Thai GL Takeover

FreenBeck, my loves!!! The series that started it all...for better or worse. I have very mixed emotions about GAP simply because I forgave a lot of its problems knowing its success launched a new wave of Thai GL series. It (and MonSam) will always have a special place on this list, but it's been wavering recently...DON'T read the novel or support the author!!!

Never saw it...never will. Miss Grand propaganda just isn't my thing, but I've heard from a reliable source that the chemistry between Engfa and Charlotte was its only saving grace.

A cute miniseries that delves a bit into the Thai culture of auspicious color meanings in each day of the week. Near and B-Mine are very "green" in their first foray into acting, but that's easy enough to overlook given their chemistry.  I'm looking forward to seeing their improvement in Unlock Your Love. 

Fans have been calling this the lesbian SOTUS. Since they straight up stole plot lines and parts of the script, I can see how we got there. It just doesn't hold up for me in the way SOTUS did. Plus, things got pretty messy when we were thrown into what I saw as multiple sexual assault storylines (or extremely questionable consent, if I'm being generous with my wording). Just no. Dropped. Go watch SOTUS instead!  

This is something that exists.

HUGE PASS for me... I don't care what backpedaling the production did to justify the romance.
DON'T read the novel or support the author!!!

We've been waiting for a MilkLove GL for 3+ years!!! I did struggle to watch this toward the end, until my dear friend (miss @latinaliddell on tumblr) imparted her wisdom unto me: "This is a series about teenagers. If you're going into this expecting the characters to have adult conversations, to make adult decisions or to partake in adult accountability, then this probably isn't for you." We're both at an age where it's become harder for us to relate to high school characters because we've outgrown that stage in our lives. Taking the series at face value, and not expecting it to be something it couldn't, helped me to enjoy it a bit more.... I would still love to see MilkLove do a more mature GL!!!

Another IDOLfactory adaptation of a Planoy novel -sigh- 

Looking past the pacing issues in the first handful of episodes... this series was really trying to do something with its visuals, which were intriguing... and character relevant.
There are a lot of character inferences to be made that inform a lot of Kim and Wan's dynamic. It was fun to have to perform observant character analysis to get to the core of their behaviors towards one another. (Heaven forbid we do a little critical thinking to get there...)
Did the series have its problems... yes, but that was to be expected. I don't think it deserves to be written off entirely, nor do I think fans should vehemently strike against Kru A's directional choices, *to his face*,  because the story wasn't being told the way those fans expected it to be. There is a way to give constructive criticism without being rude about it!!!
In the end, I think he got an excellent point across by having the two leads take so long to finally be together. I just wish we had more time to sit with them once they were... and that's not a bad takeaway from a piece of media. 

Oh look... it got split into 2 seasons.
DON'T read the novel or support the author!!!

Went into this not having seen Deep Night...
Unfortunately, there's only so much depth and story you can get out of 15 minute long episodes. I'd really like to see more of the relationship between Freya and Meiji that will hopefully unfold in season 2 and in the side story's full length series prequel. I will say... all the bones are there to make a great series!!! 

I'm not the biggest fan of Club Friday just based on its overdramatization of 'real life' narratives (they tend to be very messy and toxic... which isn't always my cup of tea). I'll probably sit this one out...but I hope Englot fans enjoy it!!!

Wheeew... where do I even begin. Aside from a couple missteps (which I feel came down to the source material more than anything else), nothing has quite provoked a more emotional reaction from me than this series. There were a lot of moments where I thought I would be put off, and then the series pulled me right back in. It's been a rollercoaster... but I can only say that I really had a problem with one singular outlier of an episode. LingOrm's emotional acting was outstanding, their chemistry was brilliant, and they're one of few pairs who I truly believed to have understood their characters! If this is the standard... I'm not entirely mad about it!!!

FREENBECK HAVE RETURNED TO ME!!! In an adaptation of one of my favorite yuri novels: Each episode continues to be better than the last. The pacing is immaculate, the acting is phenomenal, the chemistry is off-the-charts!!! AND I am finally happy to be able to say: Please go support the author! The English translated version of their novel is available for purchase on Amazon.

