kissing galore
⇢ Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn as Pat Phakphum Tangwatthana and Man Trisanu Soranun as Jeng Kittiphong Atthachiranon (Step by Step, 2023, EP10)
Comparable to: Squid Games (kdrama); 3% (Brazil); Onzoshi Boys (jdrama)
This drama is so much fun and hilarious especially in the first couple episodes. It’s a very easy watch considering it’s only six episodes but it’s only going to be a meh for me. It has an extremely unique storyline but is unfortunately filled with many plot holes and inconsistencies due to its short series length. I mean just with the last episode they tried to wrap everything up and it just felt rushed, disjointed and boring. It didn’t work well. The chemistry though throughout the cast is spot on and the main leads are perfectly casted towards one another. Hopefully there will be a season two and it will be paced out better.
Day is a stronger woman than me; because if this man had looked me in the eye and smiled, while saying that he will take care of me and my family, and cooking for me!! I would have been the one getting in one knee and asking him to marry me. Revolution can wait besties, this man wants to make me happy.
Step By Step, Episode 10
Director: Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee
Writers: Tan Ekarin Mungmee, Anu Pawich Amnajkasem, Pan Phanita Loetwatthanaphongchai
Cast: Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn (Pat) and Man Trisanu Soranun (Jeng)
I can't let it go, this feeling that the progression from unease to frustration to alarm engendered by this episode is exactly how Tee wanted us to feel, and this scene is the reason I can't let it go. Because after 9 episodes of Jeng doing his best to be The Responsible Adult, he completely abdicates responsibility in this scene. Jeng has been batted about by all the expectations of him and now that he has found some happy solace and a place to rest, he is pretty much unwilling to pick back up the burden of his responsibilities, at the worst possible moment for that. Because in starting a relationship with Pat...Pat who is 10 years younger than him, Pat who works in his family company, Pat who is really just starting his career, Pat who works directly under him, Pat who doesn't come from money and whose livelihood depends on being able to earn a salary, Pat who is in an extremely vulnerable position for all these reasons...in starting that relationship, he needed to assume some responsibility. If nothing else, the responsibility to acknowledge the issues and to discuss and decide together how to handle them. That's where we are in this scene. Pat is now openly asking him to take responsibility for what they've gotten into. Pat's saying things have become untenable. Pat's not asking him to solve the problem for him, but to at least work with him on a plan.
And Jeng bottles it. Spectacularly. First he tries to distract Pat, appealing to his body, using sex to sidestep the issue.
That doesn't work.
Next, he tries to cajole Pat, appealing to his emotions. We can't take a break, I'll miss you too much.
That doesn't work either.
Next he tries to placate Pat, appealing to his brain, proposing a series of unworkable options that don't actually solve the problem. We can just stay away from each other at work. I can find us a secret safehouse. I'll just quit.
Pat demolishes those one by one.
And finally, Jeng just abdicates. He stops trying to appeal to Pat at all. I don't want to talk about this. He lays his head on Pat's chest in a gesture of surrender. He's not dealing with this. He's not taking responsibility.
And Pat just can't understand that, because Jeng is the responsibility guy. He holds this man he's learning to care for, and he looks at him, and he doesn't get it. Because he doesn't actually know Jeng yet, the deepest parts, the parts that are bone weary and utterly fed up of taking responsibility. By refusing to even discuss it, Jeng has put the burden of responsibility on Pat, because this isn't something that can wait for Jeng. Pat's life is falling apart RIGHT NOW, and Jeng has abdicated responsibility for that in his eyes, he's leaving him alone to face the wolves. And Pat's face tells me that he's confused, upset and angry about that.
I LOVE THIS. I LOVE THAT JENG GETS TO BE A PERSON WHO IS MAKING THE WORST DECISIONS RIGHT NOW INSTEAD OF A PARAGON OF VIRTUE. I LOVE THAT HE'S JUST A MAN NOT A COLLECTION OF 'GREEN FLAGS'. I am very personally enjoying Jeng's fall from the pedestal, because I think it's necessary for Pat to see him as imperfect, to see him weak, to see his flaws. Because no one can truly love a god.
