SinGood

Thanks. I'm not referring to your comment though. The thing is people can loosely use the term without knowing the whole circumstance.

I actually think that the shower scene can be seen as an assault, a method employed towards someone considered an enemy in the case of the series.

Is Tharn's method justifiable though?

If his reason is to get even with Type, maybe yes. But in this case, I feel like he wants to know at what point Type's homophobia can reach. It was a test in a devious way.

But an assault that led to consent, how do we justify it?

I would like the commenters to know the characters really well because this is where I feel like they fail.

Type is not a weakling. He may be a victim of rape but he's far from someone whom we can consider a nerd that can be easily bullied.

Tharn here may be manipulative though. But why did he act that way?

Humans are complex beings so it's understandable, and, I would say, interesting that there's a story that could bring a "motion picture" of the complexities of humans based on these characters in this BL series.

I can agree that there was a breach of consent. However, you may have failed to know the characters of this drama series and their strength. If you, as you claim, have been a reader of BL for 15 years, then I'd assume you already know the different characters and their distinctions in certain BL dramas based on certain circumstances.

You may have forgotten that in this series, they're still "at cold war" and that they've been employing tactics and means to outdo one another or to get even. Type still told Tharn that he hated him. Perhaps, on Tharn's case, he would have to do means to know what extent where Type's abhorrence towards him would really reach.

Even if we say that Type may have mellowed down with his hate towards Tharn, the latter(Tharn) may have been doing his manipulative ways to get even with the former just to see for himself how he could seduce him knowing how homophobic Type was. They're acting very human here.

As for your factors that include consent and "communication" , I believe that they cannot be applied here. Again, they're at war, right?

Are they in a mutual relationship?

Of course, in those scenes, not yet.

Would you want to communicate with your enemy when you will attack?

Know the circumstances which I think you don't really fully get it yet.

This may not be the classic BL you may have read.

I actually understand the sentiment and I would say that I agree that it may be an assault but then it led to consent, right?

But then let's stick to the premise that it is a sexual assault: how would you resolve it?

Another thing that bothers me is that some people can't still find distinction between heterosexual relationship and homosexual relationship in dramas. I feel like they still equate homosexual relationship to have the male and female roles, like OMG!

Justices decide on lawsuits on case-to-case basis and some decisions may even regarded unjust but the ruling is based on what the law says. I feel like these commenters don't know fully well the extent of their comments, not realizing the circumstances.

And I agree that there's no rape happening in this scene. The scene may be regarded as an act of lasciviousness but then it led to consent. To justify it as sexual assault or even an act of lasciviousness would be futile since it led to consent on the part of Type. The victim would need verifiable proof of evidence to classify the offense as such. But then people have different opinions on this. I may have a different opinion on this but if I have to ascertain it on a case-to-case basis, I would also have to determine the capacity of Type to defend himself based on his character.

Many are always saying that Tharn is bigger than Type but it should not be just the basis. Type is a sports major so he's capable to defend himself, whereas Tharn is a music major. Another thing to base is on the circumstance. A person who experiences trauma from rape or sexual assault may trigger something in them to the point that it could lead to rage if they are in a similar situation. As a sports major, Type may be expected to know basic skills of self-defense especially being Thai famous for kickboxing. If I would be in his situation, I would have already knocked Tharn out using my skills. But it's not what happened here. The fact that he knew what Tharn did when he pretended to sleep may be construed that he may have an attraction towards the latter already but he is still in denial.

However, what I see based from the comments is that Type is seen as like a damsel in distress, who is a victim of rape and is not capable of defending himself. This is a series where events are connected but then some viewers just want to see one scene and, in their biased view, make a reaction from it, forgetting other scenes that would have justified the occurrence of that scene. And that's where I question the intelligence.

Watching the series for the third time, I finally realized how smart the writer/s and directors are. You might have wondered about the facial "outlook" or projection of Mew here. I believe, he projected a dark aura here because of the past that he went through in the story of this series. So there are backstories that we should know about why the characters acted certain ways and why they projected certain aura that even the viewers couldn't help but wonder about the actor's appearance rather than the reason of having that appearance.

Directors and writers of fictional films employ symbolism and other elements that would encourage the viewers to analyze more and watch more the show not just for the 1st time but several times. Of course, if one is a lazy viewer and don't want to use the "thinking tools", then he/she is just there to be entertained while some cried foul about certain scenes being "romanticized". Yes. those are the lazy viewers.

