I asked for a golden retriever, but they gave me a literal dog. I can't
It's been like 4 years since I've actually finished a Thai BL, and somehow Duang With You was the one that pulled me back in. I'm such a sucker for the golden retriever x black cat/grumpy trope that I already knew this was so for me
And honestly, I think this was a pretty good watch. It's definitely not perfect and I actually started losing a bit of the spark toward the end but there was a lot here that I genuinely appreciated
Storyline
The story itself is pretty simple... golden retriever Duang falls for the much more reserved Qin and decides he's going to break through all those walls Qin has built around himself. That's basically the backbone of the whole series and I don't think the show is trying to be anything more complicated than that
And honestly... I'm okay with simplicity when the characters are interesting enough to carry it
What I liked most was that the romance isnt really about Duang fixing Qin. It's more about Duang consistently showing Qin what affection can actually look like. Qin is someone who has become so used to withholding himself that even receiving something as simple as affection or reassurance can feel unfamiliar to him. So I liked the way Duang slowly and slowly gets through to him instead of Qin suddenly changing overnight
The show also deserves credit for not turning Qin's background into endless trauma porn. There is obviously heavier material there but the series doesn't make that suffering the entire identity of the character or use it as an excuse to manufacture drama every five minutes
My main issue is the pacing. I started feeling the length toward the later episodes. There are scenes where I was basically like... okay, I get it, they're in love now. Once the main romantic tension had mostly been resolved, some scenes started feeling repetitive rather than like they were moving the relationship somewhere new
Writing
I think the writing works best when it focuses on the quieter ways these two learn how to love each other
I really liked the emphasis on gift giving, especially bc it isn't just abt expensive gifts or grand romantic gestures. There's something sweet about wanting to give your partner something even when you don't really have the resources to give them everything. The act itself matters more than the value of the thing
And I appreciate that the show doesn't make queer happiness feel like something that has to be earned through suffering. It doesn't completely rely on homophobia, family rejection, or endless angst to create conflict
But at the same time, I can't completely ignore how idealized the world of the series can feel. Everyone is so accepting like all the family, friends, community, basically everyone around the couple. It creates a very comforting world but sometimes it also makes the story feel a little too sheltered from reality. And because the show deals with queer relationships, that contrast becomes more noticeable. I don't necessarily think a BL needs to traumatize its characters to feel realistic, tho. I actually appreciate that this one tries to imagine a world where queer people can simply be loved and supported. Maybe, I just wish there were a little more texture around that world
The other thing I pretty don't like was the second couple. Tho, I really appreciate the femboy bottom, I was already getting tired of the whole f*ck*ng buddy-friendship dynamic. There was potential but I don't think the writing gave them enough room to actually develop
Characterization & Acting / Trope Execution
This is probably where the series worked best for me.
I really liked that Duang isn't written as the typical masochistic, super-masculinized BL lead. He's obviously very soft and expressive, but he's still his own person. He's scatterbrained, chaotic and sometimes completely ridiculous, but he's also surprisingly emotionally perceptive. That's what kept him from becoming just a walking golden retriever joke
And actor's performance is honestly impressive because you have no idea how difficult this character to play naturally
That kind of exaggerated, puppy-like, animated energy can become annoying very quickly if the actor is just mugging for the camera. But TeeTee somehow manages to make Duang feel like an actual person underneath all the comedy
Duang also does something important whenever the tone gets serious: he knows when to stop being chaotic. You can actually feel him becoming more emotionally present when Qin needs him which makes his kindness feel like a character trait rather than just a trope
Qin worked for me too. I liked that his characterization wasn't just "cold guy who secretly likes the sunshine boy". There is an actual reason he's so guarded and I liked watching those walls come down gradually.
As someone who built my walls high while grew up in an Asian household. I could really feel him. People tend to underestimate how much childhood and family dynamics can shape you and sometimes when you finally speak up, you're just seen as rude or ungrateful child. We don't need a lecture or a guilt trip, Duang is right, all we need is just that one hug and one sincere apology
I also get why Duang meant so much to him. Everyone seems to want to rush you into relationships, like you should just open up immediately because "the person likes you”. But someone like Duang, who's actually willing to wait and let you open up at your own pace, is pretty rare. And I think that's what made their relationship work for me.
