Very sloppy and horribly executed on the last half. It had a promising first half that felt fresh, fun, and compelling. Then it just devolved into all the typical tired tropes that one of my vintage would come to expect. I agree with someone who said that it did neither the gangster nor the gaming story justice. I haven't read the webtoon but I suspect it was better than this. It was like the script writer quit halfway through the show and took the budget with them... Like one of those cheap gimmicks restaurant owners pull to get folks to come into their store before pulling the rug from under your feet, and by the time you get to the main course you're left with scraps and tasteless food. You end up coming out feeling like you were cheated as a result.
But I don't want to drag the series too much though because there were things that I liked, especially the front half. I'm just tired and hope we do better in 2024.
If you liked thai period shows, if you dont mind, you can watch few straight ones too, unfortunately there is…
Yes, I agree. We need more variety in BL, especially as it relates to period dramas. I am currently watching a straight one called 'From Chao Phraya to Irawadee'. I waited a whole year for it to get subs. If you have others you would like to recommend to me, I would very much appreciate it, sweetheart!
I really like this. It's cute and unlike the series with the same name, feels like a Dangerous Romance. The video game elements are fresh. I felt it really grounds the story and makes the characters more relatable to the audience. Both Meen and Ping have grown in their acting and so far I'm invested in their characters and the story. The supporting cast doesn't feel that well developed, but that may be a consequence of the short episode order. I do really like Tul though(every time that man is on the screen I hold my chest!). I am also really digging the action.
And I almost didn't believe it was the same actor who played Madame Pauly in Boyband!
This was a great series. I've become a huge fan of Thai period BL dramas since To Sir With Love, and this one served me just as well. I knew I was probably going to enjoy this since it was Tee directing. I've enjoyed most of his projects, and this was a major step up from his recent work in Step by Step in my opinion. Which had its flaws. I am not familiar with Nonkul's work(save for his first project[Love's Coming]) and was pleasantly surprised by his performance here. He had great chemistry with Bright, and carried all of his scenes with so much grace and authority. I really connected deeply with the character. I will need to check out more of his work.
Bright was also a standout here, and probably delivered the best performance of his career. I've been following him since I first seen him in PP Krit's music video, and LOOOVED his performance in Game Prattana/Rivalry with Baan. I highly recommend that series, if anyone is looking for another BL project with Bright(they are a secondary couple though). But in either case, I am so proud to see Bright's growth as an actor and music artist here.
The support cast is strong here as well, and the social commentary cannot be overlooked. Loved the supernatural elements, which reminded me of Something In My Room, and can't wait to see where the story goes next. So many great reasons to enjoy this series! 👏👏
It's not a misconception, because it never implies that this was a prerequisite. This was a period drama set in…
I say this respectfully: If you're not a queer person or know little of the broad experiences that queer people go through(gay men in this particular case), then you shouldn't be speaking so conclusively on what character traits are offensive and stereotypical to our culture. You haven't provided any statistical data to prove any of the claims you made about there being less feminine gay men than there are not, for example. Which is what I challenged you on.
What reeks of femmephobia in your post is how you vehemently disqualify feminine gay men for being less than men for them identifying as more feminine. The correct terminology to use for gay men who appear less feminine would be "masculine". Not "manliest men out there, who haven't done the slightest girly thing." As that can be easily perceived as offensive considering phrases like those are often used to dehumanize gay men in general. These are things that should be understood about gay people on a basic level.
The next point I wanted to address is your lack of understanding that this is a period drama. Gay people in this time period are identified by society for their abnormalities. This is a fact of life, even if those markers to identify them are wrong to begin with, like you pointed out. At the end of the day you are only proving the ignorance of the characters, which was a theme of the show, and not of the writers themselves. The bottom line is there is no story of abuse for Tien as a child if he behaved like a normal boy growing up. It was important for him show those abnormalities for the story to take root when it did.
He didn't start prancing around in a dress and behave like a caricature of a gay person. Gay people tend to be more fluid with the things they experience in life. I know that based on living as a gay man for 34 years and interacting with many people like myself who have a shared experience. It is not wrong or offensive for Tien to like feminine things and still be gay. Many gay men can relate to that, and we are not a minority in the gay community.
And yes, I know what finsexual is, and guess what? You can still be femmephobic as it relates to gay men if you identify as finsexual. Why? Because finsexuals can have an issue with feminine men identifying as gay men, and can think there are very few of them(gay feminine men) and can consider them offensive. There was literally just a storyline about this in 609 Bedtime Story with Mint and Dew.
the biggest misconception abt this is, a gay man must be girly in his childhood. that is so not true. manliest…
It's not a misconception, because it never implies that this was a prerequisite. This was a period drama set in a time period where being gay wasn't understood by most, and where men being feminine was one of the few markers they used to identify a gay man(right or wrong).
And where are you getting these numbers that a majority do not partake in more feminine activities in comparison to their feminine gay counterparts? Your post reeks of femmephobia, which is still prevalent within the gay community. So don't even think about trying to hide behind the fact that you're a gay man to excuse the behavior.
Gay men exist is many forms, and while there has been a misconception as it pertains to gay men in media as being feminine joke characters, Tian's character is far from the caricature you're claiming him to be.
