Dating Game

A bit cringe, a bit drama and much fluff...

The most amazing thing about this series is, that it's a japanese/thai co-production, even when filmed in Thailand, everyone except "Junji" is thai.

The start is rough with the subtitles, but it got better with ep 5... The first episodes are easy to follow even when you don't know exactly what they say, but everyone should get the gist of it. This story is similar to "Our Dating Sim" but with major differences. First the company is much bigger, second the couple did not meet in school, but through a game, even when that is not obvious for some time.

While a japanese production it follows the thai forumla, which means a bit of cringe and funny scenes which are not that funny in my eyes. But overall they did have a good story (not a stellar one), good character progression and even the "side couple" had ample of screentime and did not feel like an afterthought. The only sad point was, that Fluke resembled his acting in UWMA but his character was much stronger and focused. He did a good job and of course he did not need to cry every episode.

Interesting the main couple did not have any BL experience before this series and for their first outing they did exceptionally well. Hill (March Chutavuth Pattarakhumphol) is an inspired game designer who finally lands his dream job and Junji (Mukai Koji) is the CEO of the thai branch of a japanese gaming company and the only japanese working there. The writing of their characters was well done and they gradually show other sides of themselves and reveal that they are not as stereotypical as I have expected them to be from the first two episodes. They grow together in a mature slow way and both overcome their past trauma through trust.

The side couple has the veterans Judo (as Bay) & Fluke (as Phat) and both seem to have fun with their roles. While Bay is a game designer with a big ego and portraited as womanizer, Phat is reserved but a focused chef. Both couples find together due to the research there are doing for their new game which is a dating game but the main characters of said game are only boys. While Junji & Phat are obvioously gay, the other two characters seemed not to be, but this is not the typical hetero to gay trope. Bay sees/feels something in Phat he never felt before and Hill recognizes whom he loved all along (I will not spoil that to you). The only negative is the forced drama in the end, which is imho too much thai influence. They could have solved that in a better way in a less dramatic way.

We will see the side-couple hopefully again, because they announced a second season of "Make a Wish". Koji (Junji) will be back in a BL movie "Love Song" (https://kisskh.at/782204-love-song) this year which is also a japanese/thai co-production playing in Thailand and Japan but sadly with another actor but who look very similar to March (Hill) imho.

The production was good, the actors were good and the vibe was good. I don't know why, but I felt happy watching this. So I see no reason not to watch this series imho.

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Easy entertainment with a goodish bit of depth, just how I like it

"Dating Game" combines two of my most favourite romance tropes: One of them is "fake dating" and the other ... would be a major spoiler. Overall, it's a sweet, easy-to-watch rom-com with experienced actors and solid direction. Don't expect drawn-out external conflicts, but do expect a consistently developed love story of two endearing men with some depth for those who appreciate it.

As I see it, the series can be read on three levels:
1. As a tropey and fun rom-com, where the tropes are used in fresh and occasionally unusual ways.
2. As a sweet love story about people who were hurt in the past and find comfort and complete trust in each other.
3. As a reflection on identity, homophobia and the social construct of "gender", the difference between parasocial and real relationships, the importance of companionship and what it means to love a person.

Each of the three possible readings is as valid as the other two -- and I think that's the intention. The depth of the third reading is cleverly hidden in the spaces between the tropes and the sweetness. It never overpowers the easy entertainment of a weekday evening series (it aired on Mondays at 21:30 Thai local time); it's spelled out in the first episode, but in a language only accessible to those who have already learned not to judge; it's hinted at in the following episodes, and with the reveal of the second major trope (see above) and the following conversations between Hill and Junji; it's made very clear again for those viewers who like to find a bit of depth in their romance.

A drama like this needs to be character-driven, and this is where "Dating Game" shines: Both of the main leads are extremely well written -- every action has a reason, and their development follows a gentle and consistent logic that leads us through tropes and beyond clichés. Junji, for example, seems to be just the usual tsundere, or maybe a stereotypical "reserved Japanese man among exuberant Thais", an impression that is strangely at odds with Junji's remarkable choice of wardrobe. I myself thought that Mukai's acting was feeling a bit stiff, or maybe awkward, and his pronunciation of the Thai language was halting, as if he wasn't quite comfortable with the Thai style of acting -- but then in one of the later episodes we get to see *why* -- not spelled out in words, but still very obviously shown.
March Chutavuth and Mukai Koji both bring in every ounce of their experience to deliver subtle and moving performances. (In Mukai's case, it's so subtle you don't even see his personality until he chooses to show it to us -- or if you already know what to look for.)

But, alas! The second couple is not as well developed. Their actors, Fluke Natouch and Judo Tantachj, both do their very best -- but the characters are simply not well written. Phat's character and his background would make a great lakorn with all its twists and turns and family shenanigans, whereas Bay has no character at all. They follow every standard cliché of a (Thai) BL couple, from the stereotypical seme/uke characteristics to the episode 11 curse -- and their story only touches on the themes of the main story peripherally, and overall has a very different feel to it. To be honest, it feels as if they are only there to fill time, so the series has its standard twelve-episode format.
It's a shame because both Phat and Bay are interesting characters in their own right and would have added to the main plot — but as individuals, not as a couple.

Was it good?
This is Thai entertainment at its best: "Dating Game" balances goofy humour and heartfelt emotions, sometimes within a few minutes. And in typical Thai fashion, the series hides life-important thoughts about companionship, love and identity under the facade of easily digestible weekday entertainment. The main story was solidly written and the cast, main and supporting actors, performed well.

Did I like it?
Yes! While I was watching it, I had certain ideas about where the story was going (or rather, where it should go) and what message the writers wanted to tell us -- so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have. Once I understood the direction and rhythm, I loved it.

Who would I recommend it to?
To viewers who are not prone to judge others' life and passion and those who don't call actions of other people "cringe" just because they don't understand them.
To viewers who want a endearing and loving couple on screen, whose relationship is built on trust and honesty.
And to people who also like to see to have some depth in their romance.

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