#uwma edits

[gabrielokun]

[serasennatonen]

Thai BL Essentials

[thepancakelady]

my heart is still missing you ; bl multicouples

a tribute to all the star-crossed lovers in bl. reincarnation, time travel, alternative universes, body swapping. we have it all.

[bl-bam-beyond]

Absolute Zero (2023, THAILAND)

Premiere Episode September 27th

From: STUDIO WABI SABI (UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, MY ONLY 12%, BETWEEN US to name a few)

Episode 1 gave me MAKE OUR DAYS COUNT vibes. A young man dealt a bad hand at an early age. Hard working and lonely only to still lose in the end.

But I'm not giving up...not just yet.

Suansoon (WANUT SANGTIANPRAPAI aka MIX) is a high school boy living alone having lost his mother. At the cemetery he remembers her and mourns her.

But his loneliness is coming to an end as he goes to watch a movie and he meets a boy that immediately intrigued him. His name is Ongsa (SUPAKORN WUTTINANSURASIT aka TOR)

Ongsa is very interested in Suansoon. That's clear. But what is in store for these two? We know an accident is set to happen.

@pose4photoml @lutawolf @bengiyo

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Love You Teacher looks good, actually, and too many people are just jumping to conclusions.

Nowhere in the trailer does it suggest age-regression kink play, only a traumatic response exaggerated for dramatic purposes that, by all indications, inhibits the established couple’s sex life. (Let it be known, though, sexual exploration between consenting adults is chill.)

More casual age regressive tendencies is kind of the norm in relationships, and y’all y-series fans love it. There are so many edits with one part of couple acting cutesy and being taken care of by their supposed faen. ‘Baby’ is a common endearment for a reason! When we’re in relationships, we pout, we act more cutesy, more vulnerable. Love You Teacher looks to be dramatizing this element to spark conversations about balance, mental heath, and care, both for one’s self and in relationships.

This isn’t some weird romance trope that BL’s pulling from the shady corners of the internet cuz it’s kinkier than het romances. Traumatic regression that leaves one partner simple-minded to some extent has been a part of some really silly and also some really profound Western movies. You’ve got dubious films like Big with Tom Hanks or Adam Sandler’s approaches, but Elf, Thirteen Going on Thirty, or even something more indie like Lars and the Real Girl, with a young Ryan Gosling, (P’Dome seems to be a bit of a cinephile so I wouldn’t put it past him as a reference point) reveal the sweet sincerity that can emerge when these kinds of stories are done conscientiously.

Perth and Santa seem beautifully cast in this. Both have worked in BL for some time now (just with other companies—check out baby Perth in UWMA!) and are listed as one of three leads in Perfect 10Liners, so the accusations of them jumping the seniority queue are a bit misplaced. Even if that were the case, that point would be moot after what they delivered in the mock trailer.

Santa’s adorable energy finds great use in both the role of the ideal primary school teacher and the character’s reverted 7 year-old mental state, and it lends itself as a response to actor Barcode’s recent complaint regarding the infantilization and limited mature roles for those who are established as a uke in a partnership. I’m excited for the industry to address and push for conversations and roles that allow these actors to age. Sometimes that means letting them take on gritty characters that we might ignorantly assume are against type, but it could also acknowledge the youthful energy some of these actors and plenty of people in the world take into their adulthoods that shape their life. A kindergarten teacher is a prime example of job that attracts that kind of person!

I could not have imagined a character that used Perth’s disposition, simultaneously aloof and warm, so well. A teacher too-cool-for-school with no passion except for his partner? There’s our aloof guitar playing boy. Who must learn to roll with the punches of life and laugh at how ridiculous and precious it is? And there’s our warm cuddly teddybear.

The chemistry between the two in the trailer was eye-opening, too. They appeared spontaneous and familiar with one another, easily conveying live-in boyfriends in love. Even most of the naysayers for the show, admitted their initial excitement for the pairing’s intimacy. If the show plays well, it ought to be breakout success for both of them.

Give me ALL the Sammy. Everyday. Girl has been shining since BL day one (the og Love Sick, baby)!

The colors! This show looks lovely and lively. The primary school wall decorations. The costumes. The face paint in the trailer is so cute! Sammy’s hair color is genius! It just has so much vibrancy during a presentation when multiple dark, brooding shows were announced.

Director P’Dome has earned my trust. Peaceful Property was quirky, intricately plotted, and endlessly compassionate. I was crying almost every weak! I’m not surprised in the slightest to see him with a show like this. The premise of Love You Teacher is a bit out there, a bit provocative, and has the potential to have such a huge heart. The closest comparison tonally in GMMTV’s history I’ve seen so far is with the work TayNew did right before PP, Cherry Magic! Let me tell you about the boxes of tissues my happy tears went through for that series!

Basically, Imma be fighting tooth and nail for this show until it actually offers a reason for me to not support it. With what we received in the trailer, Love You Teacher has revealed only green flags, gold star stickers, and A pluses!

[thebroccolination]

helloooooo ! sorry if you've already been asked : a lot, like a huge lot, of people don't trust new siwaj as a director and are disappointed of him directing revamp. i dare say myself i don't fully have faith because i don't like the slowness he inserts consciously or not in some scenes. my fave serie is uwma as well (that's how i know you from twt) and i've watched ten of his dramas (i checked mydramalist) including his two latest 'fourever you' and 'perfect 10 liners. and i found some "improvement" if i may dare say. but people don't forgive him about 'we are' character toey who is ace in the novel having a nsfw scene in the drama.

ANYWAY. all of this gibberish to ask for your opinion please, thank you ^^"

Good morning!

New is a complicated subject for me.

I’ll be honest that I also have reservations about him, but they’re unrelated to any of his three recent series (which I haven’t seen). My main qualms with New are his mishandling of Between Us and his insistence on tackling all the jobs himself even when he is demonstrably not equipped to do them.

If you go back far enough, you’ll see a ton of positive meta posts I made as Between Us was airing, because I went into that series with 2.5 years of goodwill toward New for directing Until We Meet Again and also for building Wabi Sabi, the only Thai studio and agency with an openly queer CEO who explicitly allowed his queer talents to be as open as they dared. Earth (Cooheart) simply couldn’t have grown the platform he has now anywhere but Wabi Sabi. He wouldn’t have felt that safe anywhere else, I guarantee it. Just based on the interviews he’s given and the homophobic bullying he went through on the sets of his early series, I think Earth could have easily been shoved out of the industry altogether under any other management.

Wabi Sabi also became a new home to Art, whose career was almost obliterated by the relentless smear campaign against him by Mew and his fandom.

Without New, we wouldn’t have Boun, because before New, Boun had spent seven years being taken advantage of and abused by the entertainment industry. He doesn’t talk about what he went through nowadays, but back in early 2020, he shared some pretty harrowing details about what was done to him by certain predatory figures in the industry. There are a million ways his career could have ended prematurely if New hadn’t stepped in and taken him under his wing at Wabi Sabi.

