#thai BL branded pairs

[absolutebl]

12 Favorite Thai BL Branded Pairs Active Right Now

Based on screen chemistry and personal taste entirely (not projects, rolls, characters). Some of your favorites will missing from this list (sorry not sorry). September 2024, not responsible for pairs getting busted up after this moment in time.

I would watch more from any of these boys even if I've disliked their previous work and am likely to continue to do so.

1 FirstKhaotung

2 JoongDunk

3 YinWar

4 Perth & Talay - YES STILL!!! I HOLD OUT HOPE!

5 TutorYim

6 JimmySea

7 MosBank

8 TayNew

9 G4

10 SailubPon

11 BillyBabe

12 GreatInn

MaxTul would make this list, but I think they're unofficially busted at this juncture, Tul seems pretty much out of the biz. And if he went back to BL most everyone would likely demand Mew.

Others that I'd pull but I don't think my own rules allow me to: JeffGameplay, BoomPeak (YES THEM), BoyTod (Ghost Host), BossPeter (Starhunter). Frankly GreatInn might not stick either.

Never Pair Branded

But not officially busted either. So I want them to do another show together. Some of these are pretty obscure, so I put in origin shows.

BeverTee - 21 Days Theory

BoomHaii - Chains of Heart

BossPre - Destiny Seeker

BrightNonkul - I Feel You Linger in the Air

PokeTongue - Star Hunter boys

BoatKenji - My Secret Love

Poom & Up - My Stand In

NohPeter - Oh My Sunshine Night

KunKiak - The Promise

OppNut - Secret Crush On You

JuniorFluke - To Be Continued

TT - Triage

PoohFiat - Top Secret Together

BoatJame - TharnType 2

JumpBoom - You're My Sky

I'll watch but I'm not invested

EarthMix

OffGun

PondPhuwin

ForeceBook

KristSingto

ZeeNuNew

MeenPeng

BounPrem

OhmFluke

DaouOffroad

MaxNat

KarnNut

PavelPoom

BossNoel

FortPeat

MileApo

Honestly I am always happy, if not gleeful, to see pairs busted up, but I do still have favorites. And I would feel a little twinge if any of those 12 were seperated permanently.

(source)

[doublel27]

I’m still thinking about Daou Pittya’s live last night where he roasted fans and his current mission to get people to stop using the terms koojin and fanservice.

And thinking about how Pond and Phuwin admitted they hang out a lot but they don’t post any of it because they don’t want their actual relationship outside of work to be called fanservice.

And thinking about the interview BillyBabe gave recently where they reiterated that they don’t engage in fanservice and they can’t make anyone believe anything about their relationship anyway.

And about old videos of Earth during early ATOTS era asking MCs not to use the term koojin about him and Mix.

And about YinWar, BossNouel and MaxTul always having been very honest that they are friends who work together. Never obscuring that fact.

And about Tay Tawan loudly saying that OffGunTayNew all kiss each other all the time since Gun showed up and the realties of their friendship are none of your business.

And about Krist loudly saying he’s allowed to have friends.

Because none of these pairs intend to stop acting with their current partner (aside from MaxTul because Tul has left the industry entirely.) They’re not protesting being paired with another person for multiple projects. They are protesting the commodification, the telling a person who they are with know actual knowledge, and frankly homophobic/toxic masculinity drenched idea that for a man to show care to another man they either have to have a deep romantic relationship or they’re faking it all for the money, even the stuff with no branding attached.

And half the stuff that gets filed away as evidence that two men in a pair or are dating or that everything is definitely fanservice and is entirely manufactured are things that are completely normal in female friendships:

Looking at a person when they speak

Knowing someone’s likes and dislikes

Thoughtful gifts

Saying you love them/care

Acts of service

Physical affection

Sometimes being jealous of a friend’s relationship with other friends

Hanging out outside of work

And yeah, some of them may be just coworkers that they grit their teeth and work with and fake it til they make it. But some pairs out there have a genuine relationship, however they label it. And however it’s labeled is none of your business.

