#3 will be free the warp effect never let me go pondphuwin

[talkingbl]

Top 6 Most Anticipated [Confirmed] BLs of 2023 (so far)!

If I can speculate...I'd add something something Semantic Error 2, something something Bump Up Business, but I'm tired of looking stupid. DMD had me placing Bed Friend as a most anticipated BL for damn near two years now and stayed coming up short. This time, I'm sticking to what I know. So, here we are--my top 6 most anticipated BLs of 2023 (thus far)! -

6) HIStory5: Love in the Future | LinusSean & JasonAnson

lbr, this is a 2023 bl trapped in a 2022 bl's body. Either way, I love a good time travel theme (gives fish out of water--my favorite trope!!) and the HIStory series usually gives us a good main couple.

5) Love Upon a Time | NetJames

Either DMD really believes in NetJames or they feel bad for cucking them in favor of ZeeNunew this past year. Either way, I am somewhat seated for this. Wild, I never expected this from NetJames or DMD more generally, but the historical portion of the story is giving everything I've been begging for from Thailand since I started watching BL. While it's not giving MileApo's period piece trailer in terms of care and attention to detail, it seems very interesting to say the least.

4) Bed Friend | NetJames

After 2 years of blue balling viewers, DMD is FINALLY giving the girls Bed Friend. I am so excited to see an office romance with actual tension between the leads and that forbidden love vibe I love so much. The story is so classic and seems entertaining from beginning-to-end. Hopefully the writing is good and the acting takes a step forward from what DMD has given so far. That said, the trailer looks promising, so fingers crossed!

3) The Next Prince (....what? It gave budget....) | ZeeNunew

Listen, I am not a zonzon or bonbon or ztormborn or whatever they call ZeeNunew stans, but I am SEATED for this. In my last list, I included Cutie Pie in my most anticipated list. Unfortunately, it didn't hit like I thought it would. But I'm willing to give them another chance as this trailer is intriguing. They're hitting budget, royalty AU, enemies (??) to lovers, direction, cinematography, etc. with this one. And the fact that the trailer was mostly silent gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, they will take the show-don't-tell subtext-led approach to acting and writing. Just hope it's not wasted on a terrible plot that goes nowhere and grating acting. S/n: Zee doing stuff w/feet again??

2) Cherry Magic (Thailand) (stfu GMMTV antis and jbl elitists, I'm tryna see sth...) | TayNew

She has no trailer and I'm already here for her.

Per MDL -

Adapted from Japan's 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii. Adachi Kiyoshi [Achi in the Thai version] is a regular salaryman who, at the age of 29, was still a virgin. On his 30th birthday, he suddenly finds himself acquiring a new power - the ability to read other people's minds whenever he touches them. Shocked and unnerved by this new ability, he struggles to cope. That is, until one day he accidentally touches the handsome and popular fellow office-worker, Kurosawa Yuichi [Karan in the Thai version], only to find out that [Karan] actually has secret romantic feelings for him. How will [Achi] cope with this new revelation?

Look, I tried the original Cherry Magic and while the concept was appealing, the execution wasn't for me. Ngl chefs, I was bored a bit. But I still love the concept and am interested to see if and how GMMTV and Taynew can handle this. It better give budget at the very least (probably won't lol). Perhaps we'll also see Newwie grow into a more serious BL role. But honestly, even if they turn it into a rom-com, I think this can really work. Either way, they have a lot of eyes on them and a lot of folks predicting their downfall. They must deliver.

1) Only Friends | NeoMark, ForceBook, FirstKhao, ForceNeo, to say the least

Where do I even start with this? Who in the fresh hell could have predicted GMMTV to come through with this? ALL the pairings are intriguing, MANY of the actors can ACT (or at least try to), THE PLOT is something straight out of my romance dreams!!! We love hotties being messy!!!! I am incoherent at this. How did GMMTV manage to outplay the player (ME)?

