my actually review of the show.
In my own personal opinion, this is absolutely by far Tutor and Yim's BEST performance. I love Tutor and Yim, they are amazing together and have amazing chemistry. I personally didn't like The Middleman's Love. Something just didn't seem right with them playing those parts. Don't get me wrong, it was obvious they showed up and put in the work to bring the characters to life. It was obvious those characters just weren't for them and that's exactly it. They were not the original pair for those roles. It's no ones fault, life happens. And I can appreciate the director giving Tutor and Yim the chance and opportunity to Lead.
I can say I had moments during my viewing of Battle of the Writers, that I did try to picture a different pair playing Shan and Ob-aun, and I just couldn't. It didn't matter how ridiculous the line may have been. It didn't matter how cringy worthy the situation, Tutor and Yim gave their best. They showed the world they are ready and capable of more serious stories. I still cannot get over Tutors ability to speak with his eyes. He reminds me of V from BTS with his ability to use his eyes to capture one's attention. Yim did incredible, I don't know how to describe it, though his character showed moments of immaturity, he didn't full on whine like many characters do. He was able to get his emotions and feelings across with just a look. His eyes are his windows. He expressed his emotions in a way that made me feel what he was feeling.

And oh lordy, I wasn't too sure what the plan was for the NC scenes, but can I just say Tutor and Yim DELIVERED!!! There was no shyness. There was no hesitation. They. Went. For. It. I had moments where I felt like maybe I was intruding. This series shows these years they have spent together have been filled with building trust and comfort. They have cultivated their chemistry to bring an amazing performance. I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Lastly, can I just share my appreciation and excitement over seeing Mark with a partner? I have never cared if he was paired with a woman or a man, but anything I've seen him in he's either single, or he's in a relationship, but the other party is never shown. I just want to hug him and tell him he is loved and appreciated so much. So, seeing him interacting and having a relationship on screen just tickles me so much. I love Mark, I don't know what it is, but from the first time I saw him on screen, he's become my major bias. He did excellent work in this drama. That man's bedroom eyes are something else too.

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Unexpected

The trailer of this drama looked very interesting but I am not satisfied with this drama. First there are many rooms for improvement. I don't know how the script writers created this series but feeling like this is their first time . First few episodes were good but then everything became messy. Most disappointed point is the acting. The actors are definitely not professional at all , felt like they were telling us scripts. Heavy make ups on their face especially the MC really looked bad . The wuxia part was really funny , there are so many things which made that part stage play . But the most satisfied part was their historical costumes and modern costumes. Their visuals were great especially the ML's . Their friends were supportive, so many positive characters, beautiful OST .
Overall a Not Bad or so so types of drama. They should improve the wuxia part more .

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Better than MIDDLEMAN'S LOVE

it's better than so


THE MIDDLEMAN'S LOVE


I'm going to watch it till the end.
















































































Thank god they gave them a normal drama.
I may not give it 10/10 but it's good. give it a try

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Good Premise

Super cute story when they are together. I loved the cast and the story idea is pretty great. I also love Domundi. They almost always fall a tad bit short. Idk what it is. It's something that if they'd change just a tad, they would be unstoppable/dominating all others in the industry.
I would say they play it too careful, but they don't.
Maybe it's how some of the charaters act too childish? Idk

I think it has a lot to do with how they are directed to act. They don't feel like real people. It feels like they start to over think how they are acting. If that makes sense. It kind of takes you out of the series.

Well at least we can see more of Yim's acting skills than him always doing roles that are timid, or whatever you want to call it.

It would be interesting to see if it was YimTutor instead of TutorYim. I wonder how the dynamics would change.

I really enjoyed Tutor and Yim's acting when they are their fantasy selves. I wish they could do more roles like that. I don't really think any of them are bad actors, they are all kind of stiff and too careful when they act.

Again, they showed us with the fantasy scene that they can act in a different way, so I really hope they can do more of that. Fantasy or not.

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Only reason to watch.

Let's see:
Episode 9 - 32:54 to 36:01

That's it. No need to watch anything else.

Tutor and Yim have a connection. It is apparent. What is not apparent is why why why do they do shows that do not bring out the best in them. I'm reminded of Mos and Bank, but I digress. It's like they put a large amount of actors names in a bag and chose randomly.
Then in another bag they put a few mixed scripts and did they same thing. What is unfortunate is that TutorYim keep getting either the bad scripts or bad directors. I like them. I like them together. In and out of the fantasy world, they click. What doesn't click is the lackluster crap that eventually comes out.

