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Love Alert — A Good Novel That Deserved a Better Adaptation
I really wanted to love Love Alert. The original novel by Nottakorn had all the ingredients for a mature romance: flawed characters, emotional consequences, and relationships that weren't simply black or white. Unfortunately, somewhere between the novel and the screen, much of that emotional depth disappeared.
The biggest problem isn't the story itself. In fact, I actually like the premise. Jimmy is introduced as a playboy who accidentally falls for someone he never expected, and the love triangle gradually becomes a story about emotional growth rather than simple attraction. On paper, it's much more interesting than your average university BL. The problem is the execution.
One of the first things that bothered me was the writing. Bhumjai's screenplay constantly feels afraid of letting the drama breathe. Emotional scenes are interrupted by unnecessary melodrama, while important conversations are rushed. Instead of building tension naturally, the script often relies on Toh crying over and over again to remind us that he's suffering.
And that's where I completely disconnect from the story.
Toh spends what feels like half the series crying. Not because crying is unrealistic—everyone cries—but because it becomes his defining personality trait. It almost feels like the writer believes gay men should constantly be emotionally fragile, something that I rarely see in Thai dramas with heterosexual couples. The result is a character who becomes frustrating rather than sympathetic.
Jimmy isn't much better. James Hayward Prescott certainly has the charisma to play a charming flirt, but the character keeps making decisions that make very little sense. His emotional journey never feels earned because the script constantly changes direction instead of allowing him to mature naturally. Even reviewers who generally enjoyed the series pointed out how frustrating and inconsistent Jimmy could be.
The chemistry between James Hayward Prescott and Kad Ploysupa is another missed opportunity. I wasn't convinced by them in Bad Guy My Boss, and unfortunately I wasn't convinced here either. It's not that they dislike each other or can't act. It's simply that I never believed they were deeply in love. They look like two actors trying to portray a romance instead of two people who genuinely can't imagine life without each other.
Ironically, James often dominates the screen while Kad remains emotionally passive. Whenever the drama asks me to believe Toh is Jimmy's emotional anchor, I struggle because Jimmy feels like the one carrying every scene. The balance between the two characters never really works.
David Matthew Roberts deserves a small mention because, despite being one of the less experienced actors, I actually saw potential in him. His performance isn't perfect, but there are moments where he feels more natural than some of the more experienced members of the cast. Given stronger material, I think he could become a very interesting actor to watch.
The direction by Bum Pariyakon Chayaninparamet also left me disappointed. This was her first BL series, and unfortunately it shows. There are scenes that should feel intimate but instead come across as staged. Emotional pacing is inconsistent, and the explicit moments often feel inserted because the genre expects them rather than because the story needs them. Instead of strengthening the relationship, they sometimes expose how little emotional intimacy actually exists between the leads.
What frustrates me most is that none of this is really Nottakorn's fault. Looking at his previous works, he clearly understands how to write engaging BL stories with memorable couples. The source material already contained the emotional foundation needed for a compelling adaptation. It simply wasn't translated successfully to the screen.
Final Thought
Love Alert had everything it needed to become a memorable BL: a solid novel, an interesting premise, and a cast with genuine potential. But weak screenwriting, uneven direction, and a romance that never fully convinced me prevented it from reaching that potential. More than anything, it left me frustrated because I could constantly see glimpses of the much better story hidden underneath the adaptation.
The biggest problem isn't the story itself. In fact, I actually like the premise. Jimmy is introduced as a playboy who accidentally falls for someone he never expected, and the love triangle gradually becomes a story about emotional growth rather than simple attraction. On paper, it's much more interesting than your average university BL. The problem is the execution.
One of the first things that bothered me was the writing. Bhumjai's screenplay constantly feels afraid of letting the drama breathe. Emotional scenes are interrupted by unnecessary melodrama, while important conversations are rushed. Instead of building tension naturally, the script often relies on Toh crying over and over again to remind us that he's suffering.
And that's where I completely disconnect from the story.
Toh spends what feels like half the series crying. Not because crying is unrealistic—everyone cries—but because it becomes his defining personality trait. It almost feels like the writer believes gay men should constantly be emotionally fragile, something that I rarely see in Thai dramas with heterosexual couples. The result is a character who becomes frustrating rather than sympathetic.
Jimmy isn't much better. James Hayward Prescott certainly has the charisma to play a charming flirt, but the character keeps making decisions that make very little sense. His emotional journey never feels earned because the script constantly changes direction instead of allowing him to mature naturally. Even reviewers who generally enjoyed the series pointed out how frustrating and inconsistent Jimmy could be.
The chemistry between James Hayward Prescott and Kad Ploysupa is another missed opportunity. I wasn't convinced by them in Bad Guy My Boss, and unfortunately I wasn't convinced here either. It's not that they dislike each other or can't act. It's simply that I never believed they were deeply in love. They look like two actors trying to portray a romance instead of two people who genuinely can't imagine life without each other.
Ironically, James often dominates the screen while Kad remains emotionally passive. Whenever the drama asks me to believe Toh is Jimmy's emotional anchor, I struggle because Jimmy feels like the one carrying every scene. The balance between the two characters never really works.
David Matthew Roberts deserves a small mention because, despite being one of the less experienced actors, I actually saw potential in him. His performance isn't perfect, but there are moments where he feels more natural than some of the more experienced members of the cast. Given stronger material, I think he could become a very interesting actor to watch.
The direction by Bum Pariyakon Chayaninparamet also left me disappointed. This was her first BL series, and unfortunately it shows. There are scenes that should feel intimate but instead come across as staged. Emotional pacing is inconsistent, and the explicit moments often feel inserted because the genre expects them rather than because the story needs them. Instead of strengthening the relationship, they sometimes expose how little emotional intimacy actually exists between the leads.
What frustrates me most is that none of this is really Nottakorn's fault. Looking at his previous works, he clearly understands how to write engaging BL stories with memorable couples. The source material already contained the emotional foundation needed for a compelling adaptation. It simply wasn't translated successfully to the screen.
Final Thought
Love Alert had everything it needed to become a memorable BL: a solid novel, an interesting premise, and a cast with genuine potential. But weak screenwriting, uneven direction, and a romance that never fully convinced me prevented it from reaching that potential. More than anything, it left me frustrated because I could constantly see glimpses of the much better story hidden underneath the adaptation.
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