Battle of the Writers

First Thai BL and now I'm hooked

So I started watching because I knew Winnie and Min who competed on Boys Planet were in this. They had such minor roles but man! The rest of the cast and characters got me.

My only major complaint is the storytelling and the order they showed it was confusing, especially when you're not familiar with the characters or actors. I think it took me until episode like 5 to realize the guys in the traditional Chinese outfits and the guys sitting at the table with the cute hair/PJs were the writers/characters in the show. I had to rewatch the first few episodes to grasp that the traditional outfits = the story they're writing, them sitting around the table in PJs = the writers group chat.

There was also the weird thing where the 2 chinese actors said random lines in chinese but then never did it again later on in the show.

But overall I did enjoy the show. The pairings were cute and worked well together. The intimate scenes were STEAMY, I don't know how the actors play that off and then still be able to look each other in the eye the next day. But yeah, I did ultimately enjoy the show in the end.

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Ended up routing for Sin&Jinjang <3

I was quite confused during the first 4–5 episodes, wondering where the story was actually heading — with all the novel writing, unspoken feelings, and flashbacks. But by episode 6, things finally started to make sense.

It’s a sweet, fluffy drama with a touch of suspense. The character development progresses nicely — from overcoming personal traumas to learning to express their feelings and strengthening their friendships.

The second, third, and fourth couples also got a fair share of screen time and proper closure. Sin and Jinjang are absolutely adorable, and when they reunited, I was over the moon! So glad they ended up together. Though, I have to say, some of their scenes gave off Love Sea vibes — just my POV.

It would’ve been a solid 7, but those NC scenes were hella hot — so 7.5 it is! 🔥

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The NC distract people’s attention

First thing first, I’ve never read the original works as in the novel so this review is 100% based on its series

I would love to appreciate everyone that’s involved in the series I believe this is not easy… not at all as they have to combine both Thai and Chinese culture in one series with the production team being ‘pretty controlled by the Chinese team’ - this might be a hot take but I’m just being blunt here. I’ll take the critics~

I understand that the series was made based on a Chinese BL Novel and probably several things are just quite hard to be interpreted. I’m not sure whether the Thai director or the screenwriter are fluent in Chinese but they tried. (I remember the director mentioned that the novel background took place during pandemic era therefore there are several adjustment for the scenes)
- I would love to know the details regarding the production as it seems soooooo intense but,, I’ll let it be a mystery everyone gotta guess

Okay, back to the series. Basically, it is a story about longing love of Shan towards Obaun. I LOOOVE THIS PAIR.
Shan: a genius mystery genre writer that owns a company and is VERY RICH.
Obaun: a wuxia/xianxia genre writer that lives a humble life and is pretty outgoing.

Yes, we had several other characters but I prefer to focus on them both.
Plot: Obaun was accused of plagiarism by the fans that read both Shan and Obaun’s novel (not sure what the title was). Apparently, the animal characters used in both novels are the same and tells similar story with different perspectives (should I mention Obaun haters here?). Obaun was infuriated by the situation and decided to meet Shan to clarify the situation. They met at an event held by the publisher. As Obaun witnesses the confidence and the aura of Shan he decided to drop the idea of arguing things but his friend (co-worker) Ozone chooses to let them meet. They end up playing together (reading novels and reenact the scene from the novel) and start to get closer.
As the bonding start, another issue comes up for Obaun. His so called roommate kicked him out to be with his lover (I am infuriated here 🤬🤬). As he start looking for new place, Shan decided to offer his place to stay. And there goes the start of their journey. Both begins to spend more time together and end up writing BL novels together along with some other authors. The co-written novel is basically about “an author and copycat that creates a novel about Shen An and Duan Ru Xing. One creates it while the other tries to ruin it” (this plot wasn’t presented pretty well in the series but based on my understanding, this is the main plot of SA and DRX).
As they live and work along, Obaun comes to realize that he has a feeling for Shan while Shan have always had this affection towards Obaun. It begins as a brotherly love but as time goes by it turns into a love between two people. He has been yearning to meet Obaun since their childhood. During his recovery era (he lost his sight temporarily due to an accident), he met Obaun that came to his garden out of nowhere 😂. They spent a lot of time together, telling stories, listening to music, playing together and stuff. Until one day Shan has finally recovered, Obaun just gone without a trace. Apparently, both his parents pass away that made him have no choice but probably move to some relatives house (this wasn’t clearly explained). This memory stuck in Shan’s mind for a long time (10 years!!). Him feeling glad to found Obaun again is pretty normal. Unlike Shan, Obaun doesn’t remember much about it and feels very insecure when he found out that several characters in Shan’s novel are actually inspired by him. He can’t even respond to Shan’s confession at first. But as they communicate it, they decided to date one another.
As the love journey begin, they soon faces another challenge whereas Shan’s fanatic fan and Obaun’s hater tries to attack Obaun (which unfortunately not well presented as well, the angle and motions weren’t really convincing). But, as protective man Shan is, he got hit instead. The accident triggered Shan’s old condition and again he loses his sight temporarily. During this moment, we can witness the vulnerability of Shan. He’s afraid that one day Obaun will leave him just like that day. And surely their relationship grows stronger ever since. To the point they got engaged!!