Then there’s Prem, who was part of Starlatiz when UWMA aired, but New maintained a good relationship with his agency to the point where people regularly mistook Prem for a Wabi Sabi artist. Wabi Sabi didn’t just post updates for Boun’s schedule, but for Prem’s, too. Even when Prem had solo projects, Wabi Sabi still promoted them. And in an era where multiple khuujin had been separated or poisoned by their agencies or managers, we could have lost BounPrem so, so easily in those early days.

New kept Wabi Sabi, a small queer agency, going throughout the pandemic barely making ends meet—if he wasn’t outright in debt.

Now, I think he did do a subpar job on Between Us. I could rant and have ranted about that for hours. I’ll save that for another time.

But I also think New deserves grace for the sheer scale of the contribution he’s made to the QL industry. To the queer community in his country. To the actors he’s fostered and nurtured. SOTUS might have been the tidal wave that really kicked off the BL surge in 2016, but without Love Sick in 2014, we wouldn’t have had SOTUS. And New was still in his mid twenties when he directed LBC, so he really has been a pioneer in many ways.

As a director, I don’t love his music choices, I wish he’d give the editing scissors to someone else, and I think he needs to get over his “sex scenes aren’t necessary because I’m good enough that I don’t need to resort to that” mentality because not every sex scene is extraneous, New, but.

As a person, as an advocate, as a pillar of the queer community, as a friend and a mentor, I will always give that man his flowers.

So while I can’t speak to the series you’ve mentioned, I can say that’s why I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for Revamp. It’s outside his normal wheelhouse, and I don’t know if he’s really got his heart in it, but I also think Boun wouldn’t have trusted him with his passion project if he didn’t think New would do right by him.

(Of course, Boun’s also a big softie where New’s concerned because of the whole Saved My Life thing, but y’know.)

Ultimately, I’m willing to wait to see the results before I judge. I don’t want to pile on doubt or negativity on a project Boun has put his blood (ha), sweat, and tears into for years.

So fingers crossed.

I love you, New, don’t fuck it up. 🫵

[lurkingshan]

Random BL Grievances, 2023 Edition

Listen. I was going to be nice. I was going to listen to my better angels. Shan, I said, there is no need to hate, it's all love! Just let it all go! But then my Tay Tawan was cruelly ripped away from me and @my-rose-tinted-glasses gave me inspiration. So fuck it, we ball. Hateration turned up to 11, let's go.

Worst Waste of a Good Start: Jun & Jun

Remember when this show started and it was all about scent kink and extremely horny energy, and then suddenly that all evaporated so we could add a bunch of side plots and do four different love triangles instead? Yeah I'm still mad about it!!

Most Overused Metaphor: Dangerous Romance

Hey y'all, did you know windmills need wind to power them?

Rudest Boy: Lomfon, La Pluie

The audacity of this boy. The chaos he sewed. Look at this scene! Immediately after this he not only plotted a secret date with his situationship's brother, he kissed said brother without consent. He made Tien cry. I may have forgiven your lanky ass, but I sure didn't forget!

Worst Retcon: Naughty Babe

This is not Men in Black and you can't just mind wipe me into forgetting these two already worked through half these issues in Cutie Pie. Not to mention suddenly turning a dog into a CGI tiger!! Thanks to Nat and Max for their service though those sex scenes at the end did help me cope.

Biggest Audience Betrayal: Minato's Laundromat 2

Plot contrivance amnesia! In my painstaking slow burn self acceptance journey that I have spent two entire seasons on. I will never forgive them.

Most Egregious Lack of Threesomes: Only Friends

You put me through all that messy drama and all those teases and I did not get to watch even one (1) threesome? Just a couple of kisses and everybody vacates the pool. I ask you, what was the point of Boeing if he wasn't here to fuck everybody! For shame, Jojo.

Most Undeserved Forgiveness: Eun Ji and Tae Hyung, The Eighth Sense

These two assholes are really up there amongst the worst friends in drama this year. I don't care what Jae Won says, I do not forgive you. Ji Hyun should have kept that petty energy for the both of them.

Biggest Character Letdown: Sand, Only Friends

Eternally pouring one out for the rougher, more cynical version of Sand who was wielding a baseball bat in the trailer. I don't know what happened to you, my guy, but you live on in my heart.

Most Baffling Dropped Plot: Thyme, A Boss and a Babe

Why was Drake even in this show? What was the point of all that plot set up in the first half if they weren't going to resolve it?? Why wasn't Thyme the mole??? Make it make sense.

Most Obvious Lack of Purpose: Between Us

How on earth did this happen? You have literal years to write a compelling sequel story for a wildly popular side ship and this is all you can come up with?! Aside from a couple nice sexy scenes at the start, this show really had no idea what it was about and nothing interesting to say.

Biggest Waste of Everyone's Time: Absolute Zero

New Siwaj, you're getting the triple dose on this list!! And AZ is your biggest sin this year because what the fuck was this! You had all that money, all that talent, all that time at your disposal, and this is what you did with it. UWMA squad was lined up to see you finally do another masterpiece, and you delivered this mess instead. What is going on with you, sir, I feel it's time for an intervention.

Worst Derailing of a Good Show: Step by Step

You didn't think this post was ending without me mentioning this disaster, did you? An all-time cautionary tale in how to waste a good slow burn. Jeng deserved better and so did we.

[gay-wrongs-activist]

Okay, so here is my current watch progress with shows I am watching and my thoughts about them. No specific order.

Currently watching (ignoring the literally 35 other shows I need to finish):

Monster Next Door (4/12) - so far this show has been dangerously adorable. Oh my god (lol) it's so cute. Honestly my only point of criticism is - please someone free Khun Shy. I hope he suceeds fleeing from that terrible glass cube. Watch if you want adorableness and a himbo extrovert and a nerdy introvert falling in love (saying this as a nerdy introvert myself - I love Diew's characterization).

My Stubborn (3/12) - I have literally gone from dropping this show two thirds into episode one to giddily watching each new episode. If I would drink alcohol I would definitely get a glass of wine for this show. The key really was to not take a single thing serious that goes on in this show, and just enjoy the ride (also, partly, literally). There are tiny ideas in there that could have gone places in other shows but honestly - this a 12 episode pwp with HR violations and I am here for it. Watch if you want (mostly) nicely done NC scenes, HR violations and/or like CEO/assistant couples as a side. Also I am holding my hopes up that the hot lesbians are gonna get featured soon. This show is an a plus guilty pleasure (for me anyway).

Pit Babe S2 (1/13) - ooooooh my god this season is delivering so far! I love season 1 so very much and am so happy that we get a second one. Episode 1 has been what was to be expected in the very best of ways. I can't wait to tune in again on Friday. Watch if you want the wild ride of a life time. Seriously. Pit Babe is what you usually can only find in brilliantly written 300k+ word fanfics.

Nirvana in Fire (25/54) - a 10 year old CDrama where did that come from? I am actually watching this together with a friend and holy fuck, is it good. It's court intrigue and 20D chess and it keeps you in incredible suspense in a show that consist mainly of talking. Watch if you like historical fantasy and want to see the most married men in fictional Chinese history. If your dead husband is actually not dead and instead your personal advisor but you don't know that. Watch if you want to see regal men cry over missing their dead(?) friend beloved. Depending on your preferences this whole thing can also be a polycule in which one person is not aware that they are currently part of a ploycule. (Also just for clarity's sake, this is not a bl show or based on a danmei book. But honestly if it would have been it wouldn't have surprised me one bit.)

