Thanks for sharing your opinion. My opinion is different. I like the character a lot and am glad Idol Factory is including a group of women who are often ignored in BL or are usually only there for comic relief in this series.
I will always praise a show showcasing an array of healthy LGBTQI+ relationships. For me and obviously for the people who made the show, representation matters. Neither of our opinions are "right" and even if representation doesn't matter to you, I don't really think calling a person useless is necessary, but if that's your opinion that's your business. But I won't be engaging with you further on this topic.
I love the inclusion of Sand in this episode. Her relationship with Yai is the cutest. I remember Yoshi from Tin Tem Jai, I'm so glad she got a role in a MUCH better series. Idol Factory just keeps winning, this show is great!
Same here. I was such a fanboy for the Japanese version (and still am), except there was no kiss between the main…
Aww you're sweet, thank you! 😊 Yeah we usually are on the same page. And in a year with sooooo many crappy shows, I'm so glad we're ending the year with multiple wondeful series 🥰
So, I'm kinda interested in...Alan? For educational purposes...of course.Ahem, anyway, Charlie isn't selling me…
Yes, for the sake of EDUCATION, I welcome more couples in the series. All jokes aside, BL is about couples. But as of now this series doesn't have any couples. Obviously Babe and Charlie are going reconcile soon, but unless things change in terms of the way their relationship will be depicted going forward, I'm not hopeful that they become super interesting. So we need one or two other couples to fill the time.
I personally like race car driving, but I'm sure a lot of BL fans don't. So again, the fans need something to keep them interested.
You make a great point about the eyes. IMO one of the things that make an onscreen couple great is how they interact with each other. I'm not talking about touching, but the vibe they have when they're together, the looks smiles and body language overall. Ping (I do love him, but his acting is not great) and Pooh aren't convincing in that area. Pooh seems like he's just excited to be there, but has no emotional connection to the character/lines compared to Pavel or someone like Perth.
Same here. I was such a fanboy for the Japanese version (and still am), except there was no kiss between the main…
I don't disagree with anything you said. But since this is based on the manga and not the Japanese tv series, I expect there to be many differences from the previous show. I loved that show when it aired, but also complained about the aspects I found lacking. I'm not comparing this to that show. I'm just looking forward to every episode of Cherry Magic.
This was my most anticipated series of the year and the 1st episode exceeded my expectations. I'm not going to compare it to the original. I loved all of the characters and absolutely loved finally seeing a Thai BL in an office setting that actually felt like a real office. Everyone was tired, overworked and kinda miserable, the realism was on point! But most importantly for me, the casting was perfect. TayNew are going to do such an amazing job with this series!!!!
So, I'm kinda interested in...Alan? For educational purposes...of course.Ahem, anyway, Charlie isn't selling me…
I get it for educational purposes. That's the main reason Babe is interesting to me. Yup, exactly 😉. But for real, if the side characters were doing anything interesting, I'd be invested in them. But everyobe spends all their time focused on Babe. I get it, because I spend the each episode focused on him too. But the other characters need to have their own lives and be active participants in the story or they're just taking up space.
Every week Charlie becomes less and less interesting to me. Book readers say that Babe/Charlie was the focus of the book and their romance was great. Some here say that this relationship isn't bad just because it's not a slow burn. Ok cool, I'm into whirlwind romances that don't make sense rationally. But that's not what I'm seeing here. This "relationship" that started with a passionate BATHROOM encounter has had very little passion. Two people that shouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other, spend their time having chit chats and eating sandwiches together. Because Charlie's intentions are unclear to the audience, I have to judge him based on what I've seen so far. He is sus and I don't think even Pooh believes anything the character says. I think it's a combo of writing that's not giving us a convincing narrative and a new actor who is out of his depth.
If they weren't so terrified of anything taking away the spotlight from MeenPing I'd say the only thing they haven't…
I agree completely about actors going independent. I think PPBK are the biggest ship from Thailand these days and they haven't made a BL in years. But they are running their own companies and marketing themselves the way they want to and taking on projects they want to. I LOVE that. And I'm so happy YinWar are doing that too. As long as the companies retain all the power, the chances are very low that things will improve in terms of quality of series/scripts. And main ones that will suffer in the long run are the actors.
Idk what Ping's acting range is. But I welcome any series that doesn't force ukes to be helpless damsels! Too many have had to do it and too many have done in multiple series. These outdated hetero focused relationship dynamics need to end.
I loved the first half and liked the second half. The 3 main actors gave very strong performances throughout the…
This series did so many things right, I just wished the final episodes weren't so convoluted. I was fine with the unreliability of all the characters, I liked that the writer trusted the audience enough to find the clues and make it all make sense. I was glad that the end wasn't simple and that everyone didn't get a happy ending. But I wish the show focused on a few less things. The show started mostly focused on the main 3 characters. By the second half, there were at least 5 or 6 new plot points that took the focus away from the mains.
