Burnout Syndrome

Going into Burnout Syndrome, I had high expectations. I loved director Nuchy’s previous series Not Me, which had the same main leads, and that show felt like it had so much to say: socially, politically, and emotionally. In comparison, Burnout Syndrome feels like a quieter, less confident project. Not bad, but definitely underdeveloped.

That’s not to say I disliked the story. I actually appreciated the different perspectives the characters had on AI and the very real fear that it could replace artists, people who already struggle to make a living doing what they love. That theme had a lot of potential, but it never quite reached the depth it was aiming for.

Jira is a deeply flawed but understandable protagonist. Most of his questionable decisions stem from insecurity: about his talent, his future, and who he wants to be. He desperately wants to succeed as an artist and be admired for his work, but reality keeps reminding him how unforgiving that path can be. He’s extremely passive, especially in his love life, and there were many moments where I wanted to scream at him to just make a decision already and to get his shit together. Still, that indecisiveness felt very real, with the constant battle between what feels right emotionally and what seems logical or safe.

Koh is one of the most underdeveloped antagonists I’ve seen in a long time, which is a shame because Off gives an absolutely phenomenal performance. This is easily one of his strongest roles. He makes Koh both infuriating and strangely compelling. You can’t help but love and hate him at the same time. Unfortunately, the writing doesn’t always support the performance. The show hints at his upbringing, especially his relationship with his mother, but it’s so vague that it’s hard to understand him, let alone root for him. He remains an asshole for most of the series and doesn’t improve much by the end. Because of this, his relationship with Jira feels unearned, even though you already know that Jira will end up with him anyway. I’m sure the novel fleshes him out far better, but within the series, it doesn't work as it should.

Now, I love Dew, and I really liked Pheem as a character, but I genuinely need people to stop wishing Jira would end up with him. They would never work. That said, Dew is excellent in this role. The lack of chemistry between Jira and Pheem felt intentional, and I found that fascinating. You can clearly see that Jira wants to want Pheem, but his heart just isn’t there. Their dynamic was uncomfortable in a very realistic way, and it's one of the things in this series that I loved the most. The rage room scene, where Pheem finally explodes and smashes everything while yelling at Jira, was toxic, but also raw and emotional.

Ing and Mawin, played by Emi and AJ, were well-acted but painfully uninteresting. I love both actors, which made this even more frustrating. Their characters existed almost solely to give relationship advice and act as emotional outlets for Jira and Pheem. It felt like such a waste, especially since there was clearly potential to do more with them.

On a technical level, the series does well. I really liked the soundtrack, and the cinematography and overall aesthetics were pleasing. Also, kudos to the artist who painted all those paintings. They were amazing. Unfortunately, the story itself felt rushed and underdeveloped, even though it's still a slow-burn. It lacks momentum and emotional payoff. Burnout Syndrome has good ideas and some genuinely strong moments, but it never fully comes together.

It should’ve been better — but I still enjoyed it for what it was.

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Dark and Gritty.

I saw that the angst in this one put some people off it. Yes, sometimes this series was very depression especially since all 3 main characters: Koh, Jira and Pheem were red flags. Sure, some don't consider Pheem a red flag, but I do, esp with how he considered Jira a sex object in the beginning until he started really having real feelings for Jira. As for Koh, he was a user etc and I hated how he did it to get what he wanted. He uses Jira right until the end, then repents because he loves him although he never really repents for sending Jira's paintings into AI (sigh). Jira the last red flag in how he was also using Pheem when things went south with Koh. I'm glad that in the end he breaks it off with both of them until it's time to reunite with Koh, Plus, to my acknowledgement the love triangle lasted too long. Jira always wanted Koh so I did feel like they dragged it out a bit there.
OffGun and Nuchy are always a winning team. She knows how to get the best out of them and they do it every single time. Their series don't disappoint. Even though Burnout Syndrome is not as good as Not Me, for me it's OffGun's second best. Sometimes, I love series like this: dark, gritt and angsty. OffGun are always at their best in series like this too. Their chemistry is somehow more intense and passionate which is why i can't wait to watch Gunshot even though I feel like that will be even darker than this one.
This one I give 9.5. There were some moments I didn't like at all but overall I pretty much enjoyed it and will be watching it over again.

