EVERYONE

Namely, a lad’s former girlfriend asks for “the last kiss” and the lad agrees to it, even though he has a boyfriend now.

I wonder what he would do if she would have asked him for “the last sex” and then to father their “last child” and then to raise it until s/he would graduate from university and bring them grand children.

Fuck this lad, this is what I say. Unless he is in a free, polyamorius relationship, he can not do this. I do not empathise with him at all, and I do not root for him to get back to his boyfriend. I say them being apart would be the happy ending.

But scenarists wierdly suggest otherwise, and it is not warranted by the story.

WORTH WATCHING because of the lads.

The storytelling is confusing because the authors have forgot to properly leave clear cues as to how much time goes by between the scenes.

StillMost importantly, the key drama turning point is so fake and absurd that I can not possibly submerge into the story.

Why is he so cute? Looks memorable, so he should act more.

That studio was closed in 2022, so, I guess, for artsy BL productions with lots of non-verbal performances by actors, deep colours and shadows (which otherwise do not exist anywhere) we can only go other countries now? Though, it is rare everywhere.

I do not get easily impressed by actors’ play, I just mostly see it as competent and job done as roles require and how directors want it. In most BL series there is nothing much to play as the actors only need to portray basic emotions that reflect basic situations basic scenarios put them into.

As to Thai BL actors, I do not even know how good they actually are or not simply because of the material they work on.

I can only maybe note actor Gun, but this is pretty explainable because he was acting since childhood and was winning auditions for that way before he has become a miniature diva he is known to be today. He was getting awards twenty years ago and he had got yet another one last year, which is pretty consistent. But due to his accolades he is periodically given some good material to work on that other BL actors do not get access to, so I can not say that other actors are necessarily any worse.

But the biggest impression of actor work among all Thai films I have watched so far was an old actress’ performance in the episode 10 of Until We Meet Again (2019). She has went though several transformations of states and emotions in one scene. Her work was stunning, and that series was worth watching for me for that alone. The main BL actor there was also praised, but I can not stress anything in this case.

Yes, am aware of the danger of burnout, but I have great levels of patience for things like this. Otherwise, I would not have watched like 10K anime titles by now (which is not even remotely a record, but a serious number). I still can differentiate mediocre anime from rare excellent works, I did not become dull yet.

Also, I do not watch everything from each year. Only series that were either popular or praised or had actors I like visually. I have found a few good series this way.

Besides, since I was never looking for series that were getting awards, without the chronological order I would not have watched I Told Sunset About You, for example, because its rating here is just 8.1, which is nothing unusual, so this series was not in my focus at all. Too bad this database is absolutely useless if you want to find series with lots of non-verbal acting and epic cinematography with deep colours/shades (almost none GMMTV series ever have that).

Finally, we can always switch our interests back and forth. For example, I do not watch any anime lately, but I will surely back to it some time later. I am growing hunger this way.

I did not yet watch newer series because after I have watched some series randomly, I decided to go methodical and watch Thai series first (except for the Untamed and Word of Honor in the future), and chronologically. This has thrown me all the way back to My Bromance (2014), a great film first but with a wacky trashy twist in the end, and Love Sick (2014) series. By now I got to 2020, so the goodies you have mentioned are upcoming.

The fans you have mentioned are probably in their early teens either physically or mentally, so for them any simplest thing means either a BL couple “truly in love”, “the ship is real” or the opposite. There are even some fans who randomly post that some one is in hospital (though he is not), LOL. Anything for drama.

In the Untamed, I especially liked the performance of the lead actor. A hundred percent believable rendition. His co-star could not do this because he had to play a stoic character.

The funny thing is in that pseudo historical settings EVERYONE would have to behave and express himself as that second lad, with very minimal acting. An eye squint here, an eyebrow imperceptible raise there. This would have been more believable for the setting, though not so fun for the viewers.

If you liked this, you might also like I Told Sunset About You (2020) and its sequel, I Promised You The Moon (2021).

Not many gay themed dramas are actual art pieces, sadly.

I finally found a Thai series that I could recommend almost without reservations. It is nearly a work of art in terms of how it is done all around. It is called I Told Sunset About You (2020) and its second season. The difference between those works from Nadao studio and 2gether (2020) from GMMTV I watched right before it is so startling that it felt like a revelation. I would not call it “BL” even because it is a genuinely serious work. And it is nearly entirely realistic in terms of how things might happen with the characters like this. So if you did not watch it yet, it might be worth to do it some time.

I also watched The Untamed (2019) in the meantime. It was fully engaging, as expected. Epic, poetic, etc, though not without some issues with the details of what is happening.

Some time ago we discussed performative flirting between actors in “couples”, and this series has presented me with a great example how people can do it even with no attraction at all. The series has an incredibly beautiful actress who has played a medical witch (who has cared about her brother the whole time). The point is, I would have zero issues flirting or kissing with her, if she would be fine doing it with me. So this is probably what straight lads feel when they get cute lads as their partners and need to do this for promotion.

Things would have been different with a different person. So I feel sad imagining if somebody within GMMTV management assigned you a partner, however cute, who is not even your type visually, and yet you have to accommodate to it and brainwash yourself into liking the flirting.

This chap has done great job with I Promised You the Moon, continuing the spirit of the original series by Boss. Truly excellent job.

Oh’s character is not actually “girly”, we know how truly flamboyant lads behave, he is a tender romantic prince type of a character.

Obviously, his body complexion and face do not allow him to play the manliest brutes, so there is a limitation.

It is not quite believable that Teh would forget his first time with Oh, especially since it was on a beach, unless he was heavily intoxicated during the occasion, but he was not. This is because this is normally possibly the brightest memory a male can have. The hormonal rush males experience in those cases is insane, it is unforgettable even if you want to forget it. It is such a unique new experience.

Normally directors have more than one actor per a main role in plays for a case if something happens. Especially with students because they are inexperienced.

A PSA: you can download an archive of your Instagram photos and then delete them from your account, and this way you both save the photos and make your IG “hack” safe.

Yet another obvious PSA, though not directly about the series: just because someone looks angelic does not mean s/he has a character of an angel, even though scientifically there is somewhat higher chance for this.

Turns out that not only Phuket as in the original series, but even Bangkok can be filmed beautifully.

A PSA for anyone who wants to do acting: do school plays before going to higher education with this major. Also, do not ever think that “one day, my time will come”, because this mindset will destroy you almost certainly since only a minuscule part of a percentage of millions of actors can ever have a decent living. In other words, you should hope for the better, but not expect it. Even if you look great and can actually act well, it does not mean you will be successful. Too many people already in the business. You have to love the journey, not the destination.

ANOTHER Captain The Obvious PSA: you should never promise to forever love someone because it is not up to you if this will happen or not. Love is a sustained hormonal biochemical process that can die out or switch focus on a new person, and there is nothing you can do about it. Also, for this reason, you should not hate your exes if you were dumped just because the ex has failen for some one else. This hate is natural, but you can deal with it better if you raise the issue from the emotional subconsciousness to a conscious level where you can understand how love actually work and not blame people for losing it. Of course, you should blame your exes, if they have done something objectively bad.

Also, you should know that what people think as “love” usually lasts like three months. In rare cases, it lasts for three-four years. if you have a relationship like that it is already a good run for a couple. It is evolutionary based because this is the age when a baby can already move around reliably enough. So it is normal for people to move on. But if your love lasts for longer, it is quite extraordinary.

Of course, this materiastic view is not romantic at all, and this can be sad. But in reality you have to be grateful if you have had a few years of mutual love.

Well, one could call Bas a cute puppy for sure, but I meant a literal dog this time. In terms of Instagram, lots of what is happening in the series is tied to it, so I am not sure which scene with it you are talking about. I would not want to spoil anything beforehand.

This project is poetic right from its name to how it is told and how it is ends. It is very rewarding eventually, makes you cry and envious of the moments of tenderness and intimacy displayed, but you are right, it might be not for everyone and not for every mood. My advice is maybe to get back to it after a while.

One minor mistake: whether you have elevated heartbeat or not does not necessarily mean love for gays because if you lay in one bed with a cute lad you would get this and other reactions (YKWIM) without any love at all.

The characters are believable. This is the way how teenagers could behave in real life. Especially with teen anxiety, societal and family pressure of a provincial city, confusion, doubt, torn, conflicted, lying to themselves, being in denial, doing stupid things out of love.

Character Oh is so cute and delicate that my instinct is to immediately give up, give in, surrender myself to him completely. You want to care and protect him, do everything possible for the lad. And, mind you, I am not in love with him, I just saw him for the first time, but this was already enough. His soft and tender voice alone could melt an iceberg of heart, so adorable it is.

I would not be able to behave myself towards the lad the way Teh character did, but this is just me, the story is still believable.

Of course, what Teh character gets is fully deserved and understandable. It is the result of his own decisions and actions. Though he is still pitiful.

His weepings were too much for me, but some people are exactly like that in real life, so I am not counting this as a drawback, either. He was called a “crybaby” in the script, so he is meant to be this way.

Character Bas is such a graceful and elegant character, the innocent victim in all of this.

If I were to make a sarcastic take on the story, this main pair’s larger than life friendship is the ficklest thing ever because those two want or ghost each other for another five years in every opportunity given.

Yes, that underwater kiss is absolutely unreal, but this is the case where it does not matter. It is poetry.

And there is a cute dog! This is what you almost never see in any Thai dramas.

The lad wants you to watch his TV shows for now. But I do hope he will play more roles.

Why this lad’s voice sounds so cute?

The lad has chosen TV shows career, not acting.

If this is what he wants to do, I am happy for him. Though many people would also like him back to play in dramas.

I MUST commend this director for cinematography of I Told Subset About You series.

This chap was choosing the vision and cinematographers to implement it.

So much contrast, shadows and colours. And the setting of a provincial city.

Looks and feels nothing like bland and flat mass produced cliche series we most often get, for instance, from GMMTV studio.

This is so usually because is it cheaper to never switch filming locations and only film during the daytime work hours. Another reason why GMMTV is killing colours because they try to make their actors look way whiter than they are, so they decrease the hue saturation.

WOW, the cinematography of the first episode is just incredible.

So much contrast, shadows and colours. And the setting of a provincial city.

Looks and feels nothing like bland and flat mass produced cliche series we most often get, for instance, from GMMTV studio.

This is so usually because is it cheaper to never switch filming locations and only film during the daytime work hours. Another reason why GMMTV is killing colours because they try to make their actors look way whiter than they are, so they decrease the hue saturation.

ANOTHER shocker is that the casting director has actually cared about his job and chose child actors who are similar to adult leads.

Finally, I like how much of what actors play is non-verbal. Words untold sound louder than words told. Actors do have internal text to work on and express.

A PSA: do not consume Lays or any other potato chips, colas, fries, etc. You will never look as good as any of the actors/singers/idols that consume them in product placement or overt advertisements. You will get morbidly obese, get high blood pressure and slow and painful premature death decades earlier than it is meant to be naturally.

If even after a year of playing guitar you still need someone to fix your left hand finger’s positions, you better quit.

The clubs conflict drama is fake becaue it all was solved in university/college regulations many decades ago. No such conflict is possible.

Win’s character advising Toptap’s one to be straightforward and say about his new work proposal right away is really funny because he himself never follows his own advice.

The medical/fitness advice in BL series is as horrible as expected. As countless studies have proven by now, eating less short hydrocarbons is the only thing that really works. Physical exercises only have a small role in losing/preventing weight gains. So the couple, as depicted in the series, eating junk food during the nights is completely destroying the effort. Besides, if you are dieting, the best advice is to choose the supper as your main dish of the day because it is the closest to sleep. it prevents you from being unable to sleep due to hunger during the first days of the diet, when you accommodate.

Finally on this topic, running was found not only to be not effective in terms of the weight issue, but also irriversably harmful to your knees and spine even in good sport shoes. This is because evolutionary humans are built to be long distance walkers, not runners. If you want to have a “cardio”, never choose running, choose gym equipment that simulates you walking up a hill. You will thank me thirty years later for this advice.

This series does solve the issue of actors’ Drake and Frank couple, whose story did not end with anything reasonable in the original series, but the behaviour of Drake’s character is not believable. There is no reason why he would refuse to have fun with a cute lad; especially because it would have helped to forget his unrequited love. The fact that he does not love Frank’s character is irrelevant. Most hookups happen without any love at all, it is not even remotely required.

WAIT, why Bright’s character has to move out just because he has decided to train for a couple of weeks in a different place? This drama is fake. Though the characters are not doing anything with each other, so it should not matter, really.

A PSA, children: never go to music thinking you will get famous and rich. The probability of that is extremely low, so most of the time you will be getting rock bottom wages. So only go there if you are personally absolutely crazy about playing music, and it is more important to you than ever having even half decent income. I am serious: most musicians are dirt poor, live below the proverty line because they are too many people who can play guitars or drums or sing somehow. And the demand for live music is low. Even the incoming abundance of fake neural network music that will lead to the increase of interest in live performances will not help much. Still too many musicians.

Another PSA: real life is not a BL series, so long distance relationships hardly ever work unless you or your lover is rich enough to do regular visits. A those visits should happen quite often. Granted, now long distance relationships are a bit more feasible than, say, twenty years ago even without personal meetings because video calls are available, but not by much because intimate contacts are most often necessary for the feelings to not die out. Those additional stimuli reenforce and keep up your love. Otherwise, attractive people around you or your loved one would trigger a new feeling. And you should not blame yourself or your partner for that because it is only natural, this is how physiology of love works in the brain.