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I had no expectations, but was still disappointed
The best thing about this series is that it shows how AI is ruining creativity and taking jobs.All the actors did a great job, but good acting can only carry a show so far when the plot and the script aren't pulling their weight. To me, Dew and Gun just didn't have any chemistry, and it felt less like love and more like Pheem imprinted on Jira.
The plot was hollow at best and felt full of loose ends, especially regarding Jira's "job". The script spent more time on the artistic side of things when it should have worked more on the "plot" and developing the characters and their relationships.
I couldn't connect with or care about any of the characters because we really didn't get to know them. I honestly couldn't remember their names until around episode 7, when the show actually started to get a little interesting. Which is sad.
The friendship between Koh and Pheem just fell apart with neither of them actually caring, and I didn't care either because it had no history behind it, even though we are told they've known each other for 20 years. I believe Pheem had Stockholm Syndrome, but they didn't really do enough with it. It's like Jira just existing took him half out of it, and Koh breaking them up cured him. More time needed to be spent on his healing, and not being used like an emotional yo-yo.
Watching this honestly felt like a waste of time; I gained nothing from it, not even enjoyment.
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Burnout Syndrome – Episode 10 (Final) Review | Spoilers
Despite its title, Burnout Syndrome is a story about people who have not burned out.No one here has collapsed completely.
They can still work, still love, still argue, still choose.
And that is precisely why this story is painful.
Ko’s attempt to digitize Jira’s art is not simply a technical mistake—it is an act that crushes an artist’s dignity.
The long-standing conflict between creation and production, haute couture and prêt-à-porter, is placed directly inside an intimate relationship.
Jira and Ko are looking at entirely different horizons.
Pheem, however, stands on the same ground as Jira.
To stay together hurts.
To separate is suffocating.
These are the kinds of couples people around us often whisper about:
“Why don’t they just break up?”
The ending appears calm, almost settled.
But I can clearly imagine Jira exploding and walking out again—many times in the future.
This is not resolution; it is simply where the camera stops.
That is why the title feels strange in hindsight.
This is a drama about people on the verge of burnout, not those who have reached it.
Burnout Syndrome feels less like a diagnosis of the characters and more like a quiet question directed at the viewer.
The story does not end.
The camera is simply turned off.
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This show does not get better
I've decided to drop this show after 8 episodes. I know I'm almost there to the finish line but I can't keep watching this slop, which is so crazy cause I've never said that about an OffGun show before.The writing for the show is really where the issues stem from. The acting and even direction have been fine as always. But firstly let's talk about the characters. Koh is such a bad character, not only because he has a bad personality, but his thoughts and actions make no sense and his backstory doesn't justify the way he acts. And Jira is also frustrating because he genuinely doesn't want better for himself and feels tied down to any situation he's in, like being poor and having to work for Koh. He acts like he doesn't have a choice in his OWN LIFE. His character also doesn't know how to set and enforce boundaries and it's just so pathetic. I've seen people say Pheem is toxic but he's really not, his only "toxic" thing is believing Jira will fully accept him only after he's had s*x with him, which shows to be true from Jira's actions. Also he's just as obsessed with Jira but he at least doesn't act entitled to him, his time, and body like Koh.
The romance in the show is bad for the obviously leading couple. The only "romance" between Koh and Jira is Koh being needy (which is so unattractive because he acts like a kid/brat and is so entitled after being such an 🍑 to Jira) and Jira obviously not wanting to like him but liking him. But that's not romance, that's just the situation at hand. There is nothing showing me that yeah they really should be together and is the better pair. This show does not make my heart flutter, it only did that at first with Pheem and Jira cause they have the better chemistry and story. until Jira messed everything up. I think Pheem genuinely deserves better. This show would have been so much better if Dew and Off switched characters and it was about breaking free from their oppressor together/tearing him down and finding love with freedom.
And the plot started off as good but has fallen so badly. I liked the idea of him being poor and Koh hiring him and falling in love but the execution is so bad. Also all of the business scenese are done so badly. Nothing irl would happen like that and I don't understand why they show so much of the stuff he says to the business people if it's not important to the story. They should have just montaged those scenes. It was also giving revenge story at first and then just fell off so hard smh.
