MyOpinionsOnly

I almost didn’t write this review because my opinion seems to differ so much from the majority on this platform that I genuinely started questioning my own viewing experience. When everyone is calling something amazing and you’re sitting there thinking “...did we watch the same show?”, it’s a strange place to be.

But here we are.

Let me preface this by saying: I was really looking forward to Love Design. I wanted a smart, well-written, well-acted Thai GL. I loved Jane in The Gifted and Kao in Hormones, so my expectations were naturally high. And all of that wrapped in architecture and design aesthetics? Chef’s kiss. It felt like it had everything going for it.

The Good

First — the production.

The show is beautiful. Truly.
Great sets, gorgeous framing, thoughtful composition. Every scene looks curated. The design world felt immersive and polished. If visuals alone carried a series, this would be near the top.

I also appreciated that (aside from Tee) there were no real villains. No heavy homophobia. The stakes were generally low. It was refreshing to see a GL that didn’t rely on trauma or external hatred to move the plot forward.

The red string arc was also handled fairly well. It unfolded naturally and had emotional logic. That storyline, at least, felt cohesive and intentional.

The Not-So-Great

This is where my experience diverges from most reviews.

I was genuinely surprised by how off the acting felt at times.

Jane tends to overact whenever scenes become intimate — the performance suddenly feels heightened in a way that pulls you out instead of drawing you in. Kao, on the other hand, has this “deer caught in headlights with flared nostrils” expression whenever things turn dramatic or tense. It becomes repetitive. And unfortunately, both of them were easily upstaged by Yam (playing Mind), who brought a level of naturalism and control that the others didn’t consistently match.

Which leads to chemistry.

I was told repeatedly that JaneKao’s chemistry was one of the show’s biggest selling points. I kept waiting for it. Looking for it. Trying to feel it. What I found — at best — was friendship.

Meanwhile, Mind and Aokbab actually had strong chemistry. And honestly, that was mostly due to Yam’s performance anchoring those scenes. There were moments where I genuinely thought they were going to be endgame.

Part of the issue may stem from how underdeveloped Rin is as a character. She starts as an annoying brat with very few redeeming qualities (aside from potential talent) and ends… as an annoying brat who happens to love Aokbab. The growth felt minimal. So when Aokbab tells Rin she loves her for the first time, my honest internal reaction was: “Really? When did this happen?” I never felt that progression emotionally.

The side couple unfortunately left almost no impression. To the point that I’ll probably forget they existed in a month.

And the on-screen animations/graphics? Distracting. They didn’t enhance the humor or deepen the story.

By the final episode, I found myself forcing my way through it. That’s never a good sign. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t even frustrated. I was just… not invested.

Final Thoughts

It’s a shame, because the potential was enormous. The aesthetic foundation was there. The premise was strong. The casting looked promising on paper.

Maybe this just wasn’t for me. But I genuinely hope we get stronger, sharper, better-written Thai GL romcoms in the future.

I really wanted to love this.

I just didn’t.