But to be serious, this is the most interesting BL plot in awhile... And it gets at a real part of the 20/30-something hookup culture that we have (and that people are afraid to show in the context of LGBTQ+ relationships). It's also breaking the mold and allowing actors to explore characters outside of their established ships. It's not adapted from anything (that I know of), which is, like, a first for a GMMTV BL. It includes pairings that are either on the rise (FirstKhao) or that no one could have ever seen coming but somehow feel just right (NeoMark, ForceNeo) (btw, NeoMark are up next in this industry ;)). Plus, it's directed by Jojo Tichakorn who directed and wrote for 3WBF (one of my favorite Thai dramas with a strong BL theme), and has his hands in Never Let Me Go and The Warp Effect (both with strong showings thus far). I trust him but it's gonna really come down to the budget, post-production, and, most importantly, the acting.

Thing is, Neo and First are going to show up and I trust Khao to give a strong effort. Force, I'm not too sure about but the trailer doesn't give me high hopes to be honest. Still, I'm willing to forgive if he can fuck Neo like he means it if the rest of the cast can pull their own weight. And for Mark, I'm willing to bet he'll improve from My School President (which he already is showing promise in). I'm mainly weary because the story looks to be told from Mew's perspective, who is played by Book. IMO Book is not the best....so I'm hoping he shows up. I just need it to really come together and Book holds the key to it in his hands. GMMTV already is a sketchy company for other reasons, don't waste my fucking time with yet another good concept gone by the wayside b/c y'all wanted face over talent.

Also NeoMark please don't be problematic. I want to love Badminton shawty and the best actor at GMMTV not named Gun ATP 😢

[chicademartinica]

do u think only friends will have a yt cut and an extended/uncensored cut? Not sure how this is decided or announced to the viewers, and (from what ive heard) OF isn't supposed to be Kinnporsche level of ass-idity but yknow. what do u think?

Honestly I don’t think so. I don’t see GMMtv going into nudity. The characters speak gutter vulgar Thai, sleep around and get trashed in the trailer so that’s already a lot. It would have to be behind a Paywall and also I don’t see Jojo going through the hassle lol. He doesn’t need it because he knows how to be explicit without nudity. See ARMYJOE storyline in The Warp effect. There was semen on screen. It’s on youtube. I love the way sex and erotic moments are integral to his work. His characters fuck and it always means something. (Also CASTING WISE if you can’t kiss and moan well you ain’t in his shows. AGAIN Flukethor in The Warp effect ??!! So many orgasms on screen. The others too.)

Characters talk about sex and horniness.

They kiss and touch like people who have sex with each other outside of actual sex scenes.

They have sex.

And they talk about it again after.

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

IQIYI is a Chinese streaming app so of course they would label anything with LGBTQ content as restricted even when it’s not warranted. Nothing I’ve seen from We Are suggests that it will go any higher than pg-13. So everyone needs to lower their expectations for that PhumPeem scene. It will be the usual Gmmtv ‘spicy’ scene: AWKWARD! featuring light closed mouth kissing, hands interlocking, shirts come off and then the camera pans away. Only Friends was not the norm for them, and it even that show never hit DMD, MMY or BOC levels of spice. To be honest I don’t think a show like We Are needs it anyways, considering it’s been mostly fluffy and friendship vibes.

Ok first I want to say thank you for the ask and I do agree that it would be weird to have one spicy scene when their other sex scenes have been very mild. And the show overall doesn't really need it.

A couple of the BLs there did have 13+ and like I said in my post a lot of their dramas are legitamately rated 18+ and it does seem that @poetry-protest-pornography might have been correct with saying that anything with more then a couple of simple smooches might get the 18+ rating that said I do not know what their criteria is for Het shows I don't know if they have similar standars for those as well they might just have a different rating system.

I am not super comfortable with any type of blanket statements not just in this instance but at all.

Also I don't actually agree that GMMTV has only awkward sex scenes. Yes not every drama needs explicit sex scenes and yes I do think different standars might be at play here, but plenty of their shows have conveyed a lot with simple pan away scenes:

Moonlight Chicken and Bad Buddy for exemple.

