#Lookmhee Wangpongsathaporn

[nunafilms]

Affair - the Series | Episode 5 รักเล่นกล dir. Pantip Vibultham

[forsapphics]

AFFAIR (รักเล่นกล) (2024)

E08: EP.8 [1/4] — directed by Pantip Vibultham

[webmedus]

"Affair The Series", the worship ceremony, 20.06.2024

[girlacticrailroad]

the top five GLs of 2024

2024 is maybe the first year in human history you could conceivably have a Top Ten list for GLs. That in itself is momentous. I’m not going to actually do a Top Ten because, although I probably watched ten shows released last year (it is my duty and my curse to consume all things GL-related), I certainly wouldn’t recommend them all. I do however recommend all of these! With caveats of course.

There are a few shows I haven’t seen yet that might deserve a spot on this list. Brazilian GL Xeque-Mate came out last year but I haven’t gotten around to it. Although the first season ran in 2022, the second season of She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat aired in 2024. I’m sure there are others I missed.

The huge wave of GL releases on the horizon makes me hopeful that 2025 will bring us enough quality to do a proper Top Ten. Until then you’ll have to settle for this Top Five...plus a lil extra.

Honorable Mention: Apple My Love

If you’re a gay loser and your friend group isn’t this iconic, what are you doing with your life?

By my count there were six Chao Planoy adaptations released in 2024 (six!!), of which Apple My Love had by far the best opening credits and theme song. Other distinguishing features include the cute friend group and the mind-boggling ten-minute love scene, which I cannot believe was actually filmed and aired. Overall I like Apple My Love for its scrappy underdog “little rom-com that could” energy. It’s like a nice little speedrun of every GL trope. (Except for the aforementioned love scene, which feels like being trapped in lesbian purgatory. Was the editor on holiday perhaps? Were they trying to set some sort of record?)

5. Ayaka Is in Love with Hiroko!

The colors are very good.

Ayaka Is in Love with Hiroko! is by far the best Japanese GL I’ve seen. It’s also short, sweet, and to the point—just eight half-hour episodes. Despite being an over-the-top workplace comedy, it’s refreshingly grounded in actual LGBTQ experience and culture (at least compared to something like Gap). Hiroko has known she’s into women since high school. She frequents a lesbian bar where she rants about oblivious straight girls who act flirty without realizing it. Authentic details like these make the characters feel real. The series addresses the challenges faced by queer women in the workplace while keeping the tone mostly light and sweet.

4. Reverse 4 You

That height difference tho.

I’m sorry but there’s a four in the title. I couldn’t resist. Reverse 4 You is the first Thai GL series to prominently feature time travel. And also murder, probably. And it’s surprisingly not bad! The characters are good, the romance is cute, the tropes are troping, as they say. And the plot, while it’s not the deepest or most original, is a nice change of pace from the typical relationship drama. Oh and Vivi, the little sister, is adorable! The only major problem is the rushed ending, an unfortunate consequence of trying to cram a 700-page novel into 8 episodes. (A sort-of sequel, Reverse With Me, based on another book in the same series, is currently airing, but I haven’t watched it.)

3. Affair

Gals being pals.

Affair requires the longest string of disclaimers of any show on this list. So uhh let’s get this out of the way: If you’re looking for healthy relationship dynamics, Affair is not the show for you. Wan and Pleng share exactly one horny brain cell, and they don’t share it nicely. If you’re looking for thoughtful and nuanced writing...Affair is definitely not for you. The characters are pretty one-note—Wan is jealous and possessive, Pleng is guilty and repressed—and the plot is bizonkos. If you’re looking for something well-made in an aesthetic sense, well, Affair looks pretty good at least, by GL standards, though a bit sterile for my taste. But there is really only one reason to watch Affair, at the end of the day, and that is the mesmerizing set-your-screen-on-fire chemistry of Lookmhee Wangpongsathaporn and Sonya Saranphat Pedersen. They are a force of nature. And while the script might be objectively bad, it is very good at engineering situations where Wan looks at Pleng like she’s a big steamy bowl of noodles while their lips hover two inches apart. The tension is unreal. If you can surrender to the silly sexy fantasy of it all (and ignore the fact that, if this were real life, these characters should be seeking psychological help), Affair is a fun romp.

2. Pluto

I literally just noticed that the blurry thing in the foreground is an armillary sphere. Symbolism...?!?

As I discuss at length in my full review, Pluto is a mess. But the highs are high indeed, and I can’t help but admire its ambition, in spite of everything. Worth watching for the chance to see what everyone’s raving about so you can make up your own mind about it.

1. 23.5

ViewJune...gone but not forgotten.