I found every aspect of the story to be very interesting, but with so much going on, a lot felt underdeveloped. Everything with Anan, Nai and the teacher could have been its own series. But the conclusion of that arch was kinda flat. And couldn't feel much because it ended so quickly and Anan and the teacher were gone for good.
The Red October storyline was also very interesting but most of that story was saved for the last episode and since everything about it had already been alluded to in previous episodes, it felt unnecessary. Since it's based on a true story, I wish it didn't feel so tacked on to a story that already had enough going on.
I think the area that felt like the biggest miss were the romantic aspects. Having Nai and Cha-aim both being in love with Dan was too much. Based on how it played out Dan and Cha-aim liked each other and would have been together if all the drama, Nai and Josh hadn't gotten in the way. Ok fine, but why did they also need to dangle a BL with Dan and Nai that never actually manifested? Obviously for views. But it felt like they wanted a BL audience, but refused to actually make a BL. This show was very good and didn't need to be a BL. They could have had Nai and Anan's drams and then let Nai and Dan just be friends. The love triangle could have solely focused on Dan, Cha-aim and Josh and the show could have been great. And everything that happened towards the end when Dan and Cha-aim were together in a coma would have had a much stronger emotional impact. But they wanted to have it both ways and in the end none of the romantic relationships went anywhere.
I really liked the ambition of the makers of this series. But I do think the execution of the overall story missed the mark in a some ways.
I loved the first half and liked the second half. The 3 main actors gave very strong performances throughout the series. I appreciated the inclusion of Thai history and was glad they added the post credits stinger at the very end. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers with supernatural elements.
One thing I can say about this series is even though Babe is the only interesting character, I'm still really invested in the series. I don't have any interest in getting to know all 500 characters. For me, scenes without Pavel feel like white noise.
I won't bother complaining about the silly attack or wondering why cops never do anything close to policing in BLs or why no one found a first aid kit to help Charlie with the open wounds during the entire race. Or why no EMTs came on the scene at the end. There's no point, I've accepted the show for what it is. A parallel universe full of ridiculous and endless product placement.
Babe's conversation with Way at dinner and him confronting his dad were really great and the addition of someone else with powers was also compelling. The cliffhanger might have been great too, but the trailer for next week immediately ruined the suspense. But I gotta be honest, I'm not really looking forward to Babe getting back with Charlie who is pretty much a glorified butler and sex toy, so quickly. Charlie's character hasn't been written well enough for me to feel invested in their relationship.
I'm looking forward to this one. Kinda surprised to see JJ as a lead in a BL, but he and Tor have been friends for a long time and both are very good actors, so I expect the chemistry to solid.
If they weren't so terrified of anything taking away the spotlight from MeenPing I'd say the only thing they haven't…
I tried to forget everything about Remember Me, but yes that acne was laughably bad.
Yeah you're a weirdo, but weirdos are cool in my book. And I also liked Ai Long Nhai it was a simple and harmless series that had a family with gay dads, which is super rare in BL. I'm not convinced that even a strong script and director could put Ping's acting on par with Fluke's stronger performances. But Fluke has been acting for at least a decade, so I wouldn't expect the same skill level from Ping.
I agree with your point though about these ships needing to fight harder for better projects. At the end of the day, most fans only care about the ships, not the companies, writers or directors. And when a series bombs, the real culprits never feel the impact, but the ships do. There are dozens of well known Thai BL ships, but very few of them have power to influence the projects they receive. The power is mostly in the hands of the companies and I'm sure the actors know that if they push back, the job may be snatched from them and given to someone else. IMO that's the problem, most companies, writers and directors don't care about the audience or the actors, they just keep churning out basic and subpar series because BL is profitable. And unless a ship goes independent or are vets at their company, the actors don't have power. And there are always new young guys ready to take any role given to them.
If they weren't so terrified of anything taking away the spotlight from MeenPing I'd say the only thing they haven't…
I really dont want to see Boss in a sex scene with anyone. I don't want to be mean, but I'd fast forward. But yes, it's clear the studio or director's main focus is MeenPing. Unfortunately for everyone, the screenwriter gave Ping nothing to do, the director didn't bother to direct him in a way that looks favorable and the makeup artist was able to put those orange "scars" on Meen for some reason.
I was gonna give this a chance, but the casting director, company and director are clearly sabotaging this project. There is no way any of the iconic characters from the original series should be portrayed by a 27 year old. Since there will likely be NC scenes, it's also REALLY not ok that the other cast members are kids. I'm shocked that the people behind this thought this was a good idea. A mostly child cast and a grown adult is a solid no from me. I never wish for series to be canceled because that sucks for the actors, but in this case, the actors will be dragged if this does air.
