#Boyband the series

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Forehead touches - an indication of not only the emotional or physical connection and understanding, but also a mental one. (Part 2/?)

The Day I Loved You

Boyband - The Series

History 4: Close To You

Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... / Tokyo in April is...

Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go

At The Moment

Gaya Sa Pelikula / Like In The Movies

Chains Of Heart

My Story

Ghost Host, Ghost House

Part of my favorite bl-tropes collection, as always in no particular order.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - all these kisses Korea, are you feeling okay?

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized sorta by favs in each category.

Sept 2023 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 5 of 12 - I did think the sketch was done AFTER they’d become lovers. Meanwhile, I do enjoy the creepy slipping through time moments, adds nicely to the tension. I’m sublimely uninterested in all the hets but that's normal for me. Bit of a slow episode, but I'm looking forward to next week. 

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 5 of 12 - Cohabitation trope activated. Also "lovable grandma" is a new BL archetype I can get behind. Honestly PerthChimon's dynamic is good, it’s fun to watch a Thai BL where the leads are actually both stellar actors. There’s no stilted awkwardness to their dialogue back & forth or other interactions. I also like having MarcPuwin back on my screen. NO DAMN SINGING. Finally a fun twist on the faen fatale. 

Hidden Agenda (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - I like that we’re seeing actual realistic consequences of coming out. Not the big parental freak out, but the small nasties of opening up as an everyday queer. This is rare in BL.  

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 3 of 8 - Lap sitting, lots of kissing, one arm counter lift - thank you, boys. Stupid tiny dog (not a euphemism). Is it just me or does Max look extra pretty these days? Anygay, it’s all quite silly and I'm mildly enjoying it.  

Be Mine Super Star (Mon Viki) ep 11 of 12 - I remain enamored of Big Daddy & the Hot Doc but nothing else. 

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 3 of 10 eps - Their history and the consequences of the confession to their friendship all seems a little sad & cruel. But also it’s just this pulp, ya know? 

(10 points to the True Geek who gets that reference.)

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 6 of 10 - I want Mew’s moms’ story as a GL. (Not from this team, of course.) Ah even Sand can be a lying creep, best not to like anyone in this show... frankly, best just not to like this show. And ya know what, I'm pretty sure I really don't.

Could I make something clear? You can’t "steal a lover from someone." That's puerile thinking. That lover wants to go. It’s the lover’s fault (if anyone) not the one who stole that lover, no matter how much an asshole Top is. Sand’s ex is at fault, not Top. And screw Sand for thinking that way. Like his ex wasn't a whole person in their own right capable of making decisions?

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 3-4 Marry Go Round of 24 eps - The premise of this is dumb. The pair is fun. They still kiss great. The actors are good. Crap story. What can you do? Don’t watch it. 5/10 

I need to rewatch Destiny Seeker now. 

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - Omg. Too stupid to live. Why am I still watching this? How many more? Ugh. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Why R U? (Korea Wed iQIYI) eps 7-8fin - SaifahZon (no matter what country) are probably the softest enemies to lovers ever put on screen. Yes they are very cute and I like them better than the original. However, no one can out do ZeeSaint for the count down kiss on the rooftop. All in all, I enjoyed the final 2 eps, very cute. I liked this BL a lot but I’d love to know what somebody thought who hadn’t seen the original.

Ultimately, what can I say about Why R U? Korea?

Korea decided to remake, of all possible Thai BLs, Why RU? And that is exactly what we got: a short form, clean & pretty, uneven chemistry, slightly confusing, all the same tropes KBL that kind of cliff-noted the original but with none of the heat or complex relationship dynamics. I just … what world is this? Because it is BOTH bizarro land, and EXACTLY what I expected. How do I rate something like that? In the end I have to go back to simple questions: did I like it, would I rewatch it, and would I recommend it? Yes. Probably. And probably not. What the actual hell reality? 8/10 

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 1-2 of 10 - Office romance, broken-grumpy + innocent-sunshine. (Also cutie devil meets angel bestie hotties.) Gotta say, Taiwan is awfully good at moments of recognition. I sense some whipping boy and obsession incoming, looks good on you, Taiwan. Do I like it? Of course I like it! 

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 5 of 13(?) - Taiwan never met a trope it didn’t wanna play with. Teacher student + secret relationship, there’s only one bed but they slept together on the floor anyway... it’s a trope gum ball machine. I'm not mad, a bit confused, but who cares.

