#au kornprom niyomsil

[kongthapatom]

Riddle me this: When have queer stories managed to become popular with little kids in Asia before MSP did?

This year I watched MSP cast promote the drama in schools and so many students ranging from small kids to high schoolers doing MSP dance challenges even months after MSP ended. It makes me ecstatic when I see them watching this drama, even becoming a fan! TinnGun made it seem so effortless to touch the hearts of Asian kids and teens in a way no queer drama has been able to do before. 

MSP really changed my perception of what it will take for queer media to overthrow the hetero agenda in Asia someday. It made me realize we need more feel-good, family-friendly and goofy stories that appeal to everyone and make them laugh instead of convoluted or grandiose stories that lose the plot or those that specifically amplify queer struggles and minimise the joy of love.

That in the end, when real change starts in society, no matter how big or small and culminates with homophobia finally packing its bags & Asian families being won over - it won't be because of dramatic and "realistic" queer stories rife with suffering, grief or heartbreak that got voted best by the critics. It will be because of a simple and sweet love story like MSP, where one boy had a crush on another boy and did everything it takes to help him reach his dreams and found his own happiness in the process, a story that is vibrating with so much of queer positivity, joy and heart that it's impossible for anyone who watches it to not became its fan.

It makes my heart burst with joy that queer kids today are growing up with much better examples of queer love in front of them than our previous generations ever did. Imagine the impact this will have, the difference it will make in young queer Asian lives.

Gun told Tinn that the love songs we listen to in high school are the best love songs ever because they're the original soundtracks of our first love - To think there is a generation of kids right now who are listening to MSP soundtrack and falling in love to the same songs Tinn and Gun sang to each other and will remember MSP as their life's greatest love songs someday in the future - it boggles my mind and perhaps we won't grasp the full extent of what MSP did for its queer audience until many years have passed.

Nonetheless, I'll never stop singing MSP's praises because all they had was a newbie director, rookie actors & a banger soundtrack to do the impossible and make queer characters go mainstream in Asian schools and resonate with kids. We'll soon find out if we'll see TinnGun in college next year being sickeningly in love and serenading each other with an even gayer cuter cheesier soundtrack! (I hope so) Even if we don't, I'm excited for the impact MSP and GemFourth will have on queer romance genre down the line.

[telomeke-bbs]

OUR SKYY 2 x BAD BUDDY x TALE OF THOUSAND STARS – CHAOS GREMLINS ON SET

OK, so whether it's at sea level or in the highlands, Toto absolutely cannot hold his drink: 😂

(above left) Bad Buddy Ep.6 [4/4] 2.24; (above right) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [3I4] 5.38

But the scene in Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x Tale of Thousand Stars also looks like it has some covert pranking going on: I think Nanon ad-libbed Pran stopping to check if drunken Au was still breathing (sticking a finger under his nose), because it isn't at all necessary for the storyline, and would have been overly distracting if it hadn't been so brief:

(above) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [3I4] 5.37

And Ohm follows it up by tweaking and twiddling Au's nose as he runs past: 😂

(above) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [3I4] 5.39

The two menaces saw their chance with Au immobilized for the narrative, and wasted no time in capitalizing on it! Just a couple of seconds' worth, but for once our two gremlins' epic tomfoolery has been caught on camera. 😂

And trouper Au played along, didn't break character, and pretended to swat flies away instead in his drunken stupor:

(above) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x Tale of Thousand Stars Ep.2 [3I4] 5.41

But it was pests of another kind! No wonder Chang Yod looks so nonplussed. 😂

[telomeke]

MOONLIGHT CHICKEN – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AU KORNPROM'S CAMEO (BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A CALLOUT TO MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT)

When Assistant Director Au appeared in Moonlight Chicken as a bubble tea vendor at Ep.5 [2/4] 2.05, it got me wondering whether it was simply the cast and crew having a bit of fun (as with a number of the vendor cameos in Bad Buddy), or whether there was any greater significance (as with GMMTV producers/directors and their cameos in other series before – see this link here).

After all, Au Kornprom Niyomsil is not the director of Moonlight Chicken. But the cameo, while brief and unannounced, reads like a purposeful flourish – Director Aof saved Assistant Director Au's appearance for just a few seconds in the very last half-minute of the scene, so as to maximize the impact of this Aha! moment. This lends the cameo some weight, and I think there is meaning behind it too.