Omg!!!! This is the cutest series of the year or maybe cutest series ever. Idk but I LOVE IT! Toki squealing like a fool was so relatible because that's exactly what I was doing throughout the entire episode. I'm a sucker for delinquents who serve peak baby girl energy 🥰🥰🥰
The fact that JBLs almost always tell character driven stories with unique plots and strong writing is the reason JBLs will always be my favorites. This was really special. I wasn't fully prepared for the way the story unfolded, but I'm so glad I finished it.
In this era of an endless amount of poorly written Thai BLs, I'm becoming increasingly envious of binge watchers. Waiting until a series ends before starting it, allows you not to swayed by first few episodes that are decent and instead wait a see if a show turns to shit before picking it up.
If I knew it would get this bad, I wouldn't have started this. It's obvious what the writer wants us to feel for these characters. But the writing has completely failed to tell anyone's story in a convincing, relatible or non irritating way. They want me to feel bad for Tew, but he knew what he was getting into when he met Guy, got with Guy, left the mob life, left Guy and started stalking him THE NEXT DAY. His motivations feel meaningless, he spent the episode walking around aimlessly and that pretty much sums up his character. He's just there, reacting to whatever random scene the writer throws him into and moves on to the next.
Guy is a damsel. Nothing more nothing less. He's mostly irritated by everything in his life. He cries, he frowns, he looks confused, he falls in love in an instant, but also falls out of love quickly. He's bland and uninteresting.
Walh and Kenji are technically our villians, but they're both are just kinda there being plot devices to keep the leads apart whenever the writer wants them apart. Kenji is the least threatening, least sympathetic character I've seen in a long time. The actor is terrible and whenever the character is on camera the series immediately becomes a farce. He and his hair/costumes are a complete joke. Any mob boss who lets this guy into their ranks deserves to loss his crime empire. Not even fool would be dumb enough to trust a word he says.
Wahl on the other hand, would be the second lead in most BLs. He's a regular guy, learning slowly that he's in love with his best friend. I've seen dozens of BLs with that plot, so I won't hate him. His actions so far have been irritating and he's obviously been stringing Guy along for years. But he and Guy make sense. But MeenPing are a ship, so no matter what, Tew and Guy will end up together. Everything that happens until they get their happy ending, including Kenji finally dying, Wahl realizing he was a fool and giving Guy and Tew his blessing, the shabu restaurant opening and the gamers winning the tournament, all feel like filler to get us to obvious ending. That would be fine if I was still invested in anything happening in this series. But I'm not and it doesn't seem like most are actors care anymore either.
I agree, and I think the writers really did a disservice to Pooh with the way Charlie's character is written.…
Exactly. The other characters not understanding his motivations makes sense. But I hope the audience gets more clarity in the next couple of episodes. I want to be invested in that character, but so far I'm not.
I will always praise a show showcasing an array of healthy LGBTQI+ relationships. For me and obviously for the people who made the show, representation matters. Neither of our opinions are "right" and even if representation doesn't matter to you, I don't really think calling a person useless is necessary, but if that's your opinion that's your business. But I won't be engaging with you further on this topic.
I personally like race car driving, but I'm sure a lot of BL fans don't. So again, the fans need something to keep them interested.
You make a great point about the eyes. IMO one of the things that make an onscreen couple great is how they interact with each other. I'm not talking about touching, but the vibe they have when they're together, the looks smiles and body language overall. Ping (I do love him, but his acting is not great) and Pooh aren't convincing in that area. Pooh seems like he's just excited to be there, but has no emotional connection to the character/lines compared to Pavel or someone like Perth.
Every week Charlie becomes less and less interesting to me. Book readers say that Babe/Charlie was the focus of the book and their romance was great. Some here say that this relationship isn't bad just because it's not a slow burn. Ok cool, I'm into whirlwind romances that don't make sense rationally. But that's not what I'm seeing here. This "relationship" that started with a passionate BATHROOM encounter has had very little passion. Two people that shouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other, spend their time having chit chats and eating sandwiches together. Because Charlie's intentions are unclear to the audience, I have to judge him based on what I've seen so far. He is sus and I don't think even Pooh believes anything the character says. I think it's a combo of writing that's not giving us a convincing narrative and a new actor who is out of his depth.
Idk what Ping's acting range is. But I welcome any series that doesn't force ukes to be helpless damsels! Too many have had to do it and too many have done in multiple series. These outdated hetero focused relationship dynamics need to end.
I found every aspect of the story to be very interesting, but with so much going on, a lot felt underdeveloped. Everything with Anan, Nai and the teacher could have been its own series. But the conclusion of that arch was kinda flat. And couldn't feel much because it ended so quickly and Anan and the teacher were gone for good.
The Red October storyline was also very interesting but most of that story was saved for the last episode and since everything about it had already been alluded to in previous episodes, it felt unnecessary. Since it's based on a true story, I wish it didn't feel so tacked on to a story that already had enough going on.
I think the area that felt like the biggest miss were the romantic aspects. Having Nai and Cha-aim both being in love with Dan was too much. Based on how it played out Dan and Cha-aim liked each other and would have been together if all the drama, Nai and Josh hadn't gotten in the way. Ok fine, but why did they also need to dangle a BL with Dan and Nai that never actually manifested? Obviously for views. But it felt like they wanted a BL audience, but refused to actually make a BL. This show was very good and didn't need to be a BL. They could have had Nai and Anan's drams and then let Nai and Dan just be friends. The love triangle could have solely focused on Dan, Cha-aim and Josh and the show could have been great. And everything that happened towards the end when Dan and Cha-aim were together in a coma would have had a much stronger emotional impact. But they wanted to have it both ways and in the end none of the romantic relationships went anywhere.
I really liked the ambition of the makers of this series. But I do think the execution of the overall story missed the mark in a some ways.
I won't bother complaining about the silly attack or wondering why cops never do anything close to policing in BLs or why no one found a first aid kit to help Charlie with the open wounds during the entire race. Or why no EMTs came on the scene at the end. There's no point, I've accepted the show for what it is. A parallel universe full of ridiculous and endless product placement.
Babe's conversation with Way at dinner and him confronting his dad were really great and the addition of someone else with powers was also compelling. The cliffhanger might have been great too, but the trailer for next week immediately ruined the suspense. But I gotta be honest, I'm not really looking forward to Babe getting back with Charlie who is pretty much a glorified butler and sex toy, so quickly. Charlie's character hasn't been written well enough for me to feel invested in their relationship.
Yeah you're a weirdo, but weirdos are cool in my book. And I also liked Ai Long Nhai it was a simple and harmless series that had a family with gay dads, which is super rare in BL. I'm not convinced that even a strong script and director could put Ping's acting on par with Fluke's stronger performances. But Fluke has been acting for at least a decade, so I wouldn't expect the same skill level from Ping.
I agree with your point though about these ships needing to fight harder for better projects. At the end of the day, most fans only care about the ships, not the companies, writers or directors. And when a series bombs, the real culprits never feel the impact, but the ships do. There are dozens of well known Thai BL ships, but very few of them have power to influence the projects they receive. The power is mostly in the hands of the companies and I'm sure the actors know that if they push back, the job may be snatched from them and given to someone else. IMO that's the problem, most companies, writers and directors don't care about the audience or the actors, they just keep churning out basic and subpar series because BL is profitable. And unless a ship goes independent or are vets at their company, the actors don't have power. And there are always new young guys ready to take any role given to them.
As others have said, it was really beautiful.
If I knew it would get this bad, I wouldn't have started this. It's obvious what the writer wants us to feel for these characters. But the writing has completely failed to tell anyone's story in a convincing, relatible or non irritating way. They want me to feel bad for Tew, but he knew what he was getting into when he met Guy, got with Guy, left the mob life, left Guy and started stalking him THE NEXT DAY. His motivations feel meaningless, he spent the episode walking around aimlessly and that pretty much sums up his character. He's just there, reacting to whatever random scene the writer throws him into and moves on to the next.
Guy is a damsel. Nothing more nothing less. He's mostly irritated by everything in his life. He cries, he frowns, he looks confused, he falls in love in an instant, but also falls out of love quickly. He's bland and uninteresting.
Walh and Kenji are technically our villians, but they're both are just kinda there being plot devices to keep the leads apart whenever the writer wants them apart. Kenji is the least threatening, least sympathetic character I've seen in a long time. The actor is terrible and whenever the character is on camera the series immediately becomes a farce. He and his hair/costumes are a complete joke. Any mob boss who lets this guy into their ranks deserves to loss his crime empire. Not even fool would be dumb enough to trust a word he says.
Wahl on the other hand, would be the second lead in most BLs. He's a regular guy, learning slowly that he's in love with his best friend. I've seen dozens of BLs with that plot, so I won't hate him. His actions so far have been irritating and he's obviously been stringing Guy along for years. But he and Guy make sense. But MeenPing are a ship, so no matter what, Tew and Guy will end up together. Everything that happens until they get their happy ending, including Kenji finally dying, Wahl realizing he was a fool and giving Guy and Tew his blessing, the shabu restaurant opening and the gamers winning the tournament, all feel like filler to get us to obvious ending. That would be fine if I was still invested in anything happening in this series. But I'm not and it doesn't seem like most are actors care anymore either.