And last petty little things is that Mawin's dialogues are bad and always tries to be so profound over the littlest situations and Ing has a lot of weird aura farming moments that are so badly placed and last really long. Honestly there's been a lot of those scenes where they want to show the attractiveness of the cast but the scenes always come off as awkward and long lol
But yeah I would not recommend this. The people who say this show is so good are blinded by their OffGun love. I'm very disappointed and will now rewatch the entirety of Not Me and Bad Buddy to make me feel better.
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1This review may contain spoilers
Badly Burnt
Let's get into it.The visuals beautiful. Dew's smile - dream worthy. Dew, Gun and Off's acting, in that order - believable for the most part. Gun crying - nice to see but became less effective with the copious amounts seen. Chemistry between DewGun - blazing. Chemistry between OffGun - pedestrian. The artwork, at first - esthetically pleasing. With every painting, the phallus being the focal point, begs the viewer to wonder, did Jira have penis envy? When did he see Pheem's? Overdone. Oversexual. Pain and freedom can be depicted differently and effectively. Thankfully, his last was different. Gun's wardrobe - great taste, impeccable. Pheem's pain and frustration - resonating, palpable, undeniable. Koh strutting around bare chested - underwhelming. This did nothing to create the illusion of his anxiety and oddity. It just screamed too much money to care about anyone but himself. Everyone was disposable. When he did wear clothes, I'm guessing the subliminal messages on his tees were to shape the scenes.
Now to the storyline. Script was on the original side. Dark. Emotional. Self realization. Fear of authenticity being replaced by a machine. What I didn't like about the script - when characters flip flop and then the last couple of episodes suddenly know what they want. From the jump, Jira reiterated repeatedly that he hated Koh. Now we all know the end game. It's expected. Nine out of ten episodes of hate, insert one vengeful kiss, one fantasy encouraged kiss and a crotch fondle, and there he was, back pressed to the bed with feet pointed to the ceiling. Lying to the other characters is one thing, lying to himself was tedious. From their first meeting Koh had Jira tethered and he yanked it at will. So who were they fooling? My only rewards for watching that nonsense were the rage room and PheemJira infront of the camera in Mawin's audition. Beautiful art.
Since money and their differing views on AI's effect on authentic art were the chasm between them, this could have easily captured at least three episodes of fiery entertainment. We got nine episodes of petulance from all the characters with a few pockets of sparkles. Collectively, the characters were not that likeable.
I started this expecting the emotional tug of war between them. Truthfully after episode two I was over it. In Thai series it is very rare that one of the ml are allowed to be seen kissing anyone but their partner. Pheem's attempts were painful. Artistically and realistically. If Jira said that he liked Pheem and they were in the room. Why was his response lackluster from the start? What was his goal? BOC delivers great content. Honest work. Gmmtv is sadly trailing behind. It's like a well decorated cake but flavorless.
My consensus: this could have been wrapped in eight episodes. Four for the PheemJira nonsense and four for KohJira nonsense. Side note: I especially didn't like the butler coercing Jira to wait for him to procure a taxi or he would be in trouble with Koh and Jira giving in. A grown arse man cowering and Jira's spineless petulance. Nope.
A lot was dealt with in the last episode and then nothing really. Jira got a spine - I can live without you. Pheem being the bigger man and bridging the space between them. Koh stopped yanking the chain and held boundaries. I did like the spots of humor between Pheem and Mawin , it gave a lightness to the absurdity and their friendship. AJ and Emi were perfect.
A story such as this would have been more effective with the audience viewing the dynamics rather than every moment being explained. Faults an all, it's still watchable and as I said there were moments that were good.
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Dense, textured, and at times suffocatingly real in its emotional weight
The new Thai drama Burnout Syndrome is far from the radiant love story many might expect from the genre. Under the meticulous direction of P’Nuchy, the series unfolds like a slow-drying oil painting: dense, textured, and at times suffocatingly real in its emotional weight. The story immerses us in an ocean of chronic fatigue, where burnout is not an explosive event but a gray haze that slowly consumes the characters’ identities and dictates the rhythm of their relationships.At the center of this triangle of “red flags” are Jira, an artist whose ethical principles seem as volatile as his colors; Koh, a cold capitalist who views humanity as a resource; and Pheem, the man who cleans up other people’s wreckage in exchange for validation that never truly comes. What makes the series compelling is not a search for redemption, but the brutal honesty with which it portrays broken people. These are characters who do not apologize for their toxicity and move through an emotional chessboard where desire and power outweigh conventional affection.
