#tharntype season 1

[absolutebl]

Hello! :)- I can’t recall if it’s your account that tracks shared BL locations, sorry if it’s not. I haven’t seen anyone point this one out and I just needed it to be known. I just started watching the Eclipse (tardy to the party I know!) and Akk’s dorm/apt is the same apt from TharnType season 1 when Tharn and Type moved out together. I would share screen shots, but I’m not that dedicated ha. Thanks, have a good day!

It's not me. is it @telomeke-bbs ?

AH no, @slayerkitty says it @colourme-feral 😁

The thread we obliquely referencing...

Did you try the BL Locations tag or something similar?

There's also someone who does the outfits/shirts. That's super fun too! That's @dribs-and-drabbles

[waitmyturtles]

Rose's Day of Asks

From your 'OGMMTVC Project' what have been the shows that surprised you the most? For whatever reason

Have a great Day💜

HI ROSE, great to hear from you! Oooh, great question! Old GMMTV Challenge shows that I was surprised by....

I think in general, shows that surprised me were ones whose reputations preceded them in various ways. More below:

1) I was surprised by how much I liked Make It Right (season 1 and season 2 thoughts here). It's still seen as a problematic show in many ways, and especially by the way the main ships of TeeFuse and FrameBook began their relationships (and there have been issues since 2016 about how young the actors were in their first BL roles). But I was really struck -- especially in the second season, but also many times in the first season -- by how empathic the show was to the confusion of young men discovering their sexualities. It was a wild and chaotic work by New Siwaj and Cheewin Thanamin (GOD, THEY WORKED TOGETHER ON THIS, crazy to acknowledge this now), and there were manyyyy points of the two seasons that made nonsense, à la Cheewin's modus operandi. But there was true heart in the show, and the last episodes of TeeFuse and FrameBook confirming their relationships just took me out (especially with FrameBook's ending serving as a preview of how King and Uea confirmed their relationship in Cheewin's future show, Bed Friend).

2) I was surprised by how much I LOVED LOVED LOOOOOOVVVEEEEDDDDDD Theory of Love. The word used the most to describe this show when I was crowdsourcing the OGMMTVC list was "controversial." And I watched it and within the first episode, I was like, "OOOOH WE ARE GETTING PLAYYYYYED," and I loved the show for it. I know X Nuttapong has had some non-wins in his drama list (e.g., Vice Versa), but I think X's Theory of Love and Cherry Magic Thailand were seriously so fucking amazing, and he clearly can do wonders with excellent screenwriting. Theory of Love was so subversive and smart, and I think it showcased the start of the real depth of the OffGun ship wonderfully. Those two rose to the occasion. I can't wait to rewatch it.

3) I was surprised by how much I jumped on my bed and was screaming YAAAAASSSS at Lovely Writer. I watched some of Tee Bundit's works out of order. I watched TharnType first and was like, NO. And THEN I fucking watched STEP BY FUCKING STEP after that, and I was like, FUCK this guy. But Lovely Writer has almost universal praise, so I took some time to breattthhhheee, and watched it, and I was like, OH, so that's why everyone was originally hyped on Step By Step. Lovely Writer was fantastic, easily Tee Bundit's best show (in my opinion) on his list (and I say this as a IFYLITA stan), and thank god for this show, because it made me then appreciate his cute cameos in War of Y, lol.

4) I was surprised by how obsessed I got over Until We Meet Again, because fuck series that are 17 episodes long, but I literally still feel like I can't get enough of this series? I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

5) I was super surprised to have enjoyed my recent rewatch of KinnPorsche so much! I thought I'd be all haterade over it, considering my newfound education, but honestly, it was funny in a lot of parts, well acted, obviously well shot -- it was a romp, and I was glad to make myself an excuse to rewatch it as my first-ever Thai BL.

6) Something else that has surprised me recently, not quite show-related: I have recently watched Secret Crush On You, and I'm watching War of Y currently, and: I am not sure that Seng Wichai has gotten enough of his flowers. It's interesting to me that some of the absolute BEST actors in this field -- Seng Wichai, Ohm Pawat, etc. -- have controversial reputations preceding them for life situations that don't comport to easy shipping, god fucking forbid. During both SCOY and Seng's turn on War of Y, I was seriously taken by how good this guy is, and I'm not sure, during my crowdsourcing work, if Seng was boasted about enough. This m'fer can ACT, and I love him for it.

