Multilicus

More than the sum of its parts

This was kind of unexpected, but I liked watching this show despite its flaws, which would normally make me dislike a series. There is plenty of things that should have lowered my rating of "Boys in Love", but somehow – to my surprise – they did not. It's not that the positives of this show outweighed the negatives; it's a little more complicated. I think that the things I liked about "Boys in Love" combined, creating an added value – like an overall feel or vibe of the show, which was generally sweet, nice and made me return to it week after week.

What I enjoyed
- As for characters – Kit. He's the only one with something roughly resembling an arc, in course of which he becomes a model boyfriend. As one of only two characters he has some depth: he seems easy going (bordering on spoiled rich kid), but it’s really a pose, a mix of light nonchalance and distance to himself; he's very well aware of his own shortcomings and flaws, finds motivation to change, but nevertheless doubts whether he’s doing good enough. He's flawed and therefore relatable, but – at the same time – he does all the important things the right way: supporting Shane both before and after they become a couple, being open about his feelings, respecting boundaries set by Shane, displaying patience and caring about someone else more than about himself. If I was back in highschool, I'd love to have a boyfriend like that.
- As for couples – Per and Tar. They are there for comedic relief, but most of their interactions were much more than goofy fun, having an emotional layer and a tension of sorts. All four couples in "Boys in Love" are build following the same principle, joining two very different guys; when it comes to internal dynamic and chemistry, Tar and Per work the best. They are almost always together (without being together), they visibly enjoy each other's company and there's that unspoken (yet palpable) thing between them. I loved their last scene in ep. 12, played completely straight (despite the smiles) and serious, with an absolute minimum of lines – a very good conclusion of their plotline.
- As for writing – which is mix of decent and subpar – there's a handful of scenes that deserve special mention: Shane's and Kit's final scenes in ep. 2 and 5, Kit's talk with his mom in ep. 12 (every kid should hear what she said at least once from their parents), the entire "Mr. Tan and Mr. Nut move in together" sequence in ep. 12 and the aforementioned final scene with Per and Tar. Well crafted, they left me with a lasting impression. Another thing worth mentioning: the writers decided to give more attention and screen time to two out of four couples; with only 12 episodes available that was the right move.
- As for performances – Luke and Paul. Very different, but both are solid (although I'm not entirely sure whether Paul was acting or just being himself), with good screen presence and competent delivery. Would like to see both of them in other roles.
- The setting - a vibrant, lively world inhabited by a lot of people. While a school of some type is probably the most common BL setting, it doesn't have to be boring nor mundane - and it isn't here. Same applies to the rest of the world in "Boys in Love" - which is full of students, teachers, family members and ordinary people (compare that to some recent BLs of the same company which seemed to be taking place in a desert or right after an apocalypse - in a desolate, empty world) creating proper background for the story and its characters. I also noticed and appreciated the variety and relatively high number of locations where the show was shot.
- The show – despite some issues I indicated below – was an easy watch.

What I did not enjoy.
- As for characters – ex æquo Mon and his mom. Paraphrasing the proverb: like mother like son. I commented earlier (before ep. 12 aired) on MDL on how Mon is written by indicating that in ep. 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 11 he was either displeased, annoyed or outright angry because of something Kim did, he was (at least initially) unsupportive of Kim’s efforts to become a model student in ep. 8, failed to notice (or ignored/disregarded) Kim's insecurities in ep. 10 and helped Kim with something only once (in ep. 8). He’s like the anti-Kit – the last person I’d like as a boyfriend. Mon seems focused primarily on himself and likes when things happen the way he wants them to happen – his mom is exactly the same. They may not be outright toxic, nevertheless both are unlikeable – no idea why a main character and a supporting character are written like that.
- As for couples – Mon and Kim. No idea why anyone would call them "KimMon" – Mon is the dominant side of the relationship from the very beginning and the power imbalance is glaring; I don't recall seeing anything like that in a GMMTV show before. While I understand that including such a relationship might be good for authenticity sake, I do believe that the show should have addressed this issue as a problem and at least tried to solve it.
- As for writing – how undecided the show was. Either by accident or on purpose, "Boys in Love" wants to be too many things and tries to include too many topics for its own good. It would be much better if it was just a rom-com (either more lighthearted and fluffy or tilted towards comedy); instead other story elements were introduced (sometimes – shoehorned in, like the conflicts in later episodes) and the show became less coherent when it comes to genre and message.
- As for performances – Mick. He was boring and wooden like a plank throughout the whole show; he can't act and I'm not sure anything can be done with it.

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Simply a wonderful story

General overview
This is a well written, almost classic BL and coming-of-age story, which stays consistent and focused on the plot and the main characters. With good pacing for almost the entire span of the series, proper presentation of the plot and solid performances of the main couple, the story flows nicely and is easy to follow. Despite apparent cuteness and occasional comedy it deals with serious issues like family relations, character growth, following one’s dreams, realizing and expressing one’s feelings, communication, love, relationship, breakup and longing for a loved one, making choices and accepting responsibility of those choices and – in the latter part of the series – reality of becoming and being an idol. The story is accompanied by a decent soundtrack performed exclusively by cast members.

