chiffoncake

Those two seniors... no, I never thought them as predatory? Asshole behaviour, yes. Predatory behaviour, no. Did you watch the entire series? They explain very clearly why they behaved so casually with Type, it's becos he was Techno's friend and Techno himself is so tolerant of gays, so they thought his friend would be too. If you are asking why did the author/director have to portray them as pawing at Type, well in real world there ARE people like this, from all denominations, who are too touchy and clueless about boundaries. Type had to be triggered for the tharntype story to move to the next plot point, so the best way is to use his phobia to make that happen. I see this as a storytelling decision, not as some kind of slur against a particular group. I think as viewers, we cannot approach every piece of art with an ax to grind. That's going to make lot of things tough.

Right, now you have shown me the necessity of having to make a proper post about that shower scene because as an abuse survivor myself I don't see it as non-consensual. Sleep kiss, yes. Shower kiss, no. It simply makes me want to bang my head on the wall at how on earth people can possibly miss all the signs of desire and consent that Type reveals just before and in that shower scene in Ep 3. Thanks for giving me the push, I will talk to some friends on getting this done, I am not very tech savvy, I have no idea how or where to get the screenshots to make a twitter thread.

bruh Thanks again for the recos on The effect and UWMA, they are next on my watch list. And I am sorry, I respect your opinion as we all have the right to express our opinions, but I don't agree with many of them. Tharntype is not without its faults, but I definitely don't think it is a piece of trash. If it really were that, it'd have sunk into the bottom of the ocean like 50 shades... it'd not be appreciated by thousands of viewers, from all over the world.

You say the show is 80% sex... whoa, did we watch the same show? I could only see less than 20% of the show as sex scenes! Are there more that I have somehow missed? That would be a.... tragedy, lol. I confess I am a thirsty ho who doesn't mind seeing more NC scenes... and the fact that I think there is nothing wrong in depicting sex in a r'ship as one of the major needs, after all sex is a part of normal life, is for another discussion!

Seriously, I don't see anything wrong in a show having tasteful, aptly-placed sex scenes. When people fall in love, they tend to love eo verbally AND physically. Some people lean heavily on the physical side, some more on the emotional side. Neither is wrong! Sex IS a key ingredient in new relationships, that's how it is in real life. Not like those insane korean or indian shows where it takes 200 episodes for a kiss, and the lovers are depicted as some holy beings who have NO idea abt the concept of sex! I wonder why people are this scared of any depiction of sex on screen??!!

TharnType is not a normal boy meet boy story. Tharntype is the story of two morons who learn to unmoron themselves as they become closer. They are basically clueless teenagers, at 19, not fully developed adults with brains, and do not have the maturity to understand things, so we need to cut them some slack. 

Tharn assaulting Type in ep 2 - yes it is definitely a cringe-worthy moment, but from what I see, it was not intentional on his part. He was being a pervy moron, but he was not being a malicious criminal - he had no idea of Type's phobia or background history. I am NOT saying he didn't assault Type, I am saying while Tharn definitely was wrong in kissing an unconscious Type, he didn't invade Type's body space knowing abt his abuse trauma beforehand, and he stopped it immediately (during the boba tea scene) once he realises that Type's response is not normal. 

The sleep kiss in ep1 is ofc non-consensual and after the initial disgust, I was okay with that scene because I see it as a charactar defining moment of Tharn. The show chose this manner to tell us about one of the main leads - "This here is Tharn, he may be one of our heros but he is no saint., he is the kind of person who is not above taking advantage of his crush when he is unconscious." Same goes for Type. Type, the guy who is such an asshole he commits hate crimes against a minority and, later, is perfectly alright with the arrangement of entering into a r'ship with a girl while having a boy as a side piece for his private bedside activities.

I'm okay with this kind of intro for the main leads because I am here to watch the story unfold organically, and not for how I want it to be told on screen, according to my own expectations. It makes the show so much more thrilling than the cookie-cutter cute ones that we see all the time! We are so used to have only super good guys as heroes, that it is not sitting well with us that both Tharn and Type are flawed charactars, thanks to their abusive pasts (being seduced at 14 is also abuse, that's why Tharn is sexually aggressive).

Yes, I absolutely agree that it is always an issue when rape or non-consensual elements are used as plot devides, because so many things can be depicted badly. But these are popular tropes in almost all genres, and shows/novels often use such elements to bring charactars together, or as a catalyst in the storyline. I am not saying it's okay just because its often used but I feel it's the author's right to use plot devices as she sees fit to get her to tell her story in the best way she deems it - we as readers/viewers can choose to say we don't want to watch such plot devices, but saying it should not be used at all is impinging on creative right. Without artistic freedom, the industry will ultimately suffer. 

