Multilicus

Failure on all fronts?

A number of things went wrong with this show making me enjoy it less and less with each episode, and although it’s not all bad it fails far too often to be considered good or even decent.

- The show tried to be too many things at once and touch on too many issues. If you’re making a 14 episodes long series you don’t have enough time for storylines of three couples, political intrigue, revenge, action, comedy and social issues. If you try to force all of that into a script, some or all elements will suffer – as they do here.

- There are too many characters – hence most of them, including Khanin and Charan, are underwritten, even one-dimensional (with Ramil and Wasin being notable exceptions), and quickly become uninteresting and boring. Also, I’m not sure the show has a main character. Is it Khanin, as the English title would suggest? But the title is misleading and makes no sense: the royal competition is to select the next king (not prince) and Khanin already is a prince when the show starts (he does not become one during the show). Furthermore, there’s plenty of POV characters and the romantic plotline of Khanin and Charan is often sidelined by unrelated events.

- Emotional bonds between characters are underdeveloped (Calvin and Jay being the obvious example, but this goes far beyond romantic relations) or are missing altogether (Khanin and Tharin have almost no connection nor contact for most of the show – a tad surprising given their situation). Also, after 14 episodes I can’t tell why Khanin and Charan became a couple nor why they fell for one another - it sort of just happened, for no reason and with no buildup.

- Both aforementioned problems are not solved nor helped by weak performances given by most of the cast – Nhing Nirut Sirijanya (king Thipokbowon) and Wit Phutharit Prombandal (Wasin) being the only exceptions. Performances of Zee and Jimmy were so bad, that they hurt the show as much as the poor writing of their characters did.

- Tonally the show is all over the place and almost every issue raised by it is either treated in a superficial way (like role of women in society and politics or environmental and social costs of maintaining economic growth) or the presentation is incomplete and unfinished (like reforming Emmaly’s political system); both these issues stem from the show trying to be too many things at the same time.

- Worldbuilding is derivative, unimaginative and unoriginal. We have heirs of clans Griffindor and Slytherin as well as a token girl armed with a bow fight in the Hunger Games for one of their fathers to become king of (South-East Asian) Wakanda; later it turns out that Griffindors are more like Lannisters from GoT. Also, the show’s fairytale world feels tailored for international viewers, with Latin alphabet and English language popping up in the weirdest places – even DNA test results, displayed to a room filled only with Emmalians, are in English. One thing I didn’t understand with that is why characters in London speak English, but characters in Emmaly don’t speak Emmalian (they speak Thai).

- There’s far more cheap glitz than actual glamour. The opulent costumes are somewhat impressive, but that’s about it when it comes to pomp. Instead of exotic royalty and fairytale aristocrats with noble visages we got commoners with tired faces; instead of London we got a Thai resort pretending to be the UK and some aerial footage; instead of a royal palace (where more than half of the interior shots were done) we got "La Chapelle", a "luxury wedding venue" with a horribly trashy look and outside shots of an English country house – with other locations being rather normal (a beach house is a beach house, Assumption University in Bangkok poses as "Morpheus School of Arts" etc.). Quite unremarkable for a show with a budget of 120 mil THB. The one place I really liked seeing were the Phuchongphisut caves – a well-chosen and skillfully filmed location.

If I was writing TNP’s script, I’d make Khanin and Ramil both main characters and the main couple. They’d start as rivals, then go to enemies, later friends and finally – boyfriends. The rivalry of their houses would drive their personal rivalry and even enmity, the realization that they’re in the same situation (as pawns in a game for power and targets for a vengeful Wasin) would get them closer, the need for understanding, support and acceptance would push them even closer. Ramil would start as an apparent supporting villain, slowly revealing his good side, while Khanin would have to discover his darker side in order to survive. Come to think about it, in a scenario like that even Daou’s "I trust you" would make sense.

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This cast deserved better - and so did the audience

After hearing a lot about LITA I binge-watched the whole series + the special. Intrigued by how different the reactions and reviews are (most people either love or hate LITA), I decided to write a few words about the show myself. I didn’t read MAME’s novels the show’s based on nor do I think comparing the novels and the show would be useful – after all these are separate works and the show needs to stand on its own.

Plot, characters & message
The plot is basic and simple: hot faculty legend Payu seduces cute and naïve student Rain, while Payu’s rich and hot friend Prapai pursues cute and sassy student Sky. While this seems perfectly okay, the devil is in the details: Payu manipulates Rain from day one and Prapai is a stalker; neither Payu nor Prapai take no for an answer nor acknowledge any boundary or limit – they alone decide where those are and how far they will go pursuing their goals. Even when they offer support, protection, affection and love, it’s from a dominating position, exploiting Rain’s and Sky’s vulnerability and desires (in the special episode attempts are made to mask this imbalance: Rain and Sky go on a trip and “punish” their partners). There’s more disturbing behavior resulting from the above, like nonconsensual touches, kisses, spanking (although this isn’t sexual) or coercion. Many have criticized this aspect of the show, while others found it appealing and okay. In my opinion we need to separate two things: the show including characters like Payu and Prapai and their actions and the message the show sends along with it. The show has every right to include manipulative, calculating, even creepy characters, instead of clean cut, perfect human beings. I hate, however, the message sent by the show – that Payu’s and Prapai’s actions are okay and justified by their desires, feelings, (supposedly) good intentions or by how hot they are or, what’s even worse, by Rain’s and Sky’s actual feelings for the two pursuers. Take how Rain was portrayed: he starts as a closeted 19 y.o., meets Payu and is immediately smitten with him, gets aroused by Payu’s every touch and does everything to spend more time with him, doing his best to tease him and win him over. The show even disavows Rain’s objections to Payu’s forced sex attempt in episode 1 – Rain willingly climbs into Payu’s bed, falls soundly asleep and even hugs Payu lovingly. In my opinion stuff like that confused many watching the show, twisting their perception and making them color-blind to all the red flags risen by Payu’s and Prapai’s actions. Instead of punishment or at least failure the show rewards Payu and Prapai, making them the good guys; there isn’t a single line of actual, serious condemnation or disappointment uttered by Rain nor Sky towards Payu nor Prapai (even something light like “you hunted and cornered me, treated me like a trophy; you should be ashamed of yourself”), no need for forgiveness for their part misdoings – as if they did nothing wrong. That’s where the show fails completely. There’s one more issue with the Sky-Prapai storyline: Sky’s trauma. I was surprised to see a serious and heavy issue like that thrown into such a show. It wasn’t dealt with properly, sending another harmful message: that love can heal you from trauma. It can’t; therapy can.
My biggest complain regarding the plot is that the script could have avoided all of the above and still be hot and sexy. You can be seductive without being manipulative, you can pursue someone without turning into a stalker and you can definitely be strong and independent respecting boundaries set by others. The showrunners didn’t know that or didn’t care about what message they were sending.

