A promising start that devolves into pure hot mess
I really wanted to like this one— but alas, it disappointed me. Knock Out starts out really strong. The set-up is done well, and the backdrop of the show is interesting. I even like the two main characters; Thun and Keen have an interesting dynamic.HOWEVER, I think the biggest weakness of the show is that the leads get together way too soon. There's absolutely no courtship or flirting between them. They meet for the first time in the 1st episode and move on to having s** by the 4th episode. This makes everything that comes after very slow and repetitive. I wish they would have put in some amounts of push and pull between the leads. Because the romance plot wraps up so quickly, the rest of the show feels repetitive as well. Thun fights character 1, wins or loses, gets hurt, he and Keen do skinship. Thun fights character 2, wins or loses, gets hurt, he and Keen do skinship. On and on it goes. Oh, and there are WAY too many villains in the show. Basically, everybody besides Thun and Keen are bad/outright villanous in some way.
This is particularly disappointing because the actors definitely have a lot of physical chemistry. They give the NC scenes their all, and there are sparks. But a relationship is more than just physical sparks. There has to be something we feel when the two look at each other as well. And because the characters are not super deep and get together quickly, this aspect is entirely missing. I was just left feeling a major meh with this one.
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A supremely mediocre production
Everything about this show was astoundingly mediocre— the acting, the CPs, the plot, the chemistry. Gosh, this show desperately needed to be like 8 episodes max so that the episodes would have been tighter. They just meander with meaningless fillers for so long.The CPs have the same arguments/disagreements again and again. Its so repetitive.
The boys are cute, sure, but GMMTV did not even pretend to have a script here. Its a major letdown. The only reason this show has such high ratings is because BL fans tend to worship anything from GMM for whatever reason.
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Wow, the most overhyped show of 2025 BY FAR.
DMD must have spent all their money set aside for Next Prince on just the costuming and set decoration, because I know for sure they hired ZERO competent script writers for this one. This show is proof that good looking actors in beautiful costumes are not enough to save the show.This show was confused from episode 1 about what it wanted to be. Were we watching a political thriller? A royal romcom? A modern day prince story but BL version? Shows cannot be jacks of all trades, masters of none, and this one was tonally off from the beginning.
Khanin, considering he is the crown prince and the central figure of the story, has basically no personality. He is cheeky for the first 2-3 episodes, and then his only personality trait is that he is obsessed with Charan. I also find Nunew to be a very mediocre actor who cannot cry convincingly, so he is very weak in emotional scenes. All he does is wear pretty costumes, sings songs randomly and loves Charan. He is actually the fish-out-of-water character so there was so much scope to make him a richer, more complex character. Alas, the non-existent writers did not bother. He is not charming or charismatic in any way as the crown prince, and the people of Emmaly basically "love" him only because the story needs that to happen.
Zee, who is usually the stronger actor within this OTP, was also lackluster in this show. Throughout the series, outside of very few scenes, he is stiff and stoic. Does he look the part of nobility? Yes, but nobility does not mean robotic characters with no emotional depth or resonance. Who was Charan? What was his personality? Why was he the way he was? We never got to see what drives this character. So he is as bland in their relationship as he is outside of it.
Their relationship was boring, and developed too fast— even the NC scene was weirdly filmed and felt like a drug high rather than an intimate, sensuous scene. DMD has gone WAY OVER THE TOP with the white filter they put on their shows because it made the one-note characters of ZNN in this one even worse. They literally look like plastic. Here's my message to DMD: please let your actors look like human beings. They are not ceramic dolls and so trying to cover up every line, every wrinkle on everybody's face makes the already stiff acting WAY worse.
The "second couple" who got maybe like 20 mins of screentime over the 14 episodes had the actually interesting dynamic. They were trauma bonded, and Ramil had such a difficult home life— he would have made a way more interesting main character. I wished we got to see more of Ramil and Paytai's relationship and how it grew from their childhoods.
If The Next Prince was just 8 episodes long, perhaps the paper thin plot would have been enough to keep it going. However, the showmakers got greedy and wanted ALL of the product placement and stretched this dismally written show to a whopping 14 episode length, and it greatly suffers because of it.
The huge cast of characters are irrelevant, interesting characters like Ava, Ramil and Paytai hardly get enough screentime and Calvin is a non-entity basically. This show felt like a spoiled apple wrapped in gold foil tbh. Its all shiny and sparkly on the surface, but the acting is mid, the directing is mid, the editing is mid and the story is nowhere to be seen.
Honestly, its a disappointment because I know how hard it is for BL productions in Thailand to get a decent budget. This show had it and it still falls flat on its face. All the social media hype, and hashtags trending is solely because of overly zealous ZNN fans who will lap up anything they put out. The only reason I did not drop this was because of Ramil x Paytai storyline. They were great, their acting performances were way stronger, and their relationship was actually compelling instead of the bland snoozefest that was the leads.
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This review may contain spoilers
A feel-good show that's mostly average on all fronts
I am a longtime BL watcher and know Saint from his own shows back in the day, as well as, the productions he leads as CEO of IdolFactory more recently. I must say, after The Sign with BillyBabe and GAP and The Loyal Pin with FreenBecky, I was expecting a higher quality of production in terms of the story and acting.I will not harp on the suspension of disbelief required to believe Saint as Chief Jom (seriously, his skin glows with an irridescence that is IMPOSSIBLE if you spend even 5 mins a day in the sun). The entire village of Pho Chai is populated by actors who look like genuine villagers and then we have Yo and Jom, who look like they have walked off a Yves Saint Laurent photoshoot. lol
Even if you move past this initial hiccup 👀, the story is paper thin. MSJ is just episode after episode of a huge cast of characters interacting on and off. The characterization is shallower than a teaspoon and the plot is non-existent.
For example— Yo, by episode 8 or 9, suddenly comes to have a massive crush on Jom. He is a character whose shown to only have crushes on girls before this, so there needs to be a proper build-up for this relationship that is suddenly so important to him. Yes, Jom is kind to Yo, but he is kind to everyone. Also, its not like Yo is starved for kindness because of which Jom might seem super appealing to him. Yo has parents who love and coddle him and is generally a rich, spoiled kid who has had a pretty easy life. So why does Yo suddenly come to like Jom you ask? Because the show needs him to.
The "skinship" between Jom and Yo is pretty minimal, by today's Thai drama standards and I think I prefer that. I am not so hung up on the casts' real ages— they are legal adults who can make decisions for themselves. BUT, in the show, Chief Jom is AT LEAST in his late twenties, having finished college a while back and having served as chief of the village for 2-3 years. And Yo is still completing high school?? Da fuq are these showmakers smoking? Why couldn't Yo be a college student instead? It would have made their relationship a lot more palatable. The only reprieve is that Poom, who plays Yo, is built and really does not have the body of a highschooler, so it makes this otherwise disturbing relationship go down a bit easier.
The acting is pretty mediocre as well. Saint does an okay job as Chief Jom, but Poom is very limited in his range. His weak acting is especially evident in episodes where he needs to cry or show any intense emotions. The granny character is overacting in every scene and she grates my nerves. The supporting kiddy cast are all okay and are just enough for the limited side characters they are playing.
Overall, its not like MSJ promised us some worldbending storyline or anything, but this show is extremely mediocre. I was expecting a lot better from Saint and his production house, especially since good storytelling and quality productions are their specialty.
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A decent show that had a LOT of promise.
I definitely think the electrifying NC scene has catapulted this show to the top of everyone's lists. SmartBoom definitely have a lot of chemistry and the NC scenes are genuinely beautiful. But, there's no plot. The basic element of "show, don't tell" is missing.For e.g., show us the 21 days of relationship building when Akin and Jin got closer. Without it, it genuinely baffles me as to WHY Akin is suddenly soooo in love with Jin. I get that there's a connection between them, but for us to believe that they've gotten to the "I love you" stage with each other so soon, there just needs to be more. They don't talk to each other about anything else other than how much in love they are. Their relationship feels shallow and made to look deeper than it actually is because of the NC scenes.
Same with the characterization. They've developed Akin at least so you understand him a bit more but Jin is such a one-dimensional flat character that I find it hard to believe he's a real person. I also hate the amount of makeup Smart has been made to wear in the show— it's distracting in so many of the scenes.
The reaction to and the treatment of Akin's SA is extremely disturbing— its almost played off as a joke. And I think the show does not do a very good job of showing us the BTS of being in the entertainment industry and the cutthroat, capitalist system it is. The recent production of ThamePo was much stronger in this particular aspect.
I definitely think SmartBoom have a lot of promise and I would like to see them in a better written production next time.
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The OGs are back!
Wow, seeing KristSingto on my screen after SOTUS way back when was a remarkable experience. They still got it—I loved this kind of mature story as well. We see so few of these in BL land. Phi and Tam are proper working adults and act like it. They communicate with each other openly and there's no immature giggles. I loved all the SOTUS crumbs left everywhere as well. KristSingto share an easy chemistry, and while this drama did not have any wild NC scenes, for SOTUS lovers who felt like they got no "skinship," this one is a welcome do over. I'd like GMM to make more such shows rather than the usual barrage of school/college based stories.