In real life, people slip up a lot and only then learn life lessons, and TTTS is kinda based on that whole idea that even flawed people deserve happy endings. Tharn and Type are very complex charactars. They are not perfect, or cute, or politically correct, and I am here for that! Tharn is a much-needed catalyst in Type's life to help him come out of his self-imposed prison and Type too was needed for Tharn to understand Lhong and Tar issue, that's why they manage to heal other, in spite of their flawed charactars... I have argued so much abt this that now I am plain tired at this point. I think I'll make a twitter thread and just paste the link here.

Exactly. If shows like TTTS or History was available when I was young, my life would have been so much better. It's so good that today we see such shows.

I honestly don't understand this criticism. How is the show depicting gays as predatory? TTTS gave us one of the most understanding, almost saintly gay charactars ever in Tharn, someone who never hits back even when people (Tum, Type) attack him physically and emotionally, he doesn't show disgust when Type reveals his abusive past to him (in real world, revealing something like this may actually drive people away - trust me, I know), he never feels fed up or impatient on living with / loving a sex abuse survivor (also trust me, it's no walk in the park), he is very accepting of Type's mood swings and foul mouth and closet behaviour in keeping their relationship a secret. Tharn throughout the show is depicted a good son, brother, friend, student, and a great boyfriend - so where's the lie? A fiction tale cannot have all good charactars. Some of them will have to be bad in order for the story to unfold and reach its climax.

Klei I agree. I am not sure why we are putting pressure on BL shows to get everything right, to fight all fights to max capacity and solve all problems at once. How can it be done? BL is not a nonprofit, it's a commercial industry, people invest in and produce shows and movies to make money, first and foremost. To me, it's enuf if such shows are entertaining and also help start a healthy dialogue and I think TTTS has done that already. Lot of people who never even had an idea about LGBTQ issues are now talking about it bcos of shows like HIStory, Sotus, TTTS. We have to look at the small steps being taken here, and not judge shows so harshly.

Bruh4real some points in your post are very true, I am disgusted with how the BL industry hires straight actors to fetisize the fantasy and don't even get me started on the fan service. But bro, you're making the same mistake you accuse the show of - you are trashing it for where it goes wrong, while ignoring the parts it DOES get right. The show is basically the story of a childhood s*x abuse survivor, and to me, that is massive. I don't know any other show portray such a plot so gutsily. TTTS ventures into a territory that is so taboo nobody even talks about it in polite society. It shows how the trauma of a childhood abuse survivor manifests even in his adulthood, and what it takes for such a man to reclaim his sexual identity back, inspite of his internalised homophobia. I am not het or young, I like the show not for its 'chemistry' but for its storytelling... in fact, I don't even classify TTTS as BL - for me it is a much needed mainstream drama that has a main lead portray a group with near zero representation in media or IRL. Thanks for the comments about DBK and UWMA, I will watch them soon.

How old are you? I am over 40 and I consider this one of the best dramas I have ever seen (not just BL). It is, however, not for those who have a rigid and simplistic idea of how the world works. Such viewers are not mentally equipped to understand a complex show like TharnType.

Again - when did I ever say that Tharn did not assault Type? In my posts in this thread n other threads in this page & online, I've always been clear that it's non consensual. Of course the first ep end scene is non consensual. There is no refusing that! My point is don't call it rape, don't use the word as a umbrella term to push your agenda. As an abuse survivor myself it is irritating for me when people use that word - "kind of raped" is seriously not the right way to put your point across, as OP did here - to define any act that offends their sensiblities and use it to cancel x or y, that's just lazy judgemental soc med posturing that does no good in the end. You sound like you have no intention to listen to what I am actually trying to say so no point in writing more. Good day to you.

I object to using the word 'rape' as an umbrella term to cover all sexual misconduct. It is not right, and should be avoided. As for the triggering of Type, of course Tharn was the reason - when did I refuse that? However, he is not the ONLY reason - watch the show carefully from the beginning, how Type is attracted to Tharn from the very first scene ("I have a handsome roommate, we will both help each other get laid") and he keeps denying his sexual identity from the first (due to his past trauma). 