It’s especially significant that the one buying the bubble tea (chaa nom khai mook, or ชานมไข่มุก) is Fourth, in character as teenager Li Ming. And what Li Ming says to Jim at Ep.5 [2/4] 1.57 ("It's not for you") is significant too.

The connection that Fourth and Assistant Director Au have is that the latter is Fourth's director in My School President, which not coincidentally also broadcast its finale the same week as Assistant Director Au's cameo in Moonlight Chicken.

Now MSP is a feelgood vehicle clearly directed at a younger crowd. It's been crafted for maximum teenybopper appeal (does anyone still use this term though? 🤷‍♂️), with photogenic leads, lots of earcandy songs, cutesy sound effects, gigil/geram-inducing props (that chinchilla hoodie! 😍), uncomplicated storytelling and loads of sweet, affirming moments. All formulaic elements that management and marketing must be beaming at, that are likely to up MSP's money-making popularity in the teen segment and bring in cash from associated sidelines as well (young teens being the most willing to fork out cash for collateral merchandise, or so the current wisdom goes).

I'm not intending to suggest that teens are incapable of appreciating darker, heavier fare, mind you. But I do think the studios are keenest on less demanding, inoffensive output that they can then spin out into all sorts of income streams (music and merchandise being the most obvious, but also concerts and fanmeets as well). This would be logical for any commercial enterprise (which is what they are, after all) but if any among their stable of writers and directors are approaching their work with social consciousness too, well, there are bound to be clashes when pressure mounts to go in a lighter direction.

So to me, MSP is a bit of a rainbow-colored unicorn, a rare confluence of both these drivers (commercial orientation and social conscience, albeit applied with a gentler touch). Underneath its sugary BL theatrics are also positive messages aimed at bolstering the self-esteem and awareness of LGBTQ+ youth still coming to grips with the realities of their identities in cishet-dominated society. That its primary audience is not made up of adults may align nicely with management directives on the commercial front, but it also allows for its underlying message to be targeted as well.

When Li Ming says (a little too smugly) "It's not for you", with MSP's director then handing him the boba, the message is that it's the younger crowd that's being prioritized (not in Moonlight Chicken, ironically, but in My School President).

MSP is especially for teenagers just starting to find their own way in life, not so much older adults who've already figured out (at least partly) who they are and how they fit into society (although everyone is quite welcome to watch along; one message of BL is surely "no gatekeeping" as long as you carry no ill-intent 🥰).

So this is the message of Assistant Director Au's cameo, I think – just as his bubble tea vendor persona is providing teens Li Ming and Heart with a sweet, tasty treat that they will enjoy, as director of MSP (and possibly future projects in the same vein) he's doing much the same thing by delivering a carefully-crafted confection designed to be especially palatable for a younger audience.

And just as bubble tea is known for containing its addictive pearls, teen-oriented BLs like MSP (created by Director Au's hand) will also contain something more substantial for you to chew on within (noting that the word khaimook or pearl also carries the connotation of precious value).

To older folk who might not quite appreciate the offering for what it is (like when Jim says "I don't want it" at Ep.5 [2/4] 1.53) – well, a teen show is not really intended for you anyway (which is the meaning behind Li Ming's retort – he's not just being sassy, although that does have significance for Moonlight Chicken's plot too 😊). Jim's of course welcome to consume it if he wants or likes. But I think his tastes swing toward the more meaty and savory anyway; this is Moonlight Chicken after all. 💖

PS

At the time of writing this, I still hadn't watched Episodes 5 and 6 in full. But this scene was giffed and commented on so much I had to at least watch this bit. I was waiting for Director Aof to put in a cameo too, so this is what I wrote at first:

I think there's a strong chance it will happen. But what will it mean though? 🤷‍♂️

Well, we now know that it actually happened too, within the same episode! Thanks to @hughungrybear for pointing this out – see this link here. 🥰

I'll save Director Aof's cameo for another post though. I have thoughts about it – something rings ominous about how it was presented, and I'm not sure yet if we should wait for more to be revealed. 🤔

[afabstract]

My Love Mix-Up! Episode 1 Review - Fun Start

Episode one of the Thai adaptation of "My Love Mix-Up" is out and it promises to deliver a fun, chaotic, and comedic high-school romance.

