#BL talk

[gatoraid]

Ogeretsu Tanaka’s BL manga Happy of the End is getting a live action adaptation starting September 2!

Having lead shitty lives, these two love-starved people find a crooked consonance together.

Happy of the End is out in English by Kuma Publishing.

Sources: @Qpa_BLinfo, @tanaca_, @chillchillbl

[justablfan]

So, I was watching the video of Siam Paragon Countdown 2025 x KristSingto second time around (I just can't get enough of them 😝). I realized a few things more strongly this time even though I felt it the first time as well.

The first thing is I remember the videos of as early as 2016, even though I didn't know KristSingto then, that during stage performances Krist has always been the one with upper hand and this is one of the many things I love about him but! But Singto has always been like "trying to do his best so as to not mess up or make a mistake" kinda among the two. I remember the only argument KristSingto talked about that they had about a performance and Singto being more worried about the lyrics and such. This time I saw the performance and Singto made quite a few mistakes here and there, but what I felt so good about was that he just simply went on performing and enjoying the performance.

The maturity to handle the mistakes on a big stage with such ease is another development I loved in the two, in this case Singto. I love it that they feel they too can make mistakes and that it's OK. This is the kind of environment I want them to be in when they are among their fans atleast cause Thai BL fandom is changing for worse each day or so I feel.

Another thing, that is not a change but has constantly been there between the two and still is, is Krist backing Singto up, be it in interviews, stage performances, or weird situations fans put them in. They have always been each other's support and shoulder to lean on since they went through the hell-hole period when Thai BLs reached international fame for the first time together. But even in this video you can see what has not changed after all these years of good and bad - Krist backing up his P'Sing and trying to cheer up his sulky P'.

I love it that they are prioritizing themselves and being more of their true selves, enjoying the moment, supporting each other, and still loving their fans. This is the kind of family a fandom should make for the ones they look up to - somewhere anyone can come to have a rest after a busy day and feel rejuvenated.

[justablfan]

I just love it how you always sneak in Sotus whenever talking about GMMTV. Because, we all know, as long as there is GMMTV, all hail Sotus and KristSingto.

And while I agree that the number of QL shows that GMMTV produces has significantly increased, mostly over the last three years, the quality has dropped to a point where it outnumbers the quantity for viewers who want to see quality content.

And even though I love Sotus and KS Khuujin the most, Be My Favorite has its own place in my heart. For me, it surpasses every criteria I could judge it on. I could keep talking about how incredibly amazing the show is and I'd still have ten novels worth of things left to say.

GMMTV's poor management of its artists (because money is everything), and lack of the promotion of series worth promoting has always been a point of disappointment for me. So, I'm not expecting anything better in this field. But I do hope GMMTV focuses more on meeting quality standards than milking cash from queer content.

GMMTV’S “SNEAKY” MARKETING

I’ve never really looked closely at those trending posts GMMTV puts out but something about the design of the one for “Leap Day” amused me, so I wanted to break it down for fun.

Since GMMTV is a management company, they have to regularly promote their artists—and by proxy the series they’re in—to potential advertisers. According to Tha, they used to do this by showing advertisers the TV ratings and viewing numbers for a series, but times have changed, and now advertisers are asking for Online Engagement Numbers. Trends, especially.

So, check this out with me:

(This isn’t to pick on “Leap Day,” it’s just the post that caught my attention.)

The top numbers are Twitter trends for the hashtag #LeapDaySeries. That’s common, and I’ve seen that before.

What amuses me is that “2.6M+ views in 24 hours” bit, because that made me go, “Whoa, really?” I know GMMTV series tend not to get 1M+ views on YouTube overnight, so I went to check.

192k views is not 2.6M+ views.

So you read the fine print beneath the giant red numbers:

2.6M+

FROM ALL ONLINE PLATFORMS COMBINED

And then I thought, “Oooh, sneaky.” Because how are you counting that 2.6M+ exactly? What does “all online platforms” mean? Which platforms? Are you counting views on reposted videos also? How many views are repeat users?