Plot & script
The main plot line revolves around Moo and Kang’s love story; the secondary plotline is about Potae’s and Payos’ situationship. The two storylines are, at times, opposites or reflections of each other (when Moo and Kang are coming closer, Potae and Payos are friendzoned; when Moo and Kang separate, Potae and Payos are frozen in a relationship limbo), which seems to be a deliberate choice of the showrunners and it works well. The script is pretty tight, with no filler nor longueur. We get a good introduction of the main couple from the very start of the series and the scene gets set for episodes 1-8, which deal with events spread over about 6 months; each episode marks a step in developing of the main couple’s story, which progresses at a steady pace. Events accelerate in ep. 9-12, which cover about 14 months of in-show time. There’s a time skip in ep. 10 of 12 months, but – contrary to horrible GMMTV fashion – we do learn (through retrospection) a lot of what happened during that time; this is what “saved” the time jump for me. It’s noteworthy that up until ep. 10 the story develops without major drama, with mere hints at potential problems and some foreshadowing of trouble to come. The writers did a good job setting up the emotional cliffhanger of the series and building up the tension. The resolutions of both the main and secondary plotlines are okay, although predictable (as this is a BL show) and a bit rushed (especially the Potae-Payos part).

Cast & performances
Keen gives the strongest and most memorable performance of the whole cast. His portrayal of Moo is very genuine, and the character itself comes across as very likeable, bold, optimistic and wholesome, relatable in his dreams and a certain (almost childish) belief that those dreams will come true. Moo’s saddest moments – and there’s plenty of them, despite of the show’s general lightheartedness – is where Keen really shines. As far as I’m concerned he’s not just a performer (like many other GMMTV employees), but an actual actor. A good singer and dancer, he’s even better at acting – he can proudly follow the likes of Fourth, Gemini, Khaotung, Mix and Nanon (to name those on GMMTV’s payroll who can actually act and sing).
Compared to Keen, Sea’s performance is almost muted – which actually fits Kang perfectly. Reserved, sometimes defensive, Kang moves at his own pace – though pretty often he feels Moo’s pull and follows him. There were several instances where Kang was opening up, coming out of his shell (and literally coming out) – and I wasn’t sure if it was just the character or the actor as well. That blinding, radiant smile, which brightened Sea’s face was far too rare… And – despite of all his apparent acting shortcomings – Sea managed to pull off some of the most emotional and intense scenes of the series; the gut-punching delivery was on point.
Opposites attract – and that rule applied beautifully to Moo and Kang; the chemistry is there from the very first scene. It’s easy to form an emotional connection with the main couple played by Keen and Sea – which can’t be said about other currently running GMMTV-made BL series. When together on screen SeaKeen are in their element – the show relies heavily on those two and they carry it with ease.
The secondary couple of Payos, played by newcomer Ashi, and Potae, played by Aun, is a mixed bag. Ashi mostly does a decent job, while Aun struggles to go beyond 2-3 poses (making fun of something or someone, crying and pouting).
Three GMMTV “veterans” were cast in supporting roles: Book as Moo’s cousin Shone, Louis as band leader Jang and Milk as Neth, Kang’s best friend and confidant. Milk does a decent job while Book and Louis give lackluster performances – and it’s not due to the script nor direction; I’d argue that both of their roles were miscast. Shone should have been played by someone like Mark Pakin, who can actually act (which Book can't) and elevate even an underwritten character (see his performance in “Only Friends”); Jang – given this character’s respect for the rules – should have been played by First.

Music
The soundtrack consists of seven songs written for the show and released by GMMTV Records: the title song “แค่ที่แกง” by Keen, “เกินกว่า Friend (Situationship)” by Ashi, “Check Me” by Louis, “พี่(อย่า)แกง (Don’t be fooled)” by Keen and Sea, “ดังกว่าเก่า (Louder)” by Keen, “ติดกลางใจ (Gump)” by Aun, Ashi, Keen and Louis and finally “สถานีที่ศูนย์ (Station No. 0)” – which is the strongest part of the soundtrack, with heartbreaking lyrics and a very good delivery by Keen.

Final thoughts
While the show had its ups and downs, SeaKeen kept going strong - "Only Boo!" is worth watching and rewatching mostly for this new ship. Hope GMMTV can appreciate this new gem it got.

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Flawed and messy, but not bad

MarkOhm’s debut series surprised me in several ways, both positive and negative. Generally I enjoyed it, mostly due to good performances of the main couple and some of the supporting cast, while the plot, writing and editing were the show’s weakest parts.