Like.... isn't it beautiful when someone takes the time to learn the little things about you? Not just what you're like on the surface, but what shaped you, how you were raised, what you've been through, your traumas and all the parts of yourself you don't easily show??
That said, I think the actor playing Qin still needs some work in the heavier emotional scenes. His more restrained acting was much stronger for me than the big crying scenes. There were moments where I could see what the scene "wanted" me to feel, but his crying didn't completely sell it
Also, thankfully, the relationship never felt "too" heteronormative to me. There are still familiar BL conventions, obviously, but I didn't constantly feel like one character was being written as "the girl" in the relationship just because he's softer
Watching Experience
This was probably the biggest factor in my enjoyment because I was watching it after being away from Thai BL for around four years
There was something genuinely refreshing about seeing a Thai university BL centered around "art and music students". Back when I was watching Thai BL more regularly, it felt like every other series was engineering, medicine, or some variation of that. So even though "university BL" itself isn't exactly new, changing the environment and creative interests of the characters made this feel a little fresher to me
I also appreciated that the show was generally more interested in being sweet than creating unnecessary suffering. It has some heavy material, but it doesn't constantly try to make the audience miserable
My problem was that the sweetness eventually started becoming too sweet for me.
This is where I think I experienced a little bit of the Moonlighting curse (once the leads entered into a relationship and the sparks disappears). I'm not saying the series literally has that problem in the same way but it kind of felt repetitive. The show sometimes just keeps giving me sweetness without enough variation. Cute scene, cute scene, cute scene... eventually I was like "okay I am fed now"
So this is probably just my Japanese-BL-conditioned brain talking, but I honestly think I would've enjoyed this more with a slightly tighter runtime. I've been watching a lot more Japanese BL over the past few years, and I think I've just gotten more used to stories that are willing to be shorter and less repetitive. There were definitely scenes here where I felt like they could've been trimmed without losing anything important
And then there are the puppy sound effects
They were funny at first
Then they started happening so often that I began anticipating them before they even happened
It went from "okay that's cute" to "PLEASE STOP"
Production Value & Cinematography
For the most part, I thought the production looked good. The show has a very polished, bright, youthful or college aesthetic that fits the kind of romance it's going for and some of the performance sequences are exactly the sort of thing Thai BLs still know how to do really well
Thailand really knows how to do these performance/showcase scenes. I don't even know the proper production term for it, but whenever the characters are performing onstage or putting on some kind of showcase, they really know how to make those moments feel special
But I also think some scenes didn't quite live up to the production's apparent budget
The Japan scenes especially made me think, "you had Japan and cherry blossoms and THIS is the shot you're giving me???"
That kiss under the cherry blossoms should've been the cinematic moment. I wanted better framing, better use of the location, something that made the whole thing feel more memorable. Instead, some of those shots looked surprisingly ordinary considering what they had available
It wasn't so badly shot. I just kept thinking it could've looked so much better
Overall
I wasn't even planning to write a review because, honestly, the Thai BL community was one of the reasons I slowly stopped being as invested in Thai BL in the first place. After four years away, I wasn't expecting this to be the series that pulled me back in
But here we are
It's definitely not perfect, and I think I would've enjoyed it even more with a shorter runtime and a little less sweetness toward the end. The second couple needed more development, some of the heavier acting didn't completely land for me and the world can feel a little too perfect sometimes
But the characterization and chemistry carried it for me
Maybe I'm just incredibly predictable, but golden retriever energy x grumpy black cat will always get me
Tho, I asked for a golden retriever and they gave me a literal f*ck*ng puppy, lol
8/10 stars
I'm sorry for taking back my additional bias 0.5 stars. I don't think it really needs those extra points lol. It's definitely an enjoyable watch and I had a good time with it but looking back, my original 8/10 score feels more right to me
The 8.7 MDL score is fair tho and isn't completely unreasonable either, but at the same time, there are so many BLs sitting below that score that I personally think deserve more recognition. So I guess it's a little overrated, but not THAT overrated?? Idk, like, I can see why people are enjoying it and me as well, I just wouldn't put it quite that high myself