Yall better be ready before you watch this. It ain't the fluffy fun stuff. I thought it was a solid production overall though. The story was very compelling and the acting was great. I think what really does it for me was how the show refuses to pull any punches. It's very raw and honest. There may be some things in here you will disagree with, but I think it's important to remember this was more like a deep character study into what it's like to live as a queer person. You get the psychology of the so called "Pro-Queer" parents and the contrasting perspectives between the older and younger generations of gay men. And while I absolutely loathed the mother and the way this ended, it was an ending that was the most real(the likely conclusion that occurs from these situations).
The only other real issue I had with this series was how it felt like there was too much talking. It almost felt like a stage play, where we're having people explain most of the events to us in a dialogue rather than having them play out in front of our eyes. This show could've really benefited from some flashback scenes, as I much prefer the "show, don't tell" approach. I believe too much talking can make you lose the emotional weight of the story that's being told by someone's exposition, and can become boring. This was probably intentional on the director's part, but the cast did do a solid job of keeping the audience invested. So I realize this was likely a creative choice, and I thought it did work for the most part.
Overall, I recommend to only those who are interested in deep character study stories with a lot of drama and angst. I would shy against calling this a BL even though there's romance here between two male characters. I feel like people would get the wrong impression of what this show is about going in(myself included), and may end up coming out disappointed.
agreed, the plot has been distancing away from the actual title. if they kept the direct thai translation, heart…
Hey, Ash!
Yes, I think the original title is much more fitting. I haven't read the novel, but it's good to know there's a good chance the story will shift back to the action and suspense that this show was focused on in the beginning. Will keep watching and praying for a much better second half.
I personally think both Perth and Chimon are solid actors. Perth is far more well rounded and handles romances at a different level though, while I feel Chimon struggles in this particular area. That's probably because he hasn't really had much experience with romance roles(at least from everything I've seen him in). The stuff we got in Edge of 17 for example, was one sided and hands off. He did have a scene in The Player with Namtan that I thought wasn't bad, but there wasn't much between them in that series. He handles the angst and drama really well though, and can play on Perth's level in this field. Perth is just more well rounded in all the areas that count though(fighting, dancing, singing, sports, comedy, romance, drama, etc,), So it's easy for him to overshadow most of his peers.
With that being said, I don't think acting is the issue here. The directing and writing are just not that good, and I definitely don't feel as engaged as I was to the story compared to the first few episodes. I'm also not feeling much danger between their romance, so the plot is basically a lie so far. I was hoping we'd see more of Sailom's brother and the stuff going on with the gangsters to rev up the drama and suspense, but it feels like all of that plot has taken a backseat to the tired BL tropes that we normally get, which is not what I was hoping for. Lol
I'll continue to watch and hope for improvements though.
I quite enjoyed this for the most part. It felt fresh and a lot more heavy than the typical BL series that we get to see. The cast were all good(save for one that I won't drag since others have already mentioned him).
LOVED the messy storyline between Pawin, Korn, and Mintra! They were all a trip but I had love for all three of them for keeping the drama on point and giving us the BEST NC scenes out of the crew. Ms. Susy was such an evil women, but her motivations were very compelling. She held sh** down for 9 years and deserves some credit for that, but her a** was hella wrong for spying on everybody with the cameras and actin like she had the moral high ground. I don't see how she could call them her family when she was so quick to throw them to the curb if they ever broke any of her rules.
The Gun, Pitch, and Zo story was good. Unfortunately held back by one of the actors though, but the ending totally slayed me and ate hard. You can't blame that baby for not being in his right mind after everything he's been through. I don't know why Pitch vanished from the last three episodes, but I suspect he was either abducted by Zo or threatened to stay home. I place full blame on Ms Susy for the way she handled all of that in the first place. I feel like the brother might not be as mentally inert as her appears. There was especially one scene where he looks at Zo and appears to be fully aware of everything that is going on.
Wayha and Wayu were cute. I liked them.
Would love a season 2 to explore more of Zo's psychology, what happened to Pitch, what comes next for Korn and Pawin after finding out they will be working together on their new series, and more backstory on Ms Susie's son. I don't think we found out why he was in prison or why Hostess was so afraid of him.
But I don't want to drag the series too much though because there were things that I liked, especially the front half. I'm just tired and hope we do better in 2024.
And I almost didn't believe it was the same actor who played Madame Pauly in Boyband!
Bright was also a standout here, and probably delivered the best performance of his career. I've been following him since I first seen him in PP Krit's music video, and LOOOVED his performance in Game Prattana/Rivalry with Baan. I highly recommend that series, if anyone is looking for another BL project with Bright(they are a secondary couple though). But in either case, I am so proud to see Bright's growth as an actor and music artist here.
The support cast is strong here as well, and the social commentary cannot be overlooked. Loved the supernatural elements, which reminded me of Something In My Room, and can't wait to see where the story goes next. So many great reasons to enjoy this series! 👏👏
What reeks of femmephobia in your post is how you vehemently disqualify feminine gay men for being less than men for them identifying as more feminine. The correct terminology to use for gay men who appear less feminine would be "masculine". Not "manliest men out there, who haven't done the slightest girly thing." As that can be easily perceived as offensive considering phrases like those are often used to dehumanize gay men in general. These are things that should be understood about gay people on a basic level.