The Next Prince (1/14) - we all know about this show as a thing of the far future, but now it finally started! And it is absolutely living up to the hype! NuNew especially stands out brilliantly in the first episode, and I freaking love Khanin being a competitive asshole (affectionate) and done with everything (very relatable). And man, everything about it is pretty. I am absolutely hyped for episode 2! Watch if - well actually if you have any affinity for BL whatsoever. This show might be an instant classic. Otherwise - watch if you want amazing chemistry, royal au aesthetics, horses (presumably) and court intrigue the cutesy edition (honestly, I have included NiF in this very same post, I must make that distinction).

Perfect 10 Liners (15/24) - disclaimer in advance: I am a terrible little uwma hater. But. With P10L I feel like I have finally found my own appreciation for New Siwaj. It has a lot of elements found in other of his shows, but it does them so so so well. The funny thing is - hardly any of the tropes that P10L has are things that appeal particularily to me. I don't care about uni BLs, I don't care for slice of life and I actively dislike coming of age (which is sorta part of it but really only on the fringes). It comes to noone's surprise that my absolute favorites are Klao and Warich, but - to the show's credit - I actually do like all the couples so far and their stories as well. Watch if - listen I am not the best person to recommend this show, as I like it less for what it is but more in spite of it? I suppose watch if you generally like New Siwaj's shows and want to watch his (in my opinion) best work to this date.

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist (4/12) - definitely need to catch up on this one. It's sweet, and I enjoy Mark and Ohm together. I have heard a lot of complaining about the show, especially the episodes that I haven't watched yet. I intend to keep watching though. I like the cast and it's a comfortable little show so far. It's exactly what I need for watching when I have a meal. It's cute. Yeah, the premise could have been better but the actors do a good job and I love the colors of this show. It's so colorful ❤ Watch if you need some light entertainment and love snacks. Also definitely if you like the cast.

Boys in Love (1/12) - Am I watching this show 100% for PoddPapang? Yes. Absolutely yes. I actively despise high school settings, so I need a good fucking reason to watch a show set there. So, first impression of Boys in Love? Actually, surprisingly good? The high schoolers are for once actually very close to high school age and not grown adults, and the one episode I have seen so far is very sweet and colorful and avoids things I especially do not like about hs stories. So, I am enjoying myself. Even if i am mostly there for the PP crumbs, I do not mind at all to watch the rest of it, and might catch up with the show this evening. Watch if you really badly wanna see some (also quite adorable) PoddPapang and if you like sweet, innocent highschool sweethearts.

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

I need to make a post about this because it's driving me crazy. ABOUT THIS:

screenshot taken from @poetry-protest-pornography post here - Yours is the first post of the news I saw <3

I have never felt more conflicted in my life.

On the one hand, Good for him I am sure he will do great at GMMTV. I hope they treat him well. Low-key want to see him act next to ForceBook or with Neo maybe.

UHHHH he would do great in the gym bl idea @respectthepetty wants!!

On the other hand GMMTV now has a shocking number of actors that have been UWMA. Now has a UWMA stan first and a human being second I obviously want them to act in another series again. OBVIOUSLY. And I will be happy to just get Boun and Ohm as friends again (or more, you know if gmmtv weren't cowards if you are doubtfoul of my vision I invite you to watch the "Do you want to race" scene from UWMA again - Feel the chemestry!! THE VISION!!). And Obviously my thoughts went to Fluke and Cooheart.

NOW THIS IS THE CONFLICTING PART.

Do i want Fluke and Cooheart to act together again YOU FUCKING BET. Do I want to see the full (or as full as we can get it) UWMA gang back together in another series again. YES OF COURSE. Do I trust GMMTV with Fluke Natouch and Cooheart. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't want Fluke and Cooheart at GMMTV. First of all, gmmtv has never had male out gay actors before, second of all the drop in writing quality of the shows (and I am still side-lining the Shrodingers BL they just made with TayNew), third of all GMMTV is basically notorious for not looking after their actors, and letting handle all the critiscism and hate that gets thrown their way and they are still employing a known homophobe (at least one), and fourt of all: I am never going to get My Evil Sadistic Criminal Fluke Natouch BL Role at GMMTV. And I am never going to get Sexy and Femme Cooheart at GMMTV either.

But I want my UWMA reuinion.

EDIT: More thoughts in reblog

[nabi-unveiled]

15 Day BL Challenge: Character Edition

I'm VERY excited about today's target in my speed run - the character related prompts. I love breaking down and analyzing characters. I will put up with a lot of wrongs in a show for a well-developed and engaging character. Likewise, character assassination (where characters act completely out of character) will quickly ruin a show for me.

For those interested in the challenge: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

I did make some ground rules:

The series must be completed for a character to be included. A character can be ruined even in the final episode. So no matter how much I LOVE Style right now from THK, he's eliminated from consideration.

I cannot have already mentioned the character as an answer to one of the other prompts. For example, no matter if Ming from My Stand-In or Hashimoto from My Love Mix-Up would work, they're out.

Plus a constant mantra in my head: "Think back. Think back. Don't cave to recency bias." Note: It will still and always be in play. I watch an enormous amount of shows. I've watched BLs since at least 2017 (and some queer media earlier than that). But there's only a few shows that get permanent mental real estate. Wish I had made a spreadsheet over the years.

Day 29 - Best Wingman

I'll go with Meena from Love Sea. She is her uncle's biggest fan, protector and supporter, and you know she's going to be just as supportive of Mahasamut. She's probably even mediating their arguments in the future. She's an adorable wingman.

Day 36 - Favourite BL parents/parental figures

For recent shows, I love Shao Peng's parents in See Your Love, Ai's parents in I Saw You in My Dream, and Jack's grandmother from Jack & Joker. There's probably some I liked in older shows, but I can't think of any at the moment. 😭

Day 39 - Favourite Red Flag

😂😂😂 You want me to choose ONE red flag character? I could give you dozens. For now, I'll go with Ritsu (End of the World With You). I already listed his counterpart on saddest boys anyways precisely BECAUSE Ritsu is a red flag. To be clear, it's not Ritsu's lack of commitment that's the issue for me. It's because of the way he deceives and manipulates other people. But.....yeah. The world is ending. I'd have no qualms.

Day 40 - Favourite Green Flag

I'll go with Shinomiya Naoya from Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss.

He was sweet and subverted some typical archetypes for the tropes in play. I just enjoyed this little fluffy bit of a show, and I enjoyed it largely because of his character.

Day 50 - Favourite female identifying character IN A BL?

I can't list Manju or Hashimoto, so Ju from Century of Love. I just loved her energy. I dream of being this open with my elders. I also tried (and failed) to replicate her hairstyle on multiple occasions.

Day 52 - Which BL character would you love to be friends with in real life?

Pharm from UWMA. He FEEDS his friends with fabulous sandwiches and desserts - all unprompted. Plus he'd be so obsessed with Dean that he wouldn't expect me to be social all the time. Did I mention he'd give me food?

