Post KP they did MS, a show abt Thai cultur, and you know it was out of passion bc Apo always talk abt Thai cultur…
I think a lot of us had high hopes for BOC after Kinnporsche that were just never realized. I remember naively thinking that BOC would change the industry and come out with more emotionally addicting shows but that obviously did not happen haha They were kind of like a shooting star if you will. When the industry saw no new successes from BOC I feel like Thai BL actually regressed a bit post 2023 , because the bar was lowered again. Imagine where we would be now if BOC had lived up to the hype and created a new hit or two, the industry would literally have been forced to up their game lol
Although Iām personally probably not going to watch Shine, Iām curious about how it turns out and its reception. I know that they are trying to appeal to the US market, but one big hurdle I can foresee is that the US already has its own shows focused on coming-out arcs. So in that sense Shine is not exactly something fresh and new like KP that fans would be hungry for. High budget fantasy or sci-fi BL could make international fans feral though, just like an intense gay mafia romance could, since some of us have been waiting for that for decades and there is quite nothing like it out there yet (the closest thing I can think of is danmei adaptations but they are cursed with censorship which severely limits their potential). If Shineās reception is lukewarm, I wonder in what direction BOC will go.
A further thing Iām not really enthusiastic about is BoCās recent partnerships with the Ministry of Culture, since I feel like that relationship encourages them to self-censor. After all, the Ministry probably wants their name associated with works that can be seen as generally respectable and uncontroversial, which means bye bye to moral ambiguity or anything truly transformative. Like KP would definetly not have turned out as bold as it did if it had had a government institution attached to it š
Btw, Iām not sure whether Iāll like Studio on Saturnās Happy Ending either since who knows how itāll turn out,but itās kind of closer to the sort of concept I would have expected from BOC post KP.
Since jeff said it's gonna be released end of this year or early next year (I'm leaning towards the latter more),…
If they want to make it to letās say January they would have to start shooting in September the latest. Personally Iām convinced this will not air until mid 2026š
Rumors are now that not only has it been changed to BL, but Mike's still posting that old pilot on his TikTok…
Same, I believe they will start filming in January when I see it lol I feel kind of sorry for those who still think the original cast is intact, Mike be gaslighting them so hard XD One thing Iām really confused about is that if Mike has casted new people, why are they not promoting the show alongside him? Makes me think he has not found replacements yet, which makes the January schedule quite implausibleā¦..If January is when they will actually film though Jeff and Mikeās schedules are definetly conflicting, which in turn makes me think Mike is not in Jeffās show either (the earliest I can see HE airing is mid 2026, and Jeff will have his hands full with that one until then) Also the silence on both sides regarding each otherās projects is very telling. Jeff always promotes the shows he is in, and when he doesnāt say anything for a very long time itās usually not a positive sign (e.g. Wuju Bakery).
I think one mistake the creators did with Khanin is that they fell into the trap of trying to make him be the perfect main character. He is supposed to be the most empathetic one, but ironically due to his Mary Sue characterization much of that empathy feels performative and hollow.
Iām also not a fan of how they made Ava the typical girboss type. Not allowing characters to have flaws and weaknesses make them bland and boring. However important the issue, I want Ava to have a personality beyond being an advocate for gender equality.
I was originally really drawn by Ramil and Paytaiās story and dynamic, but my investment is almost gone now. I feel like those two would have worked better in a more gritty and edgy show that isnāt a fairy tale that has to play it safe. The prince and his whipping boy is such a delicious and dark trope, but unfortunately itās not given the kind of treatment it deserves. And Iām not even talking about screentime, you can do compelling and solid relationship arcs with not that much screentime (like Kimchay from KP for example)
This actually reminds me of Kinnporsche in the sense that it is a totally fresh concept with high-production value and interesting characters played by a completely fresh cast. It is always easier for me to get immersed in the story and characters if I havenāt seen the actors in anything else before.