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A Masterclass in Artistry, Acting, & Aesthetics

It is also a study in human ugliness. It is a story of how like-minded individuals, a hive mind if you will, (you will understand the reference) are all pawns to their worst instincts. In other words. The protagonists are the antagonists as well. Each has succumbed to their lowest common dominator which ironically is at the core of what made them successful. Is this counterintuitive? Oxymoronic? Yes, to both. This series is a masterclass in artistry, acting, and aesthetics. It is also a study in human ugliness. It is a story of how like-minded individuals, a hive mind if you will, (you will understand the reference) are all pawns to their worst instincts. In other words. The protagonists are the antagonists as well. Each has succumbed to their lowest common dominator which ironically is at the core of what made them successful. Is this counterintuitive? Oxymoronic? Yes, to both. These protagonists died emotionally a long time ago. They are only existing in the realm of trying to connect to one another simply to survive and get ahead. All three stopped living a long time ago. There is such emotional realism with moments of tenderness that you knew were not genuine. All of them were so broken they were incapable of feeling anything even close to concepts called compassion or sincerity and therefore love. This is not a BL; it does not even come close to any definition of love. Kudos for making, producing, and acting in this one-of-a-kind dynamic series. One of my early choices for best series for 2026.

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Put 3 artists together and they creat art.
Thank you Nuchy, Jittirain and Naisu for your art.

The way I scream when it was annonced, one of my favorite producer with one of my favorite novelist together with my favorite pairing. It was meant for me.

It was amazing!

I loved every painting, thank you to Naisu, it was nice to meet her thanks to Burnout out Syndrom.
You can tell that, they do care about art and painting.

I loved the characters.
Koh, Jira and Pheem are all red flag. I'm sorry for people who love Pheem.
Koh only care about his own profit and emotions. He love being in controle that's why he don't talk to people much. (And tbh I don't think he is the biggest red flag that Off have play, Pick was worst)
Jira doesn't know what he want (or don't want to accept it). And I' sure he kinda like that Pheem and Koh fight for him.
Pheem, I'm sorry but the whole "I want someone to heal me"... It's not very healthy. And the way he act to "win" Jira heart...
My favorite character is Ing, she does really care about her friend, without judgying.

All the OST are 10/10.

No need to say that all the actor and actress did a good job, they are trully one of GMMTV's best oone.

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Questo è quello che ho scritto sul mio diario delle serie perché mi ha completamente distrutto

Burnout Syndrome, in teoria dovevo vederlo ongoing. Il problema è che se lo vedevo cominciavano a venirmi i patemi d'animo, quindi ho prorogato in maniera indistinta ed eterna fino a che, un bel giorno, quindi oggi, giorno del signore 18.02.2026, non mi sono obbligata a finire la serie. E anche in questo caso ho deciso di non prestare attenzione ad un pezzo della storia o lo avrei ulteriormente messo in pausa. Detto ciò questa storia è concepita come un'opera d'arte e così va valutata, anche se è sempre presente un commentario sulla vita reale e su quello che sta succedendo in questo momento, in particolare con l'AI. è anche se non è Not Me, perché siamo onesti, at the end of the day, nulla è o sarà mai Not Me, tutto in questa serie mi è piaciuto. Che in parte è anche la ragione perché non volevo vederla, perché se non la vedo, non finisce. Di tutto, Off e mr. K sono veramente saliti di livello. Gun è ovviamente sempre pazzesco in qualsiasi cosa lui faccia e Dew si è confermato validissimo e molto solido (cosa che avevo notato anche in Leap Day e per cui aspetto con ogni fibra del mio corpo Mr. Kill), ma qui è stato Off che ha brillato. Lui ha una perticolare capacità per interpretare questi personaggi che nonostante non siano i più grandi della stenza è come se lo fossero. Off ha un aura che soo sincera, solo pochissimi attori hanno (nello show biz thai) e qui questa sua aura splende di una luce nera e tossica, che prende e rovina tutto quello che incontra.
Una delle cose che mi ha più colpito di questa serie è sicuramente il fatto che ci sia un commentario sull'uso dell'intelligenza artificiale e dei sacrifici che le persone che chiedono solo pochissimo successo nella vita, devono fare per averli, per poi scoprire che tutto il loro lavoro è andato in fumo.
C'è un che di profetico nel finale, che NON è un finale felice. Per Jira tornare da Koh non è un finale da favola, è la definizione definitiva che alla fine, come lui stesso dice, anche l'arte e l'artista si piegherà al capitalismo e in questo caso specifico, Jira tornerà da Koh. Anche se è bello il fatto che finiscano assieme, perché dai, sono OffGun, questo NON è un finale felice.