Day 56 - Most badass BL character

Gumpa from Not Me. That group of ragtag criminals/social justice warriors had a LOT of dominant personalities. It takes a true baddie to keep control of that type of energy. It may not have shown him in action as much, but you KNOW he would've taken out an army if the narrative/writers would've allowed.

[gabrielokun]

[lunabug2004]

I watched Only Friends... and It Was Definitely An Experience! **SPOILERS**

I knew going into it that SandRay was the most popular Only Friends couple, at least that's what it seems like based on how many posts/edits there are about them over all of the internet, but it's so rightfully deserved!!!

I couldn't care less about TopMew, they were just pretty boring to me and I did not like Top at all. Mew was alright, though I will say I loved his petty revenge arc. BostonNick I thought was doomed from the start so I kinda made myself not get too into them? Nick is a sweetheart while also being a conniving little spy so I thought he was pretty fun and liked him a lot but, like Top, I hated Boston (basic of me, I know). But SandRay??? Loved every second! I think Ray is such an interesting character with so many layers and it's so fun to explore his life, and I absolutely fell in love with Sand. I love everything about him and he deserves nothing but to be able to attend all the music festivals in the world. Also quick shout out to Sand & Nick's friendship, it's so refreshing in this messy tree of relationships lol.

It's crazy to me that some people didn't enjoy SandRay as much, but some complaints I've seen are pretty valid tbh. I've seen people complain that the only reason people loved them so much more than the other couples is because they had the most screentime, and that's fair, but they also had the most to cover with their stories: both individually and together. I know this is fully on the writers, I've also seen people complain about SandRay being way more developed than the other characters. These complaints are extremely valid I feel, and I honestly believe they would've been better off doing either a show made up of three short series focusing on one pairing at a time or a show focusing on SandRay as the main couple (they have enough to their stories/story that alone it could take up a whole 12 episodes easily) with BostonNick and TopMew as sides with the possibility of getting their own series after (kinda like UWMA with BU even tho I know it's a different company). Either way, we got what we got with SandRay, and I, for one, enjoyed it thoroughly! I personally don't really understand what's not to like about their relationship, I thought it was at least mostly realistic and they suit each other so well it's insane.

Back to my complaints, I really hated the pool scene with Sand, Ray, and Boeing. Like, really hated it. Also the fact that Ray tried to say Sand was still in love with Boeing after the huge difference b/t the two kisses... was insane. I also disliked the scene with Ray and the therapist because no matter how sweet and also heartbreaking it is the second-hand embarrassment is the actual worst.

Now onto what I enjoyed: obv SandRay and Sand & Nick's friendship since I already mentioned those. I also enjoyed the way all the characters were connected in different ways, it was so much fun to untangle all the relationships! I like the way the show tackled alcoholism and made it realistic, as well as the way it tackled betrayal within the friend group (looking at you, 'Ton) in a realistic way.

Now, I have to mention the acting and chemistry between the couples. ForceBook was meh to me. This is the first thing I've seen them in it and they didn't really blow me away with their chemistry but I did enjoy their acting! I do think this is because I didn't really like the couple, so I'm not really holding it against them and I do plan to watch A Boss and A Babe at some point. NeoMark was very good! Both the chemistry and the acting. Neo has never been my favorite actor, (sorry if this is controversial) I like him fine but he never really blew me out of the water, he's just always done good, but this series he was insane! He played Boston so well he made most people hate him and that's always impressive when it's done by such a well-liked actor. I knew Mark was gonna kill it and he did. I love Mark. The chemistry b/t these two was surprising but enjoyable (speaking purely on what I saw as someone who skips through most saucy scenes). Now... FirstKhao. I expected everything from them and I got everything. I 1000% know that they are joining OffGun and GemFourth as one of my favorite pairings ever (who am I kidding they did that after I watched The Eclipse). Just the pure talent these two have is unreal and the chemistry is off the charts. The fight scenes broke me and the bonding scenes made me feel butterflies, just everything about them is perfection. Also wanna make a special comment on First b/c he has climbed my ranks as one of my favorite actors ever extremely quickly but I mostly see people talk about Khao, (which is so valid; man is insane as well, I just prefer First for whatever reason), but the way First plays all of his characters is so hypnotizing to me. Like the emotions he portrays and the way he completely transforms into his characters with his body language just impresses me so much. I'm def rambling now so it's time to wrap this up!

Anyways, putting aside others' complaints over the best couple SandRay, as well as my own complaints and compliments, I think overall it's a really good show and the drama is fun! So so messy but since it's all fiction it's fun to get sucked into! I'd tell anyone to give it a try at least!

Also wanna end this by saying if you disagree with me on any of this that's totally okay! All opinions are valid! Plus, I went into this with extreme actor bias towards FirstKhao (esp First), so that definitely tied towards my instant love for SandRay.

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: Until We Meet Again Edition

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. In a LONG POST, I’m writing today about New Siwaj’s incomparable drama, Until We Meet Again.]

TW: suicide, suicidal ideation, psychological trauma

Gah. I am so psyched to be finally sitting down to write my thoughts on Until We Meet Again, but I’m actually at a bit of a loss on where to start. There is SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT.

I think, where I can start, is to first say that this was, in my opinion, AN ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR SHOW. I did NOT expect this, at all. I’ve been around the way with New Siwaj, the UWMA screenwriter and director, a few times now for the OGMMTVC -- his writing on Love Sick, his work with Cheewin on Make It Right, and his work on MAME’s novel in Love By Chance have all been on the OGMMTVC list. I know that Between Us, the UMWA WinTeam continuation, was considered mostly a let-down for weak writing, and that New’s more recent shows, including A Boss and a Babe and Double Savage, were viewed quite critically (although I am a Double Savage apologist, for which I’ll explain my viewpoints later in this post). 

So. What I did not expect from 2019′s UWMA was to experience so many layers in a drama à la the work of Aof Noppharnach. Yes, I cannot believe I’m going here, to compare a New Siwaj drama to Aof’s oeuvre, but damn if I will, because good lord, New took his magic hat of tricks, pulled out THE GOOD STUFF, and made it all work. 

This is a list of themes that I saw in UWMA, that will help me structure this long write-up, but by no means should it be considered complete, as I’m sure I’m missing themes that you all likely caught in your watches and re-watches:

1) A new narrative structure for New -- balancing the impact of side couples by leveraging focus, equally, on two MAIN couples 2) The continuation and end of the 2019 trend of reincarnation and spiritual connections to love 3) Intergenerational queer trauma (micro-level) 4) Generational acceptance of queerness (macro-level) 5) Food and its Proustian effect on memory 6) Reflections on filial piety and the devastating effects of expectations -- and how children and parents seek redemption, particularly in New’s work

And before I even dive into THIS list, can I just say: MY GOD, FLUKE AND OHM. And Earth and Kao! But FLUKE AND OHM. Jesus, does New have an eye for talent -- from the Make It Right guys, to Perth and Saint, and then to Fluke and Ohm. I was seriously TAKEN with their chemistry. I did hear from a number of folks during my UWMA live-blogging that they can’t rewatch UWMA because of Fluke/Pharm’s rendition of the blushing maiden trope, but for my tastes -- I think the way he rendered the trope was really necessary to communicating Intouch’s story, history, and emotions, and just -- Fluke just ATE this role, my gawd. And Ohm/Dean responding in kind vis à vis Korn’s regret. YOW. It’s been a few days since I finished the show, in a total RUSH of drama hunger, and I’m still shaking my head and MARVELING at their performance.