I don't know... I just don't think I can hang with GL shorts anymore, I've been spoiled by full length narratives with substantial arcs. It's good, don't get me wrong... but it just feels like it's missing  depth because it moves so fast through conflicts. Still holding out hope for Deep Love.

Lookmhee's and Sonya's acting and natural chemistry are the saving grace of this series... other than that, it's pretty much what you would expect from a Planoy adaptation. I hope the actresses get another series with better writing. They lost me with those last two epis.

I implore... IDOL and Change/GMM, please
ADAPT OTHER AUTHORS' NOVELS!!!

I was initially worried about the acting caliber of this series from having watched the trailer... but I have been pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, the momentum for me kind of fell apart in the last two episodes. Time manipulation storylines can be difficult if the elements don't fit together in just the right way. I think I have been spoiled by the caliber of "Be My Favorite" and so by default this series was held to a bit of a unfair standard... but it's not bad, just disappointing.

First episode was okay... not the best, not the worst (in terms of acting). I do think Near is better suited to Rain over Dao. I might continue to give it a chance later, but right now... it doesn't hold my interest.

Very low stakes, very slow moving. If you're into that type of storytelling... great. I had to watch 2x the speed and the story still felt like it dragging (probably because it didn't really have anywhere to go).

ADAPT OTHER AUTHORS' NOVELS!!!

I have to say... the winning combination of NamtanFilm and the SNAP25 team really saved this series. I was very worried going into this given the source material, but the level of acting and character storytelling really blew me away. May and Oom became actual multi-faceted characters that I could sympathize with, which I felt like I couldn't do from the original novel. The emotional acting!?!?!? The chemistry!?!? Brava ladies! BRAVA!!!

There are some ableist beliefs surrounding disabilities in Thailand that we still need to work through, but I don't think the end result was as blunt as "Last Twilight"... so I can live with it.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this yet. It's based in historical non-fiction: a series of poems gossiping (for lack of a better term) about two women, living in the palace harem, who were openly gay during a time when it was considered a criminal offense. Some of what was written is pretty cruel... but I don't know what the adaptation will include and what it won't... Strong acting talent, though. 

Something about this series just didn't click for me. The acting talent was mixed, though I did enjoy Englot's emotional performances. The romance was just... there. And the overall storytelling wasn't as tight as I would have liked it to be. P'Na was the standout, honestly. However, I am looking forward to seeing Englot in a future series where the romance is more prominently woven into the plot. I really want to see the chemistry between these two shine, because they have it in spades!!!

Uggghhh
Not looking forward to this at all!!! I'll probably skip it... I don't care if P'Lit is directing.

ADAPT OTHER AUTHORS' NOVELS!!!

I will watch to support Emi and Bonnie but I just have to say it again:

ADAPT OTHER AUTHORS' NOVELS!!!
I'm tired....

Production is flying!!! It's based on a novel by Zezeho who also wrote "Reverse 4 You", as part of the author's time traveling series. The characters are related, but the stories are loosely interwoven. The series is being produced by a different production company though: SiamSi Studio. 

After seeing the first half of the first episode, I just don't think the quality is there for this series to hold up to the enormously high expectations I set for it. It's a shame... I know that smaller production companies want to make their mark in the Thai GL world, but they should consider starting off by adapting a series that fits the scope of their resources. 

I think MilkLove have established a niche for themselves... and it's just not for me. But I'm happy for them. I hope the series does well.

Way to capitalize on LingOrm's popularity Channel 3!!!
As much as I love them, I'm very happy to see another GL couple take up space beside FreenBeck. If GMM would have marketed MilkLove properly and put them in a series with actual substance, it could have had the same effect. 

Very much looking forward to bodyguard Lingling!!! 

A Salmon adaptation!!! This just started filming... it looks like it'll be a campy good time...

An original series. As always, things tend to change from Pilot Trailer to actual filming, so I'm holding out faith that this can deliver. 

Filming should begin by the end of March. It's got elements of "Affair" but I hope it delivers a little better. Fingers crossed.