Cast
I was impressed by how natural and laidback the performances of Boss, Noeul, Fort and Peat were – given that only the latter two had some, albeit very modest, acting experience. There’s so much banter and good chemistry between them (to no small degree thanks to both couples being very well matched) and their portrayals are very convincing. This was only helped by them not shying away from performing all the scenes filled with sexual tension or sex itself. Seems that Boss and Fort channeled a lot of their personal charm into their roles, making Payu and Prapai likeable and desirable (that’s another reason, I believe, why so many were okay with those characters and what they did). Noeul was very effective in creating a young, naïve, confused and relatable character – which was no small feat, as Noeul seems very different from Rain. Peat deserves highest praise from the principal cast, as Sky is the only somewhat developed and complicated character (compared to rather one-dimensional Payu, Rain and Prapai); also his scenes, including solo ones, were the best.
Shame that Boss, Noeul, Fort and Peat didn’t have a better script to work with. Seeing how they managed to elevate the mediocre material they got I can only say that they deserved better.

Editing, sound
The editing was at times confusing, with weird cuts and scenes disjointed, unconnected with the rest of the show and/or previous and/or next scene; order and succession of scenes seemed off a few times, as if the editing team had too little time to make an actual show out of the material shot by the crew (e.g. in episode 7 Rain is with his friends somewhere outdoors and Payu calls him to tell him he’ll pick him up; in the next scene Rain is surprised to see Payu show up there and hides from him – these two scenes contradict each other, maybe just one of them was meant to be used in the show).
Sound editing seems non-existent. No idea whether they recorded dialogues on set and didn’t redub them or what happened there but through most of the show music is to loud and distracting while dialogues are too quiet.

Impressions
I liked the show for all the right reasons: hot actors, cuteness and banter, unabashed intimacy. All of that was like sweet-sweet candy poured over everything wrong with the show; blinded by that I enjoyed myself.

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This dragged for what felt like an eternity

Let’s get spoilers out of the way first: this story is about two teen best friends who used to be in a gang, one wanted to leave to have a football career, the other didn’t want to let him go, so he gave him a “customary” beating, breaking a leg of his friend and ending his football dream. The perpetrator felt ashamed and vanished while the victim felt abandoned. 3 years later they meet again and – instead of clarifying things – begin a prolonged back and forth with the perpetrator wanting to apologize and the victim refusing to listen; they eventually reconcile, but by that time the show introduced several side plots which sidelined the main plot and the series can’t end before those side plots are concluded. At the end of the day we get whopping 16 episodes filled mainly with repetitive content (e.g. in ep. 1-6 Saint follows Shin and tries to talk to him, Shin doesn’t want to talk; they nevertheless kinda talk, but nothing comes out of that – no conclusion nor resolution – so Saint follows Shin… And this happens 2-3 times per episode) or side plot content – about various problems of Shin’s and Saint’s classmates. I admit I got tired of the main plot by ep. 3 and started watching the show on FFDW.

Some claim that this is actually a BL. I guess some people could get this impression as the show was produced by a company specializing in BLs, both main characters are male, young and attractive, and the show’s about their relationship. Others might believe that nonromantic love between males is impossible (hence it’s no “bromance” – it must be a BL) or that the supposed chemistry between Nani and Sky proves that their characters are more than friends. I strongly disagree with the above – and not just because there’s nothing in the story that would imply “High School Frenemy” to be something else than a “bromance”. It’s also the structure of the story. In most BLs (and love stories in general) story is about characters developing their relationship, going from strangers to a couple. This is a gross simplification, but – with a few exceptions – that’s how vast majority of BL are written. “High School Frenemy” is about two characters who already had a strong non-romantic relationship and want to rekindle it – which takes them most of the 16 episodes. I’m not saying forgiveness, healing and rekindling of a friendship are easy nor that they can be achieved quickly, but in case of this show it’s more than obvious that this process was treated as filler for as many episodes as possible. The aforementioned repetitiveness does not result from Shin and Saint needing a lot of time to reconcile (they actually do it in two scenes), but from the show needing content. There’s like 2 hours of actual story and content of the main plot and it could have been told in a concise and emotional way; it loses a lot of emotional weight due to being stretched over far too many episodes, with the few decent scenes getting drowned by constant repetition. The “give up what’s most important for you” thing in ep. 7 is a good example of what this show does to good concepts: it was supposed to display Saint’s sacrifice and importance of friendship, but was executed in a horrible way, ruined by awful dialogue (spelling out what Saint was giving up), poor delivery and dragging it over three utterly pointless scenes, making it lose all emotional charge.

As for subplots, I feel all save one were shoehorned as additional filler. Sure, when you have a school/classroom setting for a story (regardless what the story is about), you need people to appear in the background – as students, teachers, administration etc. What I don’t get is why any of them needed their own small story, which was unrelated (or very loosely related) to the main story.

Ken’s subplot, the only one somewhat connected to the main plot, was stretched just as unnecessarily as the main plot. This had several consequences – we got tons of pointless violence (apparently one fight scene wasn’t enough to illustrate the problem) before characters were allowed to realize that it serves no purpose: neither side could “win”, asserting permanent domination, and even if “winning” was possible – it wouldn’t change much (they would still be students at a high school). Furthermore the show presented school violence (and violence in general) as something ordinary, an element of everyday life – normalizing it. Violence and danger are so common, that the stakes are oddly low: we get a solid beating every other episode, yet it ends with a few bruises, no apologies and no punishments.

The school setting makes sense – but only when viewed from a distance. As someone who does not require full realism I can say that too many things felt nonsensical and were written like that because of plot (and not realism or relatability); I listed some examples of that below.
1/ Teachers (not just Jan and Sung) had no idea what they’re supposed to do, imposing “clever” punishments to force students to think (punishments that no school in the civilized world would dare to apply). The method of tricking someone to change their behavior or mind was also used on one of the teachers.
2/ The principal was unhinged, throwing tantrums and switching between having bright ideas and going hard on students, between being bent on expelling an innocent student and overlooking those that are responsible and applying collective responsibility.
3/ The exam cheating issue was presented in a crude and heavy-handed way, plagued with banal statements by Jan and Sung (which were, of course, made sound like something profound and important). Jan punishing herself/forcing students to “punish” her for them cheating during the exam was pure cringe.
4/ School bullies who associate themselves with criminals were scared of a teacher quoting penal law and threatening to tell their parents about what they do. Were they naughty teens, who can be kept in line by teachers, afraid of getting expelled, or delinquents who don’t care about graduating or their parents finding out that they’re bullies? Which is it – cause it can’t be both, and the show sure wanted it to be.
5/ During the “investigation” into cases of violence (in ep. 6-7) nobody remembered the brawl which resulted in Chatjen throwing a chair through a window nor about the one class member who was recording all the school fights for “content”. And how come virtually all the surveys from class 2 incriminated Shin – did Saint, Chatjen, First, Thiu and Cable accuse Shin of being a violent troublemaker in their surveys?

A few words need to be said about the cast. Most performances are either weak or unimpressive – this includes what both Maria and Foei bring to the screen. Nani’s delivery is pretentious and annoying in nearly every scene (he seemed not to know what to do nor how to portray his character once Saint and Shin reconciled), while Sky is stiff and wooden; in all “emotional” scenes he’s reciting lines like an automaton and gets better only during the very few “friendly banter” scenes he shares with Nani. Neither of them can act and they have little chemistry (although these two things are not related – there are many couples and ships with no acting skills, but with good chemistry), with just a few better scenes in later episodes, when Saint and Shin reconcile. The single good performance of the series comes from Mark Pakin – the only actual actor in the cast. I did, however, enjoy Winny’s guest appearance, while Marc Natarit was surprisingly convincing in his little role.