The next point I wanted to address is your lack of understanding that this is a period drama. Gay people in this time period are identified by society for their abnormalities. This is a fact of life, even if those markers to identify them are wrong to begin with, like you pointed out. At the end of the day you are only proving the ignorance of the characters, which was a theme of the show, and not of the writers themselves. The bottom line is there is no story of abuse for Tien as a child if he behaved like a normal boy growing up. It was important for him show those abnormalities for the story to take root when it did.
He didn't start prancing around in a dress and behave like a caricature of a gay person. Gay people tend to be more fluid with the things they experience in life. I know that based on living as a gay man for 34 years and interacting with many people like myself who have a shared experience. It is not wrong or offensive for Tien to like feminine things and still be gay. Many gay men can relate to that, and we are not a minority in the gay community.
And yes, I know what finsexual is, and guess what? You can still be femmephobic as it relates to gay men if you identify as finsexual. Why? Because finsexuals can have an issue with feminine men identifying as gay men, and can think there are very few of them(gay feminine men) and can consider them offensive. There was literally just a storyline about this in 609 Bedtime Story with Mint and Dew.
And where are you getting these numbers that a majority do not partake in more feminine activities in comparison to their feminine gay counterparts? Your post reeks of femmephobia, which is still prevalent within the gay community. So don't even think about trying to hide behind the fact that you're a gay man to excuse the behavior.
Gay men exist is many forms, and while there has been a misconception as it pertains to gay men in media as being feminine joke characters, Tian's character is far from the caricature you're claiming him to be.
The only other real issue I had with this series was how it felt like there was too much talking. It almost felt like a stage play, where we're having people explain most of the events to us in a dialogue rather than having them play out in front of our eyes. This show could've really benefited from some flashback scenes, as I much prefer the "show, don't tell" approach. I believe too much talking can make you lose the emotional weight of the story that's being told by someone's exposition, and can become boring. This was probably intentional on the director's part, but the cast did do a solid job of keeping the audience invested. So I realize this was likely a creative choice, and I thought it did work for the most part.
Overall, I recommend to only those who are interested in deep character study stories with a lot of drama and angst. I would shy against calling this a BL even though there's romance here between two male characters. I feel like people would get the wrong impression of what this show is about going in(myself included), and may end up coming out disappointed.
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLqPC9Z6C9E
Yes, I think the original title is much more fitting. I haven't read the novel, but it's good to know there's a good chance the story will shift back to the action and suspense that this show was focused on in the beginning. Will keep watching and praying for a much better second half.
I personally think both Perth and Chimon are solid actors. Perth is far more well rounded and handles romances at a different level though, while I feel Chimon struggles in this particular area. That's probably because he hasn't really had much experience with romance roles(at least from everything I've seen him in). The stuff we got in Edge of 17 for example, was one sided and hands off. He did have a scene in The Player with Namtan that I thought wasn't bad, but there wasn't much between them in that series. He handles the angst and drama really well though, and can play on Perth's level in this field. Perth is just more well rounded in all the areas that count though(fighting, dancing, singing, sports, comedy, romance, drama, etc,), So it's easy for him to overshadow most of his peers.
With that being said, I don't think acting is the issue here. The directing and writing are just not that good, and I definitely don't feel as engaged as I was to the story compared to the first few episodes. I'm also not feeling much danger between their romance, so the plot is basically a lie so far. I was hoping we'd see more of Sailom's brother and the stuff going on with the gangsters to rev up the drama and suspense, but it feels like all of that plot has taken a backseat to the tired BL tropes that we normally get, which is not what I was hoping for. Lol
I'll continue to watch and hope for improvements though.
Still loving this spinoff series!
LOVED the messy storyline between Pawin, Korn, and Mintra! They were all a trip but I had love for all three of them for keeping the drama on point and giving us the BEST NC scenes out of the crew. Ms. Susy was such an evil women, but her motivations were very compelling. She held sh** down for 9 years and deserves some credit for that, but her a** was hella wrong for spying on everybody with the cameras and actin like she had the moral high ground. I don't see how she could call them her family when she was so quick to throw them to the curb if they ever broke any of her rules.
The Gun, Pitch, and Zo story was good. Unfortunately held back by one of the actors though, but the ending totally slayed me and ate hard. You can't blame that baby for not being in his right mind after everything he's been through. I don't know why Pitch vanished from the last three episodes, but I suspect he was either abducted by Zo or threatened to stay home. I place full blame on Ms Susy for the way she handled all of that in the first place. I feel like the brother might not be as mentally inert as her appears. There was especially one scene where he looks at Zo and appears to be fully aware of everything that is going on.
Wayha and Wayu were cute. I liked them.
Would love a season 2 to explore more of Zo's psychology, what happened to Pitch, what comes next for Korn and Pawin after finding out they will be working together on their new series, and more backstory on Ms Susie's son. I don't think we found out why he was in prison or why Hostess was so afraid of him.