Let’s start with what was surprising and disappointing at the same time: plot and writing. "Classic" BL plot is simple: main characters meet, fall for each other, overcome whatever obstacles prevent them from becoming a couple and become a couple; at this point show either ends or main characters do something unrelated to their relationship. Diversions from this formula are welcomed, but often appear to be not thought through sufficiently. This seems to be the case with STGD, as its main plot follows a zig-zag pattern of progressing and backtracking:
-> Sant and Jay have a history when we meet them, which is an interesting addition to the standard formula; initially their past seems like something they can get over and start fresh – especially that Jay seems eager to continue where they stopped,
-> four episodes in we’re told it was all Jay’s ploy to get revenge on Sant for breaking Jay’s heart; what normally would be a major plot twist, gets disproven almost immediately and entirely forgotten in the next episode,
-> Captain shows up and becomes Jay rival, Jay declares that he won’t give in and proceeds to do … nothing (or almost nothing) to win Sant over; later Captain backs off and even helps Sant and Jay meet; to this day I don’t know whether Captain was actually interested in Sant or merely pretending – in order to get Jay motivated to move on from his other past experiences (the show hints at both these options as true, which confused me),
-> Sant and Jay reunite, but do not become a couple until late in ep. 8 for no clear reason (nothing prevents them from becoming a thing at the end of ep. 6) – instead almost the entire cast relocates to the country to solve Sant’s family issues.
On one hand – this is all very different from the "classic" approach to writing a BL story (the surprise I mentioned); on the other hand – it’s messy and makes very little sense (the let-down I mentioned).
With so much going on in the main plot one could think that STGD has its episodes densely packed with story development, meaningful dialogues and emotional scenes, right? Wrong. Lack of content from the main plot forced the writers to use filler – and a lot of it. The entire Gug-Yada-Baipor "storyline" (if one can call it that way) is filler, as it serves no other purpose. It gets pointless early on, but despite of that drags for most of the show – leading nowhere.
Both Jay and Sant have family issues, written, presented and solved skillfully (Jay) or poorly (Sant), but utterly unrelated to the main plot – hence suspected of being more filler. Jay’s mom, Sant’s mom nor his grandparents were never a hindrance for the main characters to become a couple and those "family issues" storylines don’t really help the main characters to deepen their relationship – although they do help to flesh out Jay and Sant, giving them both some background and complexity (Jay in particular).

I’ll mention this only very briefly, but the writing and choice of topics the show decided to address resulted in STGD’s tone being all over the place. At first glance it’s a rom-com, funny but not goofy nor silly (and not fluffy either). Already in ep. 2 tone changes for several scenes, as Sant’s traumatic past haunts him; this becomes more frequent in later episodes, with plenty of sad or serious scenes played entirely straight . The effect may not be to everyone’s liking: a generally comedic show interspersed with many sobering moments, starkly contrasting with the lighthearted tone. While this is not a major complaint, I do believe these tonal issues could have been solved better, in a more nuanced way, allowing for a better flow of the show.

STGD feels messy for one more reason: editing. While it’s okay for a good portion of the show’s running time, there are multiple examples of baffling editing choices which make an episode or part of it less coherent and disjointed. Strangely enough this is not (as one could expect) due to flashbacks, which are visibly distinct from "present day" content, but due to other show elements, like product placement scenes (only some of which were mercifully located at the end of episode or post credits) or the show’s writing. Take ep. 7, which starts in Bangkok, but relocates to Suphan with almost no warning, and ep. 8, most of which take place in Suphan, only to very abruptly get back to Bangkok; there’s a hard cut after a romantic scene with Jay and Sant and – all of the sudden – we’re back in the capital. Or ep. 9: halfway through it Sant and Jay wake up, realize they made love while drunk, talk it out, go either to sleep or to make more love (this is unclear due to writing, editing and subs), scene cuts to Jay’s dream about Jeng, Jay wakes up and (again, due to editing, writing and subs) it’s unclear whether this is a continuation of the scene from before or a new scene taking place on a different day. There are other examples of scenes which – at best – seem loosely connected to each other; all that makes STGD look messy, rushed and unfinished.

Having written all of the above I should explain why I enjoyed the show – despite its many flaws. As I mentioned at the start, the decisive factor are good performances, first and foremost by Mark and Ohm.

I believe Mark to be one of the most talented young actors in Thai BLs, when it comes to versatility second only to "War" Wanarat Ratsameerat, and I enjoyed most of his work – including in STGD. Mark’s Jay is quirky, funny and sexy, but also deeply wounded, vulnerable , split and hiding a lot of doubt and sadness. Mark does in STGD what I appreciate most: elevating a character he’s portraying, like in two painful moments of self-awareness in ep. 7 and 10 or interacting with Ohm’s character and breathing life into Jay.
While Ohm’s credentials are not as impressive as his on-screen partner, he nevertheless does a good job as the sassy, funny and somewhat chaotic Sant. I equally liked the softer, calmer, more collected side he displayed at times, especially in later episodes.
Mark and Ohm work together really well – I don’t recall any scenes with them being the main focus or only characters present that I disliked; I enjoyed most of them for the interaction, comedy, banter and cuteness. The chemistry and dynamic are there – a little polish and MarkOhm will be able to handle more than rom-coms.

Out of the supporting cast one deserves praise: "Honey" Passorn Leowrakwong, who portrayed Jay’s mother. The veteran actress shows what experience, competence and talent can do, giving a small, but important performance. While comedic at first, it turns heartwarming and later almost heartbreaking. Despite of appearing in only a handful of scenes, her character is still better defined – thanks to writing and Honey’s performance – than Yada, Captain and Gug, all of whom are supporting characters (formally more important than Jay’s mom, but nevertheless bland and one-dimensional).

As a BL (and that how I judge it) STGD doesn’t fail, it ticks the most important boxes, lacking where most BL do – in the writing department. Not a bad show, STGD deserves revisiting – which I’ll do, maybe not in its entirety, but I will. For the solid work of MarkOhm and Honey, for the laughs and tears, kisses and banter – I will.

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Go bonkers or go broke!

Prem, Nani and Joke (a.k.a. "the Father"), with support from very reliable Earn and FELIZZ member Jaoying, push "MuTeLuv" deeper into crazy territory – and everything is as it should be. Funny, bizarre, sad and scary, "Not My Father!" surprises with a layered story and concise writing, aptly translated to the screen by good, slightly unhinged performances. With minimal introductory exposition the show takes you on a well-paced ride where every section (episode) is weirder than the previous one.