Can you give me a definition of "to romanticize" based from a definition in Cambridge and Merriam-Webster?

Please don't think that I don't know about it because I do. It's just that many people have been using it as a definition to a certain scene to the point that I sometimes think people may have another definition to it. Using the word or even that remark would be something taken out of context.

Just to educate you what "out of context" is, at least I've provided you:

"If a statement or remark is quoted out of context, the circumstances in which it was said are not correctly reported, so that it seems to mean something different from the meaning that was intended. "

In other words, when one remarks a particular scene as something romanticized, even if it's the contrary, he/she is guilty of taking the thing out of context. One can be a better judge when he/she knows the full content and that he/she really sees it than doing hodgepodge, erroneous comments about a particular scene when the rationale of that scene is taken out of context.

From the definition of that phrase "out of context", people remarking that the "scene" is being "romanticized" would be an erroneous approach in "critiquing" the series, I believe.

If you can justify the actions of Tharn on the scene as something to be romanticized by the series, then you can perhaps convince other commenters.

By the way, you've forgot the part of the rationale why Tharn acted that way.

The homophobic comment is also a form of assault. The degree of penalties of homophobic assault and sexual assault may be different in every jurisdiction and it's mostly on case-to-case basis.

Moreover, taking the property of another without consent is considered stealing or larceny, right?

Type did that kind of offense when he used Mew's laptop without the latter's consent first aside from causing unjust provocation when he tore and degraded Mew's belongings just because he wanted the latter to finally decide to leave the room. These things happened because of certain prejudice towards gay people.

If I may ask, what do we expect in a fictional show: the lack of villains or the unrealistic portrayal of characters with sugar-coated scenes and rainbows galore?

You may also enlighten me.

Thanks.

Or perhaps, there are people who don't want to make this a success so they employ means to dissuade people from watching the series.

I think that this series needs mature audience who can take responsibility with their actions. Clearly, this series has mature content and as few pointed out here, it's not for the "faint of heart".

Games of Thrones have more disturbing scenes than this series. The actions of the GoT characters have justifications based on their circumstances. And we know how successful GoT is.

I'm also wondering how they get here when it's supposed to be rated R. Maybe they should stick to GP or PG and then they can find something worthwhile there.

As for victims of sexual assault, I can understand that. But if they don't want to be triggered, then I suggest they should not watch it.

First off, are you a male or female?

I've been seeing your comments a lot here. Though I understand your comment but you seem to have vendetta to this kind of content or are there agenda behind the actions.

From what I've known mostly from the commenters here, many don't agree with Tharn's actions though they give this series a chance. And yes, Tharn's actions are wrong wherever angle you see it but people need to know the development of the story so they stick around. But it doesn't mean they have to like it like immediately.

It seems that your intention is to dissuade people and cast out evils as much as you want and then insulting other people by your comment and I quote/unquote "sorry to be normal".


There's what we call "free will" and you seem to find a way to obstruct this and then pointing out people to be promoting "sexual assault" when it's otherwise.

There's what we call "illogical fallacy". You can learn about it from a philosophy class.

Okay, regarding the script... I feel like it can be improved. But I still think it's sufficient considering the genre of the series (black comedy).

I was thinking of gay drama series that integrated philosophical discussions in the storyline and one I could think of was SKAM. I think, that's one of the appeals of SKAM and why it has managed to attract millions of viewers and following globally. But I don't intend to compare that phenomenal series to TharnType but I have high hopes that this Thai BL could achieve closer to that other series because TT also deals with issues concerning being gay and mental health(Type obviously has mental issues to deal with from the experience and the trauma). So yes, it's too premature to say it but I've got high hopes for this series.

So far, episode 2 is good. I like it but I'm still analyzing Mew's acting here. He seems to be that actor who is effective in being subtle with his emotions and at the same time expressive through his facial and body gestures but still retain his handsomeness. I still think that he can do better with his acting but then after watching it again, his reaction of passive-aggressiveness in dealing with Type's nightmare (the second part after the part where he was punched by Type) on that part is understandable. It's that part where I think he's not certain how to react given the initial reception he received from Type. His acting is very good actually. But I'm impressed with Gulf's acting the most. And Mild's acting is effective in being comical. He has really improved.