Detto ciò, per aspettare Gunshot sto pensando di fare il rewatch di tutte le serie OG (di cui ho già rivisto Puppy Honey 1 e 2), solo che questo, sarò sincera, non so se riuscirò a rivederlo.

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It’s an artistic drama.

Burnout Syndrome is truly a masterpiece to me.

The story gives you the pov of the tired artist Jira, that tries everything that might give him some bit of value (and also money), which consequently leads him to the characters of Pheem and Koh, the most important thing to know when watching the series it’s that is an artist looking for inspiration the world and the things around him doesn’t give him anymore, but these two characters might yes.

Pheem is a nice and sexy guy, the kinda gentle-perfect man you need for your life, and Jira likes that, but it’s not what he is looking for.

Koh is a selfish tired man with a burnout and depressive case, he is a hard type and really makes you mad while watching, but something about him claims Jira’s attention, he is rich, mysterious, no one knows a single thing about him, all of these combinations drives the mind of an artist very wild, he makes him wanna paint this feeling and the tension it causes, it’s exactly what Jira needs, the inspiration and dopamine he needs for life, which Pheem can’t give him.

The AI part is very important for the plot too and it’s very nice to know about the true artist of Jira’s painting in the series, Naisu, she is a brilliant woman and made some very nice works for the series, you can clearly see the differences when Jira is painting Koh and when he is painting Pheem.

Burnout Syndrome is brilliant! And for me, an art student, is a perfect series to show the reality of today’s world and the art and AI situation that surrounds us, and a good thing to watch to practice image and painting reading, which is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to understand the plot and the depth of this series.

Also OffGun did a veeeeeryyy good job in acting, along with Dew, Emi, AJ and also Thor. All of their characters are awesome and important for the show, not a single one is left behind in the plot. Please watch it slowly and carefully with attention, trust me, you’ll have a gorgeous ride and an explosion of catharsis feeling with Burnout Syndrome.

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Triangle of Obsession

This series was all about Gun, and his uncanny ability to *become* he character he is portraying - having since seen him play an
autistic man in "Leap Day", I am fully onboard the Gun Train.
I related to Jira, because I am an artist, and understand his frustration with the AI concept of replacing artists.
However, this show was all about the dynamics between three men, and the obsessions of those men. It was very easy to feel sorry for 'Pheem' who became obsessed with Jira, and not easy to sympathize with Koh, who also became obsessed with Jira. However, the more we saw the lengths Koh went to to have Jira in his life, the more we understood the man.
Off Jumpol and Dew Jirawat were perfect for their roles - again, Dew played a completely different
character from his role in Leap Day.
Support actors - AJ Chayapol and Emi Thasorn - were excellent. I would like to see AJ in an ML role.
I would also like to see Thor Thinaphan in an ML BL role - those stunning eyes and great physique make him stand out.
The evocative and exotic artworks were a major star of this show - will have to search for who the real artist was.
I would love to see "The Trainee" where Gun and Off are paired again....hope it comes to iQIYI

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A story of realism and art

Before anything else, I have to talk about the art in this show. It was STUNNING! Personally, the painting of Pheem and the angel painting of Koh were my favorites, but they were all so beautiful. Speaking of art, I just love how this show talks about art. From inspiration to just art inn general to REAL art vs AI, it was SO GOOD! I loved seeing it. The speech Jira made about real art vs AI art was everything to me. Absolutely loved it!

Onto the characters!
Jira: I was so 50/50 on whether I liked him or not. My opinion on him changed depending on the scene to be honest. His speech about AI and when he broke up with Koh were my favorite moments from him. Him going back to Koh and what he did to Pheem made me lose some respect for him not going to lie. Idk he was just so back and forth for me. He's an incredible artist though!