I enjoyed some of the music used in the series. The opening theme by “Kong” Jaithep Raroengjai is very good and I was upset upon finding out that it’s only 1:08 minutes long (no “full version” or longer version is available).

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Not My Sky

Having watched the entirety of the show now I can confidently say that this was neither my sky nor a show I enjoyed. I liked a handful of scenes and some of the visuals (Thomas and TeeTee in particular), but that’s all.
To keep it short I’ll try to simply list my issues with “Your Sky”, going into detail only when it’s necessary.
- Not a single member of the young cast can act (which is not a huge surprise in a BL) and delivery of most lines was bad (Thomas was stiff like a wooden board, Kong can’t emote, Save had exactly one pose – that of an insufferable brat – and he was striking it in every scene, TeeTee was all cute smiles but no substance etc. etc.).
- Episode 1 was nearly devoid of content, I’m still amazed I returned for ep. 2.
- The fake relationship ploy was just as dumb and unnecessary as it was in “2gether” (to name just one show which used it and failed at it – although there it was additionally offensive and homophobic).
- I don’t understand how with 12 episodes and 3 couples to develop we got so little done with Real and Hia and even less with PunLee and Klaijai. What’s the point of dragging out the conclusion of a romantic plotline of Real and Hia till ep. 12 or introducing PunLee and Klaijai as late as in ep. 8 (of 12)?
- The main couple plotline – also stretched beyond belief – became boring very quickly, with far to many filler scenes and lack of development. I watched the uncut version – the one including nudity and more intimacy – but don’t think that it made the series nor the main couple plotline more interesting.
- As for Teerak’s homophobic father and his antics in ep. 11 I’ll repeat what I wrote in that episode’s review: it was a blatant defense of homophobia. I'm okay with homophobic characters in BL, including them in a story is acceptable for sake of realism or to create an obstacle for a same-sex couple to form a relationship or stay together. What I'm not okay is having such a character presented as being justified, having legitimate concerns or voicing an opinion or point of view in a debate. Homophobia is evil, plain and simple, like racism or antisemitism. Any show, not just a BL, cannot leave any doubt about it. Homophobia is never justified and is indefensible; presenting it in any other way as literal evil (regardless of where it comes from - outright malice, ignorance or stupidity, it doesn't matter) is not allowed. Ep. 11 did exactly that, presenting Teerak's father as an idiot, but acting in good faith (actually acting out of selfishness, which the show also failed to point out) and going so far as defending him: Teerak's mother saying "I know you’re disappointed. So am I" was inexcusable (children are not property of their parents nor can be held hostage to expectations and wishes of their parents). This is a show made in 2024, but in this regard it sounds like one of those idiotic early BL's from 8-10 years ago.
I did enjoy the bar fight scene between a transphobic drunk (portrayed, I believe, by the assistant director himself) and some prominent drag queens; that was one of the very few moments when I laughed wholeheartedly.

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Missed golden opportunity

Let’s start with the obvious: vampires – powerful, often immortal, carnal creatures that need to consume blood to survive – are among the sexiest beasts invented by our imagination. Representing a multitude of things considered forbidden and often evil, like unrestrained lust, following animal and predatory instincts, hunting, pursuing and killing prey, evading death etc., vampires are a projection not just of the darker (or even darkest) aspects of human nature, but also of a desire to be truly free, to do whatever we want, with no boundaries nor restrictions. So, in theory, a love story about gay vampires should be awesome, right? Well, in theory – yes. In practice, however, it can turn like MGB did: not so awesome.

The good stuff
There’s plenty of things in this show that I liked a lot – mostly the interactions of Mark and Tong, especially once they became an item. Fortunately that makes up a big portion of the series – it is a BL after all (no, it’s not a show about vampires – that’s just a pretext to tell a love story). Joss and Fluke work well together and their chemistry is MGB’s saving grace (that and Joss displaying his flawless physique). Another thing I enjoyed: the OST, consisting of “Closer” by Fluke (heard during opening credits), “Just You” by Joss and “Ever After” by Joss and Fluke. Pretty modest by GMMTV’s standards – and that’s also okay.

Writing
The show’s script is based on two intertwining storylines: Mark’s and Tong’s love story and the golden blood vampire story.
The love story is a variation of a well-known trope of a protector becoming a romantic interest/partner of the person he’s protecting. Inserting a vampire into that pattern doesn’t change a lot – after initial problems Mark becomes a rather traditional bodyguard-turned-lover character. Here’s where the vampire aspect of the show fails the most: once he overcomes his lust for Tong’s golden blood, Mark becomes so mundane that it’s easy to forget he’s a vampire. This is not an isolated case: all vampires in MGB seem weirdly bland, tamed and controlled, turning violent only on the rare occasion of coming into contact with Tong’s blood. Those are not the sexy vampires I imagined that would fit a daring gay love story, passionate, spicy and full of lust – this is a golden opportunity which was missed (or maybe deliberately abandoned). These vampires have been washed and bleached, deprived of feelings and senses – and became boring. Vampirism in MGB is like a curse: an eternal life of feeling nothing. Sure, this image is inconsistent (Thara has a genuine lust for power, Nakan seems to have some emotions and desires, Wan gets all teary in ep. 12 etc.), but heavily influences how Mark is presented and the love story progresses: it’s not taming of a wild beast lusting after Tong – it’s waking up a man’s sex drive and getting it to hum (instead of roar).
Another issue I have with the love story is its length – there simply doesn’t seem to be enough of the story for all 12 episodes. This leads to inclusion of filler elements; some (like most of ep. 4) are dull and unnecessary. This also gives room for subplots, chief among them the Tonkla subplot – which seemed to be important to the writers until they killed off Tonkla in ep. 9. Did it have a lasting impact on the story or characters? Not really.
The second main plotline – the vampire story – is messy, vague and inconsistent. Since MGB is not a show about vampires and this plotline is only meant to provide setting and obstacles for the love story, I’m not bothered by the aforementioned flaws; this is less important than the portrayal of vampires themselves, which I complained about above.

Characters
Both Mark and Tong are written in a proper manner (contrary to some opinions I read on MDL, I didn’t find Tong’s character to be annoying or subpar), fitting the love story plotline. Thara – as a villain – is a bit generic, but passable; revealing her as the main baddy of the show was foreshadowed in ep. 10 by some ominous music, which actually made me laugh. Tonkla is irritating and generally useless; I begin to understand why some comments express regret that Tonkla wasn't paired with Nakan – at least that would give Tonkla something to do in the show. Nakan seemed plausible as a villain, but then ep. 11 and 12 happened. I’m unsure whether that was plain old bad writing or an attempted redemption arc; whatever it was – it didn’t work for me. That character had potential, clearly, but it was wasted – mainly because it wasn’t developed properly. Seeing pictures of Tonkla and Nakan displayed next to each other with flowers in front of them (ep. 12), as for some cherished fallen comrades or good friends, left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Acting
As much as I enjoyed the Mark-Tong dynamic I have to point out that Joss gave a flawed performance in MGB. It’s something I noticed in ep. 1 and what did not change until the very end of the series: Joss was good at being hot&sexy, cool, manly, funny, caring or vulnerable – basically in almost every scene Mark interacted with Tong; the opposite happened when Mark needed to be serious, angry and “mature” – Joss kept missing the beat, becoming (unintentionally) funny: becoming lifeless and stiff or reciting his lines in a weird, solemn manner (as to underline that what he says is important). Fluke’s performance was much more consistent and without major flaws; same can be said about Um’s performance as Thara. Mond, whom I learned to respect a bit after “Only Friends” (while disliking the show itself and most performances in it), is all over the place here; much of that is due to the writing, but some has to attributed to the performer. Mond seemed sleepy, stoned or bored for much of ep. 1-10 and his face looked swollen – all of which made me think he was having some health issues while MGB was filmed. Fortunately this was no longer the case in ep. 11-12.