Okay, back to the themes list. So, early in my Thai BL journey in the fall of 2022, after I had watched KinnPorsche and The Eclipse as my first two Thai BLs, I watched A Tale of Thousand Stars (way before the OGMMTVC was born), and noted that I appreciated the lack of side couples in the ATOTS storyline. I now realize, through the OGMMTVC, that side couples are both a BL trope and a byproduct of the drama styles from which BLs were born, the ensemble-based dramas like Love Sick, Senior Secret Love, and Kiss/Kiss Me Again.

New’s Make It Right -- while beloved in my heart, for the chaotic duos of TeeFuse and FrameBook -- WAS messy, with all the other couple stuff happening around it. That, along with Love By Chance, made me wonder -- why do BLs that center fabulous dyads with sizzling chemistry take away from that energy with all the side couple action? Even Together With Me, a non-New Siwaj and non-GMMTV drama, got sidelined in part with a VERY questionable side couple plot in BrightFarm.

Reflecting back on KP and The Eclipse, I had that question in mind as I started UWMA, and wondered where the Alex and WinTeam storylines were going to go. But, frankly, I ended up appreciating what NEEDED to happen with DeanPharm and KornIntouch, because -- the original novel storyline clearly demanded that these two couples, who were NOT side couples, but MAIN couples, needed a MAIN spotlight for their collective story to be told. @clairificusrex mentioned in a liveblog comment (THANK YOU, LOVELY HUMAN!) that New Siwaj benefitted in the screenplay from having a wonderful original novel to work with, and while I don’t read Y Series canon, I can only imagine that this was indeed the case.

So, New, in order to hew to the novel, had to perhaps hold back his usual instincts to muss up the main couple vibe, by centering DeanPharm and KornIntouch. With that control necessary to the story -- I think the narrative STRUCTURE of the drama just blew open. It was FASCINATING, it drew me in, and the structure allowed for another New predilection to be leveraged WELL, in his love for flashbacks. @lurkingshan, you mentioned that your taste wasn’t necessarily aligned with New’s fancy for flashbacks, which I totally understand -- I think flashbacks hurt the overall narrative structure of Double Savage earlier this year. But I think, here for UMWA, they were necessary, and I might very well be apologetic to that considering what I DID see in Double Savage by way of the story that New ended up screenwriting over there in regards to intergenerational family trauma (again, more on this later in the post).

This narrative structure lent itself handily to the next four themes on this list, all of which deal in memory, in spiritual roots, and/or in the generational passage and inheritance of trauma and emotion. 2019, as we know now, was a big year for shows themed around Thai spiritual culture and/or reincarnation. We have He’s Coming To Me, we have Dew the Movie -- we have art here, queer-centered art, that does not lend itself to happy endings, that depicts, through reincarnation or, in the case of HCTM, a ghostly purgatory, how DIFFICULT it had been to be comfortably queer and/or openly out in past and present Thailand.

And then UWMA comes along, telling TWO generational stories, intertwined by the red thread, but also, in the words of the WONDERFUL @bengiyo, connected by Korn and Intouch’s intergenerational queer trauma, the most PERFECT coinage of a theme for this show. In 1988, when Korn and Intouch die, they cannot be out. They cannot even be SECRETLY in love. Their bad dads use the foulest of language to describe their love (much like Phop’s dad in Dew). And Korn kills himself, and Intouch follows.

And what we learn, through Dean and Pharm, are the emotions, the regrets, the LEARNED BEHAVIOR that Korn and Intouch have picked up on in the afterlife, embedded in Dean and Pharm, that keeps Korn and Intouch’s love alive, with CORRECTIONS and ADJUSTMENTS made by Dean and Pharm that reflect on how not only Korn and Intouch’s love has changed and improved, but also how Dean and Pharm are learning how to love EACH OTHER, themselves, as they adjust to their OWN belonging to each other, in Pharm’s own words. GAH -- my aching heart. (Thank you to @lurkingshan for talking this through with me early on in my UWMA watch.)

I mean. THE DEPTH OF THIS. Intouch is a terrible cook, and Pharm is like, a restaurant-level chef?! Pharm is so resistant, and Dean is so FORWARD? (OHM THITIWAT, GAH!!!) (Listen. Pharm. P’Deeeean can grab MY butt, okay?) (See what I did there, @lurkingshan and @bengiyo? THANK YOOOOUU.)

And Pharm’s blushing maiden approach. Yes, I will also admit, that sometimes, it was a little cringey. But I think the blushing maiden trope was really necessary to the story -- ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT of Intouch’s anger, ciphered through Pharm in the last episode. And I think that Fluke Natouch ultimately rendered the trope beautifully -- again, especially against the gorgeous ending of the show. Oh, THAT CONDO SCENE, PEOPLE. I LOST IT. 

Of course, Intouch would want to hold back through Pharm in the present day. If Intouch DIDN’T hold back vis à vis Pharm -- he might lose Korn again, if Pharm missteps with Dean. Intouch may have felt that HIS forwardness lent to their troubles -- so Intouch holds back, through Pharm. And Intouch ultimately communicates his love for Korn differently in the afterlife, more hesitantly -- through a resistance to intimacy, and through food and cooking in Pharm, which itself was another amazing move in this show.

Listen. Even my pinned post says what I value in dramas, not just in BLs. You give me food in BL, and I give you my heart. But also, let’s talk about the meaning of food in Asian dramas for a second. It’s no coincidence that MANY Asian dramas and doramas center food, including my favorite BL of all time, Kinou Nani Tabeta/What Did You Eat Yesterday?. If you don’t know Asians, of any ilk -- let me make a BROAD continental and sub-continental judgement. ALL WE THINK ABOUT IS FOOD, lol. While I’m with my family, while I’m working, while I’m writing meta -- I’m thinking about food, I’m thinking about what I want to cook, what I want to order, how I can mix the cuisines I love (Thai-Indian curries, anyone? YUM). Malaysians literally boast about having multiple meals, way past three meals, a day. We Asians are proud of our cuisines, and we want y’all to be EATING, A LOT, and to try all our dishes. (ITSAY, your Hokkien mee is calling me...) 

But, also: FOOD MEANS FAMILY. Let me say it again: FOOD MEANS FAMILY. You FEED the people you LOVE, with delicious food. Shiro and Kenji. Kurosawa and Adachi. The guys in Jack o’Frost. The guys in The Eighth Sense. Omg, even Kinn and Porsche. We’re seeing it in Tokyo In April Is... And Pharm, to Dean, Intouch to Korn.

And BESIDES Intouch/Pharm becoming a great cook, GOD, the story ALSO INCLUDED the Proustian reference of the madeleine and involuntary memory -- but in SUCH a stunning way, as to RECALL DEAN’S FAMILIAL MEMORY of eating his grandmother’s Thai desserts -- his grandmother, Intouch’s sister, and how Dean could get an indirect spotlight into Intouch and a depth of an understanding of Intouch’s happiness besides his love for Korn. And how Pharm EMBODIED that love for Thai desserts through Intouch’s family lineage. Oh, just get me MESSY, PEOPLE. FUCKING GENIUS SHIT. 