And honestly, I think this was a pretty good watch. It's definitely not perfect and I actually started losing a bit of the spark toward the end but there was a lot here that I genuinely appreciated
Storyline
The story itself is pretty simple... golden retriever Duang falls for the much more reserved Qin and decides he's going to break through all those walls Qin has built around himself. That's basically the backbone of the whole series and I don't think the show is trying to be anything more complicated than that
And honestly... I'm okay with simplicity when the characters are interesting enough to carry it
What I liked most was that the romance isnt really about Duang fixing Qin. It's more about Duang consistently showing Qin what affection can actually look like. Qin is someone who has become so used to withholding himself that even receiving something as simple as affection or reassurance can feel unfamiliar to him. So I liked the way Duang slowly and slowly gets through to him instead of Qin suddenly changing overnight
The show also deserves credit for not turning Qin's background into endless trauma porn. There is obviously heavier material there but the series doesn't make that suffering the entire identity of the character or use it as an excuse to manufacture drama every five minutes
My main issue is the pacing. I started feeling the length toward the later episodes. There are scenes where I was basically like... okay, I get it, they're in love now. Once the main romantic tension had mostly been resolved, some scenes started feeling repetitive rather than like they were moving the relationship somewhere new
Writing
I think the writing works best when it focuses on the quieter ways these two learn how to love each other
I really liked the emphasis on gift giving, especially bc it isn't just abt expensive gifts or grand romantic gestures. There's something sweet about wanting to give your partner something even when you don't really have the resources to give them everything. The act itself matters more than the value of the thing
And I appreciate that the show doesn't make queer happiness feel like something that has to be earned through suffering. It doesn't completely rely on homophobia, family rejection, or endless angst to create conflict
But at the same time, I can't completely ignore how idealized the world of the series can feel. Everyone is so accepting like all the family, friends, community, basically everyone around the couple. It creates a very comforting world but sometimes it also makes the story feel a little too sheltered from reality. And because the show deals with queer relationships, that contrast becomes more noticeable. I don't necessarily think a BL needs to traumatize its characters to feel realistic, tho. I actually appreciate that this one tries to imagine a world where queer people can simply be loved and supported. Maybe, I just wish there were a little more texture around that world
The other thing I pretty don't like was the second couple. Tho, I really appreciate the femboy bottom, I was already getting tired of the whole f*ck*ng buddy-friendship dynamic. There was potential but I don't think the writing gave them enough room to actually develop
Characterization & Acting / Trope Execution
This is probably where the series worked best for me.
I really liked that Duang isn't written as the typical masochistic, super-masculinized BL lead. He's obviously very soft and expressive, but he's still his own person. He's scatterbrained, chaotic and sometimes completely ridiculous, but he's also surprisingly emotionally perceptive. That's what kept him from becoming just a walking golden retriever joke
And actor's performance is honestly impressive because you have no idea how difficult this character to play naturally
That kind of exaggerated, puppy-like, animated energy can become annoying very quickly if the actor is just mugging for the camera. But TeeTee somehow manages to make Duang feel like an actual person underneath all the comedy
Duang also does something important whenever the tone gets serious: he knows when to stop being chaotic. You can actually feel him becoming more emotionally present when Qin needs him which makes his kindness feel like a character trait rather than just a trope
Qin worked for me too. I liked that his characterization wasn't just "cold guy who secretly likes the sunshine boy". There is an actual reason he's so guarded and I liked watching those walls come down gradually.
As someone who built my walls high while grew up in an Asian household. I could really feel him. People tend to underestimate how much childhood and family dynamics can shape you and sometimes when you finally speak up, you're just seen as rude or ungrateful child. We don't need a lecture or a guilt trip, Duang is right, all we need is just that one hug and one sincere apology
I also get why Duang meant so much to him. Everyone seems to want to rush you into relationships, like you should just open up immediately because "the person likes you”. But someone like Duang, who's actually willing to wait and let you open up at your own pace, is pretty rare. And I think that's what made their relationship work for me.
