ariel alba

Modern, real, entertaining and, above all, addictive

Although the series begins on a somewhat dramatic note, with two university students involved in a fight that leads to the inevitable hospital medical attention of one of them after receiving a blow, the story, in a fast, colorful and fun way, shows us, in tone of a youthful romantic comedy, one of the love plots between boys, set in a university, like the ones we are used to in BL series.
After the painting that is ready to be sent to an exhibition after sleepless nights becomes useless when it is hit by a soccer ball, Pheem will confront Phum, the extroverted, brilliant, stubborn and popular, but arrogant college soccer player, guilty of the in a bad way, and in a fit of anger he hits him.
Phum then demands compensation from him. But since the mischievous and playful second-year Fine Arts student, who dreams of one day having an art gallery in which to exhibit his own works, cannot pay the medical bills, they will ask him to be at their service and attend to all their needs. whims. But there will be a pact between the two: "No one will ever be able to know that one is a slave and the other is a master."
But Pheem will also demand that the "punishment" not last two months, but until he finishes redoing the damaged painting.
Thus begins the story of Pheem and Phum, the protagonists of the Thai series 'We Are', an adaptation of Parawi's novel of the same name.
When the future civil engineer, embarrassed by having been beaten in front of others, begins a plan of revenge against Pheem, at the same time as his demands as a master increase, his feelings begin to slowly grow.
The world is small and a university is even smaller. Being students at the same university, faced every day in their status as master-slave, leads the two young people to collide with each other again and again until both boys fall in love.
Phum's affectionate and tender behavior, the constant emission of "doubtful" vibrations, the sexual tensions created around the two, have not gone unnoticed by Pheem, who feels attracted to his "master" from the moment he meets him known.
In that daily struggle of who dominates who, underneath everything, the two have begun, perhaps without realizing it, as an involuntary act, to take care of each other.
Through the eyes of Pheem, the main narrator, the viewer will be able to enjoy the birth and evolution of the romance between two a priori incompatible people who, however, enter into a love relationship that, like all relationships, has a lot of imperfections, but this It will not discourage them in their efforts to find happiness side by side.
The main plot follows this young man in his university years, in which, surrounded by his friends, who are other young people his age, he discovers love for the first time and also himself.
Likewise, we see that a new character is introduced, Kluem, who will show to be interested in Peem. His appearance will provoke jealousy in Phum, but it will help him recognize in himself the feelings that he slowly develops every day for the arts student.
The main arc of the series begins in the usual youth romantic comedy style, with the boys' characteristic pranks; studies, which sometimes we are terrible at; falling in love, which in many cases is the first in life; coming of age, the transition from adolescence to early youth, the joys and difficulties that young people must face, friends who ignore us or, on the contrary, annoy us to no end, but are always present with his wise advice; the song that seems to save us time and time again from "sinking", the parents who do not understand us, the work that will come (or not) in the future, the differences in social classes... all these themes used mainly in function to provoke laughter, but also to make you reflect.
Starring PondPhuwin, a ship formed by actors Naravit Lertratkosum, who plays Phum, and Phuwin Tangsakyuen, in the role of Pheem, whom we have already seen together in 'Fish Upon The Sky', 'Never Let Me Go' and more recently In 'Our Skyy 2', the drama brings us characters with the classic cliché of "strangers to friends and friends to lovers." Phum and Pheem are two beings who are finding themselves and discovering their most intimate desires.
But theirs will not be the only romance. In addition to Phum and Pheem, as a plus, we have the expected secondary romance between WimmySatang, a couple made up of Thanawin Pholcharoenrat (Winny), as Q, the mentor, and Kittipop Sereevichayasawat (Satang), as Toey, the apprentice, who in 'My School President' left us wanting more.
Q, Pheem's best friend and who likes to sing in a night bar, has been Toey's inspiration to decide to study Fine Arts. Secretly, he has been in love with the final year student of that major for some time. Admiring his talent and personality has led him to love him, but Q is unable to see the signs that are constantly coming to him. Will Toey have the chance to confess his love? Has Q really been so blind? These two will also have an agreement: Q will demand from Toey: "Don't tell anyone that you are my apprentice."
And also a third BL romance, that of AouBoom, a duo made up of Thanaboon Kiatniran (Aou), as Tan, the cheerful Engineering student, and Tharatorn Jantharaworakarn (Boom), as Khaofang, a sensitive and shy young man from the Faculty of architecture. In this relationship, Tan will ask Phum to help him flirt with his brother in exchange for the location where he can find Pheem. And Phum, despite initially telling him that he is not the ideal boyfriend for his brother, will agree to help his friend in order to take revenge for the humiliation received.
There will also be a fourth romance: that of MarcPoon, the duo made up of Natarit Worakornlertsith (Marc), as Shane, and Poon Mitpakdee, as Pun. This relationship deepens as the two friends grow closer and get to know each other even more as they try to trick Q into believing that Shane is in love with Toey, in order to get him to declare his love. Although these three couples are secondary, they manage to win the hearts of the viewers.
The series highlights the different side of each of the four couples, their journey of discovery and acceptance. The eight young people will not fail to make you fall in love. As you get to know the four couples and see how the relationship between them evolves, you will be able to decide which one has stolen your heart the most and why.
These friends are what any human being would need to accompany them on a journey to discover falling in love and sex.
Although in principle it reminds us of other productions of this type, Thai fiction forges its own path of authenticity. In addition, it stands out for the construction of the characters that enchant from the first moment and the way the story is portrayed.
Although 'We Are' plays with the most modern ideas to portray teenagers in fiction, each of them enjoys a unique authenticity and demonstrates the sensitivity of Siwaj Sawatmaneekul (New), director, screenwriter and actor, to write their journeys of self-discovery. There are no "token" characters here, used in many television shows to call themselves diverse. We see young people exploring love and sexuality outside of heteronormativity.
We are faced with one of those series capable of attracting passionate followers around the world for its frank and sensitive representation of what today's teenagers face: first love, life at university, sex, self-discovery, most of all of age, youth traumas, inclusion, sexuality, neurodiversity and the best friends who help them get ahead.
With a vast body of work within the genre, with titles such as 'Love by Chance', 'Until We Meet Again' and 'Make It Right', among many others, New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul gives us one of those romantic and fun series with very good characters outlines that hook the public immediately.
Modern, real, entertaining and, above all, addictive, this series joins others with themes of first youth and first love, with the university as its setting, which has always had a negative connotation, since many ( (not to say all of us) it is difficult for us to admit that we have become hooked on some of these dramas, due to their ability to entertain the viewer from beginning to end.

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Teenage love is NOT as addictive as heroin