Visuals
Much was said about CGI in MGB – and how it (supposedly) was indicative of a low budget. While I wasn’t bothered by the use of special effects nor their quality, I do believe that – with writing adjusted in this regard and consistent use of more traditional means, like filming after sunset, proper lighting, filters and color grading, MGB could have created a better, convincingly “vampiric” atmosphere. Same about locations: while I applaud some choices in this regard (in particular Wan’s flower shop), others were baffling. Speaking of which: what’s with the wedding venues used by BLs recently? First “The Next Prince” located the interiors of the Emmalian royal palace in “La Chapelle”, a “unique luxury venue for weddings” in Bangkok, and now MGB used what seemed like two wedding venues (or just two areas within one venue) in ep. 12.

Final thoughts
Is MGB bad? No, it’s above average – mainly because most of its flaws have nothing to do with the love story while Joss and Fluke work so good together that they sell that story. My biggest issue with MGB is that it could have been much more – given its potential; instead it’s a half-hearted bite: you felt it, but it’s painless.

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Awesome show – for about 90% of the time

===This section is spoiler-free===
I liked “Vice Versa” and I liked JimmySea even more. Now I adore them. Their performances in “Last Twilight” are great and a must-see for all BL fans. The show itself is wonderful, with a well-crafted script, which gives a lot of time for the development of characters and their relationships. This does not mean it’s a “slow burn”: the series has a very strong start with a well done introduction of the cast and characters; it stays smart up until the last minutes of ep. 11. What follows – the ep. 11 finale as well as ep. 12 – is a big letdown; I was baffled by how bad, in comparison to the rest of the series, is was. More on that in the spoilers section below.
The script and JimmySea’s chemistry resulted in several great, deeply emotional scenes, which used Day’s blindness in a clever way; this was particularly well done in the final scenes of ep. 4 and ep. 9 (probably the best episode of the show).
“Last Twilight” has a great soundtrack – all 5 songs performed by GMMTV artists are very good, “ภาพสุดท้าย” by Jakrapatr Kaewpanpong is by far the strongest of them (btw: although the title of this song in English was given as “Last Twilight”, Google Translate and similar apps say it’s actually ‘last picture’ or ‘final image’ – which makes more sense than ‘last twilight’). Sadly the same cannot be said about the music used in the show, which is very uneven. The aforementioned final scene of ep. 4 has a great score, but there is a lot of scenes with needlessly loud and “dramatic” music used to underline their importance and/or generate an emotional response from the audience (as if the producers were not sure whether the audience will be intelligent enough to recognize what to feel while watching these scenes). Fortunately there is plenty of quiet moments and scenes to balance those loud and noisy ones.
Rating “Last Twilight” is tough as for almost 11 episodes it’s great, a 8.5 or more, but gets to 7.0 or less in the last minutes of ep. 11 and afterwards. As a JimmySea fan I’m giving it a 8.5 and regret this is not fully deserved (however a 8.0 would be unfair).

===Warning: spoilers below===
No idea what happened there, but minutes before ep. 11 ended the show stopped making sense to me. Maybe P’Aof and other showrunners decided that the “curse” of the penultimate episode must show itself and spoil the fun, maybe they wanted to generate drama, maybe something else pushed them to it – they made the main couple break up. Storywise it made no sense and basically it came out of nothing: up until that point Mhok’s and Day’s relationship was getting stronger and better, with virtually no sign of weakening – not to mention a break up. Day adjusted to being blind, Mhok got a new job and they seemed to be on their best way to be a stable, happy couple, developing their relationship with time. Where did the break up come from? I know that a “reason” for it is given in ep. 11: Day feels that Mhok “pities” him (which, for whatever reason, Mhok confirms in ep. 12), but it makes even less sense. How come it’s “pity” and definitely not love nor fear of losing Day (as he lost his sister) that made Mhok want to stay with Day instead of becoming a chef in Hawaii? Is there a difference between love, fear and pity or is the script deliberately confusing in this regard – because a pretext for the break up was needed? Note that Day broke up with Mhok within minutes of finding out about Mhok not taking the job in Hawaii – there was no discussion, no talking it over, no build up; Day made a 180 on Mhok and told him to go away. They both still loved each other (as we are told later), but had no contact with each other for 3 years, with Day blocking Mhok on social media. Once they meet after that time, however, they … become a couple again. What changed during those 3 years? How did the main characters change? What happened that Day agreed to be with Mhok again? Is Mhok living and working on Hawaii, visiting Day from time to time – is that the arrangement by the end of ep. 12? If so, why wasn’t it possible 3 years earlier? And why did he still fear Mhok would “pity” him? It may seems odd to dwell on the “pity” issue, but since this is the only reason for Day breaking up with Mhok (and the show having a time jump) – it should be explained. No explanation is given, however, and the issue is not resolved. 11 episodes of building a relationship and a few minutes to ruin it, because drama was needed; that’s some really sloppy and lazy writing. I’m not saying that Day and Mhok could not break up – I’m saying that a development like this needs to be justified, make sense in the show as well as fit the characters. Note that Day matured a lot from a spoiled, somewhat angry brat in ep. 1 to a self-aware adult who accepted his blindness in ep. 11 – and then he turned back into that brat to dump Mhok; this radical regression was necessary, as the mature Day from ep. 11 wouldn’t break up with Mhok.
There are similarities between ep. 12 of “Last Twilight” and ep. 10 of “A Tale of 1000 Stars”: the main couple breaks up/separates for a longer time, but later reunites; the separation/break up happen for no good reason and serve no purpose – the characters don’t develop, change nor become more mature. Even if they wanted – they couldn’t, as the years of separation happen entirely off screen. Tian from ATOTS “had” to obey his parents and go to study in the US; this is the same Tian who ditched his parents in ep. 1 and showed no sign of obedience or respect for them for the entire series – he became “respectful” only when the script needed it, probably because someone decided that splitting the main couple will increase drama (who could forget the tear-jerking airport scene?). Not only was it useless storywise, but also seemed disrespectful towards the audience: the love story was slowly developed over 9 episodes only to be interrupted with a pointless time jump of 2 years after which … we got the same characters as before the split. The same happened in “Last Twilight” and I’m beginning to suspect that P’Aof loves those pointless time jumps (remember last episode of “Bad Buddy”?). What a disappointing way to end a great show.

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Three ships in one show – and it works!

Well, to be honest, “ship-wise” it’s ‘only’ 2 ships – EarthMix and GeminiFourth – as First and Khaotung, despite of starring in MLC, aren’t a couple in this series. Still, casting so many good performers in one show says a lot about GMMTV’s faith in the story, direction and cast – as well as the company’s ability to take risks (yes, putting so many of your assets – and popular ships clearly are assets – into one show represents a considerable risk). All of that was rewarded with a show which works very well and has some aspects usually not found in a BL. I’ll try to focus on the most important and best elements of MLC.