Koh:I hated him. He was an asshole in the beginning and was all the way through the show. He's used people all his life and I think that will never change for him. That being said, I do think he genuinely loves and cares for Jira. I just wish we saw some character development from him, but on the other hand he showed that some people just never change. And why did this man never have pants on?! lollll

Pheem: I loved watching his arc and character development so much! He was a completely different person at the end of the show than he was in the beginning. He really learned a lot over the course of the show and I loved seeing it. I was so happy seeing him leave Koh's company. In the end he really deserved better than Jira too.

Mawin: He was a really good friend and a pretty chill dude. Loved that he wasn't afraid to call out Pheem on his bs either. I hope he got some of the acting gigs he wanted because that one audition we saw of his was phenomenal.

Ing: She was the true GOAT. She gave Jira such good advice and I pretty much always agreed with it. I loved that she also was never afraid to call Jira out on his bs either. He should've listened to her more.

For the couples!
Pheem & Jira: First off, their chemistry was INCREDIBLE! I think if it wasn't for Koh, they could've been pretty cute together, especially if Jira never met Koh. I was really rooting for them, but in the end, I was happy they didn't end up together. I think it wasn't fair how Jira treated Pheem at all.

Koh & Jira: They did have some cute, sweet, and sensual moments together for sure...that being said, I hated them together. Nothing against the actors because they obviously have great chemistry. I just think they don't have a lot in common. I think the art vs Ai will continue to be an issue as well, especially since Koh still didn't see an issue with it in the end. Koh will never see where Jira is coming from with that and I think that will be an issue that will be a problem in the future again. I really liked when Jira left Koh and was really hoping the show would end with them not together. I think with the vibe of the show, it definitely could've had an "unhappy" ending and it would've fit much better than them getting together happily in the end. Koh didn't learn anything from their separation and didn't apologize for anything, and I didn't like that despite all that, they still got back together. I think Jira could've still been inspired by him and still painted him without them reconnecting.

Overall!
I loved this show so much! The vibe of the series is so different than anything I've seen before. It wasn't super dramatic with crazy characters or crazy plot, or super spicy either, but still had me hooked from start to finish. The characters, whether I liked them or not, were all super interesting to watch as well. I was disappointed that Jira and Koh got together in the end, but despite that one thing, I thoroughly enjoyed the series so much overall.
The actors did an incredible job as well! I loved getting to see my man Dew in this! I think this was my favorite role of his yet!! I loved seeing Gun as well! Seeing these two together after Leap Day was really fun too!

I highly recommend! I will miss this show a lot!!

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offgun myfavv.....

OMG feels like a quiet storm.
OffGun stepped away from familiar comfort and gave us something raw, mature, and emotionally heavy. The romance isn’t loud or dramatic—it simmers, lingers, and slowly settles into you. Every look, pause, and unspoken moment carries weight, making the connection feel painfully real.

What stood out the most was the intensity without excess—no unnecessary fluff, just honest emotions and vulnerability. It’s the kind of story that leaves you feeling full yet emotionally drained, in the best way possible. This wasn’t meant to give butterflies; it was meant to stay with you.

A refreshing, bold turn from OffGun that proves growth doesn’t always shout—sometimes it quietly breaks you.
love you offgun.

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Too realistic for its own good

The characterization is where Burnout Syndrome shines, because the series depicts various degrees of assholery masterfully. Ko, the entitled man-child AI capitalist whose tragic backstory is just a flimsy excuse to ruin countless lives with his business ventures, makes me want to punch my fist through a wall. Jira, though he is more relatable because of the economic pressure that shapes his actions, is absolutely infuriating in his lack of integrity and his artistic tunnel vision. What do you mean, the only time you're inspired by Pheem is after he told you how much you hurt him? Speaking of whom, Pheem is truly something too, and I'm glad he doesn't have more of a backbone because you know that, in an alternate reality, this man would resort to domestic violence. And don't even get me started on Mawin and Ing and their enabler tendencies.

Overall, the show is psychologically fascinating with genuinely flawed characters whose actions are frustrating precisely because they make so much sense in the context of the characters' selfishness and their need for validation from the wrong people. The show prioritizes realism (or fatalism?) to its own detriment, though. Not even everyone's acting skills and their great chemistry (Mawin and Pheem are a stellar duo) make up for the total lack of escapist qualities. As a result, I had to force myself through the last episodes. The AI conversation also doesn't go where I want it to, but it admittedly has more to offer than I expected, so I won't fault Burnout Syndrome too much for that.

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