Gone are the days when film directors arrived at a shoot with the novel they intended to adapt under their arms and rolled around tearing off leaves and extracting from them what they considered most substantial. No scripts at the beginning of the silent era, when a good part of the narration was excluded from a film plot with few reels.
As the years passed, the adaptations were perfected and today every successful novel has a swarm of producers behind it interested in bringing it to the screens. Top-notch scriptwriters, high budgets, efficient period reconstruction, and yet interesting aspects of the book continue to be left out, mainly due to the time-footage factor, or for including thorny themes, such as stormy loves and obsessions, which can reach sexual violations, and that conditions the filmmakers.
This generally means that good novel readers are dissatisfied with the film or television versions. Which does not mean that cinema and television continue to adapt literary themes, because many who do not read—increasingly, unfortunately—enjoy good stories, thanks to bringing the books they were not able to read into moving images. arrive.
The year after filming 'Hit Bite Love', the daring series adorned with sexual scenes and sadomasochism, after debuting in 2013 with the film 'Tom Gay', which was followed by 'Let's Go Bangkok Holiday' and 'The Right Man: Because I Love You', and the series 'Love Sick Season 2', 'Make It Right' and 'War of High School', among others, in which he addresses topics such as homosexuality, homophobia, love triangles, romances secrets, infidelity, multiple partners, unrequited love, youth and the school environment, Yuan Tin Tun Danop, the Thai film and television director, returns to the small screen.
It does not bring just any series, but the adaptation of the novel "Are You Addicted?", by the Chinese novelist Chai Ji Dan, a work that in a short time has become a global success, acclaimed by many, while others describe it as problematic due to showing physical assault and sexual violation not consented by the victim.
Love, heartbreak, jealousy, intrigue, misunderstandings, betrayal, obsession, sexual violation, family tensions, eidetic memory... The thing is, despite this, or precisely because of it, this work has all the ingredients to conquer the public again and again, whether between the pages of the book, printed or digital, or in front of a screen thanks to the two ill-fated Chinese versions, since his work has been adapted to television for years without ever being completed.
After the publication of "Are You Addicted?", considered one of those global literary phenomena that came to sweep its path, criticism and comments poured in. Most to praise it and say that it was a magnificent way to tell a story of rape and love, others to reproach it for being an insult to all survivors of male sexual violence. Words like sexual assault, domestic violence, and vicious tort were uttered, and there were even accusations that the writer was defending the classic lie that rape awakens sexuality.
But in its human complexity and artistic excellence, the novel is much more than a chain of assumptions and requires readers free of conservatism and prejudices that prevent them from analyzing the psyche and attitudes of the protagonists. An exploration of intimacies proposed by the literary work to refer to the ravings of desire and obsession of a boy in love with another who resists him, without knowing in those moments that they are also stepbrothers. Without ignoring that after the act of sexual violence to which one of the characters is subjected, he must face a mental transcendence that leads him to fall in love with his attacker. All this, while we witness, in great depth, the dissection of two families, one wealthy and the other mired in poverty.
Although Chai Ji Dan is considered as irreverent as he is provocative, his work is demonstrative of good craftsmanship and imagination in abundance. There is a long list of films and series that mix romance and drama that equally combine explicit violence, the most disturbing sexual content and social criticism.
The sexual scenes that the Chinese novelist resorts to with total artistic justification seek the psychological introspection of the characters. Hence, we have to be attentive to looks, voices, emotional reactions, all in order to explore Gu Hai's human nature, a mixture of love and kindness, but also impulses, obsessions and denials occurring under the same addiction that gives the title to the novel.
And there is his girlfriend, Jin Lu Lu, also over the top with sex, and whose sudden appearance will represent a mess for him, who will see both his privacy and his life routine destroyed. Without forgetting that she embodies a past that Gu Hai is not willing to resume. While, on the other hand, he feels threatened by the possibility of losing Bai Luo Yin, the great love of his life, if he decided to reestablish his romantic relationship with Shi Hiu, his ex-girlfriend.
"Are You Addicted?" It deals with issues related to homosexuality, but at the same time it becomes a story of a beautiful and suffering humble family, and the relationship between father and son in an unpleasant environment marked by poverty. Diverse and very significant characters will then parade, with whom the reader comes to fall in love.
With the title 'Addicted Heroine', the unfinished television adaptation of the tumultuous love story of Bai Luo Yin and Gu Hai, has been taken up by Yuan Tin Tun Danop, to tell, in this Thai version, the story of Hero and Poopy, two teenagers who, despite their social differences and personal life paths, evolve from enemies to lovers, to forge a beautiful love relationship.
It is true that it is a story already told, but as I have already said, unfinished in its two adaptations: 'Addicted' (2016), by Chinese director Ding Wei, and 'Stay with Me' (2023), with script and direction by the author herself. Chai Ji Dan. From there arises the challenge to the imagination. But in my opinion, the director misuses it.
Although it has characters and a plot similar to the original work, the proposal by Yuan Tin Tun Danop, whose only experience as a director in adapting novels was with the unsuccessful BL series 'What the Duck', from 2018, the names of the characters and the approach to the relationship dynamics of the two main protagonists are different.
But to continue, and in case someone does not know exactly what the story is about, we leave you a brief introduction:
Hero Rahat, after the death of his mother, does not have a good relationship with his father. In the eyes of a 16-year-old teenager, the man, head of a wealthy family, with an authoritarian and dominant character, is responsible for the loss of the person who carried him in her womb. Bearing a deep grudge against him, Hero does not accept that his father, the military Kulchanchanaocha, has remarried. Therefore, due to constant disagreements, he decides to leave the family home to live with his aunt on his mother's side in a rural area.
For his part, for as long as him can remember, Poppy Luesil has lived a humble life in a poor social environment with him careless but loving father, Han Hanchai (Pep Nophasit Thiengtham). His parents divorced many years ago and since then Poppy has made the decision to stay with him father and forget about him mother, who has also made no effort to maintain a close relationship with him son. For this reason, Poppy has a shy and reserved character. Even so, using his intelligence and excellent penmanship, he has developed his skills, earning a good reputation as a diligent student and recognized as such.
When him turns sixteen, his estranged biological mother, Khing Jarinya (Meenay Jutai), remarries Hero's father. Khing's wish is that Poppy agrees to live with his new husband and his son so that she can obtain better training and prosper socially. However, Poppy categorically rejects that proposal and decides to stay with her father.
By chance of fate, the new stepbrothers meet in the same class at a secondary school, without being aware of the family ties they maintain with each other. Although at first their personalities clash and they have several school disputes due to Hero taking out his frustrations on the young boy, constantly making fun of him, they slowly develop a good friendship that later culminates in Hero's falling in love with Poppy.
Under these circumstances, Hero will stop feeling love for his girlfriend Lala (Nall Nalliya Wipakkit), and will do everything possible to consolidate his relationship with Poppy.
The latter, who resists having a romantic relationship with Hero, will experience how the persistence and feelings of his new classmate and stepbrother will gradually overcome his barriers and resistance until, finally, he admits that his feelings also overcome the "friendship" label.
But after discovering the family bond that unites them, new problems will come to stand in the way of the two teenagers, and both must learn to use love to overcome the class barriers and obstacles that surround them.
His classmates, Tiger Yawamon (Yang Meng in the novel), a role assumed by the young actor Jur, and Only (You Qi in the novel), played by Newyear, who also show a romantic attraction between the two, witness the evolution of the relationship between the two young people, which crystallizes when they both go to live together in Poppy's humble family home.
With themes such as homosexual romance, coming of age, youth and their way of facing life, family roles, economic contradictions, social inequalities, daily life, self-discovery and acceptance, the series stars August Vachiravit Paisarnkulwong (remembered for playing Pete, one of the protagonists of the two seasons of 'Love Sick the Series', which marked his acting debut, nothing more and nothing less than under the orders of the director of 'Addicted Heroine') as Hero Rahat, and Mac Nattapat Nimjirawat as Poppy Luesil, in her first leading role after participating in numerous films and series, such as 'The Broken Us' and 'My Forever Sunshine'.
Unfortunately, despite some good performances from the cast, the series cannot be recommended to those readers of Chai Ji Dan's novel. The almost literal fidelity of the script to the text contrasts with the free choices made by the director.
It is evident that the changes in the personalities of the protagonists, the telling of the story with tones of vulgar comedy and not from the drama that the novel shows, as well as modifying the dynamics in the actions of the main couple, obey the intention of avoiding the scandal of narrating violent scenes including sexual assaults.
In this sense, the worst point is the literary script, which turns a great novelistic work into an extremely generic story, one of those that we have already seen a thousand times before, and that at some moments becomes meaningless, with unnecessary and at certain moments inexplicable twists and turns, which leads to the great probability of ending up in oblivion due to the way it was carried out by abandoning a solid construction of characters and conflicts in a trite idea.
In the profession of film criticism there is an unwritten rule, although obvious, which almost all of us observe in one way or another: try to strike a balance when evaluating, in terms of weaknesses and successes. Sometimes, that is almost impossible, and this series confirms it.
Despite the notable production values ​​and worthy performances by August and Mac, the script has weighed down, altered and suppressed the strong chemistry and sexual tension between the new stepbrothers with conflicting emotional backgrounds that include previous relationships with old girlfriends, as well as the obsession of one of the boys with the other, which leads him to commit the vile act of sexual assault. The thing is that here we will not find those two fascinating and shocking personalities, so different and complex, which generate all the conflicts included in the original work.
The magic, the spell and the loving intensity of the characters that put the novel on a high level of erotic literature have been left on wet paper.
The result is a bland and clumsy series with a very weak romantic relationship that fans of the literary work do not like, but can be satisfactory for the millions around the world who log in every Tuesday to watch it and do not know the novel. In this case, they could admire and enjoy a beautiful love story between two boys, but nothing more.
In this sense, why adapt a work with that premise and then ignore it and not bring it to the screen? Wouldn't it have been much easier then to film an original script, even if it is loaded with love stories between stepbrothers and the relationship between enemies and lovers?
As part of the human instinct to look for different ways to tell a known story, 'Addicted Heroine' simply joins the long list of failed adaptations, and becomes a soulless television series, which is light years away from the novel on which his script is based. It is, quite simply, a bad mutation of one of the most beautiful erotic novels ever written.
The script is by Chim Sedthawut Inboon ('Never Let Me Go'), Park Thamsarun Khusunthia ('Club Friday Season 16: Young Love') and Poy Orachat Brahmasreni ('Gen Y Season 2'), the latter the only one of this trio of writers with previous experience in adapting original works, by bringing the content of the web novel "Love Syndrome III" to the screen in 2023, a series that also became a failure.
Another of the significant changes in the Thai series is the elimination of the romantic interest of the character of You Qi (Only, in the Thai version), the attractive and popular young man who keeps his homosexuality a secret, by Luo Yin. This ill-advised decision eliminates one of the sources of Hero's (Gu Hai) jealousy, making the series dispense with the rivalry, drama and tension that the love trio causes.
The strong paternal-filial bond of Bai Luo Yin (Poppy Luesil, in this adaptation) with his father Bai Han-qi ("Han" Hanchai in the Thai version), does not reach the intensity and drama of the original work. His humble life in a poor social environment with his sick grandmother and father is weak.
Gu Hai's (Hero) deep resentment towards Gu Wei Ting, his father, for blaming him for his mother's death, is laughable at best.
The character played by August is just a shadow of the character that came from the pen of Chai Ji Dan. No matter how hard he tries, he does not achieve the vibrations that awaken that strong-willed but lonely student who wants to free himself from the influence of his authoritarian father and has difficulty expressing his emotions until the moment he knows true love. Knowing that he is a proven and recognized actor, I assume this is due to the weak drawing of his character in the literary and technical script.
But in my opinion, the biggest mistake is having turned the strong and independent character played by Mac into a lame perfect student overwhelmed by shyness and timidness.
Despite its beautiful photography and remarkable music, the series does not awaken in me the same emotions that I experienced when reading the novel. This is mainly because the greatness of the original work and its two failed Chinese versions lies in the strength, complexity and independence of the personalities of the two protagonists and the inevitable clash of the same, and this is weighed down by the changes introduced in ' Addicted Heroine', which murders the novel.

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Judge by your own successes and errors