While overtly a comedy with rom-com bits, "Not My Father!" stays serious where it needs to. It goes further than that when showing brainwashed cult members, conditioned to react to a silly song with an equally silly dance. It’s played for laughs, but when you think about – it’s not funny at all; actually it’s scary.

Three main layers of the story are tied to three main "crazies": Nani’s Wutkrai – the funny crazy, Joke’s "Father" – the sleazy crazy, and Prem’s Phupar – the evil crazy.

Nani does a decent job as a rom-com main character, almost entirely avoiding the annoying, pretentious pose he used in "Highschool Frenemy". His character is a bit full of himself, but is genuinely funny and has his heart in the right place – Nani mostly succeeds in conveying that.

Joke deserves praise for his performance as a manipulative conman, a sleazy fraud with an earplug prompting personal details of his victims. All about "Father" is a fabrication, including his self-confidence; once the fake front is peeled off, all that’s left is a slimy weakling – and not a very bright one. Joke does a lot for "Father" to be like many real-life cult leaders: an unimpressive figure, a literal nobody followed by hundreds of people for no apparent reason, a guy you want to punch really hard – but can’t decide whether it’s because of the fake smile, condescending tone, arrogant behavior, stupid clothes (which his followers copy – much to your dismay) or all of that together.

Saving the best for last: Phupar is the only character with an arc – a sad and tragic one – and Prem truly brings him to life. Hiding inner struggles, secret doubts and desires – that’s something Prem portrays very well, and not for the first time. Phupar’s fall starts before the events of the show and we get only small hints of that: Prem’s kind and gentle, but inexplicably sad face lets us know that not all is well. The more Prem smiles in "Not My Father!", the scarier it gets. Initially it is a forced smile hiding problems eating him from the inside; later it becomes the smile of a madman, possessed and cunning, cold, calculating. During his final confrontation with Ploy, after a moment of weakness, Phupar smiles again, seemingly full of joy – but his eyes cast the same flashes of insanity as Kan’s eyes during his confrontation with Thap in ep. 9 of "My Magic Prophecy". Seems like GMMTV discovered that it’s actual actors can portray more complex characters – and that they can convincingly portray villains. The truly disturbing part of Phupar’s story is that we don’t get a full explanation of his downfall. Did he turn dark just because he wanted to be popular, adored and loved again? Was it egoism and nothing more? What really happened to him in ep. 3 – was he actually hallucinating or just being manipulated into believing he’s hallucinating? Whatever it was: lost, confused and abandoned he followed the only remaining path – to the abyss. Every time the real Phupar came out from behind the facade, digging himself out from beneath the crazy, I felt sorry for him, I wanted to hug him – and that’s Prem’s doing too. Well done, sir, very well done indeed.

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Second chances

I watched it and I loved it – plain and simple. Aspects of the show I found most appealing include the following.
- Universal topics. Issues raised by the show include first love, trust, search for happiness, expressing feelings, difficulties of communication, fear of getting hurt, fear of hurting a loved one, longing for love and companionship, overcoming insecurities, dealing with trauma and emotional baggage – among others.
- Relatability. Myung-Ha and Yeo-Woon – so different and yet sharing many similarities – are like mirrors reflecting issues we all have. Myung-Ha’s “I don’t know what to do when I like someone” and Yeo-Woon’s “You’re my first everything” and “Whenever I see you, I both feel good and want to cry” sum it up perfectly.
- Minimalism. No time was wasted on filler, unnecessary scenes or gestures, also there is almost no “fluff”. Despite focusing on one couple and one plot (Chun Sang-Won and Ahn Kyung-Hoon are not primary nor even secondary characters in this story – they are merely there, just like the rest of the cast, for the main couple to have someone to interact with) the show managed to convey an abundance of story and content. The storytelling was very concise and highly effective.
- Performances. Lee Taevin and Cha Joowan did a superb job, their performances are very strong and convincing. Both actors were visibly comfortable with the material and each other, displaying a top-tier on-screen chemistry. Very impressive.
- The switch. Initially Myung-Ha is the active one, getting through to Yeo-Woon, but once Yeo-Woon embraces his feelings he takes the lead, while Myung-Ha begins keeping his distance, realizing his own problems. In someone else’s hands this shift could be wasted or become incomprehensible or would require more time to be developed – but not in LFLS.
- Serious tone and humor reduced to a minimum.
- Very good cinematography and camerawork.
- Memorable and well-chosen music, with the instrumental bit accompanying Myung-Ha’s search for Yeo-Woon in ep. 1 (as well as Myung-Ha’s and Yeo-Woon’s reunion at the beach in ep. 8) being my absolute favorite.

This was the second Korean BL I watched (“Choco Milk Shake” being the first one) and this might explain my initial surprise at the difference between Thai BLs and LFLS. As I tried to explain to a colleague of mine: when I watch Thai BLs I treat the characters as Polish (I am from Poland), only played by insanely good-looking guys. That is the level of similarities and relatability I sense when watching Thai productions. LFLS was initially different – either because of cultural differences, Korean style of BL making, source material, artistry of Kim Kyun-Ah or other factors. That feeling of otherness, however, lasted for about 10 minutes.