As a fan, you have no right to tell them how to act, whether it’s to call out fanservice and demand they stop or to tell them they can’t have other friends. Both are toxic extremes and treating a person like an object you can control.

There’s a longer essay on this, that I plan to finish soon, but this is where my brain keeps cycling through.

Bottom line, listen to these men when they speak. Trust their agency. I hope they keep clapping back at everyone.

[heretherebedork]

May 2025 be the year that pair branding falls apart and sets free the actors to make out with anyone they're comfortable with and frees them from typecasting.

[manogirl]

I am truly loving ThamePo, but something that I haven't been able to stop thinking about for a few weeks is what the endgame is.

I know it's a BL, I know it's GMMTV, and I know what that means. GMMTV ends shows happily, with very few exceptions. I know that.

I don't know what GMMTV thinks about the "idols can't fall in love" rule though I do know how bad fans react when there's a hint of a whisper of a rumor that someone in a branded pair has a girlfriend, and GMMTV quite obviously knows that too.

My question is: if GMMTV makes a BL where the obvious message is that idols should be allowed to fall in love, is that also a message on where GMMTV stands on this issue?

Because if that's the case, that seems....like a radical message to send? NEEDED, so needed, don't get me wrong. But it's almost unimaginable that a major company whose business is (and we all know it is, as we snap up permpoon change purses, samruay luggage tags and tomafox pouches [no? just me? ah well.]) selling branded pairs would come out and say, "yeah no, our artists are humans and deserve to be in love like anyone else."

Walking this tightrope and trying to end up with a happy ending AND the branded pair system unchanged seems like a very tall order to me. I hope I'm wrong, and there's a happy end AND an unequivocal message that idols are humans, because this show is really firing on all cylinders for me.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Ossan’s Love Thailand! Don’t think I don’t see you working in the beginning notes from the 1000 Stars theme into the score! You can pretend you’re just a wacky comedy but I heard you doing it right at the beginning of part 4 in episode 3, you know, the same section where they do the reversal of the famous forehead kiss from that series. You clever dog! Just like you did with the Moonlight Chicken score last week! I’m onto you!

[lurkingshan]

Wowwww. So I wondered what was going on with the low review score on The Trainee on MDL, and @neuroticbookworm bravely went into the comments to investigate. Apparently angry TayNew shippers are review bombing the show to get back at Gun for kissing Tay. I cannot fucking believe people.

[guzhufuren]

what kinda one on one fancalls are those

[ineffable-opinions]

Earliest Branded Pairs in BL

Hu Jun and Liu Ye

They played Chen HanDong and Lan Yu in Lan Yu (2001) directed by Stanley Kwan. They also acted in Painting Soul (2003), by the same director, which was not a BL.

Hu Jun had previously acted in East Palace, West Palace (1996). Episode 6 of Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (2024) had Qi Lu and Qin Xiao watching that movie.

Stills from Lan Yu and Manifesto.

They appeared together in the Chinese TV Show Where Are We Going, Dad? Season 3 (2015), an event celebrated by their CP fans! They also acted together in Manifesto (2023). This is in line with Chinese government's complicated history with shipping and fu-cultures.

CCP is not always hostile towards BL and shipping. I mean, CCP is the second largest political party in the world with like nearly hundred million members. Some of them are fu-people, who create and consume BL. Some of them engage in shipping - of characters as well as real people including celebrities and senior party members. (I have discussed this in the context of Addicted here.) The appeal of a branded pair, who is not against getting shipped, doing a series like Manifesto is therefore manifold. Hence, JunYe CP is one of the most important branded pair ever.