At this point, I don't know at all if this show is going to stick the landing. I see a possible path, a couple possible paths to that. I see other paths where it collapses under the weight of all its ideas. But I'm not yet done with this tale. I keep running through my head Tee's admonition ahead of the show that this is not a romance story, but a story with a romance in it. We keep saying 'BL' but what if this is...not?
... or have lusted after at some point in my watching career. (My actor crushes wax and wane over time.)
It looks like everyone else is doing characters, not actors, but I was inspired by @lurkingshan's post which only had gifs no names, so I drew my own conclusions. And I'm rarely attracted to the character—they belong with their partner! or are just someone I wouldn't get along with—so listing actors feels more accurate.
(It was originally 10 because I thought I needed to choose only one of the Guardian boys, but then I decided why not both. But I didn't wanna delete anyone else. So now it's 11. And then I remembered War so now it's 12.)
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Lin Zi Hong (Sam Lin) of We Best Love
Jo Hyuk Joon of Blueming
Zhu Yilong of Guardian (can I count it as a BL for the purposes of this list?)
Bai Yu of Guardian (can I count it as a BL for the purposes of this list?)
Man Trisanu Soranun of Step By Step (but only in character) (which is not the same as being attracted to the character)
Meguro Ren of Kieta Hatsukoi
Ji Sung of The Devil Judge (can I count it as BL for the purposes of this list?)
Jung Taek Woon (Leo) second lead of Happy Ending Romance
Shin Myung Sung (side character/second lead) of Happy Merry Ending
Zee Pruk Panich of Why R U? and Cutie Pie
Izuka Kenta of the Pornographer series and Candy Color Paradox
War Wanarat Ratsameerat of Love Mechanics
Because I have to over explain every list I make... These are not necessary the actors I find most beautiful, and there are some actors I think are absolutely insanely gorgeous (e.g. First Kanaphan, PP Krit, and Matsuoka Koudai) that I'm just not attracted to, sometimes because they seem too young, sometimes just because.
tenderness 🥺
⇢ Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn as Pat Phakphum Tangwatthana and Man Trisanu Soranun as Jeng Kittiphong Atthachiranon (Step by Step, 2023, EP10)
Synopsis: In a time when very few men are born each year, they have become a valuable resource and are kept safe at The Farm. Whenever new men have come of age, a competition is held to find the most eligible young women to pair them with. If you win this competition, you win a chance to marry and to move into the luxurious place that is The Farm. All is fair in love and war. Good luck.
Episode info: 6 episodes / Runtime around 1 hour
Lead cast: Belle Kemisara Paladesh (Day), Blue Pongtiwat Tangwancharoen (Son), Lilly Nichapalak Thongkham (Chanel), Man Trisanu Soranun (Almond)
Link to watch: You can watch on Netflix or Dramacool
Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)
Netflix kept recommending this to me, so I decided to give my first Thai drama a go.
From the trailers, I thought it was going to be a fun, colorful drama about a dating show - and I did get that, but I also did get a lot more I hadn't expected.
It is a bit silly, but it knows that and owns up to it, so it doesn't bother me all that much. Though I do think that the contrast between that and the darker themes it has going on is a bit too jarring sometimes.
I do appreciate all the darker things it tries to explore that would come with a world with very few men, but a lot of it ends up falling a bit flat as they never really go as deep into it as I hoped. We spend a lot of time on the competition (as it is of course the main focus), but with only 6 episodes that leaves very little for everything else they want to do.
Which also leads into the ending falling flat compared to what they led up to. But it seems that there's maybe coming a season two? So perhaps they'll answer the questions I'm left with there.
It's not a bad drama at all, and I had a good time watching it. The actors made it so much better, as they really leaned into the comedy with everything they had. But that's really all I have to say about it as well.