(1) The show has a perfectly paced and shot introduction, which presents the setting, majority of the cast and their relations in a very effective, almost music video manner.

(2) Characters and story give a very grounded, real life feel – which is often absent in BLs, especially rom-coms. This can, at least partly, be attributed to MLC being an almost classic drama. Humor is used sparingly, there are no scenes played for laughs, no comedic reliefs etc. – there’s no BL “fluff” either. The characters have different backgrounds and life experiences, but all are relatable; it’s also worth noting, that – contrary to many BLs – only two characters are teens, the rest are either young adults or “full adults”. Everyone in the show carries a lot of emotional baggage and faces problems we all understand and/or have experienced: loss of a family member, loss of a loved one, difficult break-up, unresolved past issues, unrequited love, money problems and poverty, job problems, unfair treatment and homophobia, difficult relations with parent and/or guardian, illness and/or disability. Despite of that this is still mostly a story about love – losing it, looking for it and finding it.

(3) The story is presented in a very condensed and clear way; several plots neatly fit into it. A bit surprisingly to me there weren’t too many characters (this is, after all, a series with only 8 episodes and a full cast) – mainly because each character had a specific role to play and did it. There was no drag, no time wasted on exposition or pointless talking and walking around.

(4) The cast is very solid, with GMMTV rolling out not just some of its most popular, but also most talented stars.
(a) Mix does a wonderful job as Wen regardless whether he’s drunk at the diner, passionate in bed with Jim, caring and understanding with Li Ming and Heart, trying to win over Jim or keeping his distance from Alan, while still caring for him. Wen seems the most complete character of the series and a good spirit for Li Ming and Jim – while still having issues of his own. I loved the firm grip Mix had of the character – he portrayed Wen with calm and confidence, which passed over to the character itself. This is by far Mix’s best role so far.
(b) Fourth as Li Ming is great, both as Jim’s nephew, a struggling (but never bratty) teenager, often angry and disappointed with his uncle, but also loving him, as well as Heart’s boyfriend, a teen in love – a love that grew so naturally and quietly that I could only smile and cry watching it. MLC was shot before My School President and the interaction of Fourth and Gemini here explains how we got the great chemistry of those two in MSP: it was there all the time. GemFourth is one of those superior ships like OhmNanon, EarthMix or FirstKhao: GMMTV can bank on and will never lose. Non-verbal communication between Li Ming and Heart was top notch; watch the episode 6 New Year scene to see how two unexperienced amateurs nail it without saying a word – that’s real acting. Most of GMMTV’s “actors” should watch it to realize how ridiculously incompetent they are.

MLC isn’t perfect, but it’s mature and non-fairy tale – it’s a serious BL. I enjoyed it very much.

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Awesome debut

Some history first: originally OhmLeng were cast as leads for this miniseries; when that ship sunk, SurfJava were cast instead – and seized their opportunity fully. Another small reminder: this was shot before "Head 2 Head" (Surf mentioned it in a H2H special), making this a debut for the ship as well as a debut for Surf in a GMMTV production.

The script relies heavily on well-known plot points and elements of monomyth, but it does so in a very competent way. What we get is a "classic" enemies-to-lovers story featuring betrayal, redemption, forgiveness and a happy end. You’ve probably seen some of that (or all of that) before, but stories like this are timeless and don’t get old nor stale. The writing is concise, smart and focuses on the main character – Tum. This choice (like in MuTeLuv: "Hi" by My Luck) was correct, as with just 4 episodes it would be too difficult to properly script and present two mains. "Love Me if You Swear" is a proper rom-com, with the comedy staying above a certain level of maturity – which I was very thankful for.

Surf does an amazing job here and feels far more comfortable with the material than he was in H2H – which might be due to the generally lighter and more comedic tone of this show. He’s got a firm grip on the role and makes Tum a likeable, relatable character: not the brightest, but smart, honest and brave enough to realize he made some wrong (and silly) choices, recognize what really matters and pursue Oh like his life depended on it. Surf’s engagement in the role makes all of that believable, elevating the character – which is something I love to see. Furthermore, Surf infused his character with calm, quiet warmth - something I did not expect and was surprised by. Java – for the third or maybe even fourth time (since "A Boss and a Babe") – portrayed an outsider, witty and almost annoyingly independent, bit of a jerk, actually. Much like with H2H’s Van, there’s more to Oh than that – a shy, quiet, thoughtful person, hesitant to open up. Java’s perfect for a role like that: superficially nonchalant, with a mocking smile and mischievous eyes that can turn calm and sad when you’re not looking. And again – like in H2H – Java got to deliver some of the most serious lines in the show, explaining why Oh prayed in the shrine; for me the story of Oh’s grandma struck almost too close to home.

You have two young, hot, horny guys in a motel room, sitting on the floor next to a bed they just used, talking about the importance of family, what friendship is about and how love works. They don’t use any big words, there’s no pathos and it all sounds as if someone IRL was telling you all this. That’s not the show’s funniest nor most enjoyable scene, but the show’s most important scene – and it works so well because of Surf and Java. The chemistry is there not just in cute or steamy scenes; first and foremost it’s there in heavier scenes – that’s a rare gift and reason enough to keep Java and Surf together. They already showed that they can carry a show on their own.

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PondGun my day anytime

There is a lot to like here.
The show is truly captivating – initially due to its plot and later thanks to good performances.
Furthermore, it is atmospheric and mysterious – due to plot and writing, but also thanks to mostly fitting music (heralded by very strong track used for opening credits) and proper cinematography (including plenty of surprisingly good shots sprinkled throughout the series like little gems).
It is also emotionally engaging – because the stakes are set very clearly and because it (the show) has real heart. This was achieved by decent writing, mostly for the Day-Ozone side of the story (a notable mention for the Night-Dream side is Dream’s phone call with her mother in ep. 12), and – again – very good performances.
"Leap Day" is very good in creating a feeling of hopelessness, of walls closing in, of fighting a faceless and unfathomable dread all alone, of suffocating in an indifferent world, oblivious to ones problems, unable – or maybe even unwilling – to help or sympathize. All these sensations were conveyed masterfully and allowed to highlight the remedies that work, that allow to survive and lead a mostly normal life: determination and support of friends and loved ones.

The cast is small (which I liked) and gave very uneven performances.
I was never a fan of Gun and have criticized Pond’s performances in BLs, calling him stiff, wooden and boring. Here I was very pleasantly surprised by how good they both were. I loved Pond’s Day – strong, determined, honest, straightforward and deeply caring for Ozone, emanating purest warmth while at it. Gun was utterly convincing as Ozone, delivering a complex and difficult performance, very far from a one-note one. Watching both Pond and Gun in "Leap Day" was a treat – the show deserves a good rating for that one aspect alone.
I cannot say the same about neither Dew nor Pahn. Dew gave a subpar, mostly flat performance of an annoying character, who felt unlikable even when he was supposed to be loving and tender. Pahn, whom I have previously seen only once (in "My Love Mix-Up!"), did not impress me with anything; her performance was uninspired and even vexing at times.