It’s clever, because in all likelihood, GMMTV’s hoping all advertisers care about is the big red number and not how they got it.

Part of me wonders if they’re obfuscating the numbers because other management companies are starting to challenge them. IDOLFactory and Domundi make fewer series, but they’re starting to produce better quality series.

And just yesterday, an interview with KristSingto was released where they said they’re conscious that they’re in an era now where consumers are spoiled for choice, so they’re determined to keep the quality of what they produce as a khuujin. SOTUS might have ushered in the Thai QL wave, but they have no illusions or goal of taking the top spot again. They’re happy to create quality series for anyone who loves them.

Of course, GMMTV is under Grammy, which is a massive corporation that gives them a good deal of resources and clout, but they nearly went bankrupt once (only rescued by SOTUS), so they’re not invulnerable.

One of my main criticisms of GMMTV is that they’ve started churning out dozens of series in the apparent hope that one or two will be a viral hit, but the quality overall of what they create has dropped, and I hear more and more international fans starting to equate GMMTV with poor quality series. Personally, I only ever see about three pilot teasers with promise from any given GMMTV showcase, and of those three, maybe two of them will follow through on their potential.

It’s all about the bottom line, but there’s more than one way to get there. GMMTV’s seems to be mass series production, top spender events, merchandise, and online platform subscriptions. Which makes for good business, but not so great for the quality of their series’ storytelling, directing, acting, visuals, sound, etc.

There will always be plenty of viewers who want the eye candy first and queer representation second (if at all), so GMMTV doesn’t necessarily need high quality series. If they throw two half-naked men onscreen and have them sell a bit of sunscreen or a printer, the trends will soar.

Since GMMTV is just the management side, the quality of their actors’ series is down to the actual production teams. Like I love to say, Waa knew “Be My Favorite” wasn’t going to soar in the trends, but it was a passion project for him, so he and his writing team took their time with it. As a result, BMF is one of the best series I’ve seen from GMMTV. But, in the year and change since BMF aired, you almost never hear about it.

That’s because, presumably, there’s no benefit to GMMTV acknowledging a series starring a pair who aren’t an official khuujin with merchandise and events. Even though it’s an incredible series on every measurable scale, “Be My Favorite” isn’t GMMTV’s success: it’s the production team’s. I used to be annoyed with GMMTV for essentially pretending it doesn’t exist, but I just had to remind myself over and over that they’re a management company, not a studio. Krist is already in their most legendary khuujin, so it benefits them to pretend the blip where he worked with someone else never happened. I get it.

But also, watch “Be My Favorite” because Waa is an incredible director and he really outdid himself with it.

Aaanyway, I guess I just wanted to ramble about the business side of BL for a bit.

Bye!

[gunsatthaphan]

just bro banter 🤙🏻✌🏻

[khaoala]

❝This is your only chance, Ai'Mook.❞

CHANYA AMARIT as VIVI and AYA ORAPAN as KAIMOOK episode 8 of LOVE SEA

[secriden]

ok i can't sleep until i do this but. the parallels and juxtaposition between fadelstyle's storeroom scene vs the forest scene:

The person who "confesses"

The person who initiates

The way it's Fadel this time that barely dares to touch (also: note we have hand on neck again but in reverse!!!)

The way the last time was established to be purely physical, but this time it's there's an acknowledgement that this involves their hearts

The constant, straight on, full and INTENSE eye contact vs the snatches they took because Fadel was so quick to turn Style around and wasn't ready to look him in the eye as he fucked him

The way they both stay fully clothed but this time its so much more intimate and tender and emotionally resonant than it was when they were naked.

Also fuck but Joong and Dunk really both brought their all to this scene. I'm so appreciative of the ways you can see Style's desperation to communicate his genuine feelings in the forest scene vs the storeroom scene. And the way Fadel is so shaken, because this time this time, he's finally ready to acknowledge that his heart is alive again.