Even Wandee Goodday right now which has made strides in term of sex rep, with references to Lube and 69ing and explicity asking for a partner to pay attention to their dick, and while it might not have been as high heat as other shows it certantely conveyed a lot about their sex life.

Not to mention the Warp Effect and 3 Will Be Free --- I also want to point out that I have been weirded out before that their het shows - or at at least non bl shows - can have open kink but none of their male relationship have ever had, if the puppy play in The Warp Effect had been gay that wouldn't have been allowed on YouTube no matter who owns what even with no nudity. The world is very cruel and hypocritical about queer media and obviously it isn't the creators fault.

Only Friends was higher heat for GMMTV but not the only thing there, even if you are correct nothing is as high heat as the other companies you mentioned.

That said obviously GMMTV being the disney of BLs like @bengiyo (I hope you don't mind the tag - it honestly a great way to describe what GMMTV has become) has refer to them probably will always tend more to pan away sex scenes in their bls.

Obviously you are not wrong for feeling that away about GMMTV sex scenes I just think there is plenty of good in there as well I personally liked the AouBoom scenes even without being super into the drama. Sometimes you don't vibe with specific type of chemestry I have been there. I think PondPhuwin were pretty amazing in Never Let Me Go chemestry and intimacy wise and their sex scene in NLMG was amazing.

[gunsatthaphan]

no one asked for this but I’m still processing everything from today lol so here’s a quick rundown of my thoughts on all the series that were announced today (in chronological order; BLs (or the ones with bl elements) are marked with a 🏳️‍🌈and my favorites with a 🌟)

let me know what yall think!!!!

- The Three GentleBros: I’m definitely digging the LukeTayGun trio (and also the girls) but the mom is so toxic lol rip. The story is not bad though and it could be interesting to see them break free from her but I’m not sure yet. this could go either way. oh and also they definitely have different dads lol. 

- Unidentified Mysterious Girlfriend: this is giving me Stranger Things vibes lol and looks like Nanon is back in the sci-fi genre which I’m not mad about cuz we know he’s good at this kind of stuff but I was still hoping to see him in something different again. Him and Namtan could be a good duo though. 

- Star and Sky:  I was a bit confused by the trailer bc.... it’s like 2 series in 1? And the stories are back to back? or what. I’m not understanding the concept yet lol but lemme tell you the MekMark part of the story blew me away omg. It’s giving major ATOTS vibes but I love these kinds of stories so much. So I’ll definitely be looking forward to that. JoongDunk look good as well although Joong’s character seems a bit stiff. Hopefully he will losen up a bit. Really excited for this one nonetheless! (🏳️‍🌈🌟)

- Home School: Another dark school-themed series with the usual suspects lol. Not gonna lie I’m a bit over the “students uncovering the school’s dark secret” trope that we’ve seen a billion times already so I don’t know if I’ll be watching this one. The cast is good though. 

- Cupid’s Last Wish: We all knew this was coming but EarthMix in a rural setting is just a match made in heaven lmao. I’m still unsure about the body swap plot bc I still hate those but maybe these 2 have the power to change my mind. What I like though is the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope that I’ve never seen before. Also I feel like this will showcase Mix’s acting talent and I’m def ready for that. (🏳️‍🌈🌟)

- Oops! Mr. Superstar Hit on Me: Absolutely hate this one. Not feeling the story at all which is a bummer because I was excited to see Jane in something new. But this is making me all kinds of uncomfortable. thank you next.  

- My dear Donovan: the visuals of the cast are not bad but other than that I’m not intrigued. next. 

