Ignore the weird haters, this show was legitimately *fantastic*!
Some people were calling this 'bromance' (as if that would be a bad thing even if it were true, although the relationship depicted in this show actually goes far beyond that, so it's not even true anyway) or even 'queerbait' and hating on it for literally no reason other than the fact that actors Sky and Nani have (so far) simply chosen not to kiss each other in their series, nor perform some of the typical physical-fanservice activities outside of filming that most other Thai branded-pairs tend to do (which is all well within their rights to choose, by the way). Never mind the fact that there are literally multiple other 'actual' (marketed-as) BL media in existence where there is no kissing or physical intimacy at all other than just some hand-touches or hugs, just like here, yet I hear no one arguing that THOSE shows are 'bromance' or 'queerbait'! 🙄🤦 (Certain reactions to this show have also felt a bit like acephobia or aromantic/asexual {aro/ace} erasure-- as if they believe that a partnership 'has' to have physical intimacy or romance to be 'real.' Uh, no, it most definitely does *not,* as a whole host of aroace-spectrum people in real life can confirm...)
In reality, "Wu" is actually quite a queer series (which is made rather-explicitly clear via some dialogue, too, even if you somehow manage to miss all of the directing and acting cues), with both a real-life trans actress portraying an important trans character in-universe who is taken very seriously and respectfully, and a partnership between the two main characters that is (from my personal perspective as someone who is on the aroace spectrum myself) an absolutely beautiful, shining, and unfortunately-*far*-too-rare example of a queerplatonic partnership (a real-world term for any committed non-romantic relationship that is a true partnership, which falls outside of standard societal 'romantic' norms).
Anyone with any media literacy at all should be able to tell that the two main characters were absolutely being portrayed as life-partners. Yes, there were some jokes and some lampshading about it at first (along with some clearly-panicked denials in the 'doth-protest-too-much' vein, lol). But anyone who has consumed as much fictional media as I have over the course of my life can spot all the tropes, as well as all the nuances in the acting, and ALL of that pointed *very* clearly to these two characters being true queerplatonic partners. Not only did they do every single standard trope for couples (including couples in non-romance-focused works), and neither had any hint of (nor any interest in) any other partners, but the characters themselves are literally bound by life, death, soul, heart, and traditional jewelry; they canonically love each other; and it is outright stated multiple times in the show that they are partners! I'm sorry, but seriously, how much more proof does one need? That is not 'friendship,' that is so far beyond 'friendship' that to claim so is just absurd, lol. So, yes, despite them not kissing/etc. nor using any traditional 'romantic' labels for themselves in the series, they are partners. And this was one of the most beautiful depictions of queerplatonic partnership that I have ever seen. (Please let content creators make more media with QPP's like this! 🙏)
Now, all that said, let's finally talk about the rest of the show, lol:
The music (and I mean all of it-- the instrumental score {which is available on music platforms!} as well as the vocal OST's), direction, cinematography, and production were surprisingly excellent. (I mean, it certainly wasn't as high-budget as, say, a Domundi production or something, but I knew going into this that it was from GMMTV, so I wasn't expecting that anyway, lol. It looks great, sounds great, and was very well-directed, so that's really all that matters there. 👍)
And the acting was *brilliant.* Nothing was over-exaggerated, yet you could still read every single thought and emotion on the main characters' faces (and through their eyes), and even comic-relief side characters were taken seriously.
As for the plot, I loved how much the fantasy/mythology elements felt so much like a manga yet still also so grounded, as well as how at the same time it incorporated some excellent political commentary. 🔥 I also really loved how well-written the internal character growth journey for the 2 main characters was. (My only one small quibble with the plot was the slightly weird, apparently-ableist take on Deafness that was briefly mentioned twice 😅, but not being Thai myself, there might be some kind of cultural nuance I'm missing there? Regardless, that was a very minor ding against an otherwise absolutely-fantastic show, so I did not let those 2 small moments affect my overall rating.)
Also, please note that every episode contains a mid-credits scene, and all of them are important!
TL;DR: This was top-tier, easily one of my all-time favorite Thai shows, and one I greatly look forward to rewatching. Absolutely recommended!
In reality, "Wu" is actually quite a queer series (which is made rather-explicitly clear via some dialogue, too, even if you somehow manage to miss all of the directing and acting cues), with both a real-life trans actress portraying an important trans character in-universe who is taken very seriously and respectfully, and a partnership between the two main characters that is (from my personal perspective as someone who is on the aroace spectrum myself) an absolutely beautiful, shining, and unfortunately-*far*-too-rare example of a queerplatonic partnership (a real-world term for any committed non-romantic relationship that is a true partnership, which falls outside of standard societal 'romantic' norms).
Anyone with any media literacy at all should be able to tell that the two main characters were absolutely being portrayed as life-partners. Yes, there were some jokes and some lampshading about it at first (along with some clearly-panicked denials in the 'doth-protest-too-much' vein, lol). But anyone who has consumed as much fictional media as I have over the course of my life can spot all the tropes, as well as all the nuances in the acting, and ALL of that pointed *very* clearly to these two characters being true queerplatonic partners. Not only did they do every single standard trope for couples (including couples in non-romance-focused works), and neither had any hint of (nor any interest in) any other partners, but the characters themselves are literally bound by life, death, soul, heart, and traditional jewelry; they canonically love each other; and it is outright stated multiple times in the show that they are partners! I'm sorry, but seriously, how much more proof does one need? That is not 'friendship,' that is so far beyond 'friendship' that to claim so is just absurd, lol. So, yes, despite them not kissing/etc. nor using any traditional 'romantic' labels for themselves in the series, they are partners. And this was one of the most beautiful depictions of queerplatonic partnership that I have ever seen. (Please let content creators make more media with QPP's like this! 🙏)
Now, all that said, let's finally talk about the rest of the show, lol:
The music (and I mean all of it-- the instrumental score {which is available on music platforms!} as well as the vocal OST's), direction, cinematography, and production were surprisingly excellent. (I mean, it certainly wasn't as high-budget as, say, a Domundi production or something, but I knew going into this that it was from GMMTV, so I wasn't expecting that anyway, lol. It looks great, sounds great, and was very well-directed, so that's really all that matters there. 👍)
And the acting was *brilliant.* Nothing was over-exaggerated, yet you could still read every single thought and emotion on the main characters' faces (and through their eyes), and even comic-relief side characters were taken seriously.
As for the plot, I loved how much the fantasy/mythology elements felt so much like a manga yet still also so grounded, as well as how at the same time it incorporated some excellent political commentary. 🔥 I also really loved how well-written the internal character growth journey for the 2 main characters was. (My only one small quibble with the plot was the slightly weird, apparently-ableist take on Deafness that was briefly mentioned twice 😅, but not being Thai myself, there might be some kind of cultural nuance I'm missing there? Regardless, that was a very minor ding against an otherwise absolutely-fantastic show, so I did not let those 2 small moments affect my overall rating.)
Also, please note that every episode contains a mid-credits scene, and all of them are important!
TL;DR: This was top-tier, easily one of my all-time favorite Thai shows, and one I greatly look forward to rewatching. Absolutely recommended!
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