One should realize that this is in a college-setting drama series where you can rarely find actors to be philosophical in their conversation and discussion so I feel like the script is okay. It's not weak. Its context and substance are enough based on the personalities of the characters and the plot. I think the facial and body gestures of the actors as part of their acting really make up for it.

Addendum:

Okay, regarding the script... I feel like it can be improved. I was thinking of gay drama series that integrates philosophical discussions in the storyline and one think I can think of is of SKAM. I think, that's one of the appeals of SKAM and why it has managed to attract millions of viewers and following globally. But I don't intend to compare that phenomenal series to TharnType but I have high hopes that this Thai BL could achieve closer to that other series because TT also deals with issues concerning being gay and mental health(Type obviously has that).

I agree with your review on episode 1. I feel like it's effective in bringing up different reactions from the viewers. But I still think that people don't really know the meaning of "romanticizing" because nothing there in that episode that I can say, especially the last scene, to be romanticizing sexual assault. Perhaps, one could say that if he/she is not following the storyline from the beginning and that making it a part of their comment to the episode is somehow based from a biased view or conjecture.

Uhmm...

People have different views on this kind of issue. I don't even condone this kind of behaviour. The thing is this is fiction that I would classify to be in the black comedy genre but expecting for heavy drama in the coming episodes.

And yes, I am with you that there's no excuse to this kind of behaviour. Even if two people declare to be at war and in a fight, trying to outdo each other, but there are still limitations to their actions. Taking one's life or taking one's dignity through sexual penetration is another matter and should be dealt with accordingly. It's up to them if they want to get into the reconciliation part where one party will forgive the other despite the effects of the infliction, physically and psychologically.

And about romanticizing this kind of behaviour, it is really up to the viewers how they see the scenes. They may see it as romanticizing but in my case, I feel like it's a part that is horrible and needs to be dealt with in the coming episodes.

There are parts in the novel that I only read in the snippets online where they are more disturbing than this one. I feel like this series is really targeted to the gay audience and not those who have weak hearts but even japanese yaoi mangas--targeted for fujoshis and fudanshis-- have scenes that seem to be disturbing but it's really up to the viewers how they find it as they read it.

I'm amused at the same time appalled at the comments based on the last scene of the 1st episode. I saw the same type of comments on Twitter, YT and even here. The thing is that many viewers are not really mature enough to make discernment and would always use their emotional reaction without making analysis beforehand.

What makes this BL series interesting is that the characters portray protagonist/villanous personas. But what many people see is that how the last scene is too disturbing for them. I even admit that it's disturbing but I also look at the psychological side of things. What made Tharn do it? Did Type deserve what Tharn did to him?

If you've watched thoroughly and meticulously the whole 1st episode, both Type and Tharn did different forms of harassment against each other. They're parties in karmic entanglement.

The time that Type decided to be an enemy to Tharn, he already made homophobic gestures, which were seemingly regarded as provocation or harassment against the dignity of Tharn. The question would be: should the harassment that Tharn did towards Type(in the bed scene while Type was drunk) be seen as tantamount to the harassment he received from the latter?

We must not forget that their respective honor/dignity was harassed, only that Type instigated it first when he attacked the dignity of Tharn being gay. As they say, "an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth."

By the time that Type made an enemy out of Tharn, then he should be aware of the risks that he could go through living with someone he considered an enemy out of prejudice. Despite the lack of premeditation, the fact that he stayed in the same territory with the enemy, he already gave consent to certain harassment that he could go through considering the past experiences he had that made him acquire prejudice towards the gay people.

His actions to provoke his enemy in the same enclosure and then his decision to get drunk in the same space are seemingly consensual if you look at the circumstances in philosophical manner. Even if people would say the action lacked consent but if you really looked at the whole picture, the actions were done with freedom and with intent and intelligence on the part of Type-- but then he was not smart enough. That's why Techno remarked about Type's action on "his vulnerability to get raped."

If you say that molestation is too severe for an offense, then how would you equate the act that goes against the dignity of a person just by homophobic remarks? Clearly, some people have double standards to this kind of thing or that they're not mature enough to really see the weight of certain offenses.