The Thai actor Mos Panuwat Sopradit in his acting debut and the Thai-American singer ISBANKY (Bank Mondop Heamtan), in his first leading role, gave us in 2022 a series that from its premise raised a question: Can love be born from hate?
To answer this question, in this romantic comedy-drama with an LGBTIQ+ theme, its creators, the director and screenwriter Puwadon Naosopa and the writer Boy Mitpracha Outtaros, tell a story whose narrative arc describes how the protagonists begin as declared enemies or adversaries, only to discover gradually a deeper connection that transcends the initial animosity.
Taking a common pretext in romantic films and series in which the initial enmity between the protagonists leads them to an enviable love story, 'Big Dragon' presents us with Mangkorn (Mos) and Yai (ISBANKY), two young people who appear to be opposite poles and end up attracted by a chemistry produced throughout the series.
What began as a natural dislike between the two little by little leads to romance, which is complicated because, first of all, because the series is set in a society in which even today, in the 21st century, it is illegal to marriage between people of the same sex or in which members of the LGBTIQ+ community are equally discriminated against due to the impossibility of starting a family, adopting a child or changing their name and new identity after undergoing sex change, and other injustices that are not suffered by the heterosexual people.
In this context, which we cannot ignore, Mangkorn and Yai live, separately and in different ways, the process of accepting homosexuality, denying that they like a person of the same sex, stating that what happened between them was motivated by alcohol and drugs, asking friends for guidance, looking for women as a way to confirm heterosexuality, or even getting into fist fights.
On the other hand, Mangkorn's father pressures his son to marry his friend's daughter, and Yai suffers family pressure with a dead mother and an absent father for work reasons and now in a new love relationship to which the protagonist objects.
Despite social pressures, jealousy, the presence of a new love interest who will try to come between the two, the need to separate due to student issues, Mangkorn and Yai will reach a happy port after starting a journey that will lead them to experience a true individual transformation after falling in love.
I first saw 'Big Dragon' and was interested to see what else Puwadon Naosopa had done or would do in the future. That was a highly produced, incredible, but ultimately conventional series. However, his muse about things was a curious thread that persisted.
In 2023, Mos and Bank starred in one of the 'Y Journey (Stay Like A Local') stories, specifically episode 5, titled 'Let's Say a Lover', in which they represent one of the six young couples that lead the viewer on a trip to various tourist attractions in the eastern region of Thailand.
Both would also act in 'Club Friday Season 15: Moments & Memories', but with Bank as a supporting actor.
Surely someone is wondering if I am reviewing the 'Big Dragon' series here or remembering the filmography of these actors. And no, those are not my goals.
My purpose is to introduce the interested reader to 'SunsetxVibes', a series that brings us back to the MosBank ship in a romantic comedy-drama that shines with its own light in the BL universe like the name of the company where the protagonists work.
On this occasion, Puwadon Naosopa, who wrote the script and directed the actors in 'Big Dragon', convened a team of writers, composed of, in addition to himself, his colleague Somchai Tidsanawoot, known for writing 'Lovely Writer', 'Hidden Agenda', 'I Feel You Linger in the Air', and newcomers Nunt Thongngamkham and Baifern Ataya Sawatdee, to adapt the web novel "Sunsetxvibes", by Rosesarin, and place, in the competitive business world, this suggestive variation of the theme of two young people who meet by chance one night and the next day discover that one of them, Sun (Mos), is the newly appointed director of a large fine jewelry company, and the other, Salin (Bank) is his new employee.
'Sunset x Vibes' is a romance somewhere between comedy and drama. The first thing we know about Salin is the strange and recurring dream he has about a mysterious man dressed in traditional Thai clothes. This aspect, although it seems that it will be important in the series, in the first chapters they deal with it in broad strokes, since the series focuses much more on her relationship with the boy with whom she is flirting through a dating app, who does not It is another who is the owner of the company in which he has started his internship.
The acting traits that many MDL users have criticized here are actually the same aspects that make the two actors fit their roles.
However, despite its powerful cast, made up of renowned actors and actresses, the undeniable chemistry between the protagonists, the beautiful cinematography, its contemporary style, the brilliant visual effects, its majestic soundtrack, the clarity with which the story is conceived on paper, the pulse with which the direction guides her through the setting, and the way Mos and Bank defend her, as well as the beautiful love story that Yotha (Pete Wacharanon Seeduan), the friend of Salin, and Sam (Tenon Teachapat Pinrat), Sun's younger brother, both interns at the company, the series, like its predecessors, does not enjoy the approval of the public, and I fear that the cause does not exactly have to do with the audiovisual product , but with the "trauma" that 'Big Dragon' left in many BL fans, as many of the MDL users recognize.
For their part, the couple formed by Chan (Fong Bovorn Kongnawdee) and Juldis (JJ Rathasat Butwong) provide us with fun antics to relieve tension. Maybe there is another couple, lesbian in that case.
Someone could tell me that the problem lies in the fact that they do not accept that one of the protagonists hides their identity from the other (since both boys have been knowing each other through chat for six months, but they have never seen each other), but, although the series should generate a conflict to be resolved with a consequent personal growth, in my view, the problem does not come from there, since the low ratings are observed from episode 1 itself, when the young people had not yet met personally. In other words, no one could know what would happen between them. The comments make it clear.
They have not given the series the benefit of the doubt and without thinking they have sent it to the slaughterhouse for reminding them of the disappointment that some had with 'Big Dragon', I think for not understanding its objectives.
I believe it is time to grow as we demand of our narrative heroes. It is not logical, fair or ethical to judge an audiovisual product because it reminds us of a frustration.
The series tells an explosive, mature, healthy romance. I identify with the feelings and emotions of the characters.
The romantic plot that entertains and at the same time invites debate and reflection is irresistible. 'SunsetxVibes' has captivated me for the warm atmospheres created with which the audience can identify and for making us empathize with the story, allowing us to see ourselves reflected in the protagonists.
The charisma, tenderness, attractiveness of its protagonists and its irresistible romantic plot make ''SunsetxVibes'' a charming love series made for BL fans. It doesn't break much of the mold in terms of its structure, but its characters and conflicts are unique enough to avoid falling into stereotypes.
The drama brings a full love story, without red flags, and makes the most of the proposed premise, the intellectual potential and good intentions of the team behind the camera, the cinematographic resources available to the creators and the undeniable artistic abilities of the cast.
'SunsetxVibes' surprises us with intrigue and satisfies the expectations of the most demanding audience, by allowing us to believe that love can change the course of a story, a relationship, even the universe, and allowing us to feel that magic and passion can exist even if it is in television series.
It has some sound problems that are sometimes obvious but that doesn't stop me from enjoying the series.
The story is told concisely, never strays from its focus, and is tightly edited. I've watched each episode several times and I didn't get bored at all. All in all, a better than average entry in the world of Thai BL series.
I, for the moment, say my YES for 'SunsetxVibes' and I hope, as on other occasions, that MDL allows me to return to this review to update it.

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Result of the combination of good script, acting and staging (First update from the original review)

In 'Manner of Death', 'Triage', 'Dead Friend Forever - DFF', 'Make a Wish' and 'Bite Me' the famous Thai screenwriter Isaree Siriwankulthon (Sammon), reiterates her interest in witnessing the suspense, the alteration of the time, time loop, medical-forensic work, hospital environment, police investigation, kidnapping, murder, slow-burn romance, friendship, family relationships, school and university ecosystem, unjustly accused characters, action, political, police and business corruption, always having homosexual characters as protagonists.
For her part, director and screenwriter Ning Bhanbhassa Dhubthien has demonstrated, through the series 'KinnPorsche' (2022) and the film 'Man Suang', that both film and television language constitute a tool that she can also use at her own discretion taste, and in which, incidentally, you have the possibility of continuing working with your most recurring motifs or thematic interests.
In '4Minutes', the series in which Sammon and Ning join forces for the first time, the actions of the peculiar creatures that populate the creative universe of the Thai author duo remind us of those of some of the protagonists of the aforementioned works, bringing us closer to their characters in a very sensitive, fluid and ethereal way, recording their most banal movements and glances and turning them into revealing moments by transmitting all the intensity of love through tenderness, melancholy and an enveloping atmosphere.
Great, its central star, is one of the most striking characters to emerge from Sammon's imagination: a university student at the Faculty of Business Administration and son of a rich businessman, blessed with a gift that is also a curse, since he has the supernatural ability to know what is going to happen in the future 4 minutes in advance, always and when it affects him.
This power leads him to alter the results of many events, while the memory of what happened visits him again and again in his imagination. Thus, the story restarts from the beginning, over and over again, so the audience will have to pay attention to discover which is reality and which is not.
He a piece of character, very competently defended by Bible Wichapas Sumettikul ('KinnPorsche'), in which it could very well be the most significant role of his still young and promising artistic career, and thanks to which he unleashes fervor among lovers of the Thai dramas, especially LGBT+ themed fans.
He knows it and devotes himself with devotion to building it, polishing it, making it unique, to providing it with an empathy that overflows the screen and allows him to put himself in the viewer's pocket. His acting counterpoint with Jes Jespipat Tilapornputt ('Sassy Player', 2009), - his counterpart in 'Spaceless', a short film directed by Jatuphong Rungrueangdechaphat, also in 2024, and which serves as a letter of introduction to the acting couple - seduces and fascinates. As do the episodes that make up the drama from its beautiful presentation to the no less admirable farewell.
The friendship that develops between Great and Tyme takes them on a journey of discovery and acceptance that explores male vulnerability. However, it is not a simple story of a couple of friends succumbing to love. That is very seen and would be too predictable.
On the other hand, '4Minutes' is a more rounded, absorbing and sentimental story about two young people who find themselves involved in an exciting intrigue in which there will be no shortage of industrial espionage, murder, kidnapping, betrayal, infidelity, unfulfilled promises, political and police corruption, the proximity of death, revenge, score settlements, martial combats, and explicit sexual scenes (completely removed from the universe of pornography) and that provide absolute meaning to the characters' history .
On the other hand, '4Minutes' is a more rounded, absorbing and sentimental story about two young people who find themselves involved in a passionate intrigue in which there will be no shortage of industrial espionage, murder, kidnapping, martial combats, and explicit sexual scenes ( totally removed from the universe of pornography) and that provide absolute meaning to the characters' story.
With this premise, the director manages to develop a deep character study, investigating the existential motivations and experiences that shape them as individual beings but also as people united by an unbreakable bond. Likewise, it explores complicated relationships, social barriers, and depicts more than one gay romance while challenging social norms and embracing the power of love, acceptance, and understanding. It is much more than a simple love story.
Sammon has created a very intelligent script, in which the dialogues are the basis of the story. Through the conversations that Great and Tyme have, two characters emerge like few we have seen. The screenwriter's prose is almost lyrical and manages to capture the realism and naturalness of their relationship, friendly first, then romantic. The viewer is transported into the story, as if he had the two young people in front of him and was asking permission to jump to the other side of the screen at any moment to join the conversation.
As Great and Tyme connect, their relationship faces numerous complications. Great tries to understand what is causing his abnormality and how to escape it, while dealing with personal and family problems. For his part, Tyme secretly investigates criminal acts in which Great's family may be involved, especially his father, mother and older brother, Korn, played convincingly by Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon, a character who adds greater complexity to the story.
Likewise, the stories that unite Tonkla, Inspector Win, Dome and Title, characters played by Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra, Jay Patiphan Fueangfunuwat, Mio Athens Werapatanakul and Jet Jetsadakorn Bundit, in that order, play an important role in the development of the series.
In this sense, a chance meeting with Great could help Tyme try to get closer to the young university student with the intention of penetrating his family circle to carry out his revenge, since he blames Great's family for the death of his parents. All this, while trying to save his grandmother from reprisals and fulfilling his duties as a doctor at a large hospital in Bangkok.
What begins as a game of cat and mouse will end up becoming a journey of no return. While Great secretly serves Tyme's interests to get even, the boundaries between sexuality and male friendship are continually compromised, with both characters drawn to each other.
The incredibly talented cast, which in addition to the aforementioned actors, includes JJay Patiphan Fueangfunuwat as Inspector Win, Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra as Tonkla, Job Yosatorn Konglikit as Den, Mio Athens Werapatanakul as Dome, and Jet Jetsadakorn Bundit as Title, It adds a touch of depth, elegance and authenticity to the series, and nails each scene and makes it believable.
The plot of the story is woven based on the two axes of coordinates that constitute Great's respective relationships with Tyme, a surgeon whom he knows due to his supernatural ability, and the one he has with his powerful family, businessmen they will not hesitate to commit the most terrible crimes if these help them get away with their crimes in the competitive business world.
The development of dramatic tension will be the result of both vectors, which pull Great in opposite directions, and which will narratively establish the counterweight between two categories of values, which will face each other on the stage table, and to which he must have a clear and lucid choice for one of the two: both at an aesthetic level and in content, which we will see trying to be resolved in the treatment of the psychological level and development of the characters.
In the photography of Pavarisa Tadde and Ittipong Klinchart, the exuberant beauty of colors and light of the luxurious surroundings of the Great mansion, the beautiful city landscapes, contrast with the most gloomy and degraded spaces, such as those of hospitals, also seen as a setting of pain and death, the humble house in which Tyme lives with his grandmother, since his parents died long ago, or those in which a corpse frequently appears.
In the context of Great's environment we also see how, both at the level of photography and staging, there is this significant disparity: the luminosity and brightness in the daytime scenes, with the darkest, warmest tones (from yellowish to almost reddish from inside the house); In both, he participates in the fiery internal love dynamics in which the protagonist begins to anticipate, in the form of a visual fantasy, his passion for Tyme.
The soundtrack by Terdsak Janpan fits perfectly with the moods of the characters and the tone of each moment. The music wonderfully delves into this suffocating, mysterious and at some points almost depressive character, in which we see Great's tortured spirit immersed, until he decides to free himself and surrender to his love and resolve the conflicts that surround him.
As I've probably already said in some way, the main charm of the series comes from the relationship between the two young people, who build a very special bond. The chemistry between Great and Tyme is palpable: the two transmit tenderness, camaraderie and a lot of passion. This helps a lot at a certain point in which the protagonists meet like two chess players with a board in between.
At the level of content, the struggle of opposite poles is manifested in this clash between the protagonists' will for healthy fulfillment and the suffocating reality that surrounds them.
Once again, Sammon demonstrates his good eye when it comes to finding unexpected narrative angles, building a solid network of emotions, designing fascinating characters and plots, and telling an attractive story while weaving its edges, taking his time, pampering and caring for the story, to give rise to a series that is summarized as one of the best in recent years.
'4Minutes is an emotional and heartfelt proposal that makes us forget that it is not Jespipat Tilapornputtde the actor who was supposed to play Tyme.