Post KP they did MS, a show abt Thai cultur, and you know it was out of passion bc Apo always talk abt Thai cultur…
What I was partly trying to get at I guess is that I think BOC is good at writing original plot and concept but not so good at writing original characters. Kinnporscheās strength is definetly itās characters and their dynamics, and the amount of fic that exists is a testament of how beloved the characters are by fans (even Kimchay, who had like 10 minutes of screentime have like over 5000 fics on ao3š)
While newer BOC productions are consistently good in cinematography and acting and the plot is iunique, the problem is that there has been a shift from character-focus to actor focus. Just to make a comparison, out of the limited amount of 4 minutes fics out there the overwhelming majority of fics are JessBible rpf , which shows that people just did not resonate with Thyme Great on a deeper level.
One thing I think really impedes on the creation of compelling original characters is how characters are tailored for the actors signed under the label (they are essentially idols) It makes people see the actor first and the character is just an afterthought. When I was watching KP I felt like I was watching Kinn and Porsche, Vegas and Pete and Kim and Chay, but in the new shows I feel like Iām just watching the actors. I wish scriptwriters would write characters first and cast later through auditions ( I know this is not the preferred method in Thailand)
Also just to be clear I do want them (BOC) to be ambitious, itās just that I wish they would put some of that ambition to create something big and character-focused like KP (rather than distancing themselves from BL, I want creators to improve it: the problem is not BL but bad BL) KP felt like it was made unapologetically for fans with love with the kind of ambition and budget that was unheard of for a BL at the time. It was not trying to impress critics , so it did not have to play it safe. I remember watching it for the first time and thinking ādamn, they actually did thisā. Whenever there is a desire to appeal to general audiences, there are kind of some unspoken rules regarding what can and cannot be shown.
Iām all for Apo or anyone else embarking on new career paths and leaving BOC if thatās what they want. Iām not that fond of celebrities in the first place and actually prefer the formula of new character=new face. I know a lot of people are here for the actors, but what I crave for is high emotional intensity and stakes + characters that make me think about them 3 years after the show endedš
One reason I might be not that receptive towards productions such as the upcoming Shine is the focus on social issues , which I prefer to rather engage with through the medium of documentaries. there is of course also the fact that queer issues are already such an integral part of my everyday life that I would rather at least in fiction escape from content where the main conflict arises from society being homopohobic. Of course I can sometimes enjoy a social issue-focused drama, but maybe only once every two yearsXD
I do feel a bit sorry for the KP cast sometimes as the showās iconicness might have turned out to be both a blessing and a curse for them lol
I apologize if Iām not able to express myself so well in Englishš (also for the long ass ramble XD)
I have also said that in a comment further below. And agree about the side characters.The review section is interesting.…
2-3 is very valid. Unfortunately I donāt currently see the appeal of GMMTV shows either, so there is no hope for me there either.They are too formulaic for me and that company is too preoccupied with promoting their commercialized actor ships to create anything truly good
I have also said that in a comment further below. And agree about the side characters.The review section is interesting.…
It is always quite sus whenever the review section has an abundance of 10s and/or 1s. Btw some of the all 10 reviews for NP were obviously AI generated lol My personal rating (which I have not given yet) would currently be 5. Itās sad cause it was closer to 8 during the first few episodes.
If they will not make this gay I hope they at least tone down on the homoeroticism and make it seem like an actual straight male friendship and not like two people in love. Iām all for friendships but it annoys me if two characters have romantic chemistry and then they are made to be just friends. I want gay romance or genuine friendship, no weird queerbaity thing in between. Like if this is not gay then they better not make the leads stare longingly into each otherās eyes or make them ready to sacrifice everything for each other lol
Me after watching Next Prince: š¤”š¤”š¤”
Like it looks so good on the surface but the contents are justā¦ā¦You know itās bad when the stans say itās boringš
Although Iām personally probably not going to watch Shine, Iām curious about how it turns out and its reception. I know that they are trying to appeal to the US market, but one big hurdle I can foresee is that the US already has its own shows focused on coming-out arcs. So in that sense Shine is not exactly something fresh and new like KP that fans would be hungry for. High budget fantasy or sci-fi BL could make international fans feral though, just like an intense gay mafia romance could, since some of us have been waiting for that for decades and there is quite nothing like it out there yet (the closest thing I can think of is danmei adaptations but they are cursed with censorship which severely limits their potential). If Shineās reception is lukewarm, I wonder in what direction BOC will go.