Well, that’s basically the whole story of the series but… we have soooo many side couples that need their screen time and dare I say… their plots are irrelevant to the main plot (I would prefer giving them less screen time and made a sequel for each instead).

Also the arrangement of several cuts could’ve been smoother. (I seriously wanna know whether every hanfu themed characters are Shen An and Duan Ru Xing -probably not as they’re from different story, but the first few episodes before the group even made co-written novel… seems to show that they’re SA and DRX which kinda confuses me-)

The intensity of the NC… well, people only remember the NC but I cannot deny the fact that it was THAT intense. 3 couples with approximately 5 love scene with ‘long duration’ (hopefully my wording didn’t make anyone misinterpret it 😆😆 -well, I am…). Anyway, it’s too much I’ll say… but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it 🤣🤣🤣. Well, that last 4 episodes distract people’s impression on the whole series including me (well, I thought it’ll be a fluffy sweet romance series).

Them trying to mention the issue about discrimination, unfair treatment, minorities group and all at last minute seems ‘rushed’ tho.. I understand that they want to leave some messages but… better arrange it in other way^^

It was actually a nice plot but several other factors makes it not that highlighted.

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Lost Potential and reason for headache!!!

This Drama started well I was invested fro first few episodes , but was struggling to finish till the end later. Some parts were really great like supportive friends group, chemistry between couples (there are 5-6 on how you count), supportive parents, some good quotes from writers. Well the list of things can be improved is much more long -
1. too many unnecessary characters and subplots
2. Editor was probably absent while they were making this series. many times I couldn't make a head or tail of what's happening so the headaches!!
3. Slow pacing of story , some non con photography

In short , its a one time watch if you like the actors as they did well on the part given to them , but guys please don't hate me if you get serious headache!!

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What can be said of Battle of the writers!

Battle of the Writers is a very entertaining novel with funny moments and artistic scenes. I was surprised by the premise, and who doesn’t love a bit of forgotten childhood love? Plus, the chat room — which usually isn’t my favorite thing — I adored in this case because of how they talk in such a flat, neutral way, mimicking the detached tone that often comes through when chatting on devices.

I don’t understand the comments saying the wuxia storyline is confusing. It’s clear that the story unfolds as the male leads (MLs) fall in love and discover truths about themselves (like how one of the MLs was blind for a time, which is why he wore bandages). If you don’t understand the story, you can only blame yourself for not having the ability to interpret what you’re seeing.

While the looks and poses can be a bit uncomfortable, this is something associated with the Thai drama style, which has always been that way. They are a bit theatrical and tend to leave suspenseful moments between scenes to give the viewer time to understand what they’re seeing. As I said, it’s not unusual in this kind of drama. If you’re not used to it (and don’t want to get used to it), please spare yourself the annoyance.

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TutorYim dramas always have something special and charm

I will come back and edit this review later after watching more of the series. So far, acting is great, story is interesting with fun elements revolving around writing bl novels. The leads have great chemistry and their costumes and makeup are all lovely.