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The hot noodle soup and the love

The Chinese miniseries 'Infidelity, It's a Disease' follows Jiang Ye or just "Handsome Playboy", a promiscuous and narcissistic boy, and Zirui, the "Pretty Young Man" Nursing student at Jingnan University, located in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China, who comes to offer him the requested specialized services in therapeutic massages at home, and who will be asked "if he offers special services".
The encounter between the two traces the blossoming of a relationship marked by sex, infidelity, and a desire for revenge. While there aren't many plots, there is plenty of passion.
Once again, China single-handedly saves the big BL drought, especially of good boy-love stories!
The two actors manage to paint a passionate and fiery picture of how sex and therapeutic massage can connect two strangers and lead to love.
Meanwhile, while one seeks to have fun on he own terms (even if it causes harm to others) and enjoy sex with the first guy who comes knocking, the other is worried about keeping he job and afraid of receiving a bad review from one of the clients.
With a lively, cheerful, and humorous pace, the series directed by MR.D. progresses from one scene to the next. If one moment we see the promiscuous guy trying to get the other into bed, the next we see the two lovers celebrating dinners and festivities.
Most of the story of 'Infidelity, It's a Disease' takes place in the small bedroom of the "Handsome Playboy". From their first meeting to their first heartbreaks, they experience it all in this tiny space. And I like this because it makes the story more personal, allowing the viewer to enter this small world, where all the truths will be revealed.
It is here in the bedroom where the two meet, where they exchange words and actions tinged with sexual desire in one of them while the other defends his role as bringing traditional Chinese culture and medicine to the world. It is also the place where they engage in a passionate flirtation that stands out precisely for its originality. This back-and-forth, although cheesy, maintains the expectation of what is to come. Anian Mo Lin's photography helps recreate the atmosphere.
The story of the four-episode series, each approximately eight minutes long, centers on the idea of revenge for infidelity. The young nursing student plans to avenge he promiscuous boyfriend's infidelities and make him he "pet". In fact, the pathological promiscuity that surrounds one of the characters will be one of the keys to viewers' devourability of "Infidelity, It's a Disease."
This is a fun and sexy story, and he packs so much into such short episodes! Plus, the viewer can't really imagine what's going to happen next.
Will Zi Rui, the "Pretty Boy," get Jiang Ye, the "Handsome Playboy," to delete all his hot dating contacts from his phone? Will the two of them admit they're in love with each other?
Although actor Peng Kangjun is convincing as a student with an innocent face that perfectly suits his character, who quickly falls in love with the love of his life, and Sun Wei Hao perfectly fits the role of the "Handsome Playboy", who always uses his physical attributes, his handsome face, his passionate words, and his captivating kisses to carry out his conquests, the whole "Infidelity, It's a Disease" feels unambitious, perhaps due to its low budget or because the series didn't have a real script when it was filmed, and the director only gave the actors a brief outline of what was supposed to happen, and each had to create their own dialogue.
However, it must be acknowledged that the latter gives the series a much more raw appeal, as the characters' reactions are natural.
The series' biggest drawback is that the characters take a while to introduce themselves individually, and when they do, they don't offer many details about their pasts, dreams, and goals. That said, it also takes a while for the viewer to empathize with these characters, as we don't get to know them well, beyond the prototypes they represent.
As a viewer, I would have liked to grow even more with the characters.They developed quite quickly, to the point where I ended up not really knowing who they were. We identify with the idea of their situation, but not with them as people. It left me wanting to know them more. However, the actors' commitment brought everything that their characters and the story didn't.

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Nothing gives a young soldier more pleasure than being a dog loyal to his master

Based on the novel "Military Dog" (軍犬) by Petit (Xia Mu Cong), the Taiwanese short film of the same name shows an intense virtual erotic encounter between a "human puppy" named Li Jun-Zhong and his Master DT, while offers a glimpse into the unique BDSM scene, the well-known human-puppy play in Taiwan, influenced by Japanese shibari (繩縛) and culture leather/kinky/fetish from the United States.
Based on his own experience in the army, which, in Xia Mu Cong's words, is a gigantic sadomasochistic place, 'Military Dog', a psychosocial thriller of obsession, directed in 2019 by Ping-Wen Wang and scripted by Yi-Hsun Yu delves into the strangest and most provocative areas of the human mind, while viscerally penetrating all the spooky moments that keep us up at night.
Film that won the Gold Award at the Outfest: Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2019, tells us about a soldier who wants to level up through an extreme method, which involves his Master DT: entering the world of BDSM.
Shocking and full of suspense... a little fun as the soldier follows his Master's instructions via video call, 'Military Dog' received high ratings from critics and the public during its screening at the 2019 Outfest LGBTQ Film Festival and 2019 Outfest Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival "Opening Night Gala".
One night, in the military camp, the young soldier, played wonderfully by Chun Yao Yao, an actor known for his participation in the LGBT+ themed film 'Dear Tenant' (2020), by Wang Li Wei, accepts the proposal of his Master DT to become his "puppy" to demonstrate his burning desire and tremendous loyalty and submission.
The cast also includes Tommy Wang, an actor known for playing Eric in 'Dear Tenant', Kevin in 'Gentleman Spa' (2019), and Xiao K in the series 'Dark Blue and Moonlight' 2017), all of LGBT+ theme, who plays Junior Soldier here.
In an exclusive sphere where any activity can occur, Li Jun-Zhong as the "Military Dog", and Master DT (although his face can barely be seen through the mobile phone, in an outstanding performance by Li Yun Tsai, actor known for participating in several LGBT+ themed films, such as 'Bao Bao' (2018) and 'The Story of the Stone' (2018), like "Master", blur the limits of pain and pleasure through control and submission, the look, the compliance with orders, the speed with which he must react if he wants to gain the acceptance of the "Master", the dangers he must run to satisfy the Master's demands in a place guarded by other soldiers on duty, the sound of the urine when falling, one's own touch, smell and breathing.
What make the story more fascinating are the young Taiwanese director's imitation of an instructor's training and the oath of enlistment, culminating in the pleasure of built-up erotic tension.
Full of passionate and kinky exploration along, DT is referred to as "Master" and "He" in the story to indicate a relationship between a caretaker and a pup.
Naturally, Li Jun-Zhong's pronouns "he" and "his" (with "Military Dog" as his pup's name) are presented in lowercase. The purpose of this conceit is, first, to show the respect, love and adoration of the human cub towards its Master; secondly, prove that DT is the only Master of Li Jun-Zhong.
At the same time, the film adopts combined first and third person points of view to refer to "Military Dog", celebrating the fluidity and versatility of his sexual identity. In the film, viewers are supposed to understand that "I" is "he" (lowercase) is "the slave".
The film gains vigor thanks to Eric Chao's photography with flat colors with little color saturation seasoned with dark night nuances, and a sharp, penetrating music by Thomas Foguenne.
'Military Dog' focuses on sexual fluidity and the metamorphosis of humans into "dogs" in the context of contemporary Taiwan. Captivatingly shot, the film subverts cultural norms by outing the underground BDSM scene and imagining the military as a distinct site of queer performance, creating a layered act of queering what is normal or "vanilla".
Furthermore, this important and timely work questions the universalizing claims of queer desire and fundamental notions of the erotic, the individual, and the body. The short film seeks to document the existence of the Taiwanese BDSM scene and new sexual identities. It also offers the opportunity to imagine a new politics of sex, one that projects a vision of our queer past and future.
Moving away from stereotypical representations of queer characters as a group of suffering victims, Ping-Wen Wang explores and showcases LGBTQ+ experiences using new approaches.
'Military Dog' reaffirms the high level of social acceptance of Taiwanese queer cinema, while promoting greater awareness of the LGBTQ+ community. This film is a demonstration that the film industry is evolving, progressing and expanding queer productions, responding to increasingly deep conversations about queer issues and recognizing their commercial potential.

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An essential Chinese political-erotic drama