Type has been hating gays for 10 years and he goes ballistic at the first person who challenges that hate. He has allowed that pain to fester inside too long to the point of being triggered when all Tharn does is restrain his arms and touches his thighs (Type has no idea about the sleep kiss and thus cannot be triggered by that). Tharn is the physical and emotional catalyst here to help Type come out of the closet and out of his past trauma (double whammy), and he does what he does as part of his own characterisation as an abused kid - seduced at age 14 is also a form of child sexual abuse which is why Tharn turned out to be sexually aggressive. 

TharnType is the story of two flawed charactars, and they come with their warts to tell their story, and I am here to listen to that without judging them by my own standards of do's and don'ts of morality and conduct. And for the life of me I cannot understand why people who love to point fingers at Tharn keep forgetting that Type is the most abusive of all charactars in the show - he hits everyone he loves. If you judge Tharn, judge Type too, please. Both of them are equally toxic and both get better as they learn to trust, accept and love each other - this is their story, and as I said, I am here for it without making instant judgements.

I am all up for a good discussion and to hear others' perspectives but do not appreciate sarcasm. Did you also ignore that Type finds Tharn attractive (Type is groping Tharn even in his dream in ep 1! Watch his fingers on his chest), could not get off without thinking abt him, kisses him back three times in the shower, enjoys the bj and ultimately ends up asking him to sleep with him? The last part - If you read the novel you'd know that it's bcos Type doesn't find Tharn's touch repulsive and so he wants to see if his homophobia can be cured by sleeping with Tharn (bcos he realises that he will get into trouble all his life if he keeps hating on gays, for eg. at his workplace etc).

yeah f**k this corona

Good question. Personally I am annoyed at all these precious people yelling rape. Using the same word to depict Type-Tharn sleep kiss and, say, a scenario where a victim is violently assaulted and left bleeding/unconscious in an alley, too hurt to even call for help - NOT funny.

As3mdl I agree with you TharnType is supposed to be low budget but I am amazed at how much good quality production they have turned out given the limited budget. Same with Addicted (chinese BL show) too. I personally find TTTS to be much higher quality production than LBC. Some of the camera work angles in TTTS is very good.

This story is about two abused people - type was sexually abused as a 11 year old, and Tharn was sexually initiated at age 14 (even if it happened with his consent - really, how does the consent of a young teen matter when  they are being seduced by a much-respected senior?). Both become adults with the wrong foundation about sex. Tharn is in a much better place than Type because he was not assaulted, but still he is a privileged kid with an open mind set about his life so he definitely had problems (didn't have respect for boundaries, being sexually aggressive to counter a hate crime). Type is much more psychologically repressed and affected by his abuse, so he had a different sort of problem (he was violent and abusive, especially to those he likes - he constantly hits Techno, he is homophobic). Both Tharn and Type are flawed charactars and are by-products of their bad past. A story set around them as main leads cannot be free of problematic issues and wrong moves. It is guaranteed things will have to get worse before it gets better.  I fully respect your opinion but also I feel that the whole series has to be viewed before coming to a conclusion on what it really is about.

Here is a good thread to view things from a different angle (correct link) - https://twitter.com/raikantopinisms/status/1247329425907011584

Thank you Warda, it's all good in my life, as I said in my post I am way, way luckier than most. I think I got too triggered by that post, I should probably go back to my reply and edit it!

I am late to the party because I discovered BL world only recently. I feel TharnType gets bashed too much without being given proper due to what it has accomplished. It is not without its faults, but it has achieved more than a lot of other BL series have, by venturing into a dangerous subject like childhood abuse. Despite hiccups like the non-consensual kiss and the mess of later episodes where it's too much melodrama with Llong, in my opinion TTTS is worth watching if only for the questions it raises. Revil's analysis of it on YT is good too.

Ha ha I am passionate about it because I am doing a case study on Thai BL shows, for my course on film-making. I am not sure what you mean by the sticking it in part. And I'd be disappointed if there was no gay people in the production team, that sounds sad.

Yeah that scene was idiotic. If Tharn just wanted to take revenge, the scene should have stopped after he created those hickeys, he should not have kiss a sleeping person. He apologises to Type and in public later, as a sign of charactar development, which I grudgingly accepted as enough prod to keep watching. But I am annoyed at all the youtube fan videos which include this as TT's first kiss, come on a first kiss cannot have one of its kissers unconscious! Shoddy scriptwriting there.

Type doesn't hate gays. He hates the person who abused him when he was a child and he mistakes a pedophile for a gay (since the abuser was a man). The whole Tharntype story is about how love and patience can help a person overcome his childhood trauma, and learn to accept themselves. Type is gay himself, so it's no surprise he falls in love with a man later. A lot of closeted individuals hide behind the macho line, "I hate gay."