TutorYim dramas always feel unique, they have the softness and cuteness and also the sexiness to carry the drama along even if its not the best story. The production team need to start giving them top class scripts and projects because they are just so good together.

OMG the NC SCENES! They are very well done, I applaud the actors for performing such intimate scenes with a whole film crew in the room.

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Loved it!!!

I absolutely loved their acting in Battle of Writers. Some might say it’s a bit exaggerated, but honestly, that’s part of the charm in many Thai series—and it worked so well here. The performance style carries a different kind of intensity compared to ZeeNunew, but I still enjoyed it just as much. I’m also really glad that Gem had a solid partner in this series.

My review is coming in a bit late, but better late than never because this is truly a must-watch. I’ve rewatched the entire series more than four times now, and it still hasn’t lost its magic.🤣

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funny Fever dream without plot but not a rewatchable Drama

I guess everyone had different expectations here. Even though Tutor and Yim don’t have the most intense chemistry, I was still looking forward to their new drama after their previous works. I especially hoped the historical part in the Danmei style, which the authors approached as a BL project, would play a more significant role. At first, it seemed like the story would help the writers break through writer’s block with a fun project between friends and fellow authors. Then, out of nowhere, we were hit with a ‘We've known each other forever,’ ‘Back when I almost went blind due to an accident’ storyline. Just as the audience was left completely confused — and probably the directors realized from the reviews that the plot wasn’t making sense —Suddenly, the show shifted to 10-minute-long NC scenes that didn’t match the previous energy at all and felt disconnected from the characters, resembling soft p*rn more than anything.

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nonsensical plot and uncomfortable age gap romances

So before anyone's like 'omg you're just a puritan for having a problem with the age gaps,' as long as the younger person is at least mid 20s, I'll accept pretty much any age gap. I have so many ships where character A is mid/late 20s and character B is immortal and has been alive for like at least a century. I am not inherently against age gaps. But it's about the execution in this case - one, I have no idea how big the age difference is between Shan and Ob-aun and there's a flashback of a 16 year old Shan and a clearly pre-pubescent Ob-aun to draw attention to this age gap; two, it feels like the audience is supposed to be into their dynamic specifically because of the age gap with Ob-aun being presented as naive, innocent, and inexperienced while Shan is clearly not these things and being the pursuer. It's very weird and uncomfortable and the constant thought of 'okay, but how big is their age gap' overshadows any moment that could be cute. Oh and there's also a side pairing of a literal teen with an adult who is somewhat of an authority figure for him so... that's pretty yikes.

As for the story... there are so many conflicts constantly being introduced and not a single one of them is truly resolved. Like the set up of the entire story is that Ob-aun is accused of plagiarizing Shan, but Shan isn't the one who makes that claim so why is legal action being threatened? And the plagiarism accusation doesn't even matter because it's basically ignored after the first episode. Also for a group of writers, these guys do not know how to write a story because they spend so much time being like "I don't know how to write this scene, can you do it for me?" like ??????????

It's really not worth the time, but if you're determined to watch it, it's at least a short show.

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What were they thinking?

This drama is the most convoluted show/ drama I have ever attempted to watch. The story is not cohesive, the episodes do not flow from one to the other, the story is a mash -up of unrealistic, non-relatable, disjointed stuff. The explanation for this is actually in the story in episode 3 where the 5, yes 5 MLs are sitting around a table discussing writing a novel. They through up a bunch of ideas based on what they feel is their specialty and walla they have a successful story and not a word has been written. This has be how this train wreck came about. The best thing is the sets. From one scene to the next you can see that this was not fleshed out. I have to wonder how the actors could get through this. It had to hard for them. I found nothing good bout it despite the fact that I went back to the beginning to watch it because I truly believe that I somehow had missed something which was why I could not quite grasp the concept, but I know now that is simply not the case. It could have been much better if it had been more straight forward, the supposed scaring scene when delivering the food in its entirety should not have been in there at ALL. Just a waste and not the least bit humorous. The electricity going out as it did. This was too contrived ,

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