LFLS is a true gem. It is not perfect, however its flaws are so few I decided to omit them in this review. Some might be surprised that so far I did not mention the computer game like setting and everything connected with it (including the “plot twist” in ep. 7). The reason for that is rather simple: I did not find it important. This is, after all, a love story, and not a story about computer games; what matters is the plot – not the setting.

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Doc Jimmy will Sea you now

Third’s time the charm – at least with JimmySea. The duo delivered another decent BL in their GMMTV employ, much to my enjoyment.

The show’s main plot is a BL one and – fortunately – doesn’t get overshadowed by numerous side plots regarding friends, family members, prophecies, criminal activity etc. Or I should say: mostly doesn’t get overshadowed. Like many Thai BLs, “My Magic Prophecy” lacks the most when it comes to writing – hence the inclusion of many underdeveloped subplots. If you want to write a concise script – focus on one plot; if you want to tell a larger story, encompassing several plots – take time to develop them all properly; MMP didn’t follow any of those paths.

The supporting couple plot felt unnecessary, almost shoehorned in just to introduce (or test) a potential new ship. Thap’s father issues – part of his family subplot – were properly introduced, explained and resolved in the last episode – far too late to be of any importance to the character’s background. Also, I’m not convinced the show needed so many side characters nor that they really had anything important to do. And while the writing for both main characters was good, all side characters felt either annoying or generic and bland, only reinforcing the feeling that they were unnecessary. MMP has decent pacing, but it wasn’t able to hide that the story was dragging a little. The main plot has enough content for 7-8 episodes, but with all extras included the show reached 10 episodes; not sure that was the right choice.

MMP benefits from JimmySea and their dynamic – romantic and comedic – but also from how well the writing fits both actors. Jimmy does a very good job as Thap, again portraying a stubborn, bold, even brash character, which is confronted with Sea’s In – an equally stubborn, but initially withdrawn character. Sea shows some range here, in particular in the most emotional scenes, displaying genuine despair and vulnerability. A typical BL performer would fail at this, overacting or going into cringe territory, but not Sea, who showed actual skill, focus and constraint. Jimmy also got an opportunity to shine in an unexpected way: by tapping into his darker side and channeling a bit of Wai, a character he portrayed in “Bad Buddy”.

The supporting cast mostly gave serviceable, entirely forgettable performances. This includes Nut, who was clearly underutilized. If the script really had to include someone third wheeling, than Nut – not Junior – should have been cast as that character. Both Save and Franc gave subpar performances and I didn’t detect any chemistry between them; if MMP was to test them as a ship, then I’d say the ship sunk before it sailed. The only member of the supporting cast I was more than glad to watch was First. His performance seemed subdued for most of the show, but when ep. 9 came, he showed what his capable of doing. That man can be convincingly evil, threatening and insane – I loved all of that.

Unlike its predecessor, “My Magic Prophecy” does not end with a silly break up nor a pointless time jump. The main plot concludes nicely in the penultimate episode, making ep. 10 redundant. Despite of its flaws, MMP works very well as a BL and is a must-see for all JimmySea fans.

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This could have been so much better

I haven’t watched the original Japanese show nor would I compare “Ossan’s Love Thailand” to it if I had – the Thai version/adaptation is an independent work and needs to be judged as such. The show had a big potential, but only some of it was actually used.

The script isn’t terrible, I actually liked how it managed to navigate the main plot through a total of 12 episodes – even if it wasn’t smooth sailing all the way. I do, however, have several issues with it. First of all – why does anyone love Heng? He’s an unlikable character – dumb and clumsy, for a big part of the show also quite selfish, at the same time unable to say “no”. And when I say “dumb”, I don’t mean it as “dumb but cute” – I mean dumb in an obnoxious way. So many flaws in one person and no redeeming qualities; why would anyone fall for this guy remains a mystery to me. Mo is a far better character, but I did not understand his hesitation and self-doubt, him stepping back instead of going forward. Other script-related issues include: break-up of Heng and Mo (break-ups generally solve no problems and BL’s use them to generate drama – here the purpose of the break-up eludes me), time jump in ep. 11 (barely noticeable, which was strange on itself, but nevertheless pointless like almost all time jumps in GMMTV’s BLs) and Heng’s loss of memory in ep. 12.

Tonally the show was all over the place, which I did not appreciate. I liked it when the show was crazy, exaggerated, over the top, even absurd, when it did unexpected things – and contrasted it with some characters (usually Mo) getting thrown into that whirlwind. Heng’s and Mo’s “last date” and engagement in ep. 12 – with performance of the show’s title song, dancing and everything else was colorful, surreal and immensely enjoyable; if the show kept this tone consistently, it would be much better. Instead the writers decided to also include toned-down, more traditional BL elements – which made the show less satisfying to watch.

As for the performances, both Krit and Mix were great. Krit did a lot to make Kongdech human, likeable and relatable, showcasing proper acting rarely seen in BLs. Mix gave a solid performance, doing what I like a lot: elevating an underwritten character. The very few intense interactions of Kongdech and Mo, them arguing over Heng, were delightful. Earth’s performance was a mixed bag: I disliked it’s comedic, goofy side (which, unfortunately, made up a majority of Heng’s character), but every time Heng got serious or sad, Earth was doing a good job. Heng’s and Mo’s break-up scene, while unnecessary, gave Earth a rare opportunity to outperform Mix – a seldom feat indeed.