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Juicy, Sexy and Delicious
Ok, just based on the pilot, I knew I would like My Stubborn. Look, this show does not promise anything that it is not. There's no avant-garde plot here. Its a simple character driven narrative of two men who meet, become friends with benefits and then feelings get involved. Its delicious.First, major props to Boat and Oat. They acted their butts off in this show. Physical intimacy is difficult to pull off, without appearing fake or cheesy. And these two did it so well in My Stubborn. With each progressive NC scene, we see how Jun and P'Sorn are catching feelings for each other. In each scene, Boat and Oat show off their incredible chemistry— there are sparks between Jun and P'Sorn, whether they are getting off in a toilet cubicle or working together in their office on product exports. Jun is such a likeable character, he is sassy, stubborn and a loudmouth— a typical college student who can be selfish and myopic at times. P'Sorn, with all his underlying toxicity, is a such a hottie. He likes and cares for Jun in his own way, and he just needs to get his head out of his ass. Boat, especially, is a stunner, and is just serving face cards in every episode. (Side note: calling him P'Payu junior or P'Payu knock-off is insulting and you need to stop).
I also like that My Stubborn does not try to reinvent the wheel. This show tells the story of two characters and their relationship and how it goes from a P-Nong relationship, to FWB, to boyfriends who are hopelessly in love. I saw several people dragging this show as soft-core or no-plot-only-NC and I must say, those people are either major prudes or did not see the same show I did. Just because a show is more character focused, does not mean it does not have a plot. If this kind of mature show is not for you, thats totally fine. No need to spoil the fun for the rest of us.
As for me, I cannot wait to see Boat x Oat in another spicy show. I hope they get a good opportunity their way very soon.
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A nice remake with an interesting cast.
This is a pretty enjoyable remake of the original 2 Moons. I am glad they condensed the story of the first season into the first 4 episodes, so that the rest of the episodes still felt fresh.Not gonna lie, I think the lead couple here is very meh. I think the actor who plays Wayo really cannot act because his crying is atrocious, his "aegyo" is cringe and he is generally very stiff. This actor is also the lead in My Secret Love and he is better in that. The actor who plays P'Pha is also very bland, and really plays the character very monotonously. I thought their chemistry was extremely lacking and their scenes just felt like a drag. The original Wayo and P'Pha were way better, imo.
On the other hand, the second and third couples are very cute and enjoyable. My fave couple was Ming x Kit, which was a great enemies-to-lovers story. Their chemistry had spark and their vibe was very fun and engaging. I loved seeing how these two got together. Also, the actor who plays Ming is absolutely gorgeous!
The Beam x Forth couple is also cute. I love how they start out as friends and sort of build an attraction over time. I got through this show by skipping all the scenes featuring the main CP after the first few episodes and just watched for the other 2 couples!
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Watch for Mek and Dech — the two absolute cuties!
Ok, at ep 7, the Thee x Rati story is getting to be mega repetitive. They are in love, but they are jealous of one person after another. Sometimes its Thee's fiance, sometimes its the prince, sometimes its the French guy Rati is friends with. I gotta say, the start was strong but the leads' storyline is getting hella repetitive and their relationship is boring to me.HOWEVER, I am not ashamed to say that I am now watching Memoir of Rati almost ONLY for Mek and Dech. These two cuties have my heart omg. AouBoom are so cute together, and the storyline of a kind-hearted baronet and a sweet and scrappy peasant becoming friends and then eventually something more is an absolute delight. I love how their relationship is progressing, and the class divide (and the ultra A hole dad) is making it all the more delicious.
AouBoom absolutely NEED a series as leads, they are so cute together.
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Heartwarming and sweet dating reality show!
This show had me hooked from the start! Considering how trashy dating shows in the West are, I was extremely pleased with the way this show was conducted. The cast is fantastic and there is absolutely no unnecessary drama or fighting. I loved meeting these 8 gay men who were looking for love, and the show makers seem to respect that. Even the tasks they had to do and the way they went about "matching" with each other was done nicely while respecting everyone's boundaries.Special mention to the fact that the show-makers spent time asking these men their experiences while living as a gay man in Korea. Hearing their experiences (the good, bad and ugly) really made me appreciate the producers for not making this show as a cash grab but actually supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
My only issue: the way the show went, they really exposed a lot of the men to very humiliating and embarrassing situations. For the people who did not match with anyone, the humiliation was a bit difficult to see. It felt unnecessarily cruel to see them be rejected in front of everyone.
Minor Spoilers Below:
My absolute favorite couple from the beginning were Chang-Min and Jeong-Hyeon. Even when these two did not hit it off at first, I saw the chemistry. I am so happy they end up together and out of all the matches, theirs seems the most real and very sweet. I was absolutely wishing these two together so I was super happy to see them paired up at the end!
Special note: loved Jeong-Hyeon x Eun-Chan x Hyeon, the 'sisters' of the show, whose friendship made me lol too many times!
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