This review may contain spoilers
Englot Chemistry at its Best
“Love Bully” ended up being a lot more fun than I thought it would be going in.I didn’t know what to expect since I have not watched any Club Friday story before this. For those unfamiliar like I was, Club Friday is an anthology based on stories submitted by listeners to the radio programme by the same name. The shows consist of dramatised retellings of the stories in a few episodes each. “Love Bully” is a part of the 16th season of Club Friday, and depicts the story of two women named Night (Engfa Waraha) and Irene (Charlotte Austin).
They meet at Night’s bar the night Irene returns from the US, and hit it off instantly. They are quick to realise their feelings for another and equally quick to get together, which to be fair, makes sense given the short runtime. However, their relationship is threatened by the classic soap opera tropes of a meddling vamp character who tries to ruin their relationship as well as Irene’s career, an evil ex-boyfriend who aids her, and the rich mother who scoffs exaggeratedly and demands Night to stay away from Irene, but comes around by the end to support them.
Read the complete article here-
https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/07/25/club-friday-season-16-love-bully-series-review-ep-1-to-4/
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EngLot’s chemistry is overflowing.
Basically, ‘Love Bully’ is just another chaotic Club Friday installment. However, unlike most Club Friday series, the premise of this drama doesn’t involve affairs or cheating, which deserves a good point there. The storyline is not that bad, but it’s not the best either. Certainly, it focuses on the one who cares too much would be more hurt, while the one who cares less would be more frustrated at having to put up with all the crap all the time.It's a Club Friday drama, so the conflicts are expected to be a little overdramatized. But despite that, good directions help convey the story well. In terms of acting, Charlotte deserves praise for her performance this time. She nailed it. The only thing about this drama that I personally like is the great chemistry between Engfa and Charlotte. The EngLot tandem makes the scenes they share look natural. Given that they are one of the most famous GL pairings in Thailand and also well-known internationally, it's not surprising that this series has become the most anticipated, most talked about, and most watched compared to other Club Friday series.
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This review may contain spoilers
At first, when I read the title and when I watched the first episode, I thought it would be more an hate-love relationship - Yes because I didn't read the synopsis.. I was a little bit disappointed but it's my fault. Yet, it was still enjoyable!! Any Englot work is good anyway, they know how to serv! Their chemestry is on top!!!
I love the fact that's it's Charlotte trying to flirt with Engfa! Can't wait to see them in new drama together (or not)
Honestly, the scene between Fey and Irene wasn't necessary?? I mean threaten is more than enough???
PS: I love when lesbian character says they are lesbian and proud of it!! + Love Aunt Jo ♥
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Esperava muito mais
Quando eu vi a primeira vez o trailer eu fiquei super animada porque achei que finalmente englot receberia papéis dignos, mas realmente decepcionou bastante.É uma produção bem básica e sem sal, mas que tinha tudo pra ser um GLzao. Não dá pra dizer que a atuação das englot não melhorou, pq é bem visível a melhora, só que ainda assim me deixa meio com um pé atrás.
Elas vão estar em outro gl futuramente e sinceramente eu estou com um pouco de medo desse ser o 3° gl delas que eu me decepciono🤡 Espero que não venha bomba.
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Hot but no heat
⚠️ GL Grading DisclaimerMy ratings are “for a GL,” focusing on the love story, chemistry, and plot. I grade on a curve, recognizing the production context and genre norms. A 10 means it fully delivers in one or more of these: undeniable chemistry, high enjoyability, or a standout storyline.
Review
Not a fan. For a series that’s only four episodes, it still felt like a slog to finish. I had to push myself through it, which says a lot for something so short.
Visually, no complaints—EngLot are stunning, and the production is clean. Charlotte’s performance, in particular, was strong. Her character was fun, attractive, and added some welcome energy to the show. The acting overall wasn’t the issue.
But even with all that... the chemistry just didn’t land. These women do have chemistry and sex appeal, but for some reason it’s never “hot.” It always feels like they’re holding back. I don’t even think there was a kiss—and without that, the tension doesn’t go anywhere. For a short GL, there needed to be something more intimate to make the connection believable.
The story felt more like a PSA or after-school special about being queer than an actual romance. The mother character was too intense and one-dimensional for such a short run, making her rapid shift in perspective feel abrupt and unearned.
The plot itself—centered around the bar—just didn’t engage me. The emotional stakes were low, and I found myself not really caring about any of it.
Worse than Lucky My Love and My Marvelous Dream Is You, in my opinion. At least those had some emotional attempt. This one just felt flat.
Chemistry Rating: Lukewarm
(Scale: Hot AF, Steamy, Warm and Cute, Lukewarm, Cold)
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This review may contain spoilers
GL with badass women and a touching story
I've never seen anything from Club Friday, nor have I ever heard of it. 'Luve Bully' was randomly recommended to me by Youtube (thanks for that!). I watched it, googled 'Club Friday' and – holy shia – 16 seasons?? Good thing it's an anthology, alas, you can watch each story on its own. (I hope...)As for the actual review:
Story-wise it's nothing new for these type of Dramas. But it being GL surely gives it a bit more originality.
It really touched me in episode 3 and 4. I didn't think I'd cry that much – because I could relate to both Night and Irene a lot –, but I did.
I found it quite awkward, in the beginning, how Irene kissed Night on the cheek and her hands, after having talked for, like, 2 minutes. Now, I've watched some one-night-stands, so it's not uncommon that people kiss without knowing one another, but they usually do when the vibe or atmosphere is there. Which wasn't the case here.
I'm gonna say it's because they didn't have time to let them part and meet up later again, due to having a maximum running time.
On the other hand... since it's based on true events, maybe it's just Irene's character? I guess it is, but it was still very weird.
The way they got together also was a bit... kind of mood-ruining? Reminds me of the manga 'How do we relationship?'. Basically like: "hey we're both lesbian and single and we happened to meet each other, don't you think it's fate? Let's date."
At least they did have a proper kiss soon, to not only be "girlfriends because I don't wanna be alone" but actual ro-se partners.
They had 3 sex scenes, but just like with the hetero pair, you saw them kissing – cut – and then they were lying in bed (or in a bath tub) together.
It was cute though. The actresses do have quite the chemistry.
Irene was quite badass, like you'd expect it from a woman who has spent 10 years abroad in the USA. And I like how she points out Thai's fake politeness, due to the language and culture being overly polite. (Don't get me wrong, I do love the thai language. But fake politeness can be found in many languages/cultures and it is always quite annoying imo.) It does also become part of the story.
I liked that there was an open transgender person (where the word "trans" was acknowledged verbally, not just through subtext), but I wasn't a fan the way she was outed. At least the main girls did treat her positively and respected her pronouns afterwards, but that moment was a bit cringe. (Especially Irene asking whether she can call her "Dad" or "Daddy"...)
The antagonists were annoying af (especially the guy, oof) but I'm glad that one of them changed sides and befriended the 3 main characters. That was a sweet ending. I'd actually love to see more of them, especially the teased partnership between Jo and another woman (well, Jo said she's not into women, but it could be a QPR for example) ... <3
-03.09.24
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Love Bully – No tiene sentido, pero tiene a Englot, y con eso basta
Love Bully es la segunda serie de Engfa y Charlotte, y se nota que todavía estaban encontrando su ritmo... pero ¡eh!, es un salto cuántico respecto a la anterior. Así que ya solo por eso, merece su lugarcito en el radar.La trama es... bueno, digamos que el sentido no es su fuerte. Es cortita, confusa por momentos, y si intentas entender la lógica de los personajes, probablemente termines haciendo pausa para reírte o preguntarte si te perdiste un capítulo (spoiler: no, simplemente es así). Pero es entretenida, y a veces eso es todo lo que necesitas.
Ideal para un finde sin plan, maratonearla con algo rico y dejarte llevar por el drama tailandés sin cuestionarte demasiado. ¿Lo mejor? Que funciona como la antesala perfecta para Petrichor, donde Engfa y Charlotte brillan de verdad y demuestran el tremendo salto actoral que dieron desde Love Bully.
Así que si quieres ver cómo fue el camino de Englot, desde los momentos más what the hell hasta llegar a la joya que es Petrichor, esta serie es una parada no obligatoria pero si entretenida. A veces un drama medio caótico también tiene su encanto.
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