The writers mostly did a good job, though at times the show was losing its momentum and felt like dragging for no reason (other than to fill all 12 episodes with something). This is not a critique of all those moments the main characters were walking in circles trying to figure out anything about Leap Day – those moments were necessary and justified. I do, however, believe that some parts of the show, like the lengthy thread of introducing Pon's character (Kit), could have been done differently, preserving the show’s generally good pacing. I have no issues with "Leap Day" leaving us with most questions unanswered and a lot of plot threads leading nowhere/unexplained – all that can be considered part of the show’s mystery aspect. Going a little into spoiler territory I need to voice my biggest complaint regarding the script: Wiwat’s fate. That man should be dead or jailed; instead we see him alive, free and treated with respect.

I mentioned music as an important factor contributing to the show’s atmosphere. While this is the case for most tracks used in "Leap Day", I was not a fan of "อยู่เพื่อรักเธอ" ("Here You Are") sung by "Louis" Thanawin, "Ford" Allan and "Fluke" Nattanon. I like all three of them a lot and have only respect for their work – but do not think that particular song fits this series.

Having said all that I consider "Leap Day" one of those shows where "pros" are so solid and numerous that they clearly outweigh "cons", covering them completely. If you are not convinced by that, just watch it for Pond. It is worth it, the guy can actually act.

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It has some serious problems, but I liked&enjoyed it

Before I start:
1/ I don’t speak nor understand Thai, so I relied entirely on subtitles provided on GMMTV’s YouTube channel;
2/ all my comments and remarks below are about the GMMTV series – I didn’t read the book which inspired the series; for me the series is a completely independent work, not connected with the book, and it needs to stand on its own.

What I like about the series
1/ On-screen chemistry. Toptap and Mike work so well together that I’d be surprised to learn that off-screen they are anything less than good friends. But what I enjoyed even more was the chemistry between Pod and Khaotung; they sold me on Ton and Chon having genuine affection and feelings for one another. It was more than the absence of awkwardness; both actors seemed confident and relaxed in each other’s presence (for most of the time), hence their interactions (including the goofy ones) were believable. We deserved to see more of those two together; we got loads of cuteness and emotions, what we should have gotten more of was boyfriend banter (we got some of that, but more would be nice – Khaotung showed that his Chon can be shy, confident, loving, stubborn and angry, but also very sassy).
2/ Less non-problems than I feared. My prime example is Chon’s reaction to the kiss video in episode 9. Initially I was disappointed and thought Chon reacted according to BL-silliness (by which I mean that characters usually suspect and assume the worst, act without real reason, judge the situation without actual proof, tend to overreact and/or react to things no real person would bother reacting to; also, they don’t talk to each other). Then I watched episode 10 and saw that Chon’s reaction was much more grounded and relatable. Chon recognized Ton as a show-off prone to dumb stunts and actions which would give Chon constant heartache. Suddenly it made sense and the BL-silliness was gone; there was no fake problem – there was a real one and Chon was reacting to it.
3/ Showing homophobia’s still a real thing. We see LGBTQ characters fearful of how their friends and other people would react to their coming out/revealing they are in a same-sex relationship and we see homophobic characters with their stereotypes, prejudice and aggression. Pretending we live in a world were nothing stops LGBTQ persons from having a happy life would be bad. Glad the show writers didn’t do that. That being said:
- the way a gay character was presented in episode 1 (guy who followed Ton and Chon after they had lunch) was appalling and homophobic,
- Ton never apologizing nor even addressing his homophobia was a huge mistake of the writers,
- Chareon getting his wish fulfilled instead of being denied and ignored was an even bigger mistake of the writers – c’mon, guys! if you want to show everyone that homophobia is bad you can’t reward a homophobe!
4/ Very limited side plots. Compare “Tonhon Chonlatee” to, let’s say, “2gether”, where we got 4 couples: Tine&Sarawat, Type&Man, Dim&Green and Mil& Phukong (5 if we include Pear&Boss). Were they all necessary to tell the story of Tine&Sarawat? Did we learn more about the main characters because of these additional characters and their relationships? What purpose in the story did they serve? In “Tonhon Chonlatee” the side characters are acutely aware of their purpose; Ai explaining to Ni, that they are the protagonist’s sidekicks was on point and almost breaking the 4th wall.
5/ Miriam. Once she shows up she does a lot to push the plot forward – which the story needed after the slow-paced first few episodes. The character itself is likeable and a much needed voice of reason.

What I don’t mind about the series
1/ How character development of Ton was handled. The writing is rather basic and often clumsy, with a difficult-to-believe revelation in episode 10, but we also get a clear character arc for Ton. BTW: I liked that the show didn’t immediately explain why and how Ton got the idea of having Chon stay at his place and them two spending so much time together. Ton felt something for Chon and acted on what we were initially led to believe was instinct - I'm fine with that.
2/ Clumsy writing. (i) People condemning Amp after her rant in episode 8 - apparently students carry paper balls with them at all times (ii) The shoehorned beach scene at the end of episode 8 (I guess we needed that to illustrate that Ton made a decision, that from now on – instead of being a homophobe – he’ll fight homophobia, that he’s no longer afraid and so on).
3/ Unanswered questions. (i) How come Ton didn’t recognize Chon in episode 1 and what purpose did it serve? From a story point of view it would be better for Ton to recognize Chon right away, saying something like “Just the person I wanted to see. I’ve missed you so much. Let’s have lunch”. (ii) Who leaked the picture of Ton sleeping in episode 8? Was it Chon (he took the picture)? Was it Pang (she saw the picture and held Chon’s phone long enough to send the picture to herself)? We know why it happened (drama), but how? (iii) Is everyone allowed to see other people’s kites that hang if front of the Sam Muk temple? And to tamper with them? (iv) Don’t Ton’s parents have any social media accounts? Don’t they follow their son?
I can live without knowing these things.

What annoys me about the series
1/ How Ton’s attraction to Chon is explained in episodes 9 and 10. On reviewer (deetsy) addressed this nicely today, so let me quote: “In the end what we got was a homophobic story of "I'm not gay, I just love you". It worked well 5 years ago in SOTUS, but now I think LGBT community moved on past this narrative and deserves something better”. In short: why can’t Ton just be gay or bisexual or pansexual? Why the additional “explanation” that he’s attracted to Chon because they have had a special bond as children? Why the emphasis on Ton not being gay, on Ton “still liking women” and not feeling anything for other men? Maybe there’s something I don’t get about some BL series, but this wasn’t the first time I saw something like this. Did you notice the emphasis on past girlfriends, who don’t even have to appear in the show nor become villains (like Amp), but are casually mentioned? As if the writers wanted to establish that gay characters don’t exist and if two guys get together they are bisexual or pansexual at best. In “Tonhon Chonlatee” this applies not just to Ton, but also to Na, and you can see the same pattern in other series: a boy dating girls until he meets that one special boy he’s attracted to (see both Tine and Sarawat in “2gether”, see Tee in “Cause You're My Boy”, see Knock in “Together with me” and see many others examples).
2/ Chareon’s homophobia and “the baby solution”. Chareon is a homophobe and a domestic tyrant. Everyone is trying to make him realize he can’t separate Chon and Ton nor impose his wish to have grandchildren, but at the same time everyone tries to satisfy that wish: enter Nam and the surrogate mother idea. Why is this even in the show? Why did the writers decide to fulfil Chareon’s wish and disregard basically everything done up untill that point? Chareon was told he can’t force his kids to do his bidding and then he got exactly what he wanted. As much as I enjoyed the first part of episode 10, I was facepalming for most of the rest of it.
3/ Nueng facing almost no consequences for his assault on Chon. Nueng is a would-be rapist and almost nothing happened to him. Ton kicked him once, dragged him out of the toilet and punched him once – that was all, that was the whole “punishment” for what Nueng attempted. I’m not saying we needed a scene of Ton and Chon testifying at a police station, but something should have happened, e.g. Ai or Ni doing their sidekick job and telling Ton (e.g. a day after the assault) that the university announced Nueng was suspended and facing a police investigation. Instead we got Nueng on best-buddy terms with Amp, supporting her lies (I didn’t know would-be rapists hold the moral high ground to lecture junior students on splashing seniors with water) until she was revealed as a homophobe. The guy shouldn’t even be in the series at that point! BTW: remember how Chon was reprimanded for kissing Ton while Ton was asleep? If the writers (correctly) wanted to tell us that any form of sexual activity, even a kiss, needs to be consensual, they shouldn’t send conflicting signals like that.