This series is based on a novel with dark storyline. So people should be aware of the possibilities of certain things, scenes, gestures and plots that are disturbing to them.

I look at this series with a different point of view because I need something different in a BL series from Thailand. So far, it's making me interested because of certain flavor that is not really in conformity to what's seen as the standard. But I also pray for certain reconciliation on the part of the main characters because clearly, each of them has been carrying certain baggage. That's why I find it understandable that their bad side will be extracted and acted out because of certain circumstances that trigger them to act certain ways.

So again, check this series with discernment. You can have option to turn it down from your watchlist or continue watching it until you reach the point to make a judgment based on the final episode.

Peace!

Your review is totally relatable. You hit the right spots especially when you mentioned about it being predictable. The plot has been overused but then somehow there's this differentiation as Kongpob and Arthit faced the real world of them working and earning a living, Arthit mostly in this case.

Honestly, there are moments of some episodes of being a drag to me like they're just fillers here and there. But they seem to target the fujoshis. But a fudanshi(not so rotten though), I am looking for a better plot with the right feels.

I really like the first series. This one is okay but there's this big but I am still figuring out. I am not yet convinced yet.

I watched this series for the second time though.

Let's not immediately comment if they're hetero by default in the same way we assume of them as being gay or bi unless you have access to their personal lives and is sort of part of their PR or management team. I haven't seen or read any PR confirming their orientation yet though my radar seems to align them in the rainbow spectrum but it's just me, speculating.

Honestly, the more fans or people who comment about their orientation, the more likely they will get less appeal from the targeted audience. E.g. Jack Falahee of How to Get Away With Murder.

I hope my comment doesn't come out as rude. I apologize if it seems to you.

I've started liking this series in ep. 9. I didn't like Pop and Oat's storyline at first but it has been gradually building up its romantic momentum in each episode. And it's on ep 10 I found out how the series has managed to balance the gay storylines of 2 couples. There is the sexually aggressive couple Pree and Rambo with serious(and somewhat relatable) storyline and the comedic albeit farcical storyline of Pop and Oat.

I like Mew and Art's(Pree and Rambo) chemistry but I find enjoyment watching Pop and Oat's storyline, eventually. Pop and Oat grow on me in each episode and I can't wait for their romantic development in upcoming episodes.

Meanwhile, I have mixed emotions with Pree and Bo's storyline but I always look forward to their love scenes. LOL.

I don't mean to rudely compare but I like this series over Sotus S. It has more substance and more realistic than the other one. But I still watch Sotus S. It's just that Sotus is more bromantic, save for one kiss so far... like are they really boyfriends or just kissing best friends? They don't even fuck, I think. LMAO. And it's getting boring in each episode. LOL But I'm waiting for better feels at the finale.

YouDirtyWater, I am also generous with my rating because it's somehow personal to me. But I am very particular though when it comes to movie reviews and ratings and I can be a Roger Ebert if I want to.

But being gay and watching this series have that kind of bias. I agree that TWM is not groundbreaking, story-wise. But the chemistry of the actors is very believable that my rate of 10, despite being irrational mathematically since I also rated the series' acting at 9, shows my preference for the series over the other BL series, even in Western gay series. Perhaps, I am connected more with the characters because they are Asian as I am also from Asia.

Okay, I am also persuaded by their natural kissing scenes and love scenes. Although I have questions such as, "are they being safe" and did they do it bareback?, asking them is somehow ridiculous but of course, if sex is involved in this kind of series, this is something that viewers such as myself would ask. But then, I am left with more assumptions. Despite that flaw or its omission in the storyline, it doesn't negate what I think about the series, overall.

There's magic in SOTUS as I have written in my review. The giddiness I felt watching Arthit and Kong is palpable. But if I compare it to Korn and Knock, I find the latter pair's chemistry more superior. I agree with M. Simon, it's about chemistry of the actors, the driving force in making the Bl series worthy to watch.

And I also prefer watching buff guys as gay couples. For me, though it's a BL series, I can't regard it in the yaoi subgenre. This is where many BL fans would like to watch gay couples who somehow play masculine and feminine roles. So, I think that's a factor that it attracts less viewers compared to 2Moons.

I think the series has brought more international fans. When I watched Bad Romance, there is a channel where it gains millions of views in one episode. This series though is better than SOTUS and way better than 2 Moons.