Memory on memory on memory. Dream on dream, nightmare on nightmare, tears and red threads, inherited trauma, intergenerational trauma. The micro-level of what Dean and Pharm had to live with on a daily basis in their recollections of Korn and Intouch. The macro-level of what Pharm and Dean experienced when all of their parents accepted them for who they were as queer individuals, and their partners, as well. How Dean’s dad could ACTUALLY RELATE to Dean himself, because Dean’s dad had been rejected by Dean’s mother’s family. And how that ALLOWED Dean’s dad to accept Dean and his choice to be with Pharm. How that trauma was relieved, how Dean and Pharm DID NOT HAVE TO PHYSICALLY RELIVE what Korn and Intouch had gone through, and how those involuntary memories that Dean and Pharm carried vis à vis Korn and Intouch traumatized them until Dean and Pharm could RECEIVE their OWN familial acceptance.

The LAYERS OF THIS SHOW. Before I get to the last theme on my list, I really just need to metaphorically slam my palms on an allegorical table and give New Siwaj a huge hug, because THIS SHIT IS NOT EASY TO PROCESS ALL AT ONCE, and I can’t wait to do a UWMA rewatch to try to catch more (and I’ll likely need to write another meta, ha, when I do that). I mean, again, just to use food as an example of a kind of storytelling TOOL to INDICATE memory, especially in the context of lost and found love, of intergenerational trauma and relieving regret -- BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT.

And. The last theme on the list, the theme of filial piety, of Asian family systems and devotion and loyalty and expectations, and the devastating effects on the micro-individual level (and even the macro-social level as well) that those expectations can have. 

So, I watched Double Savage, screenwritten by New Siwaj, out of order from UWMA. Very quickly, since many of you have likely NOT watched Double Savage because it’s not a BL (but it DID have Ohm Pawat and Perth Tanapon in a hose-off scene -- you can’t take the New Siwaj out of New Siwaj, amirite): Double Savage is about Korn (Ohm P.), a middle son who is branded a jinx by a HORRENDOUS Thai-Chinese father, and how the abuse leveled on Korn by his dad has intergenerational ripple effects across their family and community. 

Let’s break this down. I now know that New Siwaj does bad dads from Thai-Chinese lineage very well. UWMA’s Korn is expected to take over a mafia business. His dad is disapproving that Korn doesn’t want to take over the business -- which is an UNQUESTIONABLE and EMBEDDED expectation in most Asian family lineages (hello, Jeng and Step By Step) -- AND Korn’s dad is ALSO disapproving in Korn’s love for Intouch and vice versa. Separately, Intouch’s dad is disapproving that Intouch is in love with Korn, a mafia scion. 

Modern times are modern for a reason. 1988 was 31 years from 2019. I want to emphasize here the understanding that Korn and Intouch likely had -- that besides running away, there was no other existence for them to be together than to kill themselves and be together in the afterlife. And running away, and still living and existing, would have been a guilt-ridden and dangerous existence, for what Asian children are expected to do and live for vis à vis their parents. Korn likely HAD NO OTHER IMAGINATION for a life that he could live OTHER THAN to take over his father’s business and to be a heteronormative adult in the late 1980s. And, to top that all off, both of their dads were fucking assholes. 

I really liked how this was juxtaposed to the relationship between Dean and his father. Dean was clearly set up to be as stubborn as his dad. Meaning, at least to me -- that Dean was FAR less likely to be told what to do by his dad, that Dean would and maybe COULD, stand up to his dad. We didn’t see it happen, but I could have imagined Dean not accepting “no” for an answer from his dad to accept Pharm. (Makes you think about Pat, Pran, and Ming, no?) Dean had Korn in him. Dean/Korn was NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT SHIT AGAIN, and that was CLEAR. I want to emphasize: THAT’S BIG. That was BIG on New Siwaj and the UWMA novel writer to include that in the story. That’s parental defiance. That needed to happen in order for Dean and Pharm to survive. As an Asian, that gives me a kick of welcome energy.

But I also really want to note what New Siwaj did at the end of the show, something so deft, it might have left non-Asian viewers wondering what was going on. In the condo scene, Dean and Pharm are ciphering Korn and Intouch -- and when Korn’s father shows up in the wheelchair, Korn’s father knows what’s happening.

And Korn apologizes to his dad. Korn had already apologized to Intouch, but Korn also apologizes to his dad, and to his brother, and to his nephew in Sin. This really gets me, y’all, I understand this as an Asian. Korn is APOLOGIZING for the PAIN he caused in his family AND in Intouch, because -- filial piety. He knows what he did to himself was devastating to the Asian family system he was born into, to the Asian society he was born into, and he apologized for the suicide he committed unto himself that caused that extra-social pain. 

Like. As crazy as that sounds, it’s also an INCREDIBLY SOPHISTICATED way to ACKNOWLEDGE that Korn had broached a social boundary, and Intouch had followed him. THAT IS A HELL OF A LAYER TO ADD TO THIS STORY, ONE THAT I DID NOT EXPECT, and that SHOOK ME at the end of this series.

A similar situation happened in Double Savage. Despite the horrendous psychological abuse that Double Savage’s Korn received from his father -- an adult Korn ends up apologizing to his father for the trouble that HE may have caused. Now, what I appreciated about Double Savage was that THAT dad was like -- no, no, *I* should be the one apologizing. BUT, I want to indicate and emphasize here, that BOTH storylines acknowledge that Asian children NEED to know, SHOULD know, ARE BORN TO KNOW, that their actions have collective effects on a wider family system. We are born to understand and think like that. We are not dealing with an individualist Western perspective here. (I literally FLIPPED when I realized that New Siwaj has had MULTIPLE CHARACTERS NAMED KORN APOLOGIZING TO BAD DADS, and I’m an Asian over here UNDERSTANDING WHY, and I’m just like, pfffftt GGGAAAHHHH.)

Why am I harping on this? BECAUSE: vis à vis EVERYTHING ELSE that is lineage-based in this story -- from children being born, to intergenerational trauma, to reincarnation -- UWMA is structured around an über-macro theme of worlds being linked, by threads, by genes, by history, by spirit, by trauma. We are collectively linked. Babies are born -- we saw many babies in this show. Children belong to families. Lovers belong to lovers. Dean PHYSICALLY belongs to Intouch’s family, and Pharm to Korn’s family. A happy existence will be when a family accepts a child’s partner. Happiness is in a family growing, not a family shrinking. Warmth and growth and love happens when a happy family sits at a table and eats together. 

As Pharm says at the end of the show -- oh, my HEART -- “I belong to Dean.” Yes, you do -- because you have become Dean’s family, and Dean has become Pharm’s family. Korn’s family BELONGS to Intouch’s family, and vice versa. They are destined, MEANT to be linked together, AND TO BE FAMILY, ALL TOGETHER.