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Oh dear, what a mess

With too many characters, some of them annoying and poorly written (like Mueanphrae and Pawn/Paula), and far too many plot threads for 8 episodes, "Your Dear Daddy" does not deliver on most of what it promised or hinted at. The situation is not helped by questionable pacing and frequent tonal shifts. I started, continued and finished watching YDD for SaengNuea’s performance and his on-screen chemistry with Fluke, but there was not enough of that in the show to save it. Sidelining the main plot in favor of half a dozen side plots is rarely a good idea (remember "The Next Prince"?); it dooms a show when the main plot is the only good thing in it – which is what happened here.

Somewhere around episode 3 or 4 I got convinced that YDD was initially written for at least 12 episodes and "adjusted" for its actual running time before production started. It is just a theory, but it does explain certain things about the show, like why the Gale-Mueanphrae storyline is so shallow or why the Mok-Saeng story goes nowhere. It also explains why the main story feels like there are several scenes (or even episodes) missing. What it does not explain are some of the choices what to include in the show – and here the list of things that should have been reduced or dropped entirely is long (starting with both aforementioned side plots).

What I liked:
- SaengNuea’s performance, which could not save the whole show, but did save Saitharn – a main character done dirty by poor writing,
- Sila’s and Saitharn’s relationship – even though it was underdeveloped and sidelined far too often (I did not mind the whole indentured servitude thing which got that relationship going – I assumed it was not to be treated seriously); one needs to appreciate that – unlike in most BLs – here both main characters are adults with a lot of backstory,
- Gap – he was doing his best and watching his performance became a guilty pleasure of mine; not a fan of his character though,
- setting almost the entire show in Chiang Rai, far from Bangkok, and filming a lot of it outdoors; that – as well as farming tea – brought back some fond ATOTS memories,
- fashion show in episode 8.

What I disliked:
- spending too much time on the mostly nonsensical business storyline and its numerous characters – Maenmueang would suffice as the show’s sole villain, Sila’s nemesis and (potentially) Saitharn’s hookup which got him to travel to Chiang Rai,
- how Saitharn’s traumatic past was handled and how it was introduced,
- leaving the Mok-Saeng storyline hanging – they should have either been developed into the secondary/supporting couple or their storyline should have been dropped and their parts reduced (maybe even letting go of one of them entirely – Saitharn did not need both Mok and Saeng to introduce him to farm work),
- Mueanphrae – an unlikeable, passive character we were meant to sympathize with (I did not and could not understand why Gale fell for her),
- show’s misleading title,
- more a nitpick than anything else, but the show’s main song included the line "my heart will always be yours forever", sung in English (the rest of the song is in Thai and seems okay) – and I found it awful.

I mentioned my theory of YDD getting less episodes than the script required to work. Once I got that theory, I remembered another Thai BL which was only 8 episodes long, had a relatively big cast and several side plots, but did not fall apart while I was watching it: "Moonlight Chicken". I guess that only shows that with smart, concise writing even 8 episodes can be enough to present a multi character story.

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Uninteresting and undecided

This BL lacks basically everything a BL should – at least for me – have: an engaging story, relatable and/or interesting characters, decent performances and chemistry between the main couple.
The story doesn’t have to be painfully plausible nor super realistic, it can contain a reasonable number of plot holes etc. etc. – but it has to be engaging, it needs to pull me in. The “Love Sea” story (there was one, you can take my word for that), was so uninteresting that I had to force myself to follow it. I also got the feeling that MAME couldn’t decide whether to focus on the relationship of Tongrak and Mahasamut or their personal issues (like self-doubt, trauma or inability to connect) or something else. The result, predictably, was poor: a story about a little of everything – eventually a story about nothing in particular. It was so unengaging that I couldn’t care less about its development or the characters involved.
Since I mentioned characters: I try to set the bar low – don’t be annoying, have something I will like you for and let me understand where you come from. Again, this was where “Love Sea” blew it, mainly because both main characters as well as the secondary couple are annoying like hell. This stems from both the script as well as from performances of Fort, Peat, Chanya and Aya (and Forth). Redeeming qualities? Hardly any and – in any case – far too few to balance it out. Sure, the story tried to explain why the characters are so unlikeable, but – at least for me – it didn’t change anything, I didn’t have a single “oh, now I get why X is like this – I’m gonna like X from now on” moment. If anything, I liked the characters even less.
I was wondering whether “Love Sea” would be any different – better perhaps – with a different cast. I still do not know that; what I know for a fact is that this cast made it worse. I used to think – having watched “Love In The Air” – that Fort and Peat had a decent chemistry; now I doubt that. There’s no chemistry between them here and the script is not helping it either; both Fort and Peat have exactly two poses each (Fort: smug and fake-caring; Peat: smug and whiny) and they switch between them, trying to produce something interesting – to no avail.

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True BL with some really good songs by the cast

I remember watching the announcement trailer for MSP – back in autumn 2021 – and thinking to myself that those kids don’t look like much and that another highschool BL combined with singing can’t be good. Boy, was I wrong.

My reception of MSP rests on three pillars: script, chemistry and music.

The plot is simple and old as the BL genre, but works like a charm. The script was crafted in a smart way, creating a new kind of obstacle the main couple needed to overcome: instead of unsympathetic parents or a homophobic environment we get club rules the characters need to respect to focus on their main goal. Basically: they voluntarily restrained themselves from dating and found cute and creative ways to be together despite of the rules. Some very good choices were made while writing the script, like avoiding toxicity, angst and silly, overblown drama – which meant the characters had to act like real people, properly communicate with each other and get serious about serious stuff. I was very positively surprised but how much we learn about Gun and Tinn – making them three-dimensional characters. The script is in no way perfect, but as BLs come – it’s a top tier one.

Chemistry is a constant challenge for this genre, as it can save or even elevate plain or dumb scripts. MSP focuses on the relationship of Tinn and Gun, so Gemini and Fourth were the ones who needed to sell us the show – and they did it starting from episode 1; what they delivered was on the level of OhmNanon and EarthMix, two best ships GMMTV offered in recent years. Impressive when one considers that Gemini and Fourth were the youngest and, I believe, the least experienced members of the principal cast. The confidence with which they performed was remarkable. Their efforts were supported by strong performances of Mark, Winny and Satang. Lookwa, who played Gun’s mother, was a delight to watch and listen to.