- The Warp Effect: I had to watch this 3 times to fully grasp everything that’s going on lmaooo - and Geez it’s really a lot. I feel a bit intimidated dksfds. To be honest though I can’t say I don’t appreciate them being so shameless about sexuality and sex education lol. Although the line “I want to get pregnant for my girlfriend, can I have your sperm?” will now haunt me forever lmao. So yeah this could either go well or backfire. We shall see. (🏳️‍🌈)

-  The Eclipse: LITERAL MASTERPIECE. Literally this is my personal highlight out of all the trailers. KhaoFirst is something I never expected but omg this looks amazing. It’s yet another school-themed plot which has me a bit weary but this hits different. I don’t understand the plot yet and I’m glad I don’t because this trailer doesn’t tell us anything but rather gives us a vibe and that vibe is ✨ immaculate ✨ I’m so obsessed with it already. First and Khao are two of my absolute favorites and they’re gonna kill it together I know it. A+++ I need it ASAP. (🏳️‍🌈🌟🌟🌟)

- Good Old Days: Gmmtv seems to have a thing for 3 things: 1. nostalgia 2. time travelling 3. throwing BW in the same series and purposefully not putting them together lmaoo. All of this is so funny to me you have no idea. But anyway this didn’t really have a grip on me. Next. 

- Never Let Me Go: YOOOO this is insane. The only way I was imagining PondPhuwin to come back was FUTS2 which I was already mentally preparing for. But THIS?????? Holy SHIT. I’m on the floor. The darker theme fits them SO well. I was also surprised to see Chimon in this but he fit in effortlessly as well. I literally have no words. This is gonna be epic. (🏳️‍🌈🌟)

- 10 Years Ticket: Off and Ohm could be a reason for me to watch this but other than that I’m not quite on board. 

- You Fight and I Love: YES I like this one!!!! I’m digging the JossLove ship already and also this is little Mick’s first role and he’s adorable 🥺 lol. This is going on my watchlist for sure. (🌟)

- Midnight Motel:  I would consider watching this for Off cuz he’s serving in this but I’m not a fan of the plot. So probably not. 

- Moonlight Chicken: I might’ve cried while watching this omfg. Another highlight for sure. The vibes in this are phenomenal like yes give me ANOTHER EarthMix series but this time make it sexy kjsdhfds. First and Khao are also in this which makes it even better. And there seems to be a deaf character if I saw correctly which is pretty cool as well. 11/10 obsessed already. (🏳️‍🌈🌟🌟🌟)

- Dirty Laundry: “Is my happiness a guy or money?” I mean...... mood lmao. This looks super chaotic and I can’t tell if it’s the good kind of chaotic yet lol. Jennie and Foei could be an interesting match lol but remains to be seen. 

- Vice Versa: EH. another body swap plot... hm. But will I still watch it solely bc OhmNanon are in it? the answer is yes. Also it’s a JittiRain adaption so this could end up being better than I expect. Also I really like the soundtrack!!! Bring it. (🏳️‍🌈)

- P.S. I Hate You: Not really feeling the plot but this has a potential BL sideplot so..... maybe? (🏳️‍🌈)

- My School President: If I took my glasses off and watched this trailer in full blur, I would probably think it’s *insert one of the 524 high school bls here* - Didn’t we say we’ve had enough of those? lol. Not sure if I’m into it yet. (🏳️‍🌈)

- Devil Sister & Astrophile: these 2 are yet another edition of “how can we make it clear to these fuckers that brightwin is cancelled?” lmao. Not really digging either of them though. bye. 

- You Are My Favorite: WELLWELLWELL----- what do we have here. This is for sure the shocker of the night lmao. Like holy hell. If there’s one thing I didn’t expect then it’s this. A little birdie (aka @sunsetknowsaboutyou) told me that this was supposed to be MikeToptap’s first series and idk what to do with that information HHHHH. Anyway please don’t hate me but after watching the trailer again, the plot actually does not look too bad..... I don’t know. I’m still confused about what to think of this. UGH. Anyway moving on for now. (🏳️‍🌈)

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So yeah all in all I’m still overwhelmed lol but my top 3 are for sure The Eclipse, Moonlight Chicken and Never Let Me Go. EarthMix, PondPhuwin and FirstKhao were most def the winners of the night and I can’t wait to cancel all my plans I had for 2022 for them (what plans u ask? bold of u to assume i had any to begin with).

sorry this got so long. Send me an ask or drop a reply with your thoughts! I’m curious 💜 

xxx