The images run before my eyes once again. I resist filling the blank page with my ideas. I fear that on this occasion, as on so many others, I will not be able to say everything about this political-erotic drama full of nuances and trust, that something will get stuck in my throat and I will not be able to express what I feel correctly.
Next to me lies, open to its last page, a volume of the story by writer Wang Xiao Bo, who became co-writer, which tells a story of oppression and torment set in a time and place where people were criminals if they were part of the community LGBT+. To understand what happens before my eyes, I need to drink from its most intimate and pure essences. That's why I go to the book as well as the movie.
I think I see A Lan before me touring the two parks, the East Palace, the West Palace, with its public bathrooms, more than in search of sex with other homosexuals, trying to bump into the policeman he has fallen in love with. . It all happens there, behind the Forbidden City, behind the doors of the Palace, in Beijing.
It's 1996 and Zhang Yuan, the Sixth Generation filmmaker, comes to my aid to tell me the story about a repressed and latent homoerotic relationship between a "master and a slave". I enjoy the intense and dark author's chamber piece that leads me to learn about the relationship between an openly gay writer and a police officer who refuses to accept himself because he is overcome by a strong internalized homophobia.
I glimpse Xiao Shi, the handsome man with big hands, those hands that A Lan loves so much, how he fulfills the young gay writer's dreams of being arrested and interrogated by a police officer, it doesn't matter to him if it's for "vandalism".
I witness Xiao Shi go from initial repulsion to fascination and finally attraction. I judge that the accusation of intolerance is not intended to be limited to the Chinese government, but rather to that which is manifested in all parts of the world regardless of the political regime of a given country.
I distinguish before me eros, death and sensuality walking the avenues towards sadomasochism. I sense a possible reconciliation and even the beginning of a romantic relationship between the gay writer and his captor.
I discover in Jian Zhang's beautiful photography how two worlds collide. I notice the back and forth, the initial imbalance of power between victim and executioner. I notice how the power dynamic changes between these two people over the course of a single night, in the middle of an interrogation.
I experience that the writer, from his playful kiss that left the policeman perplexed, to the confrontation between the two moments before the final credits roll, never gives up or shows signs of self-pity.
The images run before my eyes once again, and allow me to appreciate that the effeminate and masochistic, who may seem submissive, transforms, towards the middle of a film that equally transforms into both a power game and a gender performance, upon receiving the freedom granted by Xiao Shi to tell the story of his life.
I enjoy how he manages to turn the interrogation room into his own stage, where he is not only able to spread his wings and fly, but also to shout his love to the police officer.
I evaluate the analysis of gender and sexuality, the replay between pain and pleasure. I recognize myself, like so many others, in the feelings expressed in this film. I appreciate how A Lan can express that she could be a man or a woman, a goddess or a prostitute, the thief in love with her jailer.
I watch as the prisoner assumes the position of power and completely dominates (and even hypnotizes) his captor and all the spectators. And if there is one complaint, it is the script, for not giving a writer, like A Lan, more power over his words to counterattack the uniformed man, and only repeatedly using a single reason: "It's not disgusting. It's love. You can find me despicable, but my love is not".
I appreciate in the film the use of Piaget's genetic psychology and his atmospheric Fassbinder.
I allow myself another regret, the last one, I assure you, but one that affects the film not being much better than it already is: unfortunately, Hu Jun does not always seem to know what to do, how to function in front of the cameras, while his interest in the life story of the homosexual man he interrogates is not given the necessary nuance.
However, I vibrate as I listen to A Lan reply to the policeman, "You've been asking me this whole time. Why don't you ask yourself?" In this way, 'East Palace, West Palace' returns to itself the institutional inquisition that pursues queerness, asking about its own queer nature.
I open my eyes as the film plays with the limits and rules of attraction and seduction as one man's story becomes another's gateway.
I compare the film with that experience that we have all had of risking everything for the opportunity to be ourselves, whether in the search for love, sex, happiness, or simply those moments of connection with other people who can feel like oneself.
I sharpen my senses about how the film also explores the complicated relationship between gay men and the desire to feel loved by those in power, both in the figure of a law enforcement official and in that of the rich daddy that the writer once followed to his house, to receive the burning of the lit cigarette butt in his chest.
I believe that by turning the police interrogation process into seduction, Zhang Yuan's film subverts expectations as expected, and crosses the borders between pain and pleasure, between hate and love.
I distinguish that the emotional structure of the story and the enthusiasm that Si Han and Hu Jun put into expressing their lines make this film moving, beautiful, and shocking. It is a triumph for those who were handcuffed and imprisoned for their sexual identity.
I estimate that it is in that moment, as well as during the 90 minutes of footage, that we can appreciate queer cinema at its maximum expression of gay liberation, a political cinema at its most subversive and resistant, while analyzing how malleable the presentation of the human being to the world. Because the film also fulfills its objective of functioning as an intriguing experiment on the clash between the State and personal space, between the public dimension and private life.
The images run before my eyes once again, and I notice how the cut scenes, in magnificent and precise flashbacks, fill in the missing story of the mysterious writer's past of suffering.
I thus learn about A Lan's hidden desires at school, her relationship with her mother, the sad existence of "Omnibus" (Vicki Zhao), her classmate that anyone can ride; the public shame that the homosexual suffers, his first sexual experience, his furtive encounters in abandoned places with other gay men; how pain has led him to be the person he is, how he has preferred pain rather than being ignored...
In this way I understand the dreamlike epiphanies of the androgynously stylized Chinese theater, whose images also roll before my eyes.
I do not lose sight of the fact that through questions and answers the tumultuous life of the person questioned since his childhood is narrated, the difficulties that come with being homosexual in China, and how the brief intimate scenes of A Lan's life blur the feelings of the man who wear uniform.
I resist the idea that this gay film was written and directed by a straight filmmaker, especially since the portrayal of the queer character is riddled with stereotypes.
However, I applaud that 'East Palace, West Palace' escapes the stereotypical view of narcissistic heterosexual directors, and doesn't tell us one more tearjerking trope about the story of a sad, lonely queer man who has been oppressed all his life and accidentally falls for himself. falls in love with the apparently "straight" police officer who tortures him, because one of the strengths of the film is to present as the protagonist a homosexual character who has almost disappeared in conventional cinema on a global scale due to the horrific process of assimilation of the community and gay culture.
In this sense, Zhang Yuan uses all the queer expressions and traits that are most irritating to heterosexuals. He never sugarcoats the young writer's life and experience of sexuality, to interrogate the very core of homophobia and internalized homophobia, that self-hatred that the character played by Hu Jun feels towards himself.
I see the loud cry for help, both political and sexual, which in this case go hand in hand.
I see the amazing and moving performance of the real-life gay man. I was amazed to learn that Si Han was there as part of the technical team and was only chosen because the supposed protagonist dropped out at the last minute.
The images run before my eyes once again. Contrary to the way Western critics try to frame the film, I don't think the film criticizes the "authoritarian government". Firstly, there are no major differences between how an American LGBT+ film from the 90s criticizes the way society and the state approach homosexuality and what Zhang Yuan's film examines.
That's not to say it's all the same, but simply that certain sections of the public would like to use what was shown in 'East Palace, West Palace' as evidence of some specifically unique and more terrible oppression in China.
The truth is that just by watching the film, I do not feel or see the supposed repression that Western propaganda seeks to impose, ignoring, in the process, the realities of nearby countries. Clear example of political motivation.
I resist the idea that the topics presented are intended to explicitly attack China. However, obviously the film does talk about what is accepted and what is not accepted within any society, in this case the Chinese one.
But A Lan himself raises his voice at this, and expresses (paraphrasing): "we are all different and we walk at our different paces, but we are identical." That is, the repression suffered by the main character throughout his life can be similar to that suffered by any homosexual in any heteronormative and patriarchal society.
Even in societies that are supposedly more liberated with respect to homosexuality, such as the United States, from the beginning of 2023 until today there has been an unparalleled process of legislative violence and regression in the human rights of LGTB+ people.
I am referring to the approval of anti-LGBT+ laws by different states that openly limit different facets of the rights of said community, which aim to put the members of this group back in the closet, and which will begin in 2022 when Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, approved the Don't Say Gay Bill, whose text prohibits teaching any educational content related to sexual orientation or gender identity to students between 3 and 17 years old, and requires that the educational curriculum necessarily define he sex as "determined by biology and reproductive functions" and gender as "binary, stable and fixed".
I believe it is necessary to make these distinctions because too often legitimate criticism is used by opponents as incendiary ammunition. It would be an injustice to this film if it were used like this.
The images flash before my eyes once again, and I hear Min Xiang's music, while the audience gives a standing ovation to 'East Palace, West Palace' at its premiere at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina, in November 1996, and at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.

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Between cruel, deceitful, and loving and nostalgic characters

'Stealing from My CEO' is a Chinese drama and romantic series with an LGBT+ theme with a plot about two adopted brothers, Chen, from rich parents, and Gang, a poor orphan, who are separated, while still children, when an ambitious employee of the family mansion hatches plans to steal and blame Gang.
Thirteen years later, now young, the two adopted brothers meet again. By then, Chen has assumed the name Lucas and is a successful CEO, engaged to the ambitious employee's daughter, Nana, who, posing as Gang's biological sister, manipulated Lucas' guilt into convincing him to commit to she.
Meanwhile, Gang finds it impossible to tell Lucas his true identity, because during that time, without relatives, home or friends, he has been forced to be a thief by Green Dragon, a man who picked him up on the streets after escaping, and now pressures Gang to rob Lucas and his fiancee's house. To carry out the heist, Gang will have the help of Crane, Green Dragon's son. The story also tells of a love triangle between Lucas, Gang and Crane.
Good and evil characters, drama, intrigue, boss-employee relationship, love triangle, romance, tension, threats, dangers and adventures are the ingredients of the series.
Despite being poor and orphaned, and the mistreatment to which he was subjected, Gang, the main character, is a noble and innocent spirit, a quality that he preserves contrary to all the suffering he has suffered in his childhood and adolescence.
The series, signed in vertical format, also has a moral purpose, through the reflection of the life led by the most marginal sector of society, since having lived among scammers and thieves, both Crane and Gang survive with candor and innocence, wanting not to continue their lives as thieves and, instead, study to be able to enter university and carve out a future free from criminal acts.
Despite its low budget and numerous flaws: linear content marked by conventionality, emotional affectation, narrative scheme of melodramatic and sentimental exaggeration, overacting, low blows, reproduction of gender stereotypes, caricature characters, linking economic success with crime, discrimination and little desire to investigate social contexts, the series seeks to criticize the lack of protection of the most disadvantaged classes, the determinism that can lead directly from poverty to crime and inhumanity.
Between cruel and deceitful characters, on the one hand, and loving and nostalgic characters, on the other, it will be discovered who the young employee in Lucas and Nana's house really is.
'Stealing from My CEO' paints the misfortune of two young people who hope to escape with their own efforts from a world of theft that is not the one they dreamed of the squalid moral misery of a father who forces his children to steal, the undeserved life of opulence of ambitious father and daughter who will do anything to climb the ranks of society, and a young man who has not forgotten the one he once called brother and with whom he shared games and laughter in childhood.