“Ossan’s Love Thailand” is not the strongest entry on the EarthMix list of accomplishments – inferior to both ATOTS and “Moonlight Chicken”. Still, it’s worth watching.

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Solid and enjoyable BL plotline, shame it wasn’t a bigger part of the show

Watching episode 1 of this show I realized William can act almost as good as he can sing – and that this single thing is reason enough to continue watching. That’s where the strength of “ThamePo” lies: in strong performances of William and Nut, both of whom have a very captivating on-screen presence. William radiates a calm dominance which makes the entire scene and all attention focus on him even if he stays quiet (there’s also a big load of cheerful playfulness in him, even though it is mostly unused in this show); this reminds me of Mix and Nanon, both perfectly capable of outshining other cast members with quiet, commanding presence. Nut is a very different beast, constantly provoking and challenging, almost aggressive – even when he’s quiet. When William’s Thame and Nut’s Jun clash – it’s a spectacle.

I haven’t mentioned Est so far and that’s no coincidence: his performance – either due to the writing or his limits – seemed muted and withdrawn, at times bordering on bland. Make no mistake here: Est has very good chemistry with William, all intimate moments of Thame and Po were presented very well thanks to that chemistry. However on several occasions I found myself wondering how Po can be the main character of this show being so inactive or slow/unable to react/respond. I keep wondering whether that was due to (weird) writing or Est portraying Po this way. Compare Est’s Po with Sea’s Kang from “Only Boo!” – Po’s counterpart from another GMMTV BL series with a boyband. I’d argue that despite multiple similarities of both characters and despite of Sea’s performance being similarly muted to Est’s, Kang is not passive – like Po often is.

There’s another comparison between “ThamePo” and “Only Boo!” to be made: how much BL is in those shows. “Only Boo!” is first and foremost a BL, with part of its setting being the entertainment industry. “ThamePo” devotes a far smaller share of its running time to the BL aspect, with a lot of that time going to LYKN cast members and the MARS plotline. As a result “ThamePo” is a BL as much as it is a series about a boyband. This bothered me a lot, as I’m not a fan of BL shows that put the same emphasis on BL and other (like setting-related) aspects.

Speaking of which: the entertainment industry part of the show is not as crazy nor groundbreaking as it could have been and some key issues were presented in an unsatisfying way. “ThamePo” goes easy on fans and their entitlement while going quite hard on the industry itself. ONER is portrayed as an archetypical evil corporation exploiting MARS members and no attempt was made to show that the MARS-ONER (band/idol – company) relationship is more nuanced. MARS members are employed by ONER and can’t decide on their own – while under a contract they willingly signed – that they will do what they want and disobey their employer. Why doesn’t the show get this – quite obvious – point across? How come MARS members are allowed to act in a childish way (because love and because plot), fans are allowed to be entitled (as long as later they come to see the error of their ways), but an employer is the villain of the story for expecting MARS members to do what their contracts say?

The show is packed with decent music, mostly performed by LYKN as a group (“All I Need”, “I Know You Want Me”, “จีบได้มั้ย / Would You Mind?”, “หูดับ / Who Says” and "Fly High") or its individual members (“ไม่ใช่บังเอิญ / Destined” by Tui, “5cm” by William). The soundtrack also includes: “ไม่อยากเป็นรักแรก / Your Last” by Est, an alternate version of “จีบได้มั้ย / Would You Mind?” by Joong and “ระหว่างทาง / Good Time” by William and Est – the “cuteness overload” song of the series.

I was impressed with very good cinematography of “ThamePo”. Several scenes had this dreamy, almost unreal feel about them, something one could immerse oneself in, while several other scenes had a cinematic vibe and quality, which surprised me in a very positive way.

Favorite scene: reunion scene from episode 13; it’s well shot and scripted as well as a rare example of the main couple doing something new/different, something not related to work nor their relationship.

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Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more

A continuation of the main series more than a standalone show or even a bonus, this “special episode” offers more of the same good stuff the series did, inviting us to enjoy another crazy roller-coaster ride.

Most of the cast returns with a bang as familiar characters to deliver one more chapter of the Jack & Joker saga; the performances are on par with what we’ve seen in the main series. YinWar chemistry again provides the main selling point of the show, with Yin deserving particular praise for his performance in the second half of the special.

All the beats are there and mostly the same: some goofiness, some joy and love, but also sadness and a slowly creeping feeling of dread, trying to overshadow the happiness. There’s also some teasing of the audience – particularly with Aran’s and Tattoo’s situationship. The special includes one more important aspect the show did not explore to such extent: personal loss and how we deal with it – this is the emotional core of the episode.

A love untainted, a loss unimaginable, a pain only a heartless person wouldn’t feel and sorrow that lasts till the post-credits scene – that’s the special in a nutshell. I cried, I enjoyed it, I already rewatched it.