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - Uh-oh baby is sad. Yo is such a drama queen - I respect that in a boy. Also, I love it that W took it as and excuse to play Real Boyfriends. Also leaning v obsessive stalker there Japan. As expected you had to go there. Carry on, you do (and track on your creep app) you.

Minato's Laundromat Season 2 AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (Japan Thu Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - Ugh. I kind of enjoyed seeing Minato in pain and having to work for the relationship for a change. But that’s just because I’m so frustrated with his character this season and I want him to SUFFER. Sides are cute tho. I like them better this season. 

It's Airing But...

Crazy Handsome Rich (Sun Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - I just can’t. The sound. DNF 

Bump Up Business AKA Bump Up Project (Korea movie) original cinema release was 9/15 but MDL indicates it's been moved to October so I'll shift my dates. Last status update. Love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity from the same agency (based on a webtoon). Kpop boy group OnlyOneOf signed on to star. They’ve been auditioning for this since Libido IMHO. You can watch me chronicle their BL MV series in this post. It’s from Idol Romance who will do sad but can do good kisses (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu, Once Again, Kissable Lips, Poongduck 304, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You).

In case you missed it?

What Did You Eat Yesterday? is now available on Gaga. If you enjoyed Our Dining Table, you will enjoy this. 

I did a quick analysis of 2 different acting styles based on these 2 boys here.

Boyband, I finally watched the 6 eps that are available. It aired earlier this year and was hard to find. For good reason it turns out. Yes it’s about a Thai boyband so I skipped all the singing bits. I like the actor playing Juju (Brothers). Also hi Art, are you actually ageless? Lots of other familiar faces popped up like Copter, Max, Fluke. It actually started as a solid little story (if not much of a romance). The stuff with the organizers was v boring and there were 2 het sides but the rest of it was palatable. Operative word being was. Something happened around ep 3, like they lost funding as well as distribution and it just... fizzled. No real ending, no character dev, no story resolution, just blank. It’s like it DNF’d itself. 3/10 I don’t know what I just watched and neither does it. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Still To Come In September

9/26 I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan ????) - Adapted from the manga, childhood best friends: The cool, smart one who’s good at everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be. No matter how hard they try, their hearts cannot reach each other.

9/27 Absolute Zero (Thai iQIYI) - from 2021, Studio Wabi Sabi and New Siwaj finally bring us this “time loop to prevent tragedy” romance. We don’t always get HEAs from them, so I'm on my guard.

9/27 Bon Appetit (Korea iQIYI) - from 2022, 8 eps from GoGo Studio, romance between an office worker who lives off junk food and the man next door who cooks well.

9/? Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam YouTube?) - it's Vietnam so your guess is as good as mine.

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Just look at the PRETTY! His makeup is flawless this series. I don't know who GMMTV hired new for makeup recently, but this ain't Thai style, this genius trained at the feet of Korea's finest. You keep that bitch (hon. gender nu) around, GMMTV, ya hear? (Hidden Agenda)

Gah, I love Yai so much. He tries so hard. He's such a sweet earnest character. He's like the angel-baby opposite of Chan (devil-baby) but they both my 2023 babies. (I Feel You Linger in the Air)

You know I love it when a BL gets meta about tropes. Here's Why R U?K calling out enemies to lovers.

Kabedon!

Yes we like all the snacks, thank you Korea. Your BL is basically snack food anyway. I'm not mad about it.

SWITCHES! I love it when we get this kinda thing. (All Why R U? Korea)

It me in all horror movies and whenever a boy starts to sing in a BL. (Venus in the Sky)

(Last week) 

[colourme-feral]

There are 5 cable-stayed bridges that cross the Chao Phraya River: Rama VIII, Rama IX, Bhumibol 1 and 2, Kanchanaphisek Bridge.

Of the 5, only Rama VIII and Bhumibol 1 and 2 bridges have been featured in shows and are frequently confused.

*Bhumibol 1 and 2 are connected to each other and will be referred to in conjunction with the other.