Kurosawa and Adachi become family in the Cherry Magic movie. WDYEY’s Shiro and Kenji become family by way of living and eating together. Even if BBS’s Ming doesn’t acknowledge Pran -- Pran is Ming’s family. LOVE. MAKES. FAMILY.

What Korn apologized for was the impact his decision had on his family — WHILE HE WAS IN LOVE WITH INTOUCH, WHO KORN’S FAMILY WAS NOT ALLOWING KORN TO MAKE AS KORN’S NEW FAMILY in the 1980s. Korn was able to apologize in the afterlife — BECAUSE Dean and Pharm DID WHAT HE AND INTOUCH COULD NOT DO, by way of generations, by way of family acceptance, by way of inherited trauma and STOPPING that inherited trauma in its tracks -- very much like Pat and Pran banding together and doing the same for themselves. Dean and Pharm did the hard work of making the relationship a real one, in every aspect of their intimate, micro-level family lives, to a public, external existence in the world. Korn could FINALLY experience the release of GUILT he had towards Intouch and towards Korn’s family, now that Korn’s love for Intouch could FINALLY flourish outside the constraints of filial piety through Dean. THIS IS HUGE. I have no words to tell you what the BRILLIANCE of this means to me as an Asian. LOVE MAKES FAMILY, and LOVE THAT IS ALLOWED TO FLOURISH GIVES YOU THE RELEASE TO BE YOUR TRUE SELF. 

Dean had learned from the inherited trauma that he got from Korn that he needed to stop the trauma train in his tracks, and he did, and he confronted his father, and his father blessed the union of Dean and Pharm. When Dean took the gun away from Pharm, and embraced Pharm, Korn and Intouch KNEW that they could finally be safe in the afterlife. Dean and Pharm were the ciphers that finally ALLOWED Korn and Intouch to exist happily together in spirit. Korn, especially, could exist freely, now that he was relieved of his guilt. Dean and Pharm were, LITERALLY, Korn and Intouch’s FAMILY -- the FAMILY that ALLOWED the FINAL RELEASE for Korn and Intouch to be together as their true selves and spirits. 

And Dean and Pharm confirmed that in FRONT of the family member, in Korn’s father, that had originally caused all this pain. The intricate layers, communicated to a primarily Asian audience, of Korn apologizing to his father, and then of Dean embracing Pharm and confirming their love AND Korn and Intouch’s love, in front of that former barrier -- that is GROWTH and FLOURISHING in the face of generational defiance, and about as sophisticated and eloquent a communication of familial transcendence as I could possibly imagine seeing in Asian drama art. WHOA. I’m a little out of breath with this.

Wow. And speaking of being one’s true self: I deeply loved that Dean and Pharm took a three-month break. I loved that Pharm was smart and strong enough to demand a break to understand if DEAN and PHARM -- INDEPENDENT of ANYTHING they had INHERITED from ANYONE -- actually loved each other and belonged together. Fuck. Pharm was like, no -- this one’s on me. I need to see, outside of ANY INFLUENCES, FROM ANYONE, ANYWHERE -- if I love Dean, if Dean loves me, and if we belong together. Brave. Badass.

AND, I truly loved how Korn and Intouch -- DEAN AND PHARM’S FAMILY -- came BACK to Dean and Pharm’s dreams to offer thanks. I loved how, in the end, the past and his family came back to give Pharm that little contextual nudge to say to Pharm, it’s okay to love Dean for Dean, AND to love how you two came together, through Korn and Intouch. And Pharm could acknowledge, finally, that he belonged to Dean. God damn.

This story was so multilayered, SO complex, SO filled with a respect for love at its highest and most complicated levels. This story was filled with CRITICAL SCRUTINY towards Asian family systems and the trauma that those systems can render. This story was filled with an acknowledgement for the power of LOVE that those same family systems can offer unto children who NEED pillars of love and support (Pharm’s mom and brother, badasses!). 

Y’ALL. I just, I DID NOT KNOW that New Siwaj could DO THIS! I know that UWMA is considered his best show, but like, this is his best show BY A LOT, A LOT. Double Savage, in contrast, had a lot of narrative and structural issues that detracted from the core stories of filial piety that were ultimately very important to tell. 

UWMA did not fall into that trap. It was SMART, it MOVED (FOR SEVENTEEN EPISODES! I SLAMMED THIS SERIES! I could have watched MORE, I cannot believe I’m SAYING THAT!), it was. It was just BRILLIANT. It was an ode to romantic love, to family love, to the power of memory. In 2019, it joined He’s Coming To Me in a burgeoning echelon of cinema-influenced BLs in storytelling, soon to be joined by I Told Sunset About You, ATOTS, and others. It took the sad endings of He’s Coming To Me and Dew the Movie and said -- not today. Today, we will let love LIVE, let QUEER LOVE live, in REAL LIFE, in REAL TIME, and we will not let our lovers live in regret. We will take queer love, we will give queer love FAMILY, and we will give it the HONOR IT DESERVES.

Until We Meet Again is a must-watch of the highest order, and goes on the shortlist of shows that I will refer to as one that makes me proud to be an Asian. It was easily one of the most important shows I’ve watched in this project. All credit to New, Fluke, Ohm, Earth, and Kao for a PHENOMENAL experience -- my heart and mind have been bettered because of this show. 

[FLUKE. AND. OHM. Fluke and Singto coming thru in Shadow the Series? Sign me the FUCK up. Actors on actors. WOW. Did UWMA ever introduce me to another crop of dudes who can fucking tear up a screen. I had SO much fun watching UWMA, whew!

And, yep. I had to follow this up with 2gether, ha. I’m going to spare myself a little pain, if y’all don’t mind, and combine my write-up of 2gether with Still 2gether. I know there’s a lot to be said about the lack of intimacy in 2G, which I can’t wait to dive into, but I can’t help but to also run into another wall of analysis with dear P’Aof’s work in S2G. I’ll make it all work!

After I get myself together with 2gether (HA) -- it’s ITSAY time. I will be planning on watching ITSAY TWICE before writing, as I’m preparing myself to catch EVERYTHING I can before I pen words. Stay tuned.

Status of the list below. As always -- if you have feedback, send it my way!

1) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 2) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 3) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 4) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 5) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 6) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 7) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 8) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 9) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 10) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 11) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 12) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (I’m watching this out of order just to get familiar with OffGun before Theory of Love -- will likely not review) 13) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 14) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (not a BL or an official part of the OGMMTVC watchlist, but an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 15) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 16) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020)  17) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (watching) 18) I Told Sunset About You (2020) 19) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) 20) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche) 21) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 22) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS 23) Lovely Writer (2021) 24) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) 25) I Promised You the Moon (2021) 26) Not Me (2021-2022) 27) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 28) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 29) Secret Crush On You (2022) [watching for Cheewin’s trajectory of studying queer joy from Make It Right (high school), to SCOY (college), to Bed Friend (working adults)] 30) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 31) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist 32) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 33) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 34) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 35) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 36) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults)]

[dadvil]

Saw an edit of uwma deanpharm & kornin with the waiting part of the epic saga’s would you love me again AND IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND

edit :

I’m gonna be a mess about this for days

link : https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTYEfEjLe/

[absolutebl]

I've been thinking obsessively about story structure lately. Are there any BLs you consider particularly well structured/paced? Or at least very typical? Especially for Thai BL, since so many are 12 episodes and that makes it easier to compare. I know we can all think of examples of shows that just kind of happened without any structure...