Like.... isn't it beautiful when someone takes the time to learn the little things about you? Not just what you're like on the surface, but what shaped you, how you were raised, what you've been through, your traumas and all the parts of yourself you don't easily show??
That said, I think the actor playing Qin still needs some work in the heavier emotional scenes. His more restrained acting was much stronger for me than the big crying scenes. There were moments where I could see what the scene "wanted" me to feel, but his crying didn't completely sell it
Also, thankfully, the relationship never felt "too" heteronormative to me. There are still familiar BL conventions, obviously, but I didn't constantly feel like one character was being written as "the girl" in the relationship just because he's softer
Watching Experience
This was probably the biggest factor in my enjoyment because I was watching it after being away from Thai BL for around four years
There was something genuinely refreshing about seeing a Thai university BL centered around "art and music students". Back when I was watching Thai BL more regularly, it felt like every other series was engineering, medicine, or some variation of that. So even though "university BL" itself isn't exactly new, changing the environment and creative interests of the characters made this feel a little fresher to me
I also appreciated that the show was generally more interested in being sweet than creating unnecessary suffering. It has some heavy material, but it doesn't constantly try to make the audience miserable
My problem was that the sweetness eventually started becoming too sweet for me.
This is where I think I experienced a little bit of the Moonlighting curse (once the leads entered into a relationship and the sparks disappears). I'm not saying the series literally has that problem in the same way but it kind of felt repetitive. The show sometimes just keeps giving me sweetness without enough variation. Cute scene, cute scene, cute scene... eventually I was like "okay I am fed now"
So this is probably just my Japanese-BL-conditioned brain talking, but I honestly think I would've enjoyed this more with a slightly tighter runtime. I've been watching a lot more Japanese BL over the past few years, and I think I've just gotten more used to stories that are willing to be shorter and less repetitive. There were definitely scenes here where I felt like they could've been trimmed without losing anything important
And then there are the puppy sound effects
They were funny at first
Then they started happening so often that I began anticipating them before they even happened
It went from "okay that's cute" to "PLEASE STOP"
Production Value & Cinematography
For the most part, I thought the production looked good. The show has a very polished, bright, youthful or college aesthetic that fits the kind of romance it's going for and some of the performance sequences are exactly the sort of thing Thai BLs still know how to do really well
Thailand really knows how to do these performance/showcase scenes. I don't even know the proper production term for it, but whenever the characters are performing onstage or putting on some kind of showcase, they really know how to make those moments feel special
But I also think some scenes didn't quite live up to the production's apparent budget
The Japan scenes especially made me think, "you had Japan and cherry blossoms and THIS is the shot you're giving me???"
That kiss under the cherry blossoms should've been the cinematic moment. I wanted better framing, better use of the location, something that made the whole thing feel more memorable. Instead, some of those shots looked surprisingly ordinary considering what they had available
It wasn't so badly shot. I just kept thinking it could've looked so much better
Overall
I wasn't even planning to write a review because, honestly, the Thai BL community was one of the reasons I slowly stopped being as invested in Thai BL in the first place. After four years away, I wasn't expecting this to be the series that pulled me back in
But here we are
It's definitely not perfect, and I think I would've enjoyed it even more with a shorter runtime and a little less sweetness toward the end. The second couple needed more development, some of the heavier acting didn't completely land for me and the world can feel a little too perfect sometimes
But the characterization and chemistry carried it for me
Maybe I'm just incredibly predictable, but golden retriever energy x grumpy black cat will always get me
Tho, I asked for a golden retriever and they gave me a literal f*ck*ng puppy, lol
8/10 stars
I'm sorry for taking back my additional bias 0.5 stars. I don't think it really needs those extra points lol. It's definitely an enjoyable watch and I had a good time with it but looking back, my original 8/10 score feels more right to me
The 8.7 MDL score is fair tho and isn't completely unreasonable either, but at the same time, there are so many BLs sitting below that score that I personally think deserve more recognition. So I guess it's a little overrated, but not THAT overrated?? Idk, like, I can see why people are enjoying it and me as well, I just wouldn't put it quite that high myself
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