Off and Gun reach a new level of maturity in their performances. Off sheds vanity to embody Koh’s physical thinness and emotional coldness, while Gun delivers a Jira who walks the fine line between vulnerability and manipulation. Their chemistry does not explode in fireworks; it burns quietly through shared silences and restrained gestures. Dew Jirawat surprises as Pheem, perhaps the character with the most visible arc, balancing charm and resentment with growing nuance. The supporting cast, especially Ing and Mawin, serves as a moral anchor in a sea of inflated egos. Emi, as Ing, becomes a true moral compass, almost a possible home amid the protagonists’ psychological chaos.
Visually, the series is a feast for the senses. The cinematography is superb, using the contrast between Jira’s warm, floral bedroom and Koh’s sterile, clinical apartment to tell a story that words alone cannot capture. The soundtrack and production design elevate the work to something nearly artisanal, turning each episode into an aesthetic experience that justifies the time invested, even when the script chooses to tread thorny paths.
However, Burnout Syndrome hesitates at crucial moments. The narrative flirts with deeper critiques of automation, artificial intelligence, and the dehumanization of modern labor, but seems to pull back before delivering a decisive blow. These themes, though symbolically rich, remain at the margins and function more as a backdrop for personal drama than as a fully developed sociological debate. It is a show that aspires to be subversive but sometimes prefers the safety of metaphor over the bluntness of confrontation.
The ending is, without question, the most divisive point and, interestingly, the most realistic. By avoiding a magical cure for deep trauma, the series offers an ambivalent resolution. Jira and Koh’s reunion is not a celebration of romantic love, but an acknowledgment of mutual dependence, a symbiosis between an artist who needs a patron, even an oppressive one, and a narcissist who needs to feel through someone else’s art. It is a “happy for now,” burdened with emotional baggage neither of them seems willing to let go of.
Although its slow pace may alienate viewers seeking dramatic twists, there is a melancholic beauty in watching these individuals crumble and slowly rebuild themselves. The series reminds us that, in the marketplace of emotions, art and capital often share the same bed, and that inspiration can emerge from the most unhealthy places. It lingers, provoking discomfort and reflection long after the final credits roll.
In the end, Burnout Syndrome is an artistic chaos that deserves contemplation. It may not be the drama we wanted, the kind where everyone learns valuable lessons and becomes a better person, but it is certainly the drama that mirrors the complexity and selfishness of contemporary relationships. It invites us to stare into the abyss and perhaps find a trace of poetry in the darkness.
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An erotic bl without any NC needed
God, this is truly a masterpiece. It's not just a bl, it's so much more than that. It is good queer representation, shown through Jira's fashion sense, slang, and mannerisms. It is art and critique on generative ai, and truly touches on what art really means. No character in this is perfect, they're all messed up in their own way. And that's what makes this bl so powerful; its realism. It's raw, it's real, it's erotic with no NC scenes needed. It's sweet at times. It's a wolf in sheep's clothing, all one huge red flag disguised as a normal love triangle. It's truly everything.All the actors did such a great job. The chemistry is through the ROOF.
Jira looks innocent, but secretly seems to know what he's doing. He has strong morals and is confident in who he is. His art really reflects that. I wish I had one of his pieces in my own home! He's complex, but sincere. He's definitely made his fair share of mistakes, but still I'm rooting for his happy end, no matter who that may be with.
Koh seems cold and calculated, but deep within, he's more soft than he'd like to admit. He seems to really like Jira, but sadly, he likes his work more. Morality and consistency definitely aren't his strongest suits, which causes many problems between him and Jira. There's definitely some character development needed for those two to actually work out. Please, Jira, knock some sense into the guy 🥹
Pheem seems like a good guy; a green flag, even. But he's really not. He's a f*ckboy, if you will. He's manipulative and calculating, pretending to be someone he's not just to get with Jira, which really shows how he's definitely not used to being rejected. He's not used to feeling the way he does at all. He's a sore loser, and can get quite aggressive at times. He's definitely not scared of confrontation, and he's actually quite an honest person.