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The taste of love

I still remember with special pleasure such succulent gastronomic films as 'Babette's Feast' (Gabriel Axel, 1987), 'Eat, Drink, Love' (Ang Lee, 1994), 'The Chef in Love' (Nana Djordjadze, 1996) and ' The Cook of Last Wishes', by the Oscar-winning Japanese director Yôjirô Takita.
Without leaving the country of the Rising Sun, series come to mind that also talk to us about food as art and feeling, such as 'Sugar Dog Life' (Honda Ryuichi, Ouchi Takahiro, 2024), 'What Did You Eat Yesterday?' (Nakae Kazuhito', 2021), 'Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo' (Matsumoto Hana, 2023), 'Kinou Nani Tabeta?' (Katagiri Kenji, Nojiri Katsumi, Nakae Kazuhito, 2019), 'Old Fashion Cupcake' (Kato Ayaka, 2022), and 'Bokura no Shokutaku' (Ishibashi Yuho, Iizuka Kashou, Kamimura Naho, 2023), which all have in common being LGBT+ themed dramas.
Similarly, one of the protagonists of 'Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke', the series directed by Nojiri Katsumi, makes his stews using seasonal products, ranging from lotus, zucchini, seaweed, cherry tomatoes from the garden and rhubarb roots, a consequence of centuries of refinement, to bamboo, mushrooms, along with the daily use of rice. In addition to sushi, the Japanese have achieved the greatest filigree in fish, without forgetting the legendary tempura.
And the delicious food prepared by Ayumu Mitsuya, which is the name of the famous culinary researcher, an affable older man who speaks in a Kyoto dialect, attracts, and not only in the sense of being able to fill his belly, Tomoya Ishida, a young novice editor who has trouble adapting to the environment of a women's magazine, and who meets the also popular and skilled food expert when he is assigned to go to his house to pick up the manuscript of a column to be published.
Ishida is so nervous on his first visit that he almost faints, but the food served by the chef who is exceptionally gifted in the kitchen, who by just tasting a dish, is able to discover its secrets, recognize the ingredients and know how to prepare it exactly the same as the model, seduces the stomach of the pure and honest young man, who soon feels attracted by Mitsuya's gentle gaze, his cheerful personality and the tenderness he occasionally shows, so he finds himself eagerly awaiting their next meeting.
Also known as 'Mr. Mitsuya Planned Feeding', LesPros Entertainment's BL drama stars actor and singer-songwriter Masayoshi Yamazaki ('Shadowfall'), who returns to the small screen after 26 years, as Ayumu Mitsuya, and Taisei Sakai ('My Sly Bestie') as Tomoya Ishida, to tell us a story of human and culinary love between two adult men with an age difference.
After writing and directing the films 'New Manager of the Sumo Club' (2005), 'Lying to Mom' (2018), the specials 'Yoru no Agura: Ane to Ototo to Watashi' (2022) and 'Shishosetsu: Hattatsu Shogai' no Boku ga Junai Shosetsuka ni Nareta Riyu', and the series 'Kinou Nani Tabeta?' (2019) and 'KuroNeko Lucy' (2012), the Japanese filmmaker and television director once again demonstrates great sensitivity and unusual humanism when adapting the manga of the same name by Ayaka Matsumoto, which was serialized in Manga Yomonga from 2020 to 2022 and published as a book in January 2024.
The music by Masayoshi Yamazaki and the magnificent script by Nami Yoshikawa ('Boys! Please Kiss Him, Instead of Me', 2020) remind us that it is important not to forget that when you invite someone to your table, you must take charge of their happiness all the time he is under your roof. And if that time extends for the rest of their lives, the better.
Coked, the plot will presumably focus on the relationship forged between the two main characters. However, little by little this idea is being abandoned and through dialogues, internal monologues and flashbacks we are getting to know a much more complex story, which mixes a romantic drama and, of course, a culinary one, through the story of an older man abandoned for years. back by her boyfriend, the famous photographer Noguchi Kaoru (Maruyama Tomomi), who will return from France, where he has carried out his professional work, to try to recover the love of his life, and the nascent love relationship between the neat and elegant culinary researcher and the young man worried about not being able to find his interests in life after failing in his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player. Both will communicate through food.
What at first seems like a kind of romantic series seasoned with seasonal vegetables and greens, turns into a hypnotic story that completely captivates the viewer.
Furthermore, all the characters are very well constructed and tremendously interesting. Everyone, directly or indirectly, will probably "cook" the love relationship between Mitsuya and Ishida.
The narrative pace of the series is slow but steady. There are many more aspects to discover than initially expected, since 'Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke' has many layers, like an onion, since we talk largely about cooking.
The description and preparation of the dishes, which is very interesting, not only from a gastronomic point of view, but is inserted in the development of the plot as an element full of meaning, connects the story, serving as a link between the different subplots.
As can be expected on an artistic level, the images and montage concentrate a lot on telling the relationship between the two protagonists, in addition to how these dishes of food are prepared, with abundant detailed shots, and showing with great skill what Mitsuya feels while cooking and Ishida while he savors them. Regardless of how fond or not you are of culinary art, these images do not go unnoticed and are truly attractive, in more than one case whetting your appetite.
Also worth mentioning is the scenery, both Mitsuya's elegant and charming Japanese-style house with its Western furniture, the attractive restaurant where Shige (Uno Shohei) works and where the two protagonists frequently go, the art gallery where he exhibits his photographic work Noguchi Kaoru, Mitsuya's ex-boyfriend, or the premises occupied by the fashion magazine Sophia Monthly, such as the exteriors. The series has a very careful level of production.
From the interpretations it can be said that they are all very heartfelt and truthful. I would especially highlight Masayoshi Yamazaki as the wise, courteous and delicate gentleman, because that is precisely what he is, an attentive gentleman, who has extensive mastery of the culinary art and interpersonal communication. Him movements in the kitchen are brilliant, and the way in which she shows him skills and how him describes the preparation and components of the different dishes is exquisite, with a sweet and melodic voice. Giving more details about this complex and fascinating character would be a major spoiler.
But Sakai Taisei also draws attention in his role as Ishida. This young actor and model, whom I have seen play Gira Husty / Kuwagata Ohger in 'Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger', accepts the challenge of acting alongside a performer with a long career on stage, to play the clumsy and shy editor, but at the same time happy, animated and with a touch of mischief in his eyes, in love with a person who is nearly 30 years older than him in terms of age. It's a pleasure to see him laugh, walk through the streets with a hurried step, or run holding the sensei's hand, as he constantly calls Mitsuya. His laugh is contagious, and on the other side of the screen I am also with my mouth open from ear to ear.
As for the issue that bothers some viewers, I have seen several films with romances with age differences, such as 'The Idea of ​​You' (2024), 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950), 'All That Heaven Allows' (1955), 'The Graduate' (1967), 'Harold and Maude' (1971), 'Bull Durham' (1988), 'Thelma & Louise' (1991), 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back' (1998), 'Notes on a Scandal' (2006), 'Don Jon' (2013), 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' (2017), 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' (2022), and 'May December' (2023), inter alia. And although they narrate relationships between older women and young men, there are others, such as 'Gerontophilia' (2013) and 'Un prince' (2024), which reflect a homosexual relationship between two adult men with great differences of age, among others. Regarding the first one, in my opinion, the only thing wrong is the title.
As in the Canadian romantic comedy-drama directed by Bruce LaBruce, and the rural life drama by Frenchman Pierre Creton, to name two that I have seen recently, the gay love relationship with a very considerable age difference portrayed in 'Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke', is a consensual relationship, between two adults who are delighted to have met. The age difference in any romantic and/or sexual relationship may be seen by society as taboo and may be unacceptable to many, but I am of the opinion that there should be no judgment between consenting adults.
Hence, the important thing would be for each of the spectators to answer the following question: Does love exist after youth, after adulthood, in old age, in the last age of life? I answer with a resounding yes. And I would add a very valid Kleinian argument: "As long as the respiratory capacity is preserved, nothing prevents it." In other words, I would not settle for the commonplace of "love knows no ages."
In summary, 'Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke' is a love song to love, to cooking and to the vocation that can be professed to it. But in addition to a culinary artistic exercise that is very pleasant to see regardless of the interest you have in the art of cooking, it is also a great analysis of human relationships, of the freedom of being able to choose the person with whom you want to share your life. And perhaps what is most notable, the redemptive power of love to renew the heart and redirect the life path.
In this sense, the series also affects the freedom of the characters, who are not marked by an inexorable destiny that leads them to be the way they are, but rather they make their own decisions, for which they are responsible, which is proposed not only in lovers, but also in the companions that they will become each other for the rest of their days.

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In his directorial and screenwriting debut, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yun He ('Until the Autumn Wind Start', 'Love Ever After', 'Find You In The Dream'), explores college campus love, homophobia, internalized homophobia, the love triangle, the relationship of childhood friends, unrequited love and the repressed desire to live sexuality freely.
Zhang Yun He is one of the world-renowned Chinese film directors who have portrayed homosexuality in their films, series and short films. His work joins others, such as 'River Knows Fish Heart', 'East Palace, West Palace', 'Spring Fever', 'For Love, We Can', 'Looking for Rohmer', 'Wu Yan – Speechless', ' Shanghai Panic', 'Kinematic Theory', 'The Raccoon', 'The Ambiguous Focus', which also address gender issues and sexual diversity in that Asian country.
'Find You in the Crowd', whose original title is 'Seeing Deers When the Trees Are Deep' (樹深時見鹿), revolves around Shen Lu Sheng, a senior college student, who is unable to recognize who is in love with a boy, his friend, the junior student Chen Jing Nian, who did have the courage to express her love for him.
This infatuation is the cause of the harassment that Shen Lu Sheng suffers from his schoolmates, which adds to the hostility that for family reasons he had already been a victim of since childhood. All this has caused him to have low self-esteem.
The film tells us about feelings, the passage of time and the protagonist's regrets for not confessing his feelings. 'Find You in the Crowd' speaks of a very everyday intrinsic truth in the lives of many homosexuals in the world, who remain silent, live repressed and do not accept their true nature. Many will be able to see themselves reflected in the character and the story told.
When Shen Lu Sheng is faced with the feelings he awakens in Chen Jing Nian, he hesitates to acknowledge his love and does not dare to face his own feelings honestly.
Starring Chen Wei (Chen Hao) and Tian Jun Zhang, in the roles of Shen Lu Sheng and Chen Jin Gian, respectively, the film is based on an original script written by Yan Xingjun and Zhang Yun He himself.
Also known as 'Shu Shen Shi Jian Lu', the film begins when the two friends meet again after some time, and discover that their feelings for each other are still intact.
From here on, the precise and frequent flashbacks will take us to know the intimate relationship between Shen Lu Sheng and Chen Jin Gian from when they were children to the present.
Filmed in Shanghai in 2017, the creators make good use of the monologue to expose Chen Jin Gian's feelings. In this way, the character guides the viewer on an introspective journey, revealing the feelings he hides and the desire to be able to confess his love to his best friend and the person he is in love with. Along the way, the protagonist discovers himself and questions himself for not having been sincere.
Equally notable is the cinematography, the color palette and the music, which as a whole reflect the tone of the film and expose the moods of the characters.
The ending is neither happy nor sad, as it is an open ending, as the story continues in 'Find You in the Crowd 2'.

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Through a love story between two boys in a coastal town, the LGBTIQ+-themed Chinese short film 'Dance on My Grave' addresses the issue of homosexuality and the issue of death, which is practically presented as a threatening scene to throughout the film, directed by Terrence Hu (Hu Kaixiang).
Based on the novel of the same name by British writer Aidan Chambers, the central hero of the film tries to clarify his memories, after having experienced a fantasy caused by a teenage crush.
Scripted and edited by Terrence Hu himself, the film aims to explore the tortuous search for oneself, as well as the depressing idea of ​​inevitable death that is very closely related to the transgressions of adolescence.
Starring Hu Kaixiang and Tingkai Huang, 'Dance on My Grave' had its world premiere at the Beijing Queer Film Festival 2022, and presents us with death manifested in a metaphorical way.
The protagonist's interest in death is more than an adolescent preoccupation. It is natural that someone on the verge of adulthood, experiencing sexual pleasure and the joy of autonomy, youth and beauty for the first time, would be alarmed by the transience of everything they have just discovered.
Autobiographical in nature, the title of the short film is in itself challenging and surprising, since human beings inescapably associate dance with celebration. On the contrary, we perceive death as something we have to deal with, as a sad and bitter reminder of our mortality. Dancing at a mourning moment would be considered inappropriate at best, more likely offensive and disrespectful.
The viewer is forced to confront the question of death subjectively through the protagonist's concern for "death itself" which he constantly evokes, and also metaphorically through the death of the self in the characters themselves.