23.5 is the anime you show to your non-anime-watching friends when you don’t want to scare them off. But the Thai GL version of that. It’s not a masterpiece by any means, but it’s not trying to be one. What it is trying to be is a heartwarming high school slice-of-life rom-com—and it’s a really good one of those, with a well-rounded cast full of charm and personality. The side characters, from the bookish devout Buddhist girl Charoen to our neurodivergent queen Aylin, all leave a lasting impression. And while other GLs might reach greater heights of unintentional hilarity, 23.5 is actually funny on purpose! It’s also one of precious few shows to do right by its trans characters. They’re funny because of their personality quirks, and because they play off each other well, not because ha ha trans people; for once they are allowed to have their own lives and story.

Overall, in a banner year for the GL industry, its modest aims and unassuming confidence help 23.5 rise above the rest. If what you want is some damn good comfort food, Ongsa and Sun and crew have got you covered.

Less Honorable Mentions

I’m putting these shows here to say that I have watched them, I just didn’t enjoy them as much as others did, so they didn’t make the cut.

Blank: I’m Blank-neutral. I don’t think anyone is evil for liking the age gap thing (it’s fiction, people!), but the character dynamics weren’t my fave.

The Loyal Pin: I’m sorry, it’s bad. Read my full review here.

Chaser Game W: I haven’t seen Season 2, but Season 1 was bad and racist, so I’m not eager to continue.

Mate: I am slightly ashamed of myself for watching this to the end. It was very bad.

My Marvellous Dream Is You: Okay I lied I haven’t actually watched this one. Everyone seems to agree it was not great though.

Petrichor: Okay I haven’t seen this one either (I don’t have the right streaming service), but ACAB includes the gays, sadly.

The Secret of Us: “It’s cute” is the highest praise I can muster for this series. It’s far from the worst show out there but I don’t get the hype. Recommended if Dr. Wanviva wasn’t enough hot doctor for you.

Unlock Your Love: Unlock Your Love is almost worth watching for Pat. I would protect Pat with my life. Girl pretty brain go vroonm

[withgaby]

Le modèle du partenaire

Tout commence avec Gap (2022), enfin c’est là que j’ai rencontré pour la première fois le phénomène, peut-être qu’il existait bien avant cela.

Les deux protagonistes principaux, Sam et Mon sont interprétés par Freen (Sarocha Chankimha) et Becky (Rebecca Patricia Armstrong). Les deux actrices ont été choisies pour ces rôles qui propulseront le drama GL Thaï à un niveau international après s’être donné la réplique dans le drama BL, Secret Crush on You (2022). La légende dit que Saint (Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana), producteur de la série (et CEO de Idol Factory), est tellement impressionné par l’alchimie entre Freen et Becky qu’il veut leur donner leur propre série, Gap.

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A post shared by freen (ฟรีน) (@srchafreen)

On ne va pas explorer le monde fou du shipping, sinon on en a pas fini. Mais j’aime beaucoup cette idée du partenaire parce que, selon moi, on a tout à y gagner, nous les viewers, mais également les artistes.

Je vous disais donc, FreenBecky interprètent Sam et Mon dans Gap et à partir de là, de leur alchimie frappante, on se demande si elles jouent la comédie ou si elles sont réellement en couple (pas de shipping on a dit). Idol Factory joue beaucoup de cette appellation, FreenBecky et cela permet aussi à de nombreuses portes de s’ouvrir pour les deux actrices.

Le personnage de Susi (interprétée par Eclair (Chatsak Mahata)) l’explique très bien dans The Secret of Us, laisser les actrices passer pour un couple fictif signifie des contrats plus nombreux et plus avantageux.

Outre l’appât du gain, cette configuration permet aux actrices ne pas se retrouver seule face à une célébrité parfois très soudaine. On ne compte plus celles qui décrivent leur partenaire comme une safe place, une zone de confort. Elles se soutiennent, s’encouragent… le propre du partenaire.

Les fans voulant voir ces couples imaginaires à l’écran, elles semblent plus facilement engageables pour des rôles en duo. Reprenons l’exemple de FreenBecky, après Gap, elles ont tenu les rôles principaux dans le film Uranus2324 (James Thanadol Nuansut, 2024), ceux de Pin et Anin dans le dramas The Loyal Pin et on a annoncé, il n’y a pas longtemps, qu’elles auraient les rôles principaux de la série Cranium prévue pour 2025.

Plus elles jouent ensemble, plus leur acting parait naturelle. Dans un live, l’actrice Engfa Waraha explique, en parlant des scènes romantiques qu’elles partagent avec sa partenaire, Charlotte Austin, dans Petrichor (2024) qu’elles sont plus naturelles, plus intenses parce que Petrichor est leur troisième projet commun. Avant cela, Englot partageaient l’affiche de Show Me Love (2023) et Love Bully (2024). Elles se connaissent, savent comment réagit l’autre, etc…

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A post shared by Charlotte Austin ᙏ̤̫ (@itscharlotty)

Les couples fictifs semblent se multiplier à l’image des dramas GL de plus en plus nombreux. Une petite liste de celles que l’on peut retrouver à l’écran.