Dew is such a great actor. I really feel his emotions through the screen. His chemistry with Gun is wonderful, and I still find myself genuinely rooting for them. The love triangle is confusing in a perfect way, Jira is stuck between the option that seems right, and the option that *feels* right, even though it'll probably go wrong sooner or later.
The cinematography in this is gorgeous. Almost every scene has me looking in awe. It's such a gorgeous series.
The music choices are also amazing. Every song perfectly fits the scene and the overall vibe of this series. It never disappoints.
I really wish gmmtv would do more bls like this. The genuine care and attention that seems to have gone into the writing and filming is immaculate. I need a second season already, Off, Gun, and Dew are just that amazing. Keep up the great work <3
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This series is not about burnout.
STORY - 5/10"burnout
- extreme tiredness or mental or physical illness caused by working too hard or trying to do too much"
I genuinely think that none of the characters in "Burnout Syndrome" are actually burned out. At least the story doesn't portray them that way. Overall this series tries so hard to make complex, morally grey characters but fails because they aren't given enough screentime by themselves. Nobody feels fleshed out or even remotely likeable. You'll be stuck in a loop of endless, useless drama. The love triangle tries to look more like a Bermuda triangle, tbh. The ending is terrible. None of the previous issues were addressed or fixed. There's surprisingly absolutely no character development. Instead, there's just a time skip where we are meant to assume that some reflection has happened. Forcing this ending was the worst possible outcome for this show.
In the beginning I was intrigued by all the themes that the show wanted to address, like, e.g., burnout, AI, toxic selfishness, art, and a lot more. But in the end none of these issues were discussed thoroughly in a way that is satisfactory. The story wanted to be character-driven and at the same time address all these bigger issues and in the end failed at both aspects. I'm really disappointed.
Pheem and Jira never clicked for me, even though they did for others. They just felt kind of awkward to me. Koh and Jira were better (especially in the beginning), but Koh was being really toxic, and that's why their relationship also didn't seem quite right to me.
I hate Jira because he was just a little indecisive bitch the whole show and basically the root of all his own problems and the suffering of all the other characters.
There were a couple of things I liked, though. Especially in the beginning, I really liked Jira's relationship to Koh as art and muse. Other than that, I also appreciated that Koh could only sleep when Jira was near him. The aspect with the burnout bar also was really interesting to me. Generally the show had a lot of really good and interesting ideas with lacking execution.
ACTING/CAST - 7/10
This show was also Dew's first BL, and he did an excellent job at acting (as Pheem), which I hope to see put to good use in another BL in the future (maybe as the main lead (not in a love triangle)). Other than that, I didn't like how some characters sometimes hold these somewhat longer monologues, which kind of sound like a lecture to me.
MUSIC - 7.5/10
I liked the music, but it was nothing special.
REWATCH VALUE - 1/10
I will never watch this again, and you should not either. The story is way too messy and annoying for that.
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Could've been one of the best series ever
*minor spoilers*It is definitely one of the best OffGun series in my opinion, but some aspects of it, as well as the ending, made it worse for me.
Where to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI5PgAzQZcE8fQdOVzJZgicx
Things I Liked:
1. They did a good job portraying a real-life problem with the AI.
2. Great acting from everyone. I really want to see Dew more in similar roles in the future as well as Off. They did an amazing job.
3. I love the chemistry between all of the main characters. Watching them feels like I'm in a whole chemistry lab.
4. Koh is a freaking megamind. He is always two steps ahead of everybody. I loved his character for the most part.
5. ("I can't live without you." "Well, I can.") Jira finally standing up for himself—that has to be the best thing he's done.
6. I fell in love with the style of this series. Everything was so beautiful!
Things I disliked:
1. They moved from absolute hate to "move in with me" in less than 2 episodes. A bit too quick in my opinion, 1-2 more episodes would be perfect.
2. No matter how much I disliked Pheem for several reasons, I still would accept the Pheem and Jira ending 10 times out of 10 rather than the Koh and Jira.
3. While watching 10th episode, I was hoping so hard for an ending where Jira end's up with either Pheem or, even better, alone because after everything, I really didn't want to see Koh ever again
4. A classic "timeskip fixes everything." They didn't show us a single thing to prove that Koh truly changed for the best or at least did something to get closer to that. There is no way these characters would be able to stay together in any type of healthy or sane relationship without doing anything to become better.