A further thing Iām not really enthusiastic about is BoCās recent partnerships with the Ministry of Culture, since I feel like that relationship encourages them to self-censor. After all, the Ministry probably wants their name associated with works that can be seen as generally respectable and uncontroversial, which means bye bye to moral ambiguity or anything truly transformative. Like KP would definetly not have turned out as bold as it did if it had had a government institution attached to it š
Btw, Iām not sure whether Iāll like Studio on Saturnās Happy Ending either since who knows how itāll turn out,but itās kind of closer to the sort of concept I would have expected from BOC post KP.
Iām also not a fan of how they made Ava the typical girboss type. Not allowing characters to have flaws and weaknesses make them bland and boring. However important the issue, I want Ava to have a personality beyond being an advocate for gender equality.
I was originally really drawn by Ramil and Paytaiās story and dynamic, but my investment is almost gone now. I feel like those two would have worked better in a more gritty and edgy show that isnāt a fairy tale that has to play it safe. The prince and his whipping boy is such a delicious and dark trope, but unfortunately itās not given the kind of treatment it deserves. And Iām not even talking about screentime, you can do compelling and solid relationship arcs with not that much screentime (like Kimchay from KP for example)
on ao3š)
While newer BOC productions are consistently good in cinematography and acting and the plot is iunique, the problem is that there has been a shift from character-focus to actor focus. Just to make a comparison, out of the limited amount of 4 minutes fics out there the overwhelming majority of fics are JessBible rpf , which shows that people just did not resonate with Thyme Great on a deeper level.
One thing I think really impedes on the creation of compelling original characters is how characters are tailored for the actors signed under the label (they are essentially idols) It makes people see the actor first and the character is just an afterthought. When I was watching KP I felt like I was watching Kinn and Porsche, Vegas and Pete and Kim and Chay, but in the new shows I feel like Iām just watching the actors. I wish scriptwriters would write characters first and cast later through auditions ( I know this is not the preferred method in Thailand)
Also just to be clear I do want them (BOC) to be ambitious, itās just that I wish they would put some of that ambition to create something big and character-focused like KP (rather than distancing themselves from BL, I want creators to improve it: the problem is not BL but bad BL) KP felt like it was made unapologetically for fans with love with the kind of ambition and budget that was unheard of for a BL at the time. It was not trying to impress critics , so it did not have to play it safe. I remember watching it for the first time and thinking ādamn, they actually did thisā. Whenever there is a desire to appeal to general audiences, there are kind of some unspoken rules regarding what can and cannot be shown.
Iām all for Apo or anyone else embarking on new career paths and leaving BOC if thatās what they want. Iām not that fond of celebrities in the first place and actually prefer the formula of new character=new face. I know a lot of people are here for the actors, but what I crave for is high emotional intensity and stakes + characters that make me think about them 3 years after the show endedš
One reason I might be not that receptive towards productions such as the upcoming Shine is the focus on social issues , which I prefer to rather engage with through the medium of documentaries. there is of course also the fact that queer issues are already such an integral part of my everyday life that I would rather at least in fiction escape from content where the main conflict arises from society being homopohobic. Of course I can sometimes enjoy a social issue-focused drama, but maybe only once every two yearsXD
I do feel a bit sorry for the KP cast sometimes as the showās iconicness might have turned out to be both a blessing and a curse for them lol
I apologize if Iām not able to express myself so well in Englishš (also for the long ass ramble XD)