Watanabe Daisuke and Hamao Kyousuke

They played Saki Giichi and Hayama Takumi in 4 BL movies:

Takumi-kun Series 2: Rainbow Colored Glass (2009)

Takumi-kun Series 3: The Beauty of Detail (2010)

Takumi-kun Series 4: Pure (2010)

Takumi-kun Series 5: That, Sunny Blue Sky (2011)

and acted in an non-BL movie:

Our Kogen Hotel (2013)

All of these movies were directed by Yokoi Takeshi. While I wonder if he's going to repeat it with the new cast of Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa. (2023), I am less sure given Kato Daigo who played Saki Giichi in the new movie is already 24 and he can only play a high schooler for so long. Also, I am not sure how the movie performed on the box office and if it would have a sequel.

This pair started off with The Musical Prince of Tennis #4 where Watanabe Daisuke played Tezuka Kinimitsu with Hamao Kyousuke as Kikumaru for 2 years.

All early 21st century Japanese live action BL had a handful of actors (Saitoh Takumi, Kawai Ryunosuke, Yoshikazu Kotani, Aiba Hiroki, Takahashi Yuta, Saito Yasuka and Namikawa Hajime) who appeared in multiple BL works but with different onscreen partners, so DaiMao branded pair was pretty unique.

Japanese BL doesn't have any branded pair currently.

[unpopularopinionbydemand]

You follow right-wing extremists but kiss men for a living...

Ho, is you cool?

[thatgirl4815]

Hi. Im really curious about your opinion on branded pairs in Thai BL marketing, especially about Firstkhaotung. I happen to like both actors very much (since Moonlight Chicken) and then from the Eclipse and Only friends. It would be great to see them as a couple in an upcoming show but acting career wise it could limit their range or project choices if this branded pairs marketing strategy dictates certain limits. My somewhat negative feelings about it came from moonlight chicken which was the second Thai series that I watched and Earthmix seem to be such a strong branded pair that I found the watching experience strange and then the shoehorning of 2 Alan Gaipa scenes in the end. How do you see it? And which one is your favourite branded pair (if there is any)?

Hi! So sorry it’s taken me a bit to answer this - it’s been a crazy few days.

I also think there are both strengths and weaknesses to having branded pairings, and I think OF happened to be a really good example of that. I’ve seen quite a few disgruntled reactions to the branded pairings ending up together in the end…I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the one couple who didn’t end up together was the one that wasn’t pre-established.

In the case of Moonlight Chicken, I think it can apply similarly, though maybe not as obviously. I like the AlanGaipa scenes but I do agree that if it hadn’t been FirstKhao coming off of The Eclipse, would they have had those scenes in the end? My gut says no.

I’m kind of torn overall tbh, because I think branded pairings work for a reason. There have been so many standouts that have been hugely successful because of it - EarthMix, FirstKhao, and OffGun to name a few. The problem comes when those branded pairings interfere with plot and limit the creativity in these stories. The majority of audiences want to see their faves together, but that stunts creativity in some aspects if the plot could be better served by a different endgame (or no endgame altogether, in the case of TopMew in OF).

Anyways, I think it’s a slippery slope for gmmtv and bl in general to pursue branded pairings because it’s a huge money draw and appeals to fans, but it’s a balance of creativity and storytelling and appealing to the chemistry that viewers love so much. For me personally, FirstKhao has always been my favorite pairing since The Eclipse for a lot of reasons, but one that stands out is that their acting is so strong individually as well as together. I’ve noticed in BL especially, branded pairings have a tendency to lean into each other so much in their acting that it’s difficult to tell if they could actually hold their own on screen. FK have done that, and sprinkling in their chemistry when together just takes everything to a whole new level.

[watchthisqqq]

I am not very familiar with either of these pairings but I had a question. People seem ok with Dunk/Phuwin getting together despite them being in branded pairs. Why is that? When people get very upset in other situations if a person in a pair is with someone else. Even Pond and Joong seem to endorse it.

[absolutebl]

Hi ABL! Can I be what I'm assuming is the 80th person to ask for your analysis about the move of Prem and Boun to GMMTV? Particularly, any thoughts on:

Why did the move happen and does it mean anything that they moved together?

What might this mean for new series with them as a pair and the potential to break up their pairing?

Are there any GMMTV talents that you'd love to see Boun or Prem paired with?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

BounPrem move to GMMTV

DISCUSS!

AKA Thai BL industry speculation, my favorite game!!

I am actually cautiously optimistic about this.

They're an ideal pair for GMMTV to get. Especially if GMMTV continues optioning Japanese IP. These two are beautifully suited to A LOT of yaoi. Just imagine them in a Thai version of Takumi-kun? !

Rise up Broccoli Nation... let's talk kabedons!

Why did the move happened?

From BounPrem's perspective:

I think they've been pretty underserved by their current home and that home is pushing them towards pulps (I refuse to talk about Even Sun and I found Between Us pretty darn disappointing too.) If they want higher quality narratives and content, GMMTV is a better home for them.

Also it will handle their brand better for sponsorship and longevity. I was shocked not to see them on more stuff in Bangkok. Most sponsor gigs and major promos and billboards and such were GMMTV pairs and... ZeeNunew

Right now there are good indication for pairs who WANT to stick together (even while aging up) that GMMTV can handle it - because of what they've done with OffGun and TayNew recently.

It's clear that GMMTV will throw a good pair at decent content (or at least popular stuff) pretty regularly. With GMMTV, BounPrem stand an even better chance at landing a prestige piece, since they have an established fan base.

From the pair's perspective, this is a good career move.

Now, from GMMTV's perspective, let's talk...

Does it mean anything that they moved together?

Yes, it most likely means GMMTV signed them as a BL pair. Some of GMMTV's other hot properties like EarttMix, OffGun, and TayNew clearly want to do (and have done) more than just BL for GMMTV. Even "second levels" like JimmySea are being split for het dramas. It means they lose their BL talent for a good potion of filming season, while they film some other property.

If GMMTV can sign a high value pair that's happy to stay doing BL regularly, that will work very well for them.

ALSO they've add a hot property pair into their stable that's on the EarthMix (highly commercial) level AND willing to do high heat. I think this is key. GMMTV has shown they want to move into sexier stuff (NC-GMMTV?) with things like Moonlight Chicken and Only Friends. VERY few of their existing pairs are willing to go there, and can do it as well as, BounPrem. These 2 do lust and thirst in a way that most GMMTV pairs can't (they are just too brotherly with each other).

I think this is a sign GMMTV want's to enter the after dark market, and move international markets too. (The higher heat stuff tends to be particularly popular outside of Thailand.)

Also, I think it's pretty clear some of GMMTV's hoped for heavy hitters last year (like PerthChimon) aren't working out for them, so it makes sense to onboard a solid bankable pair whole cloth at this juncture.

I said a while ago I thought GMMTV would make a play for ZeeNunew. I didn't have BounPrem on the list as a backup option, but these pairs are kinda similar, and fill the same niche.

Anyway, smart move all 'round, IMHO.

What might this mean for new series with them as a pair and the potential to break up their pairing?

I think the pairing is now less likely to break up than ever.

I think they've possibly been tempted to sign BY a prestige new series carrot. We could get something historical with them in it. Or, like I said, something Japanese IP. Probably higher heat than GMMTV has given us in a full BL.

Eyes Target the Finder thoughtfully. (It was VERY popular when I was over there.)

Are there any GMMTV talents that you'd love to see Boun or Prem paired with?

Like I said, I think GMMTV's objective in signing them would actually be the opposite - NOT to split the pair.

But if you just want me to speculate for fun (and piss stadn off), I'm always happy to do so.

First is great with anyone, so First with either... or both. First is like the MSG of GMMTV, always improves the taste of any dish.

It might be fun to see Jimmy paired with Prem. But in all honestly I really want a Jimmy + Khaotung thing to happen.

I think Mix has some BDE too, so I think he should play the seme for a change, why not him and Prem?

As for Boun, I think he's a little more dependent on the pairing. It's hard for me to imagine him with someone else. Lemme think. Someone with a very soft screen presence, maybe? How about Gun?

Heh he, now I'm just winding ya'll up.

Let me have my foibles.

[theflagscene]

I’m watching the Zombvior blessing livestream and I’m such a parent lol, I stg. I’m just thinking like: Max wake up, Tommy stop talking. Wake up Zee! Park at least pretend to pay attention, Net, James stop giggling and you… I have no idea who you are but don’t play fight in the front row also why in heaven’s name would you wear leather pants!? It’s a blessing ceremony not a nightclub, plus it’s mid-morning in Thailand, aren’t you boiling!?

Listen, no one likes to go to church but this is part of your job, we know y’all have been to dozens of these but still at least act interested lol!!

In other news, the pure joy I got from seeing Jimmy again, healthy (hopefully) and surrounded by his other actors and colleagues. I’m just glad he’s well again, or well enough to work at the very least. Also, I didn’t see Boun there, I hope he just had to miss it because of other work commitments and not because he’s pulled out of the series.

Zee, absolutely too tall to be in the front row for pictures but legit everyone is screaming for him, so obviously they push him front and centre lol. And Yim just going to start to pass the blessed food out before everyone else was just too adorable, he was just like peace out, Imma go hang out with the screaming fans.

Huh, did Zee grow up secular? Or possibly Christian? Because he seems to be doing the very bare minimum, could be the poor dude is just freaking exhausted. But I could also see it kind of sucking having a religious ceremony tied into your contract for a religion you don’t follow, I know there’s a substantial number of Christian communities in Thailand as well even more Muslim communities, though it is a predominantly Buddhist country. But as I continue to watch I think it has to do with exhaustion more than anything else, the poor man seems dead on his feet, no pun intended, cause ya know, zombies.

Okay well this press conference is impossible to hear, hopefully they’ll have another event with better sound recording. Livestreams are always iffy, especially when held outdoors.

Considering how many pairings are being interviewed together, I’m thinking teh gay will be strong with this zombie series. Love the actors that aren’t being interviewed are just standing around in the shade eating ice cream, there are perks in not being the superstars lol!

[heretherebedork]

I mean, that's one way to show you don't have feelings for him anymore... too bad you got spotted.

[kinglenaaaa]

JoongDunk are the smartest co-branded bl pair in whole of gmmtv, if not the whole industry.

The way that they use social media is so clever, they’re always in the spotlight even when they don’t have any show or promo activities. Twitter, text messages, ig stories, all of their media platforms work FOR them. All they need to do is just flirt, send a couple of “I miss you” messages or tweets, post a selfie and done!!

They’re very consistent, they stick to a narrative, and it pays off. Dunk has over a million followers, even though he only had ONE extremely mid show!! In comparison, Forcebook are still under one million, both of them.

Whatever my personal thoughts on the co-branding system are, I am so amused of the way joongdunk manoeuvre it in their favour, by smartly using their social media. Idk whose big brained decision it was, but it clearly works. I applaud them!!

[ineffable-opinions]

I finally got around to listening the Ep.01 - The Origins & Boston Deserved Better 2024 and here are my thoughts.

I must admit that I didn’t like the characters from the get-go and abandoned the series at episode 4 because I could see the pairings ready to be shipped and the (non-BL) route the series was ready to take. I didn’t want to go down that path.

I didn’t like the making style. In my opinion, it was not a BL BL and borrowed heavily from western queer shows (Verbotene Liebe, Queer as Folks, Os Nossos Dias, etc.) that I watched while growing up and got tired of (so much so that I barely ever revisited any of them). These are not problems per se, just things that got me less and less interested in them. It had a flavor of what I call Channel V type series that has young adult/new adult characters acting without much rhyme or reason and very little connect to their immediate surroundings or social context, clearly inspired by western entertainment aimed at similar demographics. These were a mainstay of Hindi language entertainment aimed at youth for a while until Channel V went under, until they were swept under the new wave of entertainment that was more grounded and survives in pockets, catering to a specific class of audience.

Now on to the content of the podcast…

The discussion highlights a bunch of interesting issues and here are my thoughts on those:

khujin (actor CPs; popularly known as "branded pair") – it was obvious from the get-go that the series isn’t going to stray too much into the intense BL territory. Not was it going to go queer the way western shows do. Also, it is the farthest thing from other Thai queer media products. They had actors who are part of a pairing and pairings rather than shows are the money-making parts of GMMTV’s entertainment biz. Series are basically just another activity actor CPs participate in.

2. Formulaic BL – GMMTV usually sells a particular type of BL: those with a soft and comedic tone (傻白甜 storyline) and aimed at an audience interested in feel-good BL (source given above). The audience is there to cheer their beloved characters on as they navigate manageable issues. The BL formula or narrative progression exists to offer comforting familiarity for its audience who want to relax watching them. Another reason, I think, is the lack of knowledge of BL literacies among directors who never took the time to delve into the genre deep enough to learn other narrative progressions.

Only Friends don’t fit into the narrative progression GMMTV usually employs. But it could have fit into other narrative progressions.

Here are some typical narrative progressions for a (Japanese) BL:

あまあま – sweet

ユニーク – unique

シリアス – serious

邪道 – evil road (Jadō)

王道 - royal road (odo)

Any theme/one-line plot can choose to take any of these narrative progressions. Moreover, Thai BL usually originates online which allows for innovation in narrative progression. Consider KinnPorsche which led KinnPorsche on odo while VegasPete ventured on jado. Only Friends could do that, but only with a script written by those who are well-versed in different BL forms. MAME is probably the only one who ventured into BL making business in Thailand with knowledge of BL literacies. Most BL creators are basically working on products (novels) by authors (producers of Bl and BL knowledge) with limited knowledge of their own.

In case of GMMTV, its BL formula or preferred route of narrative progression is the first one – the overall flavor would be sweet and relationship progression is pretty smooth (SOTUS, Together, Bad Buddy, My School President). If not, then it would be royal road progression wherein characters have to go through troubles but end up with each other through hard work and perseverance (Never Let Me Go). Moonlight Chicken is an example of a BL with “serious” narrative progression, I guess. Eclipse may be regarded as having taken "unique" route, at least by GMMTV standard. Seems like Only Friends unintentionally took the evil road.

Let me try placing the characters in BL set-ups:

Boston is just a yarichin (playboy) riba (versatile character) who is osoi (sexually aggressive) uke (襲い受け) when it comes to Top. Top on the other hand is a black-bellied (腹黒) character who is set up to fall for Mew, only for him to be exposed (incorrectly to an extend) as a brute seme (鬼畜攻め) and that relationship to involve groveling and “wife-chasing”. Nick on the other hand is a yandere obsessed with Boston.

The series could have taken evil road deliberately. That would mean leaning into Nick’s yandere-ness, making him do some more reprehensible things and then reveal it all to Boston, mind-break to meriba (merry bad) ending. Or develop an isolation and codependency plot for Boston with heartbreak from unrequited love (involving Top), alienation from the friend group and overall despair, leaving him with super-Machiavellian Nick as his only solace. Or take the classic BL dark plot of confinement, breaking leg(s) or removing tendon and Lima syndrome with a bat-shit crazy Nick. This would be asking too much of GMMTV and its average audience.

* I think this warrants a disclaimer: making a (yarichin or otherwise) character go through mental/physical hardship in BL is not understood a punishing that character (like in Western media analysis). It is basically employing pain to elicit feelings of sympathy and doting from audience or for catharsis. If not, it is for a kind of perverse moe. In all cases, it is purposeful (in relation to traumas and various anxieties) since the days of June magazine and draws from tanbi lit (where in it was part of the overall melancholic aesthetics), even when the execution fails.

3. Virginity, NTR (infidelity both as a fetish or an element of a relationship), NP (ships involving more than 2 people; 3P, 4P, etc.), & open relationships – these are minority interests in BL. There are hardcore fans of these and therefore there is no dearth of these themes in BL. There are authors who specialize in these. Some occasionally focuses on these themes. Similarly, audience who are not especially interested in these themes also occasionally enjoy them. (Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, which contains NTR as a main theme, enjoys super-popularity.)

Another treatment: These themes also appear as issues in BL relationships that often involve punishing characters for infidelity – rupturing of trust, loss of innocence, etc. In case of virginity - as a source of anxiety and distance which has to be dealt with for the relationship to flourish.

It is also one of the preferences/fetishes/specific interest for at least some of the audience members to indulge in – you can find BL fans asking for recommendations with both characters being virgins & first times in forums and such.

There has to be clarity as to what these themes are supposed to do in a narrative for it to resonate with the audience.

Also, new queer media (some given below) feature many of the same themes as Only Friends. Clearly, there are differences and similarities in how BL and the following shows treat those themes. It might be interesting to compare how Asian queer media (other than BL) treat those themes with how Only Friends did. It would also be fascinating to look at the treatment of the same themes in shows from elsewhere, such as the west.

Cheers by Cheers 짠!하면 알 수 있어

Breakfast by 想再見你

Sesame by 百里屠伕

Shimbashi Koi Story by SHIMBASHI TUGBOAT

Will they; won't they about infidelity is the main source of drama in the last arc of Tugboat's Shimbashi Koi Story season 2.

Have an unpopular opinion about a BL? Don't worry, we probably do too. Saying all the things you do or don’t wanna hear Part 5 (of 4) is here to engage with BL media from Japan, Thailand, China, Korea and more. We're talking film-making techniques, narrative analysis, fandom woes, while asking questions like, hey why don't the bottoms move their arms? We may not be experts, but we are loud, chaotic, and full of opinions.

In today’s episode we’re discussing the origins of our hosts De and Sinna’s friendship and Only Friends! Mainly Only Friends cause, whew, is there a lot to talk about. Anyone else still salty over that ending? Or just us?

Show Description: Mew, Ray, Boston and Namchueam; a group of business students running a hostel together-blur the lines between friendship and romance.

Where to Watch: Only Friends

Check out the read more below for further reading resources on topics we discussed in today's episode like framing devices, and color theory in film. Along with a list fanworks we loved from the fandom! Add any fanworks you loved as well, give the people their stars.

Listen to this podcast on: Spotify | Soundcloud | Youtube

References:

Framing Devices

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FRAMING DEVICES

A Story Inside a Story: Using Framing Devices in Fiction

10 Films that Utilize a Frame Narrative

Color Theory in Film

Color Theory in Film — Color Psychology for Directors

What Is Colour Theory In Film?

Color Symbolism in Literature: Examples and Meanings

Stain: Phenomenal and Literary Approaches to Color Studies

BL Budgets

The Storyboard: Interview with the Dee Hup House director Tee Bundit - Original Interview | Translation

BL Production Info from Strongberry - Original Interview | Translation

Fanworks We Loved:

ONLY FRIENDS as SZA Lyrics 2/? -> SMOKING ON MY EX PACK by @firelise Run away fast as you can by @iwantoceans GIF Set BostonNick by @taeminie Boston GIF Set by @khaotunq Top x Boston | Only Friends | Crazy in Love by stb Boston & Nick | Angels like you can't fly down hell with me by Scodders sand x ray | ''i need somewhere to begin by thanxxjessie “Compared to Boston, you're a saint” by @rabbiitte If Boston has a million fans by @no2tinngunshipper Only Friends FMV | Cardigan | BostonNick by @technicallyverycowboy Told You So by CaffeineAddict94 You’re On Your Own by technicallyverycowboy “Boston was ostracized, isolated and berated to the point that it completely shattered his sense of self” and “Boston and his “friends”” by @neuroticbookworm “Dear Boston” by @lurkingshan "go for it." by @gunsatthaphan

Goodbye Forever (Until Next Time) by Anonymous

Credits:

Chaotic Hosts: Dé & Sinna Beloved Editor: Bones Creative Kingpin: Libby

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