MSP is loaded with songs, both covers and original pieces composed for the show, ranging from soft ballads to pop/rock. This must be the best BL soundtrack of all time – and all of it is performed by the cast. This shows how strong it really is, with Ford, Satang, Gemini and – most of all – Fourth literarily shining. If they get bored or tired of acting, they already have a second career – as singers. My favorite part of the soundtrack is “พูดได้ไหม” (“Let Me Tell You”), Fourth’s powerful rock statement, which gave me goosebumps and reminded me of Polish rock bands I used to listen to as a teen.

There’s something of “Bad Buddy” in this show – not just the cast (Mark, Prom, Satang, Ford, Gemini and Fourth all appeared in minor roles in OhmNanon’s hit series), but more the vibe, feels and atmosphere, which are very familiar. At some point I even called MSP “Bad Buddy Light”. It doesn’t mean that MSP needs the support of another great BL – it stands firmly on its own: well crafted and shot, smartly scripted, with good acting and unrivaled music.

The world needs more wholesome stuff like that.

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Phi the Unimpressive

Not a fan of KristSingto, their previous work nor this reunion series of theirs I’ll be brief: the show left me mostly indifferent, with positives and negatives balancing each other out.

On the plus side:
1/ a slight diversion from typical BL storytelling, with main characters re-discovering they’re in love (instead of falling in love) and most obstacles for them becoming a couple stemming from their troubled past (instead of current events),
2/ most of Singto’s performance and Krist’s performance in ep. 9-10,
3/ the show (mostly) focusing on Phi’s and Tam’s story and properly intertwining the romantic and professional aspects of their relationship,
4/ most of ep. 9-10 (except the time jump),
5/ cameo of Mix as a vet (watch "Vice Versa" for his another appearance in that capacity).

On the minus side:
1/ Phi in ep. 1-8,
2/ underdeveloped side plots involving supporting cast, none of which lead anywhere,
3/ Tam’s mom and almost everything about that character, which felt added only to fill ep. 8 with content and create drama/uncertainty in ep. 10,
4/ time jump in ep. 10 (like with almost all time jumps in GMMTV’s BL – utterly pointless storywise, changed nothing and served no purpose),
5/ some story aspects which made little to no sense (why would an investigative journalist consider becoming a weather presenter to be a promotion or upgrade of any kind?).

My main issue with the story is Phi. He was written for ep. 1-8 as a whiny douchebag who undergoes almost no character development and then – all of the sudden, at the very end of ep. 8 – becomes a different person. While I understand that the character was meant to be hurt, embittered, egoistic and arrogant, he comes across as genuinely unlikeable, his flaws being inexcusable. Even in the flashbacks to his student years Phi appears to be full of himself – and I had to wonder why Tam (or anyone else, like Paul) would fall for that guy in the first place. I felt no sympathy towards Phi in ep. 1 nor later and can’t understand why a character written like that was a protagonist in a BL. Once ep. 8 ends, however, Phi is a changed man (and changed in an instant, I might add, as almost nothing prior to ep. 8 end signals or indicates that Phi is undergoing a change). The show became much better and more entertaining in ep. 9 and 10, even going a bit bonkers ("Ossan’s Love" style) – none of which would be possible with Phi being his old self.

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YinWar’s tour de force

This has been a roller-coaster ride and I enjoyed it immensely. Since I went for a non-spoiler review, I’ll focus on issues that are not plot-revealing. I thank YWPB (which stands for a company established by Yin, War, Prom and Bonz) for this gem of a BL, this brainchild of theirs and wish us all more shows like that.

Let’s start with the script. If you go to the MDL comment section (which I don’t advise) you’ll see that the script of J&J received criticism from various angles and positions - for what’s in it as well for what’s not in it/what’s (supposedly) missing. Was I fully satisfied with the script? No. Did it matter to me? No. I enjoyed the show despite of things I myself might consider script-related. Without going into detail: I appreciate many things included in the script or resulting from its execution, like character development (and character consistency), plot twists and revelations, mostly successful attempts to combine serious issues with comedy, as well as some general ideas spanning across the series, like involvement in criminal activity and dealing with it or various aspects of social injustice.
The story is not short on crazy, which I also enjoyed: it’s often a metaphor and a fairy tale with larger-than-life villains, brave heroes willing to sacrifice themselves, artifacts, powerful symbols and some good old mysticism, bordering on magic.
I also liked that – in many cases – the story isn’t straightforward; there are nuances, tweaks, not everything is as it appears, not everything is resolved as one would want and some issues remain unresolved entirely.
All of that, however, is but a canvas for the main plot: a story about the titular characters, their journey – sometimes together, sometimes separately. Side note: I find it safer when a show is named after the main characters. Other names often lead to confusion (see “Hidden Agenda” with a not-so-hidden agenda which became unimportant halfway through the series, or “Dangerous Romance”, which was not dangerous at all); “Jack & Joker” is a great title (“U Steal My Heart” – also very good and to the point). As this series has faced plenty of criticism for that too, let me list the following:
1/ this is most definitely a BL, not a bromance,
2/ the main characters are portrayed by Yin and War only, not by other cast members (sorry PromMark fans),
3/ the show is first and foremost about Jack and Joker, not about side characters,
4/ Jack and Joker are, at the same time, the main characters and the main couple – the series is about them as individual characters (hence it’s not just them spending all on-screen time together) as well as about their relationship.
The above are not just features of this show, they are also creative choices made by the producers and I agree with them.

The show’s music deserves at least a brief mention. The three main songs are very distinct and very good. “แค่ยัง…(มีเธอ)” by Tattoo Colour perfectly illustrates the action aspect of the show, “ทำไมต้องเป็นเธอ” by Dome Jaruwat is the romantic theme of the series, while War’s “ร้อยวิธี” is a love letter drowning in tears and the emotional core of the soundtrack. A special mention goes to the opening credits theme and it’s dark rendition used at the end of ep. 5. What did surprise me a little about the score was that Bonz was not it’s composer (as an actual musician he’s more than qualified for that) and that Prom (another cast and crew member perfectly capable of doing that) did not perform any part of it.

The shows biggest asset is the cast. It’s core is mostly young, consisting of YWPB and their friends, associates and frequent cooperators, first and foremost Mark Siwat. This core team was bolstered by seasoned and experienced artists, including GMMTV’s own Jennie Panhan. However, the show was on another level due to what YinWar did to it and in it. You’ll find it in most of my BL reviews and I keep repeating it: a good ship will save a BL while the lack of chemistry will doom it every time, regardless of how good other elements of the show are. Thailand has several top tier ships; YinWar are a powerhouse among them – that’s basically the stuff dreams are made of. Both actors have grown, matured and honed their talents to hijack our imaginations on that crazy roller-coaster ride I mentioned at the start of the review. Both are superb and outperform the rest of a very good cast; War, in particular, shines with his versatility, and both he and Yin are visibly enjoying themselves. Their powerful performances and chemistry elevated the story, covering for all of its flaws, plot holes etc. I have not seen this level of acting in a BL before – simply amazing.

Engaging, emotional, ambitious and very well acted, “Jack & Joker” is the best BL I’ve ever seen.

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