A series such as this had too many couples to keep track of in and out of the fantasy world. I must admit after seeing Jack and Chat here, I lowered my expectations. Playboyy kinda left a wtf taste in my mouth. The only reason I watched was for the both of them but I was real about it. That was just to see how far they would go for shock value. Again, I digress. The erratic jumping between 3 worlds, coupled with the different relationships in each and writing alter egos proved to be too much. After episode 5, I found myself using this on a Monday to go to sleep.

If you like convoluted fantasy stories with a slightly erotic but more dramatic bed scene, refer again to episode 9, this is for you. The way Tutor looks at Yim alone will help get you through the episodes. Focus, Mark and Gems were decent enough. I was hoping for so much better, at least a better storyline, but that's just me. Others seem to love it. I will give them one more chance if they do another series.... because I do like them together.

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SURPRISINGLY ENJOYABLE!

Honestly, I went into Battle of the Writers with pretty low expectations because of the low rating but I didn’t bother reading the negative reviews. To my surprise, I actually ended up enjoying it! It’s a light, easy-to-watch romance with a touch of comedy. If you're just looking to relax without getting emotionally wrecked, this is a great pick. It’s heartwarming, cute, and has a calm vibe, not a complicated or heavy series at all.

I especially liked Shan and Ob-aun’s backstory and how it ties into the main plot. Also, I really appreciated the scenes where they brought their own novel to life, short but creative, and their wuxia costumes were on point! Visually, the cinematography was beautiful and the OST was chef's kiss.

Tutor and Yim’s chemistry? Still as strong as ever. If you've seen them in other series, you know what I mean. The side couples also had really good chemistry, which made the show even more fun to watch.

Ob-aun’s flirty little daydreams were adorable, and once he and Shan became a couple, their non-stop flirting had me giggling like a crazy.

I watched the uncut version, and it was spicier than I expected. Too many kisses and NC. Speaking of NC, it felt natural and not cringey or forced at all, which I appreciated. 🔥

Don’t let the bad reviews turn you off. Just try the first few episodes and decide for yourself. Sure, the writing isn’t perfect, and yeah, there are some cheesy parts, but overall it kept me entertained.

That said this series has no big drama, no villains, no stressful or unnecessary plot twists—it’s just a feel-good series. I enjoy action-packed dramas too, but sometimes, I’m just in the mood for something mellow and sweet like this. Maybe I’m just not a harsh critic, or maybe I’m easy to please, but for me, this was definitely watchable, way more than some shows I’ve rated 5 or below (feel free to check out my other reviews if you’re curious 👀).

However, there were a few things I noticed: some early episodes had unnecessary flashbacks, and there was this round table scene where the camera kept circling and made me dizzy—I had to skip it. Also, some of the makeup was a bit much 😂 but their outfits were stylish, so I’ll let that slide.

The title is kind of misleading. I thought it would be an actual battle of the writers, or maybe an enemies-to-lovers plot, but nope, they’re all working on the same BL novel. Still, it turned out to be a pretty solid watch.

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I loved all the romance!

I binged watched this series, once all the eps were out. I often get more out of them when I do this.

it was such a pleasure to see Yim in particular NOT playing a silly, goofy character.
they both looked spectacular and Tutor looks stunning in EVERYTHING he wears! (and doesn't wear)

all the actors did a good job. Marc was super hawt too, and honestly, about every body in this is good looking.

spoilers :

the story is about 5 writers who as a break from the everyday, decided to write a BL together. Each of them write in a different genre, so it takes some effort to bring the story they are writing together in a cohesive way. (much of which we miss)
At the same time, they are struggling to write their weekly web stories and meet their deadlines too.
oh, and there is an online chat group of the 5 writers, where they discuss the story (and other stuff) while dressed as their spirit animals. Too funny!

it can be confusing though, because you suddenly see the actors in a new place/content/world/character, and sometimes the chapter before doesn't exactly match up to the next chapter, from the prior episode. Especially if the chapter is from their personal web story, and not the team one. (which happens with out much notice. lol)
The Wuxia parts are so pretty (part of mostly Obun's imagination and the story he's writing, but the same style is used for the group story too.)

but once you understand that those chapters don't have much to do with the actual storyline, it's fine. :))
so don't stress too much trying to understand them.
Just treat them like someone walked into your room and read you a chapter out of book you aren't reading, while you are watching a show. and they keep coming back to share another chapter with you. :)) and because you love them, you just let them ramble on while your show is paused. :)

there are some random 'drama' moments. They don't last long, so don't worry too much about them. (very low stress, low anxiety show)

everyone of the 5 writers will get some sort of partner. You may think that it's strange when it happens, but I think they were just trying to not leave anyone out. shrug

there are plenty of nice kisses, and some pretty darn good spice scenes too. very tastefully done.

after ep 7 there are tons of lovey dovey romance moments, which filled my heart and made me laugh many many times.

as for the rewatch value, I LOVED all the romance, so for me I will definitely revisit it in the future.

many people seem to be bashing this series.
But I loved it. hope you find it entertaining, and enjoy the eye candy!