Now in the above post I wasn't thinking specifically about pace. I think that post is more about what you're calling structure (the narrative backbone brought to light via the script).

Thai stuff is always gonna be slower paced than Korean stuff. Because it's longer and jsut less tightly controlled by the directors.

Also something like 4 or 6 act structure (popular in China, Taiwan, and sometimes Japan) will often FEEL slow to western viewers.

I think the pace of a show is partly a judgement call on behalf of the viewer, but also heavily cultural, so let me try to explain.

Structure, Pace, Plot

Structure, or the writing of a narrative script, can be divided into plot vs pace as follows:

Plot: movement of characters through time (scene by scene) and space (setting) and the people they meet along the way (dialogue).

Pace: how the plot is executed in terms of which scenes follow which, length of scenes and shots, presence or absence of flashbacks, cuts, voice-over work, but also literal words on the page - staging instructions, dialogue sentence structures, monologuing, and so forth.

Plot = what is written in the script

Pace = how it's written in that script

This is going to get further complicated once an entire film crew gets ahold of that script.

Plot is characters moving through time, space, and interactions in the show AKA WHAT the characters are doing.

Pace is how that script and story now in the hands of the performers is relayed to the viewers using camera angles, dialogue delivery, staging AKA HOW those characters are filmed.

Plot is the responsibility of the actors and script writers to convey.

Pace is the responsibility of the directorial and editing teams to convey.

Thus a part of the world that has good talent but poor production values (like Thailand, Philippines, or Vietnam) will always be weaker on pacing. But they can churn out something raw and brilliant IF they have a good script.

On the other hand, a place that has great everything but just really likes to mess with story structure and style, like Japan, might ALSO have weak pacing because that isn't their focus or interest.

In the first case, they lack the editing talent, money, and technology, in the second they just like to play with structure A LOT.

But it means each country that produces BL ends up needing to be judged on its own merits and choices (or lack of options) IMHO.

So, I stand by my list above. I think of it as representing all round story execution to the capacity of the country of origin. They are still the best story, although by western standards that story structure may feel a little off - depending on how you feel about that country's style of BL.

I might add a few to the above list (from late 2022-2023)

Semantic Error - of course. This show is perfect, after all.

The Eighth Sense - Korea went gritty and tense, outside their comfort zone, and executed it sublimely well

Love Tractor - Korea frmly and entirely in their comfort zone but the pace never lets up

Jun & Jun - a master class in pure sappy fluffy romance but still knuckle biting tension, I was upset at the end of every episode that i couldn't watch the next one INSTANTLY, in TV that = pitch perfect pacing

Tokyo in April is... - this is paced beautifully for Japan, very tense but with Japan's signature artsy atmosphere, it's not it's fault I didn't like the story

Laws of Attraction - this is a plot-based pacing story, like UWMA, and these tend to be the ones Thailand paces best using plot to amp up tension, unfortunately that best can still feel a little weak on actual story strcture and basic plotting, e.g. they can go off the rails easily like Manner of Death or KinnPorsche, but at least this kind of Thai show keep us intrigued for the next episode.

I'm gonna mention Bed Friend here as a lesson in pacing. If this show had stuck to it's guns and stayed 8 episodes, rather than stretching to fill 10 at the last minute, it would have been a near perfect high heat show out of Thailand. But it didn't have the confidence, and it likely wanted the money from those two added episodes. It's a real shame.

I gotta say I think this is the fans. fault.

People always want more of a good thing, or more of the same thing, it's why we get shitty 2nd seasons. Sometimes what we need to truly better cinema is LESS of the good thing - better editing, tighter scripts - because that way the pace will be superior.

Bah, anyway,

Be you didnt' want a film lesson with your spontaneous ask?

[mikuni14]

There are so many series airing now that even though I feel like I can keep up, EVERY DAY I come across a set of gifs on tumblr that remind me of another series I've missed. The sad truth is that none of them impress me enough to keep an eye on the release date of the new episode 😟 (although now I will be looking out for the Sign, hehe)

Bake Me Please is fine. I will definitely watch for Guide, Ohm plays similarly to UWMA, but he is better at interacting with someone who openly tells him 'fuck you' than P'Deeaaan. Their pool scene was really nice 🥰 Is The Mother related to the mother of the twins from Twins? 🤔

My Dear Gangster Oppa is fine. I watch it for Meen ngl. I still think their relationship is rushed and groundless, and Guy is just too childish, idk ,the series just... misses something..

Playboyy I like the new pair the most, I also think they are the sexiest and most believable couple. The second ep is even more chaotic than the previous one, there is still a lot of laughter and surprising/shocking moments, which makes me approach the next episodes wondering what they will come up with next instead of engaging with the characters and the plot, which is.. not good. Imo, the series is terribly edited, it seems like I'm constantly missing something, rewinding the player and it turns out that no, I haven't missed anything, it's just like that. I just have the impression that a lot of scenes have been cut out, which is why there is often a lack of continuity in the story. After two episodes, I say that Playboyy is a series that makes little sense, and despite the large amount of sex, it's not really sexy, but it is a pure stream of fun and wild ideas 🥳 The only question is - how long will the fun and new ideas last to keep the viewers interested? 🤔 No matter what the theme of the show is, mystery, possible murder, sex, kink etc, this series presents these dark topics in a way that is way too funny to be treated seriously (and their fashion choices certainly don't help).

Last Twilight is fine. I watch for Mhok, he's such a golden boy. This series is a bit too "feel good" for me. It's absolutely not a flaw or anything wrong, it's just not really my style. Besides, I find myself constantly having a feeling of deja vu, as if I've seen this story before, even the scenes… like recently... hmmm... Moonlight Chicken?

Pit Babe this is one of those BL romance that has everything interesting… except the actual romance 😆 Ok, first of all, Pavel carries ALL the weight of this couple, he is interesting and hot for two lmao. Basically everything that doesn't involve MLs is interesting, especially the supporting characters (and even new ones appear and they're fun too!). The non-romantic scenes, Babe's relationships with the other characters, the relationships between the other characters are much more interesting than what happens between Babe and Charlie. Oh, and I totally ship… Babe and Way 😋 Maybe it's the actors, I don't know. I just like watching Pavel and Nut on screen. And I feel and see Way's love 🥺 It just seems to me that an actor with such magnetism as Pavel MUST be paired with an actor with equal or just slightly inferior charisma. He can't just be pretty and sweet. Nut isn't as pretty as the actor playing Charlie, but he's the only one who can manage to take my eyes off Pavel lol

Twins I liked this episode much more than the previous one, even though there was almost no romance (except for the kiss, there were some nice accidental kisses this week and it's a trope I don't even like that much 😃). I admire Sprite for his dedication and sacrifice, I feel sorry for him having this kind of family, especially his toxic mother. I'm officially back to being invested in this series 😉

The Sign 10/10

Today is the premiere of The Whisperer 💖💖💖

(there are still plenty of series for me to watch 😥)