Follow us on Twitter | Instagram The first episode of the Thai series “My Love Mix-Up” is out and sets a fun tone for the high-school romantic comedy starring Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul and Gemini Norawit Titicharoenrak as leads Atom and Kongthap. It starts with Atom narrating a school legend about how writing down your crush’s name on an eraser can manifest into a real relationship. This is a…

[telomeke]

I just watched this bit and chortled away at Assistant Director Au Kornprom's cameo in Last Twilight Ep.11 [2/4] 9.47 (the second after Assistant Director Meng Chaiyapat in Eps 1 and 10). And did a quick search to see if anyone had posted about and of course it's my beloved and eagle-eyed mutual @airenyah 🤩

Another one to add to the long line of cameos from GMMTV directors and producers! 😍

omgggg hi!!!!!!

[cilginfillermigoruyorumne]

I just need to make this for the Thai series. If you want to turn this into the four horsemen meme format, just add Pratchaya Thavornthummarut.

[buddhamethods]

-Compliment each other, huh? You two deserve the hashtag #KongthapAtom.

My Love Mix-Up! (2024) dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil

[dragonsareawesome123]

A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) dir. Backaof Noppharnach Chaiwimol Episode 10 Ossan's Love Thailand (2024) dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil Pilot Trailer

[chinchillion]

MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT (2022-2023) dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil

[kongthapatom]

My thoughts on ep 11 and ep 12 preview:

Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely here for the ride P'Au and MSP team are taking us on. I appreciate the developments of ep 11 and I adore chinzhilla's friendship. I'm also relieved the ep 11 curse did not unimaginatively separate tinngun and their relationship is stronger than ever. But I'm trying to understand how these events fit into the overarching romantic vision of the show, and perhaps I will feel differently after we've watched ep 12

I was somewhat caught off guard when chinzhilla lost hot wave. I was so sure they would win because the show has already told us about the outcome multiple times: That love is not a dream's greatest enemy but the very essence that fuels it, and dreams are also meaningless without sharing it with the person you love. Love makes Gun sing love songs better and hence love will be what eventually helps him win hot wave with the song he wrote about the people he loves. Because Tinn has been by his side since day one as his most ardent believer and supporter. Shouldn't Gun watch his dream come true with Tinn by his side then? Did that outcome not make the most sense narratively speaking? If this was a more serious show, I would've entertained the possibility they may not win cuz that's quite an idealistic and clichéd storyline. But MSP has been the most perfect romcom to date and there's no other show this would've worked on, so I'm sorry if I was wrong to hope

Through 10 episodes, MSP has built a light-hearted but realistic universe which had no traces of homophobia so the ep 12 preview (which maybe lying) is also confusing me. Since the first episode we've been watching Tinn bend over backwards to facilitate Gun's dream and I always thought, "I'm so glad this is a romantic comedy cuz Tinn would be getting into sooo much trouble for using his position as the school president to help his boyfriend" - because I didn't think for one second this was the kind of a show that would really land Tinn in trouble 😩😩

I do still believe everything that's to come in ep 12 will bring better answers and give them the happy ending they deserve. But I'm a little sad and trying to understand why it seems like the story has gone back on some key points it established before, and if the story is heading in a more serious direction than it set itself up as. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this and if y'all can share your views on this, I would really appreciate it

[telomeke-bbs]

TOTO!!! What're you doing up in the mountains? 😍

[jimmysea]

You did great I'm proud of you..I did it. I'm happy.

Gemini Norawit as TINN & Fourth Nattawat as GUN MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT (2022) dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil

[blbeloved]

Every day; every day

I miss ep 4 of My School President the series.

[hyunsung]

“Love songs we listen to in high school are the best love songs ever. Because they are original soundtracks of our first love.”

MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT (2022-2023) dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil

[piningintrovert]

Why are you such a good guy? That’s why … you’re liked. MY LOVE MIX-UP! (2024), dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil

bonus A flustered and blushing Kongthap as shown by his shirt

[itagakimizuki]

GEMINI NORAWIT as Tinnaphob 'Tinn' Jirawatthanakul & FOURTH NATTAWAT as Guntaphon 'Gun' Wongwitthaya — ep 1 // ep 12 (final)

MY SCHOOL PRESIDENT (2022-2023) dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil