Mandate (2025)

Impressive political drama with some romance

First of all this review is for the uncut version, where every episode has a runtime of about one hour. On youtube you see a very cut version which runs only about 45 minutes per episode. Also this series is not a BL. It's just a drama where the main protagonists happen to be gay, one open and the second one not so open. There is a romance part in it but not in the typical fluffy BL style. We see that Vee does admire Nong from the start and he warm ups to him very early. Nong is a grumpy type and very stubborn and it takes time to "warm up" to Vee.

The star of this show of course is the story and the superb acting. Every character has his flaws, some have more, some have less, but nobody is perfect. They depict the backstabbing and horse-trading in any politics, but they focused on actual events in Thailand which is a novum. While the series is more a slowburn, there are so many characters to keep track of that I'm happy we had the time to do so.

And the final episode was also atypical to any BL. This season ends on negative and positive notes but they clearly aimed to have a second season because the story is not finished with only eight episodes. So there is hope, we get another eight episodes to get a real happy end.

Because this is not GMMTV, we get a realistic story, with a great cast, good production design and overall an amazing series. If you are only in the fluffy stuff, this series is not for you. If you liked "Shine" you will like this series also.

Read More

MANDATE - a groundbreaking political "BL" series from MONOMAX

Even though 2025 has blessed BL enjoyers with a number of diverse themed BL series, tackling a wide range of issues and social problems, Mandate has unexpectedly become my #1 favorite out of all the shows I watched, even when I had little to zero expectations for this.

Mandate managed to deliver exactly what it meant when it promised a POLITICAL series with a queer romance. It is so heavily political that audience are almost forced to stay on high alert at all time to keep up with all the events happening in the story.

I deeply appreciate how realistic Mandate dedicates itself to portraying the modern landscape of Thai politics through contemporary political issues such as vote buying culture, smear campaigns and party switching, political attacks, nepotism and family politics, politics mixed with media spectacle, real reforms often blocked by vested interests, ruthless power struggles, the law being used as a political weapon, scapegoats in political fights, rigging in government contracts.

The show is so damn realistic, prophetic even considering the time the script was developed and filmed, I even wrote a Reddit post about the similarities between Mandate and what's happening in Thai politics (https://www.reddit.com/r/boyslove/comments/1nz63gf/mandate_and_its_parallels_with_similarities_to/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)

The cast is full of veteran actors who are giving S+ tiered acting performances. Boy Pakorn is truly a star and he finally got a role that could fully showcase his full potential as an actor after years of being boxed as CH3 "action romcom male lead". Nong is such a wonderfully well written character and I particularly love how the screenwriters don't try to justify every bad/controversial decisions he makes. He's not the cookie cutter perfect male lead with perfect morale. He's just very human, very flawed, very vulnerable and I love everything about him.

I had my reservations about the chemistry because this was only Ben's second series ever but I think they really put a LOT into those workshops prior filming because even when the romantic scenes are limited in number, you can really feel how Vee and Nong gradually develop feelings for each other amidst the lack of mutual trust and reservation because of the precarious state that they're in.

Because there was only 8 EPs and the show had a LOT to tell, I felt like some plotlines move very fast, some are better paced. That being said, I enjoyed how they didn't spent a single second for filler scenes and the editing was done very well to gradually unpack the suspense and twists of the story. I usually spend a full hour going WTF?!!!!? (positive) at the end of every episode and then rewatching each ep 1-2 times and pondering on the ingenuity of the critiques of and jabs at Thai politics in Mandate.

Although this show probably wasn't as high budget as other MONOMAX's dramas (their action/thriller/horror stuff probably? usually? cost more), it was still very well made with care put into every aspect of production from wardrobe to props to script. So even if this wasn't a high value production, classy, cinematically color graded production, I appreciate the sincerity of P'Moo and ASA studio for taking so much risks and being bold with Mandate in their first ever production. They've truly written a groundbreaking and unique political series featuring a gay romance without even trying to market it like "it's not a BL series" or things like that, even when indeed many aspects of Mandate do not fall within the framework of a typical BL series.

OVERALL
I FUCKING LOVE MANDATE. PEAK TELEVISION. please give this a try if you are a politics enthusiast, likes slow burn, minimal gay romance in a plot heavy show or just likes shows that are a lot of people talking to each other, making political deals, playing tricks on each other, twists and turns 🤗

Read More

A New take on BL genre

I have never written any reviews for the series I have watched, and I absolutely love watching series. I am an avid BL fan being watching BL from 2010 onwards.
I'm writing this review for those that are still contemplating whether to watch this series or not.
First of all, this is not BL (as in boy's love), the couple are both mature adults(character age) that work in politics. So those expecting cheesy romance with lots of kisses, NC scenes your gonna be disappointed. Also no love at first sight, no I'm gonna not care about anything and just be with you, none of those.
Honestly I loved it. The couple slowly falls in love so its a slow burn but its done well. Certain series when they make it a slow burn it can really piss off the audience as its frustrating, but in this I feel like the plot progress was done well and it was engaging (this is from someone that hates politics and doesn't follow it), and they clearly showed they journey to falling in love, mind you the one of the ML was not a gay character so you can't except him to love another guy just all of a sudden.
But the best part of this was the characters. No one was a white prince, everyone was just human, making mistakes, being selfish. I honestly loved the character of Wi, really well written and I think Ben did a good job in portraying him. Boy Pakorn was amazing as usual his facial expression and body language really made him seem one with the character.

All in all this is a series about Politics and how one falls in one and navigates through it. I loved all the episodes and really hope they make a season 2 cause of the plot twist. Hopefully they will release an announcement for it soon.
I really hope that people can promote this series more on social media, that way the series will get more popular and more people might be interest in it. This way the BL genre can branch into more complex storylines rather than just cute college romance or NC dramas.

Read More

Dirty Handshakes and Fake Smiles

Politics is a dirty game and Mandate brought everything and served it well. Corruption at its core with back door deals, murders, payoffs and power hungry derelicts who refuse to die quietly and continue to rage against time. Their personal lives used as chest pieces for gain and strategy. Yes, Mandate was the one to watch and truly enjoy.

This is not an ordinary bl as many would have began viewing to enjoy seeing love spark and blaze bright to the end. This was a political drama that happend to have a bl secondary story. It was sobering in every way. Their meeting, the disagreements, Dr Nong's learning curve, their both failings and ultimately the inevitable fall out from their actions. Dr Nong and Wi lacked one critical part in their relationship - trusting that communication between them would always be truthful and open. Desparate to hold on, Dr Nong's unwise decision would almost be his most fatal act. Thankfully, Wi proving in the end, his experience and the ability to see the end game, would be his saving grace. They will have their moments.

Of all the deals made the most disheartening was Jump. Allowing himself to be used as a distraction from Dr Nong. Loyal to the core but at what price.

Boy's acting, especially his last scene, was supreme. Ben proved how much he has grown as an actor and was beautiful to see. The rest of the supporting cast rounded out what could be the most solid acting after Shine. Nong, Pitta and Akk were believable and committed to their roles.

The pacing, cinematography, direction and script tied perfectly together to create the intrigue, emotional pangs and revengeful schemes. The suits and ties of deception. The few moments of bl between Dr Nong and Wi were as it should. Tender, savoring and deep. Their moments together would be just as captivating as the primary plot. I loved it all.

Read More

This is a gem.

I used to think Shine was the only series that really felt like "man-love" instead of the usual "boy-love," but Mandate totally joins the list. The plot is engaging and doesn’t need all the typical BL scenes to keep you interested.

I feel like a lot of people might’ve skipped it because of the political storyline or the lack of obvious BL content, but I’m so glad I kept watching. It’s honestly refreshing to see a BL series with a more mature relationship and a deeper, more complex story and not just the usual romantic drama.

The score doesn’t quite match how good the show actually is, and that ending definitely left me hoping for a second season.

Read More

Not your typical BL, this one has set the standards

I was waiting for this bl since the promo last year, thought it was gonna be like ‘Red White and Royal Blue’ thai version but it’s completely different from that. I feel like this is the first bl which had shown a deep political story with a slight romance. This show solely focused on the story, character development and the plot rather than unlimited of cringe or spicy content. the only lack is, many people couldn’t access this bl to watch because they didn’t release this masterpiece internationally. I hope later more people find this.

From the ep 1-8, there are some scenes were slow but its somehow important to the storyline. The last episode made me think that this bl deserves a sequel and there are more to discover and explore. AGAIN TO SAY, THIS IS A MASTERPIECE.

Read More

What BL can be when it has matured!

I'm absolutely floored by this masterpiece! But where to begin explaining why? Ok, I will start with the fact that I went into this a bit apprehensive. Did not really know what to expect with 2 ML that I've seen in previous performances but never expected together. Ben is known from the (also quite good) Step By Step, while Boy, who is quite a bit older, has not done a BL role before, but has a ton of experience in other acting fields.

Mandate is about the plot, the story is being told low-paced and deliberate. While we see tension between the ML, it is a slow slow burn, that takes a backseat to the political scenery and the changes that causes in Dr. Nhong. From a sincere and upright country doctor we see him change into a political beast who appears to have some secrets under his belt.

The political climate, lead by Vee's father and ex-lover makes it all too easy to throw away your principles and scrupules to hold on to power. While telling yourself you're doing it all for the good of the people.

When someone shows even a little sign of weakness, the hungry sharks won't hesitate to immediately come out with manipulation and blackmail, escalating throughout the series.

It all culminates in a smoking heap of mistrust and misunderstanding, forcing a desparate decision that breaks the cycle and opens the road for a fresh and cleaner start.

We end with an emotional scene where grief and relief battle for the prime emotion.

Boy and Ben are delivering the performance of a lifetime. Flawlessly executing the struggles, emotions and fear that belong in this environment while also falling in love and wanting to hold on to that.

If you are a (perhaps younger) bl-fan, you might initially feel that this is all too slow and political. I beg of you to watch till the end. You won't be disappointed i promise!

I do desparately need a S2, because i'm enough of a bl-girl that I want to see them take it all down and finally be happy and together.

This S1 has somewhat of a bittersweet and unfinished ending. Not a bad one, it just left me needing more closure. And revenge. That too.

Read More

a political series

Overall: this is not a romance series and I tried my best not to judge it by that. Perhaps it's because I wasn't familiar with Thai politics, but seeing a bunch of characters (including those we were supposed to root for) be terrible was not entertaining. My attention frequently drifted. Originally aired on Monomax in Thailand. Later released on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/6093/mandate-2025

Content Warnings: past death, current attempted murder, blood, punches, coercion, manipulation, blackmail, drugging, corruption, drug addition/abuse

(if you want to watch romance watch)
episode 5, 22-35:30
episode 6, 18:15-21, 22-26:45, 36-42
episode 7, 45-52:45
episode 8, 12-16:30

What I Liked
- different premise with the politics
- older characters
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the first few episodes moved quickly and I found the politics confusing
- a character faked something about another character in ep 1
- I don't mind flawed protagonists but I couldn't root for one in particular based on what he did
- noble idiot trope
- cliffhanger ending

Read More