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A message of hope, growth and improvement

In Jom's world, Jom will care for and protect Yai as Yai cared for and protected him in his world.
Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee, the director of the LGBTIQ+ themed series 'War of Y' (2022), 'Hidden Agenda' (2023), 'Step by Step' (2023), 'TharnType' (2020) and 'Lovely Writer' ( 2021), among others, returns us in 'Scent of Memory' to the protagonists of 'I Feel You Linger in the Air', one of his popular dramas.
Jom (Nonkul Chanon Santinatornkul) and Yai (Bright Rapheephong Thapsuwan) have not been able to forget the love that unites them. The possibility of reaffirming that deep human emotion that they experience takes place in the present of Jom.
On this occasion, Yai will be the one who travels in time, to the future, in response to Jom's request to be able to meet again, being convinced that making a wish to the stars during a meteor shower could guarantee that dreams come true.
More than the essence of memory, this Special Episode explores the essence of love, a concept that has captivated poets, philosophers and artists throughout history.
The reunion between Jom and Yai shows that romantic love can transcend borders, cultures and times.
Jom and Yai demonstrate that romantic love is a complex, multifaceted emotion that encompasses a broad spectrum of experiences and expressions.
The bond between the two characters is the very essence of love, as it implies deep affection, deep attachment, and a sense of care for someone beyond oneself.
The two protagonists experience a deep connection, which has created a sense of belonging and fuels the mutual need for connection, intimacy and unity. This manifests itself in joy, support, understanding, empathy, sadness, compassion, the feeling of vulnerability and also security and emotional well-being for oneself and for others.
Audiences will appreciate that love inherently involves vulnerability, as both characters are open to the possibility of pain and loss. By loving each other, Yai and Jom expose their true selves, allowing others to see their strengths, weaknesses, fears, and dreams. However, they are aware that it is through vulnerability that love can deepen and flourish, as they build trust and intimacy.
Likewise, 'Scent of Memory' explores how love can be a catalyst for personal growth and transformation, turning lovers into better versions of themselves, overcoming challenges and striving for personal and mutual growth, providing a nurturing environment that encourages self-acceptance, forgiveness and the exploration of new possibilities.
In 'I Feel You Linger in the Air', Jom travels in time by chance, but in 'Scent of Memory' he makes the trip a transtemporal journey because it is his destiny, because it is what he longs for.
In this dramatized, Yai's role is crucial since he is the one who travels in time to meet Jom again and leads him to reconnect with the past they lived. Through his quest to find Jom, Yai demonstrates his determination and bravery to outwit even the forces of physics and time.
This fairy tale has a dance included, which keeps the romantic and hopeful atmosphere of the series alive, as the protagonists glide through the living room of Jom's house. The dance, supported by an enveloping melody and a captivating rhythm, make this moment one of the most memorable in the audiovisual, which lasts just over 60 minutes.
The magic and charm of Yai and Jom's love story, even if it were a dream, lies in the fact that dreams can come true, even for those who live in two different worlds. Through the power of perseverance, of always remembering the person we love even if they are far from us, of wishing to be reunited, it shows that anyone can find their happiness.
In 'Scent of Memory', the message of hope, growth and improvement is present, reminding us that, despite obstacles, there is always an opportunity to achieve our deepest desires.
Yai and Jom will remind us that love is a deeply human experience, a journey we undertake with an open heart, accepting both its joys and its challenges.

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The boys whose names together are not the only thing that look good on them

Who has seen 'Hit Bite Love', the six-episode teen romantic drama released on Jinloe Media's YouTube channel in 2023, which tells the story of six boys from "Rose Garden College" who decide to break all taboos and learn the real truth about love...pain...and growth, don't you remember Burger and King, two of those teenagers?
Don't you remember those two classmates who one day, sitting at their desks next to each other, King, played by Newyear Nawaphat Thannamongkhonsawat, discovers that he forgot a book, so Burger, played by Jur Vasin Traiprakhong, tells him offer yours to share?
Have you already remembered? Of course. It couldn't be any other way, because you immediately connect with the story of these young people that starts from that precise moment, when King sees a drawing of himself in the book and mistakenly assumes that Burger likes it. After this, King finds happiness just thinking that he is loved by the boy who sits next to him and asks him out. However, he will soon discover that everything has been a misunderstanding, because Burger has no feelings for him.
But if in matters of the heart, misunderstandings have caused conflict and broken relationships, they have also brought love, happiness and hope. This is precisely what King finds when Burger enters his life and the two build an emotional connection.
Directed by Jakkaphong Pachara (Yuan), 'Firstly "Like" You' (ตกลงใครชอบก่อน), picks up the story to, through the eyes of Burger, the main narrator, delve into the relationship of the two young high school students .
Based on the entire footage of 'Hit Bite Love', which is just over five hours long, 'Firstly "Like" You' leaves aside everything related to the other two stories, that is, the love triangle between Ken , Shogun and Matteo, and the relationship of the stepbrothers Hida and Saint, to, in about 80 minutes, focus on the birth and evolution of the romance between the president of the school's drama club, and the student transferred to the famous college of high society.
By leaving out everything else, the drama is transformed into a comedy, which achieves a lot of acceptance among an audience that may have rejected the series for addressing topics such as toxic relationships and BDSM.
Bordering on a love triangle that is also not very interested in exploring in depth, the screenwriters Poy Orachat Brahmasreni and Chim Sedthawut Inboon expose in the narrative text themes such as love, adolescence, friendship, discovery, acceptance and personal growth, always in order to entertain, but also to make you reflect.
In this way, we will follow in the footsteps of the young boy with a silly, neurotic, enthusiastic and immature personality who, while he wants to join the drama club because he dreams of being an actor, will have to deal with the persecution of King, who is firmly convinced that his partner class is secretly in love with him.
Personally, I was amused by all of Burger's witticisms to get King away, because every time King approaches him, Burger gets nervous. Likewise, I enjoyed the close relationship between King and his mother, with whom the student has no reservations about confessing his most intimate secrets.
The audience will be able to enjoy how, based on the misunderstanding, King is the one who will be interested in approaching and pleasing Burger. It is pleasant to see how King, a responsible, mature and popular teenager, always surrounded by many girls interested in joining the club to be close to him, suddenly discovers his sexuality while experiencing a homosensual awakening.
'Firstly "Like" You' more than meets what is expected from a film of these characteristics. The keys are, mainly, its script, its aesthetics and its performances, because although the two protagonists have little experience and are only 16 years old during filming, their performances fit perfectly with the narrative style of the story.
Jur Vasin Traiprakhong takes the cake, for his grace, charisma and the way he handles the humorous scenes.
Another element to highlight is the music. Being the same as the series, the cast itself is the one who sings the songs that make up the film's soundtrack. In this way, we will enjoy Jur, Tae, Newyear, Pure, Bigboss, Vic and Alan, who perform "Hit Me Bite Me", a song composed by Alan Campana, and Vic and Tae singing "Oxigen", a song written and scored by Vic Vittawin Panichtamrong.
The photography, by Suchart Makhawimarn, contributes to making the story of two people who become friends and fall in love credible, despite being polar opposites.
Suriya Kaewkrong's editing achieves a fast and quite adequate narrative. However, flashbacks to scenes already presented could have been avoided.
Even so, it is regrettable that, seeking to visualize diversity on screens, the film portrays queer characters in a stereotypical way, due to their continuous screams and mood swings.
While it is true that Thai serial and film fiction with the presence of LGBT+ plots has experienced various changes since its appearance, going from an initial invisibility and stigmatization, in which the characters had to be presented as the opposite of what is morally acceptable in society , to a quantitative increase in these characters, and despite their decrease, traditional and recurring stereotypes continue to be used such as the effeminate LGBT+ character or transsexuals who, due to circumstances, act in a grotesque, exalted or tormented way due to their condition.
Despite the positive increase in the visibility of diverse sexual orientations and identities in BL series and films in this country, creators must take into account that a poor symbolic construction based on stereotypes reinforces not only the deformed social imaginaries about this minority, but the very identity of the collective.
This is even more important if we take into account the great socializing potential that the film and television industries have and the capacity for transnationalization that the distribution platforms of these entertainment products have achieved, as they can promote a distorted vision of this non-human group. only in the Thai national space, but also in the rest of the globe.
'Firstly "Like" You' reminds me of 'Kieta Hatsukoi', the 2021 Japanese teen and school Yaoi romantic comedy from the TV Asahi network, which tells how through a misunderstanding, Aoki, the high school student with a personality Brilliant and in love with Hashimoto Mio, the girl who sits next to him in the classroom, he ends up in a romantic relationship with Ida, his classmate.
I also find similarities with other Thai BL dramas. If in 'My School President', for example, Gun (Fourth - Nattawat Jirochtikul) and Win (Winny - Thanawin Pholcharoenratm) get to know each other more deeply after answering "36 questions that will make people fall in love", in 'Firstly' Like" You' King will propose a series of questions that Burger must answer as part of a theater club survey, claiming that the objective is to get to know the future actor better.
Of the three couples in the series, Burger and King was always my favorite. If they brought joy and life to the series, the film carefully chooses and stages the appropriate scenes to preserve the world created around these characters in the six-episode drama.
The one between King and Burger is a surprisingly tender and innocent teenage romance that is highly recommended, for its humor, for the reflections it invites us to, for the palpable chemistry between the two young people, and for how they manage to create a friendly bond first, romantic. later, without becoming a couple, since we will surely find this in the announced second season.