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Much better compared to Middleman's Love, but stil lazy writing

Some positives first: chemistry, costumes, and the better episodes later in the series, not romantising to try kissing a sleeping person and calling it out, sensible intim moments, some fluff, making the writing in a book play out.
Some negatives: Cringe, forced funny moments which were not funny, weak writing and no "battle" at all, bad adlib for the chinese actor, weak ending.

Maybe it's my guilty pleasure but I personally found it not that bad compared to other shows and they outdid themselves with the visual presentation. Lazy writing still prevails in Thai shows, so that was a given, but an improvement of the last show for the MLs.

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"Reunited by Love": The Sex, The Snooze, and The WTF

Okay. I need to breathe. Deeply. Inhale, exhale, because this review is about to go OFF. I came into this show expecting fireworks, drama, chaos, and maybe a few tears. What did I get? A lukewarm cup of instant fluff that couldn’t even stir my emotions. But let’s get into it because I have thoughts, and y’all are gonna hear them.

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The Plot That Wasn’t: Snoozefest 2KForever

So, the premise? Cute. Childhood reunion vibes, Obaun and Shan reconnecting after years, yada yada, blah blah. Sweet? Sure. Engaging? Nope. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s also not giving anything. Like, where’s the spice? Where’s the DRAMA? 12 episodes and not one solid oh shit moment. No complications, no stakes, no real progression. Sis, even my morning coffee has more tension.

And don’t get me started on missed opportunities. They could’ve gone FULL enemies-to-lovers. Picture this: Obaun accused of plagiarizing Shan’s work. The company forces them to collab to clean up the mess, and BAM—awkward cohabitation, passive-aggressive shade, and eventual smooching. Obaun? Arrogant and icy. Shan? Feisty and chaotic. Imagine the banter! The tension! The inevitable 'I-hate-you-but-let’s-make-out' vibes. BUT NO. We got soft, mushy, forgettable instead.

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TutorYim: My Kings, Why Did They Do You Dirty?

Let’s be real: as a TutorYim stan, I came for them, stayed for them, and… left kinda disappointed. Look, the chemistry is there—it always is—but they deserved more. Better material, stronger conflict, literally ANYTHING to show off their acting range.

Oh, but let me tell you, the sex scenes? WHEW. Saved the whole damn series. Like, is it art? Is it plot-relevant? No, but who cares? Sometimes we just wanna see pretty people be hot together. Sue me.

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Gems x Mark: Cute, But Did We Need It?

Now let’s talk about the side couple. First of all, is it just me or does Gems look like Nat’s long-lost twin? Like, I had to pause and squint. “Nat, is that you, babe?” Anyway, Gems and Mark? Adorable. BUT Mark, sweetie, you were a walking red flag in that whole Nat drama, so it’s hard to root for you. Still, their chemistry is decent, and I enjoyed their moments.

What I did not enjoy? That terrible Chinese dubbing. Like, WHY. Just hire actors who can deliver the lines naturally, or let the Thai actors speak the little Mandarin they can. The cringe was REAL, and I had to skip through those parts because I couldn’t handle it. Who approved this? They need a stern talking-to.

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The "WOW" Factor That Never Showed Up

Look, the series isn’t bad. It’s just… meh. No wow moments, no standout performances (aside from TutorYim doing what they could with what they had). It’s not cringe, but it’s not memorable either. It’s just there. Like, will I rewatch? Nah. Well… maybe for the sex scenes, LOL.

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Final Thoughts: A Fluffy Letdown

Overall? It’s cute, but it’s not iconic. It’s the kind of show you watch once, go “aww, that’s nice,” and then forget about by the next BL drop. The plot was a missed opportunity, the side couple was okay-ish, and the dub scenes? Unforgivable.

Final rating: 6.5/10. Watch it if you’re bored. Or horny. Or both. Otherwise, skip it and go rewatch Bad Buddy.

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