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This Could’ve Been an Email
Jira (Gun Atthaphan) is a contemporary artist who, while struggling with a mental health relapse and desperate for a job, meets Pheem (Dew Jirawat) at a bar called Burnout—a man who sparks some deep reflections in Jira. Eventually, Jira lands an odd job with Pheem’s coworker, Ko (Off Jumpol), the CEO of a tech company. Suddenly, Jira finds himself in a love triangle and an ethical dilemma, torn between what he believes in and the one he loves.The series is directed by Nunchy, who—for those who don’t know—is the same director as Not Me, so I’ll admit, I had extremely high expectations.
And they weren’t exactly met.
Come on, I thought the premise was interesting. A love triangle, one of GMM’s longest-running couples who starred in one of the company’s best BLs, and Dew is a great actor. We had every right to have expectations.
I’m not going to take away all the credit from the production. It’s a good series; it’s visually beautiful and the soundtrack is really good. I find the whole aesthetic aspect quite interesting—it was a good production.
The characters are real. Too real, even. So real that they bore me after a while. The critique in the series is super valid—Art vs. Artificial Intelligence and where we’ve ended up with all of this—I think it’s a super interesting topic. But Jira made me SO SLEEPY that the debate didn’t even hold my attention anymore.
The love triangle was interesting and fun to a certain extent, and I think it would have been more interesting if no one ended up together, but following the GMM, obviously Jira and Ko were going to end up together, and honestly I found the dynamic between the two characters a bit forced and codependent; the series had the capacity to bring the two closer without the cliché of Ko not being able to sleep without him.
The series is shot in the same style as Asian indie films, which prioritize overall aesthetics and continuous takes; it’s an interesting aesthetic choice for this series, as it values poetry and the aesthetic appreciation of everyday life. The friendship dynamics are interesting, both between Jira and Ing (Emi Tharsorn) and between Pheem and Mawin (AJ Chayapol). They’re cool and realistic—fights, arguments, help, and advice. I see friendships like this in everyday life (except for the part where Mawin throws urine at Pheem, but I think that’s more of a boss-subordinate thing). I found those parts entertaining. I believe Pheem was a more deeply written character than Jira and Ko. Pheem was created to be a character who makes sense and is profound on his own, while Ko and Jira were made to make sense and be profound in each other’s stories. You know what I mean?
Their relationship wasn’t exactly treated as something that adds to their individual lives as characters, but rather as something that defines them. If you analyze it deeply, you realize that both have their own individual problems that are resolved only by the other; neither learns anything on their own for their own personal growth. Even with the timeskip, which for some reason brought the two back together in the last 45 minutes of the second half, leaving an open ending. I mean, why did I even watch all of this?
In short, the series is visually beautiful, and even inspiring to a certain extent—the part where Jira pours wine on her shirt makes me want to pour wine on my own shirt and appreciate how poetic my daily life can be. But it wore me out quickly; I started getting bored and only kept watching because I kept putting off stopping, and before I knew it, I’d finished it. Ideally, everyone should end up alone, because clearly everyone needs therapy.
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This Series is A Work of Art
P’Nuchy (Anucha Boonyawatana) has masterfully transformed the clinical exhaustion of our modern age into a breathtaking visual symphony with the Burnout Syndrome series (2025). The storyline is a visceral exploration of the soul’s limits, weaving a complex narrative of ambition and intimacy that demands your full attention. The acting is nothing short of transcendent, with the cast delivering raw, consistently outstanding performances that capture the quiet desperation and flickering hope of those on the brink. This is elevated by a musical score seamlessly woven into the show’s fabric, hauntingly amplifying every emotional beat without ever overwhelming the scene.Beyond just a television show, this series is a true work of art—a cinematic mirror held up to a generation battling emotional and physical fatigue. P'Nuchy uses the camera like a paintbrush, treating every frame as a masterpiece that explores the "negative space" of human struggle. The rewatch value is immense; each viewing reveals hidden layers of symbolism and subtle nuances in the character arcs that you might miss the first time around. In an era of disposable content, this series serves as a vital reminder that work can be labor, but storytelling of this caliber is a timeless art form that heals as much as it haunts.
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The music playlist was my taste , it carry most of the storyline which is bad . I wanted to see passion , longing but they fail to deliver . If it was a book I would have enjoyed it more .
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