[justablfan]

This is a true artist! Acknowledging and respecting the works of other artists who worked before him even when his own work is widely known as "The first one of its kind to gain international popularity" (which is very true btw). Sotus is a trendsetter for many for many "things" in Thai BLs which helped the whole industry to flourish yet he knows and acknowledges the ones that came before Sotus. Like Lovesick came back in 2014 and is the first one with a bxb pair lead? And Love of Siam even before that. Respect an artist who respects other artists even when his own works are milestones!!!

ตามสัญญาEp.67: It was an unfamiliar new thing.

[itsallaboutbl]

You think I'm going to let you lead?

[thamepo]

Hands.

[pamouche]

Something is stuck on your face.

JACK & JOKER. EP 10 // SPECIAL EPISODE

[gatoraid]

Key visual by Syundei for the recently announced anime adaptation of Go for it, Nakamura!!

Source: Comic Natalie, Official website for the anime

[justablfan]

An Unexpected KristSingto mention!

It's past midnight and I can't scream my lungs out at the unexpected mention of KristSingto, more so because it's from an ff writer.

I had been sleeping on "The Shipper" for so long after I dropped it on ep 2 the first time I watched this. Finally I started watching it again. And what did I find unexpectedly???😱😱

THERE'RE TWO WRITERS IMAGINING A KTISTSINGTO FANFICTION IN EP 5 (3/4) !!!!!!!!!!!!!🤯🤯🤯

I got second hand embarrassment on behalf of all fanfiction writers who base their stories on real life actors rather than characters! 😳😳

Why did nobody tell me before? 😭😭

[chicademartinica]

When Haruki looked over at the bespectacled demon LIKE THAT. Oh I had a glimmer of hope ! I knew he wanted to be OG Hirukawa and say : « You blind hoe I’ve been eyefucking Jin since we were 17 right in front of your bento. »

[firstkanaphans]

P’Jojo sat down for a very detailed interview with a Brazilian podcast called Venom Sisters BL. I have summarized some of the highlights below.

The Heart Killers

This story was originally presented to GMMTV 2-3 years ago but was more dramatic than comedic. At that time, Kant was a police officer rather than a tattoo artist.

THK was meant to be announced in GMMTV Part 1 but the decision was made to postpone it after a mass shooting in Thailand. They didn’t think it would be appropriate to release as scheduled as the show deals with hitmen

Khaotung told Jojo that Bison was a more difficult character to portray than Ray because he had to find a balance between the dramatic and the comedic aspects of the character. Apparently, melding genres is not common in Thai media so it was an adjustment

“In my series, the characters already know they are gay, so a little touchy-touchy in the sauna room is normal.”

He purposefully made sure to include kisses in every episode and has been surprised by people claiming THK has a lot of NC scenes. He thinks some viewers see any kissing scene as an NC scene but he does not. He sees kissing as normal. That is how his characters express love for each other.

The scene he had the most fun filming was the BDSM scene. He was concerned it might be too intense for the actors but First and Khaotung had a great time

Other

Jojo was asked to start Only Friends 2 immediately after finishing Only Friends but he wanted to film something a bit lighter first

Of the three series he is directing next year, That Summer will film first with A Dog and a Plane to follow around the middle of the year

He refers to A Dog and a Plane as “my baby” and says he originally pitched the idea 2-3 years ago but they were waiting for the right cast

He will never again direct a series where the characters are high school age. “I’m too old for that.”

[thistle--bug]

Still so impressed and grateful to Last Twilight for portraying exes-to-friends so successfully. Like, once Mhok and Phojai break up and stay friends they don't break that boundary once. They're each other's besties, love each other fiercely, and are super close but it never gets romantic again. And I don't think I've EVER seen that done in media, let alone with a man and a woman.