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Lukewarm and mundane, lacks heart

1/ The basic premise – the titular love mix-up – is not new, but it is okay; it applies only to the main couple, as there is no mix-up leading to the formation of the secondary/support couple. Also: the mix-up relates only to the first 2-3 episodes, after which the series is a standard BL. This reminded me of “Hidden Agenda” – the titular agenda was of some importance for several episodes, but it was not something show-defining (which caused some complaining from the audience).
2/ The plot and script are weak, uninspired and unimaginative. Problems do not end there: pacing, story progression, characters (immature, often dumb – but not in a cute way – and annoying) – all of that felt subpar.
3/ This is not a bad nor boring show, but it is not particularly interesting nor captivating either. There are very few actually emotional scenes and a handful of genuinely funny ones – the rest of the content just is there. It all felt lukewarm, especially compared to previous two projects of Gem4th: “Moonlight Chicken” and “My School President”. “My Love Mix-Up!” does not have the sweaty and gritty real-life feel of the first one nor the emotional power of the latter; it is an average BL with two of GMMTV’s biggest stars, who deserved a better show.
4/ Gemini and Fourth work with weak material and – at least for me – their efforts are the only reason to watch this show. Fourth in particular uses his talent for comedy to make the show entertaining – which also makes his character less annoying. BTW: Aungpao is in this series – and he’s criminally underused. After what he displayed in “Cooking Crush” (the guy can actually act and has a knack for comedy similar to Fourth’s) GMMTV should trust him with much more than what he got here. Instead we got Chokun (cute but bland) and Pahn in supporting roles, as a pointless secondary couple. The actual support for Gem4th came with a cameo of Chinzilla in ep. 11 – and for less than a minute we could see what this show could have been, but is not.
5/ This is a minor complaint, but still: there are too many adds and product placements in this show. Clearly GMMTV wanted to capitalize on Gem4th’s magic, but went too far. Properly done product placements in a BL – see “Bad Buddy”, GMMTV’s best BL.
6/ The soundtrack is good and – as is GMMTV standard by now – performed entirely by the cast. The opening theme song “ลบยัง” is the best example of how clever, interesting and amusing GMMTV creations can be.

Most of this show’s problems might be coming from it being an adaptation. The source material may be hot and interesting for Japanese standards, but it did not translate into a hot and interesting Thai show – my guess is because of how conservative Japan is compared to Thailand (at least when it comes to BL shows). With other words: it might be a too faithful adaptation. For Thai BL it would be good in 2016, but in 2024 it feels outdated.

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Solid BL with good BounPrem performances

The title of this review sums up my thoughts about "Revamp The Undead Story": I watched and reviewed this show as a BL and appreciated what both actors cast as main characters brought to the table – individually and cooperatively as a ship. At the same time I was not that much interested in the show’s vampire setting (something I learned from "My Golden Blood") nor was I wishing/expecting it to be important from a BL point of view (to a degree it was, regardless of my expectations).

Plot and script

The plot – which at first glance seems simple and becomes more complex later – is good. I was generally satisfied with how it was developed into the filmed script, although – even from my point of view, focused mainly on the love story – certain things about the story’s setting could have been done better. For example, while I wasn’t bothered by repeated fighting between Hunters and vampires, I did notice that it resulted in no meaningful casualties and therefore felt like there were no real stakes in that fight. The ep. 6 Hunter attack during Ramil’s ceremony was important, as it allowed the main plot to progress, but everything else in the "war" against vampires felt meaningless. I won’t go into more nitpicking about that and will mention only one thing: the ease with which Hunters were able to kill vampires in hand-to-hand combat, where no advancements in anti-vampire weaponry were available or of use. Apparently vampires were much stronger and faster than humans only sometimes, losing their edge every time Hunters needed to avoid getting obliterated. However, like I said, that didn’t really bug me. I’d also like to address one of many issues I heard and read in the comments – that Ramil is a bad leader, which I don’t agree with. He was unwilling to become a leader, but still did it. He exiled Feratu instead of killing him and spent the next century imprisoned and depowered. His reluctance and restraint against Feratu and later the Hunters were the reason why he was accused of being inactive or passive – and he simply didn’t want to kill or enslave everyone who was against him; he was not that kind of a leader. His power was precisely what stayed his hand; instead of escalating a conflict he looked for ways to end it with minimal losses, to address the root cause of what was going on. Does that really sound like a bad leader?
I enjoyed how the main plot was written, its twists and turns leading to an explanation of how and why Ramil and Punn were in love. I’m not saying I understood all of it, but it was genuine fun to watch it slowly unfold, to guess, try to figure it out. I still don’t get how Ramil’s dive into Punn’s memories allowed him not just to witness the past, but to become a part of it and create the outcome we knew – but it’s okay. Not understanding it did nothing to reduce my enjoyment. I liked that the show’s supernatural setting allowed for a clever departure from the "normal" structure of a BL love story, where A meets B, they get to know each other, slowly falling for each other and confessing their love and/or becoming an item in the series finale. In "Revamp" Ramil and Punn meet "for the first time" twice, Punn – not fully aware of that – already is in love with Ramil when they meet for the first time in the series, Ramil falls for Punn shortly afterwards as he was destined to, Ramil influences the past to make sure (1) events happen the way Punn remembers and (2) that Punn will be in love with him; Punn not only knows about it, but enables it. Pretty crazy, when you think about it, but works like a charm.
Both main characters are written in a way that fits the genre well: older and more mature than most BL couples, disillusioned and disheartened, wounded and lonely, trapped in roles they are weary of and unwilling to perform, craving something they don’t have, but need to survive. We mostly see Punn’s path to recognizing what’s going on with him, as his situation is more difficult than Ramil’s: what started in dreams and visions, led Punn through bringing home an enemy he was supposed to kill, staying close to him, going through an emotional confrontation with that enemy and his own feelings, trying not to give in to those feelings, then trying to set boundaries, even having something like a mini-breakup – only to regret it immediately and running to save Ramil a few hours later. While no elements of that path are new nor original, their combination works very well. What’s also interesting is that both main characters seemed to have expected, desired and awaited a relationship with each other; for both of them it was like a missing piece of their lives, of themselves. Too many love stories don’t address that or do it less clearly and I was glad to see it here.
Once they get together Punn and Ramil are changed, they both feel complete and become inseparable; no longer torn between what they were supposed to do and what they wanted to do, no longer hesitant and uncertain. It’s not that they’ve been blinded by love, as they still correctly perceive the world around them, worry about others etc.; what changes are their priorities – putting their relationship first. Most BLs avoid this approach, as it seems egoistic, and because one has to respect tradition, social norms, family and its expectations etc. – all of which usually forces young BL protagonists to give up at least part of their dreams of being together. Not here. This time there are no authority figures to lecture the main characters and they can do as they want. Sure, like in any love story there are obstacles, but that’s all they are: once Ramil and Punn remove them (solve the conflict, get rid of Feratu, give up vampire leadership), they are free to be together. That’s another thing I liked about "Revamp’s" love story: no compromises, no hiding, no pretending for the sake of "being responsible". Good to see something like that once in a while.
I had two complaints regarding the script: (1) too few scenes with Punn and Ramil getting domestic or bantering or spending time together in a different way and (2) Punn did not atone for all the vampires he slew nor did the show address that issue properly. We got the briefest of apologies from Punn to Ramil and we can safely assume that Ramil was not expecting nor requiring any atonement by Punn; nevertheless this seemed like a missed opportunity to deepen the character further.