FayMay's second GL in an adaptation of a novel written by the same author who penned "The Loyal Pin"... YAAAS!!! We love adaptations of competent narratives. 

There were workshops for this... so filming should start soonish.

MineMedia's (Davika Hoorne) first foray into the GL sphere. 

Ensemble GL starring both my faves MilkLove and NamtanFilm plus the new pairing of ViewMim... directed by P'Jojo!?!?!? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP AND FEED ME MY MESSY SAPPHICS!!!

Part of IDOLfactory's "Mega Sapphic Project" for Salmon's '4 Elements' novel collection. The four series will star four popular GL artists and will share the same director. This is the first time that multiple novel adaptations of the same universe are being produced by the same production company... so all the roles will be reprised by the same actors. It's in collaboration with NorthStar Entertainment. Very exciting!!! 

Part of IDOLfactory's "Mega Sapphic Project" for Salmon's '4 Elements' novel collection.

Part of IDOLfactory's "Mega Sapphic Project" for Salmon's '4 Elements' novel collection.

Part of IDOLfactory's "Mega Sapphic Project" for Salmon's '4 Elements' novel collection.

One thing I cannot deny about Sonya and Lookmhe is that they have incredible chemistry. That will absolutely pull through in an enemies/rivals to lovers storyline FOR SURE.

JANE! I'm so glad you got out from GMMtv's basement and entered the beloved GL sphere!!! Exes to lovers, check... P'Fuse directing, check. Hehehe. I'm very excited!!!

This is still happening???

FINALLY! Another IDOLfactory GL I can support without bringing in any author-related baggage. This will be a shared universe with The Sign since Namtarn Pichukkana makes an appearance as an investigator in The Sign's special EP as the same casted character. How fun!!! (Kru A has basically confirmed that they are establishing an IDF Multiverse between this and The Sign...so maybe future projects might be involved???)

The third and final installation to Zezeho's time-travel series... same deal with "Reverse with Me". It's a shared universe but the characters aren't heavily interwoven. The production studio this time??? Tanguy Entertainment.

AndaLookkaew get another whack at it after "Love Senior"... but it's still Starhunter sigh

Ooo an office romance GL I can actually get behind ???

It's time for the Salmon takeover!!! 

Part one of a mafia GL trilogy with some pretty big names attached to lead the project. Welcome to the new era of GL babes!!!

Shared universe with "The Secret of Us". I'm not a fan of the novel... but we'll see.

An arranged marriage between two women that leads to sapphic shenanigans... I'M HERE FOR IT!!! I like a refreshing concept that hasn't been done before. Okay, Copy A Bangkok.

PINEARE SAPPHIC ERA!!! hehehehehe

So many things about this series has probably made it one of my most anticipated: It's an original story, it stars several openly queer actresses, the director is N'App (who is also openly queer), and Esther gotdamn Oruche everybody!!! I'm over the moon and super emotional about seeing someone who looks like me star in a Thai GL. A small but significant chip in Thai colorism. AN AFROASIAN WIN!!!  Unfortunately, I don't anticipate much movement in production unless Identity can scrounge up multiple sponsorships. While I hope and pray that this can still get made (no matter how long the wait), it wouldn't be the first project to be cancelled for financial reasons.

SWS's first foray into the world of GL (7 Project doesn't count for me... sorry Sammy/Pineare, you guys deserved better). If New's directing...it should be interesting. They had a blessing ceremony for it...but no news since. (I think Fourever You is being shot first)

This is staying on this list purely to point out a fact about BOC... they DO NOT CARE about women. The fact that this was canceled speaks volumes about the kind of production company they are. Their "focus" is BL excuse is horseshit (their next series is a comedy series that is NOT a BL). I think what they meant to say was their focus is MALE-LED series only. I hate misogynists. 

HORROR SAPPHICS!!!
Let's gooo!!!

I believe this is supposed to be the full length origin story of Freya and Meiji from Deep Night. I'd really like to see what the actresses can do with a fully written, more in-depth story.

CAN WE STOP FUCKING ADAPTING PLANOY NOVELS???
Sheesh