Idol Factory, avec la série My Marvellous Dream Is You (2024), met en scène Fay (Kanyaphat Na Nakhon) et May (Yada Watcharamusik) dans les rôles de Dawan et Khimhan. FayMay sont annoncées comme les personnages principaux de la série Somewhere Somehow qui devrait arriver en 2025.

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A post shared by Kunyaphat Na nakorn (@fay_riezz)

Lingling (Sirilak Kwong) et Orm (Kornnaphat Sethratanapong) interprètent le Docteur Fahlada Thananusak et l’actrice Earn Sanithada Phongphiphat dans The Secret of Us (2024). Les deux actrices prénommé LingOrm ont annoncé qu’elles se donneraient à nouveau la réplique dans la série Only You, qui devrait bientôt arriver, où elles jouent le rôle de Tawan, garde du corps de l’idol Ira.

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A post shared by Linglingkwong鄺玲玲 (@linglingkwong)

LMSY, c’est comme cela qu’est nommé le couple fictif formait par Lookmhee (Punyapat Wangpongsathaporn) et Sonya (Saranphat Pedersen). Elles étaient cette année à l’affiche de la série Affair (2024) et ont annoncé avoir un projet commun avenir sans nous en dire plus.

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A post shared by LM 🤍 (@lmlookmhee)

Comment parler de couples fictifs sans parler de FayeYoko, Faye (Peraya Malisorn) et Yoko (Apasra Lertprasert), qui ont tenu les rôles de Nueng et Anueng dans les deux saisons de Blank (2024). Elles ont déjà parlé plusieurs fois d’un futur projet commun, mais on attend avec impatience qu’elles nous en annoncent plus.

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Dans la série 23.5 (2024), on découvrait Milk (Pansa Vosbein) dans le rôle de Ongsa et Love (Pattranite Limpatiyakorn) dans celui de Sun. On retrouvera bientôt MilkLove dans deux séries annoncées par GMMTV, Girl Rules et Whale Store xoxo.

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Il n’y a pas si longtemps, j’ai regardé le drama Apple My Love (2024) racontant la romance entre Kris et Karn interprétées par OrmFolk, Ormsin (Supitcha Limsommut) et Folk (Sutima Kokiatwanit). On parle déjà d’une nouvelle série, mais rien n’a encore été confirmé à ma connaissance.

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En ce moment, je regarde Pluto avec Namtan (Tipnaree Weerawatnodom) et Film (Rachanun Mahawan), une série que j’apprécie vraiment beaucoup. GMMTV a déjà annoncé la participation de NamtanFilm à l’une de leur prochaine série, Girl Rules, et cela a l’air fou.

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A post shared by Tipnaree Weerawatnodom (@namtan.tipnaree)

Terminons cette liste par AndaLookkaew, Anda (Anunta Teavirat) et Lookkaew (Kamollak Sangsubsin), toutes deux membres du girls band COSMOS et interprétant les rôles de Manaow et Gyoza dans le drama Love Senior (2023). Des épisodes spéciaux de la série ont été annoncé pour le 30 novembre. Ensuite, on pourra les voir dans la série Remain annoncée il y a peu de temps.

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J’ai vraiment hâte de découvrir tous ces nouveaux projets et de découvrir de nouveaux couples fictifs et vous ?

[nunafilms]

Didn't you say you were looking for a boyfriend? Have you found one yet? No, I haven't. Because I'm not really looking. I think I'm fine living like this.

Affair - the Series | Episode 3 รักเล่นกล dir. Pantip Vibultham

[nunafilms]

Affair - the Series | Episode 5 รักเล่นกล dir. Pantip Vibultham

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Affair - the Series | Episode 6 รักเล่นกล dir. Pantip Vibultham

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Affair - the Series | Episode 6 รักเล่นกล dir. Pantip Vibultham

[nunafilms]

Affair - the Series รักเล่นกล Episode 1 (2024) dir. Pantip Vibultham

[nunafilms]

You're the only person in the world where I believe every word you say. No matter what.

AFFAIR รักเล่นกล (2024)

[nunafilms]

You know I was just joking right? There's no way Frank and I will ever be together.

AFFAIR รักเล่นกล (2024)

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AFFAIR รักเล่นกล (2024)

[nunafilms]

Lookmhee Wangpongsathaporn as Wanwiwa in Affair the Series | Ep. 2

[nunafilms]

AFFAIR รักเล่นกล (2024)

[webmedus]

"Affair The Series", the worship ceremony, 20.06.2024