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With a personal look, the Thai actor, director, screenwriter and assistant director Aum Natthaphong Aroonnet, known for the BL dramas 'Triage' (2022) and 'Manner of Death' (2021), the film 'Dew' (2019) or His role in 'The Love of Siam (207), among many other dramatized ones, gives us the romantic drama 'Beating Again', in which, in addition to addressing the boys' passion for dance, he portrays several stories of characters belonging to the LGBT+ community, its coming out and the challenges that come with being queer in today's world.
With great camera skill, sequential games and visual seduction, the director explores, among other topics, the search for one's own identity and the realization of dreams as the core of a drama that explores, as if that were not enough, many other issues such as family relationships, sexuality, love, pain, living with fear of being judged, past traumas, loss, acceptance, overcoming obstacles, the need for physical and emotional connection with other human beings, gender identity, discovery or passion for art.
Since before the first episode was broadcast, the audiovisual has awakened different emotions, especially on social networks, by inviting the audience to reflect on ourselves and on current societies, in addition to the topics represented, confront stereotypes and show human beings with their nuances and in various circumstances.
«I have been a lucky director. Since we published the trailer for 'Beating Again' and the actors and others involved in the project began to give statements to the press or through writings on social networks, there are those who say that the series is going to be liked and will positively attract the public's attention. ; Other people say that there are topics that they do not like. It is still early to predict if it will work or not. I think it is a series that is very well written. My staging, and that of the actors, was constantly trying to live up to the scripts,” said Aum Natthaphong Aroonnet.
«After editing, I liked how the chapters turned out. I have no doubt that they will move people and involve audiences. Let's let the series progress a little, to make conclusive judgments. Our goal is that the audience is not disappointed, that they remain hooked, that they have a closing that lives up to their expectations. We work for that, whether we achieve it or not. The arc of the characters is very coherent, as well as the development of the characters and the conflicts,” adds the director.
At first glance it might be easy to understand that the desire of young men to dance was not hindered by any reason, or at least human. However, 'Beating Again' reflects the incessant struggle of several boys to achieve a dream and thus fulfill a vocation regardless of the discrepancies to which they may be subjected during the process of achieving it, including the homophobic gazes of several of them. the secondary characters.
And even if your environment does not understand you, you cannot give up your passion, your talent and your vocation. The internal talent of each person must be firmly exploited regardless of the consequences that may arise for it.
Of the work, it is worth highlighting its transgressive capacity to break clichés and prejudices for a single but consistent reason: the firm attitude of young people to pursue their dream and illusion, that of being dancers and dedicating their lives to underground dance. In this way, a small group of people can have the power to create great change for the entire world through the love and passion for dance. The series is an example and a tribute to the triumph of perseverance, dedication and conviction.
In addition, it seeks to send other messages, such as respect and acceptance of sexual diversities, the spirit of coexistence between people who are initially strangers or unknown to each other, and honesty and sincerity as human values.
The attention to detail to be as realistic as possible, the convincing performances of a cast made up of established and young actors and actresses, some with experience in the BL genre, the depth of the themes it addresses, and the aesthetics with which it presents them , determine, among other elements, the quality of the series.
Scripted by Visuttchai Boonyakarnjawa ('The Iron Ladies', 2000), the Thai drama, in four episodes, presents its protagonists immersed in the world of dance in a sincere, lyrical and emotional way. While Dindaen (Oh Anuchit Sapunpohng) long ago achieved glory by becoming a dance champion, the young dancer Nai (Kang Korn Sirisorn) has a paradigm to follow in the now volunteer teacher. The character must face a conflict from 10 years ago that still haunts him.
For her part, Focus (Sophie Marguerite Indracusin), the self-confident young woman who loves dancing, after much effort, has managed to materialize her dreams of being an idol, but now she has been involved in a professional scandal and has had to return to his hometown where he will be part of a dance group with Tawan, Fae, Kai and Jidrid. To move forward, Focus will have to face his past.
If dance united Focus, Nai and Dindaen since they were children, love, friendship and passion for dance today continue to be the strong ties that unite them. The characters, like so many other young people in real life, have as their highest aspiration to be able to manage their own talents, believe in and become owners of their virtues and manage each of their potentials to achieve the goals set.
In addition to the conflicts of the three main characters, other problems will add complexity to the plot. I am specifically referring to the story of a girl trapped in a male body who, despite being overweight, likes to dance, the story of the teenager who juggles her life to balance high school studies and her passion for dancing. , and the love between two boys: Kai (Kaownah Kittipat Kaewcharoen) and Famous (Earth Katsamonnat Namwirote).
Love and dance will unite Kai and Fae, young people who also like to dance alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance, the musical genre that fuses elements of alternative and indie rock with those of electronic dance music.
The public will enjoy young people while they dance to music that fuses new wave, "eurosynth" and postmodern technopop, as well as those arising from the indietronica or indie electronic movement, which is nothing more than a subgenre of alternative dance but more oriented towards indie. with great synth pop influences.
Among former member of boy group KLIMAXX and best known for his role as Long in the hit BL drama 'TharnType', Turbo Chanokchon in the Thai adaptation of 'Love Stage!!' and Talay in 'My Universe: The Camp Fire', in the latter two as the protagonist, and the actor identified for his roles as Tar in 'Love By Chance', Intouch in 'Until We Meet Again' and Seeiw in 'My Only 12' %', also in main roles, a passionate romance will emerge.
How I enjoyed, in episode 3, the scene in which Tawan, Fae, Kai and Jidrid have lunch in temple areas. At one point, Kai (Kaownah) and Famous (Earth) exchange pieces of the fish they eat and Tawan says, "So sweet!" And they try the fish and answer: "It's not sweet. It's salty," and she laughs mischievously because she was not referring to the food, but to the budding relationship between the two boys.
Jidrid suffers rejection from homophobes for being transsexual. These two are one of the topics addressed in the series, that is, homophobia and transsexuality.
I like the dynamics of the group, how the seven protagonists integrate into the community that they themselves have created, how setbacks are turned into victories, like when Famous accidentally spills a container of paint on the floor and the others, instead After reproaching him for the destruction, they pour other containers with paint and turn the place into a stage to practice dancing.
Does the theme of the series revolve around homosexual characters and their relationships with others, or LGBTI characters in secondary roles and whose sexuality does not influence the plot of the audiovisual? To know this and other conflicts we will have to watch the series until the end.

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Opposites attract and create very deep love stories

Strange strength is that of love that transcends the barrier of distance and time, mocks prejudices of all kinds and also manages to perpetuate itself in art as an inspiring paradigm for future generations.
But there are loves that break, in addition to social and temporal molds, those of carnality and logic. How, why, for what, are just the first questions in the face of the inevitable evidence of these powerful attractions.
We don't know if it's because of something in physics or chemistry, but it's no lie that opposites attract and create very deep love stories. Perhaps it is these differences that make them feel a strong attraction towards each other and, what's more, if they complement each other healthily, they will be able to have an almost perfect relationship for life.
However, patiently overcoming obstacles to get to that point will not be an easy task!
When a film becomes a mass phenomenon, regardless of whether or not it has its cinematographic values, it is because it touches some intimate fiber of that public that goes to the cinemas to enjoy it. 'To My Star The Movies', from 2021, proves the axiom.
Because? Its theme, which was evidently the driving force behind its success: the differences between the two characters, one of them a famous celebrity and the other an ordinary chef, in addition to telling about a homosexual relationship. Their lives will be shaken when one of them, who flees from the press and his followers after being involved in a media scandal, is forced to leave his comfort zone and will cross paths with someone who does not want to leave it.
The film, a compilation of the Korean BL drama of the same name, with some scenes added and others deleted or moved in the new editing, revolves around Kang Seo Joon (Son Woo Hyun), a famous free-spirited film and television celebrity who hides after being implicated in a public scandal. At his hideout he meets Han Ji Woo (Kim Kang Min), his new roommate, an introverted and conservative man who leads a modest and unpretentious life.
Forced into an uncomfortable situation, they begin to share their personal stories, fears, and dreams. Despite his fall from grace and not having started the relationship on the right foot, Seo Joon believes that his luck changes when he meets and falls in love with the boy who represents his antithesis. While they spend time together, between the actor and the chef, who move in two very different social spheres, a romance arises,
Seo Joon is not only famous at the peak of his career, playing the leads in hit dramas and television variety shows, as well as high-profile advertisements, he is also outgoing, extravagant and very charismatic. Accustomed to being the center of attention, his personality is pure magnetism that attracts other people to his presence; while Ji Woo, who always tries to go unnoticed and not experience any upheavals in his life, represents the humility and simplicity of a down-to-earth boy who prefers a quiet lifestyle with simple pleasures, such as cooking or hiking.
And against everything predictable, one falls in love with the other and what is worse... it is reciprocated.
The film, by director Hwang Da Seul, who took her time to weave the story, with the meticulousness that characterizes her, worked like a craftsman in her eagerness to recreate every detail on a topic that she is passionate about: boy love, as he did with two dramas: 'Where Your Eyes Linger' (2020) and 'Blueming' (2022), and the short film 'Inner Me'.
With a simple, but captivating and visually emotional plot, the novice filmmaker, recognized for her creative abilities, shows that it was no coincidence that she won the Award of Excellence at the V Catholic Film Festival for her 2018 short film 'Spring That Summer' .
To do so, it was based on Park Young's script about a romantic relationship between two initially heterosexual boys. The film exposes prejudices about homosexuality in Korean society and, above all, in the world of arts and culture, reflected by Jeon Jae Yeong (Kim Pil Hyun), Seo Joon's crisis and talent manager. , upon discovering the budding romance between the two protagonists, but later he will become an accomplice of the two lovers. The series also reflects the role of the media and social networks in the public's perception of youth idols.
Emotionally charged, 'To My Star The Movie' captures the essence of intimacy, vulnerability and unconditional solidarity within the queer community, with two young people navigating their gender identity and cultural background as its narrative heroes. Through an under-researched focus on BL storytelling and powerful performances, the series explores the complexities of human connection and challenges conventional notions of love and intimacy.
The chemistry between the actors is palpable, allowing the depth of their relationship to shine on screen. As the story unfolds, their interactions are conveyed through silence, abstract soundscapes, and textured cuts, creating a captivating visual experience that immerses the audience in their emotional journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
With good intentions, successful gags and sharp dialogues, the film immerses us in the relationship between two young people that, due to misunderstandings, does not start well, but as they live in the same apartment and enjoy cozy and intimate moments together, they will open their hearts.
Since Freud we know that sexuality develops together with subjectivity. It has to do with the pleasure that can be experienced in the body from the bonds built with another.
This reality does not escape the director. While they got to know each other, See Joon and Ji Woo began to learn to enjoy themselves and each other, that experience that shapes our relationship with pleasure, that of each one of them and that which we share.
Soon Woo-Hyun, the actor who plays See Joon, and who worked with the director in the short 'You Ghosted Me for a Week', from 2021, is usually worried about work and the mess in which he finds himself involved, But he tries his best to spend time with Ji Woo.
This, despite the seriousness of his character and overwhelmed by the presence of a being as overwhelming as his roommate, is the first to fall in love. The way he initially puts up a wall of protection around himself in front of the other, the glances he steals from Seo Joon, the intonation of his voice and the strange blink when he doesn't quite know how to act when Seo Joon moves next to him. around him, his facial expressions, his gestures, his entire body, express that he likes it. However, he is cautious, as he suffers from disappointment in love in the past and does not want to be hurt again.
Kim Kang Min, the actor who plays the character of Ji Woo, and whom we know from his debut in 2019 with the SBS series 'Stove League', unlike the famous Seo Joon, lives with his back to the world of celebrities. Employed in his friend's cafe, he is actually a talented chef, but his culinary skills are not shown to the public of large hotels and luxury restaurants.
Pretending to get along with the roommate, Seo Joon insists on befriending Ji Woo and spending time together. Those beings with two very different personalities will little by little get to know each other and enjoy each other's company.
As the days go by, the camera captures the moments of the two boys getting closer. Through silence, abstract soundscapes and textured cuts, the intimacy between Seo Joon and Ji Woo is conveyed in a visually striking way, resulting in genuine and authentic performances that resonate with audiences.
Although it does nothing new or innovative with the premise, the diversity of conflicts they face, their psychological complexities, and the emotional evolution of the characters, add layers to the narrative and weave an intriguing web that keeps viewers in suspense.
'To My Star' explores the idea that true intimacy can be found in the simplicity of sleeping next to someone, in sharing those small moments and spaces of everyday life, transcending the physical act of sex, even if it is artistically fine. recreated, shown.
The film challenges social norms and invites the viewer to question their own perceptions of intimacy and love, while presenting a snapshot of the complexity, tenderness and vulnerability that people experience in unconventional circumstances, such as living together and the relationship between people from two different worlds.
The direction and cinematography contribute to its artistic and visually appealing quality. The deliberate use of images and narrative style create an atmosphere that demands the viewer's attention and encourages introspection and invites reflection.
With a fairy tale ending and a clear resolution for its characters, 'To My Star' successfully captures the beauty and power of love, and serves as a reminder that true intimacy can be found in unexpected places and that love transcends social expectations.
With the final credits, I was able to conclude that I was looking at an audiovisual full of conceptual proposals related to gender identity, personal and social psychology, and the configuration of individual and collective destinies, in a country where today LGBT+ people continue to be discriminated against, and whose paths today, in the 21st century, cannot end up united in a marital alliance, as the refusal to legalize marriage between people of the same sex by a conservative society persists.
In this sense, the series contributes to the struggle of the members of that community in the defense of their trampled rights.

Note: The review of the series of the same name can be found, in MDL, on the page dedicated to the series on the platform.

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