Performances

Boun definitely looked the part and brought it to life thanks to his talent. No longer portraying a blond, tattooed senior student, he retained and used some of the coolness he displayed in previous shows. Ramil can therefore be aristocratic, lofty, effortlessly and eternally attractive and elegant (when I saw him enter the room at the end of ep. 5, I screamed "sprezzatura!"), but also cold, distant, untouchable, with everyone and everything below him – like a ruler or master often is. That’s the official face of the vampire leader, but not the only one. The unserious ones, like the cute and goofy and clingy boyfriend, are my favorites, but we got more: a gentle lover, a manipulating gaslighter (or so I thought for several episodes), "the most pathetic vampire", a haunted monster, a gore mouth losing control over the beast inside – Boun bends over backwards to pull it all off and he does, with flying colors. One of my favorite Ramil moments was when he erased Pokpong’s memory of catching a vase. Boun instantly shifted from being playful to hesitant, for like two seconds when he looked at Prem; there were tension and sadness in his eyes in that moment – and then he turned cold and struck. There was something predatory in Boun’s move, his whole body was involved in that – like a viper attacking its prey.
Still, it’s Prem I appreciated most of the whole cast – as a silent killer, patient infiltrator and provocateur, living a double life and hiding behind facades and pretenses of "the strong, silent type", scared and worried nearly the whole time, a vulnerable dreamer smiling furtively whenever he thinks of his love, a boyfriend and partner willing to sacrifice everything for Ramil. Prem shines the brightest in those quiet moments when he’s calm, collected, confident, particularly in the latter half of the series. He’s the grounded one in the couple. That’s a completely different Prem than in "Between Us" – better, more experienced, upgraded.
When those two are on screen together, everything can happen. Punn’s confrontation with Ramil was and probably will remain my most rewatched scene from "Revamp" because of the shear emotional charge it carried; a charge generated by Prem and Boun colliding. It’s just as good when they’re on a bed or couch talking things through, listening to each other, confessing, planning, explaining – just two boyfriends on a couch. They can dance or cook or clean – all those moments, starkly contrasting the supernatural, the conflict etc. – were the show’s best. It was as if the show was trying to tell us that this was the good, really important stuff – and not the fantastic craziness outside.
As for other cast members, I liked Stamp in his first bigger role as Pokpong – with him even Aun seemed better than usual. Ploy was cool as Lilith and Ciize slayed as Mariah – their roles were small, but I appreciate the contribution nevertheless. Lastly, there was Dunk. Not that his acting got better – since "The Heart Killers" that was a hopeless case – but the show made a valiant effort to hide this and generally succeeded. As Feratu Dunk had only a handful of lines and managed to portray Ramil’s brother as sexy but genuinely evil. I’d say the visuals did more than the lines; the flashback of Feratu/Dunk biting Jett/Paul – with both of their faces visible – is actually disturbing.

Score

The show’s OST consists of just three songs: "ลิขิต (Under The Moonlight)" by Boun and Prem – which was also used to score the opening credits, "ค่ำคืนที่รอแสงสว่าง (Midnight Light)" by Boun and "ชั่วนิรันดร์ตลอดกาล (Lunar Vow)" by Prem. And while "คนคนนั้น (It's Always You)" from "Between Us" soundtrack remains my favorite song performed by Prem, I did enjoy his parts of "Revamp’s" OST. What I didn’t like was the overuse of "ลิขิต (Under The Moonlight)" in the show. This song should have been reserved for particularly important moments only – instead it was heard over and over again, which quickly became tedious. The remaining score – all the "background music" – was mostly well chosen and applied; my single complaint here (as in most Thai shows) was the use of "dramatic" music during combat and some other scenes. Also, I was surprised that Barcode didn’t get to sing a song for this show; after he did one for "Boys in Love" I was sure he’ll do it here.

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