Full credit to @virtualtadpole who told me that the way to identify the bridges is by looking at the shape of their pylons:

Rama VIII's is an upside down Y, Rama IX has straight columns, Bhumibol's are diamond shaped, and Kanchanaphisek's are As

Rama VIII Bridge KinnPorsche, My Ride, Cutie Pie, Boyband, Even Sun, Tonhon Chonlatee, Enchante, SOTUS, SOTUS S, Our Skyy x SOTUS (only 1 photo from Our Skyy x SOTUS), Absolute Zero and its trailer, I Promised You the Moon, Gen Y, 2 Moons 3: The Ambassador, Moments of Love

Rama IX Bridge

Bhumibol 1 and 2 Bridges KinnPorsche, A Boss and a Babe, Big Dragon, Not Me, Pit Babe, Cooking Crush, Love in the Air

Kanchanaphisek Bridge

References:

@absolutebl's BL Visual Trope Du Jour: Boys on bridges post

@virtualtadpole's The Rama VIII Bridge in Bangkok post

The less glamorous siblings of the cable stayed bridges

[pharawee]

—A wild Bas Suradej appears in BOYBAND the Series Episode 1

[clairificusrex]

Boyband the series which @absolutebl and I will probably hate and dnf or even did not start... will be on YouTube here

@bengiyo @gillianthecat @heretherebedork @iguessitsjustme @weekendatennuis

[blmpff]

They put Boyband the series episodes 2 and 3 on YouTube afterall.

EP2 EP3

ETA: They got privated and are unavailable again. What are they doing...

[heretherebedork]

I feel like I'm going to enjoy BoyBand the Series far, far more than I should because I kind of already love the characters. Like, I only know two of them but who can resist a sword fighting elephant caretaker and former boy band trainee who went home to take care of his mothers and works at a food stand? Also, the tiny fan from the start of teh first episode? I might be suckered in.

It helps that I don't care about singing or dancing so I can't tell if they're actually good.

[save-the-data]

Boyband | s01e01

Thai Drama - 2023, 6 episodes

[odi-et-amo85]

Boyband the Series, episode 1:

@absolutebl Now this must be something even you haven’t encountered yet! 😮

[queersouthasian]

[lgbtally4ever]

A Shoulder to Cry On, A Boss and a Babe, and All the Liquors should be starred! Also, just started watching Past Senger, which has a very similar scenario to HIStory 5, but not as good!

Oh! And I’m still waiting for the final episode of End of the World with You, as well!

[absolutebl]

Hello ABL! 👋

It seems one of your wishes came true…well sort of. 🤷‍♀️ This is a show about a boyband (including the talent show to create said boyband)…but it’s Thai. (Obviously, since doing this Korea would imply such relationships exist in real boybands which would be…well a teeny tiny bit taboo mayhaps 🫣…) Anyway, it looks pretty cheesy and very spectacular plot wise. I just have one particular fear for you with this one…

It’s Thai so they will probably ⚠️sing their feelings⚠️… 😶

Anyways, let me know what you think and a happy final Between Us day tomorrow! 😙

Love,

— Thel. 💚

Fucking aces!

I am SO EXCITED.

Yeah yeah singing, but also dancing, and pretty scenery and... celebrity competition. YAY!!!

Boyband

I spotted Art (Till the World Ends, What the Duck) and that looks like Leang (Kao in Brothers) as one of the leads.

[colourme-feral]

Shared + spotted in: (Split into 2 posts: Part 1 here)

IRL: Baan Bellawin, 219 1 Sukhumvit 4 Alley, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

This post would not be possible without all the input of @virtualtadpole, who found the name of the apartment complex and discussed locations with me!

There are actually two apartment blocks, which have been used in Thai qls.

Apartment block #1: This is the apartment block you probably are familiar, but the units used seem to be different based on details, such as the white box on the door, the colour of the balcony ledge, colour of the floor, etc. The shows identified are, A Boss and a Babe (and Our Skyy 2 x A Boss and a Babe), Boyband the Series, Not Me, Only Friends, Return Man, Star in My Mind, Water Boyy (I will still identify these as a shared location, since they appear to have been shot in the same apartment block.)

A Boss and a Babe (and Our Skyy 2 x A Boss and a Babe)

Boyband the Series

Not Me

Only Friends

Return Man

Star in My Mind

Waterboyy

Apartment block #2: Across from its more recognised sibling is a second block, which has been used less frequently. Shows identified are, Y-Destiny, 2gether

Credit: https://www.dailynews.co.th/news/323594/

Part 1

[pharawee]

Boyband the Series has a new trailer, this time with English subs. Release date is 16 February but there doesn't seem to be a way to watch it for interfans (yet).

This came out of nowhere but it looks really good. Loving the vibes and we're long due a Thai idol BL.

[sparklyeyedhimbo]

i will like them aren't i

[taikanyohou]

mmmm just also added boyband the series onto my watchlist and watched ep 1 rn and yeah its so nice to see different genres and plots be added into the bl universe!!!! yeah i really like it so far!!!!!