7) Not at all surprising was how much I had to say about Bad Buddy. I loved writing this mini-series!

Thanks for the question, Rose!

[lurkingshan]

If you could rant about one thing in BL, what would it be? (This could be either a complaint or a soapbox)

Thank you for the invitation to climb on my soapbox, I love it up here. Something that’s been on my mind recently is bl second seasons, so I will take this opportunity to talk about why I both anticipate and dread them in equal measure, and what makes for a strong second season in a romance narrative. I would apologize for this being so long but it's you, Emperor of the Long Post, so I don't even feel bad.

First of all, let me just say that part of the reason I love Asian dramas in the first place is because they don’t have multiple seasons. Unlike American TV, you don’t have to invest literal years in a show only to have it blow up in your face when it (nearly always) goes off the rails for one reason or another. The vast majority of Asian dramas are one and done–they tell a complete story in one limited run, and afterwards you just get to move on to the next story. As a result they tend to have a higher hit rate because they’re not trying to stretch their story beyond its limits to keep it going and going, and even when they fail you only spent a few days or weeks on it so it doesn’t feel like you wasted a lot of time. There are a few exceptions of course (lately kdramas on Netflix have started splitting into two “seasons” that are really just one standard kdrama episode count split in two and airing a few months apart–high key annoying IMO), but by and large that’s how it goes. 

So the bl genre’s propensity for second seasons already goes a bit against the grain of what I love about dramas, and add to that the very nature of bls—they are romances, which typically end at the point that the romantic conflict has been addressed and the characters decide to stay together. So in general, I am primed to be suspicious of second seasons in this genre. Many second seasons are clearly driven by capitalism more than anything else–the pairing is popular and so the production company is looking to cash in while their commodity is hot, and whether or not they actually have any more story to tell is a secondary concern. So my first questions when approaching a second season is why was this made and what is it trying to accomplish? 

I think there are a few buckets here:

Continuing the narrative season 2s: These are the shows where the story was not complete at the end of season 1, and season 2 is actually necessary to provide some resolution. Love Sick 2 and Make it Right 2 are prime examples; those narratives were incomplete after the first season and season 2 finished them. What Did You Eat Yesterday? 2 also falls in this category but for a different reason: it’s a slice of life show and the narrative never really ends. They could make 10 seasons of that show and it would make perfect sense (not that I am begging or anything).

Cash grab season 2s: These are the ones with little or no real narrative purpose. They’re more like long specials, and their purpose is primarily to provide additional fluff for the audience while they sell products (including the actors, they are also products here). Cutie Pie 2 You, Still 2gether, TharnType 2 are all good examples of this. Now I am not saying these shows are inherently worthless–they gave Aof the reins for 2SG, for instance, and he managed to make something of it and even repair some damage from the first season–but they are definitely inessential. 

What happens after the HEA season 2s: My favorite kind, these are the ones that move into the next phase of the romance, once the characters have decided to be together, and take a look at what their relationship would actually be like. Their purpose is to deepen the relationship and character development and examine the types of conflicts that would naturally come up between the two personalities. Gameboys 2, I Promised You the Moon, Minato’s Laundromat 2, SOTUS: S, Together With Me: The Next Chapter, To My Star 2, and Utsukushii Kare 2 all fall under this category. Some of these are more successful than others, which I will unpack below. 

Something like Our Skyy and Our Skyy 2 runs the gamut between these three types, with each installment fitting into different categories. The Eclipse OS2 is a great example of category 3, whereas My School President OS2 is more of a category 2, and you could make a case that SOTUS OS is really a category 1, since it puts a nice cap on the narrative of that whole series.

So, with that said, what I actually want to talk about is category 3, because these are the shows I am most interested in and where the decisions made in the writing are most crucial. Because this type of second season has real potential to either strengthen or damage the couple and how we see their relationship. The best second seasons of this type build on the established characteristics of the characters and take us through some natural conflicts that would arise as they continue their relationship. For instance, in Gameboys 2 we see Cairo and Gavreel spend prolonged time together in person for the first time after maintaining a long distance relationship and work through what physical intimacy looks like for them as well as how they intend to keep their relationship strong despite distance. I Promised You the Moon, SOTUS: S, To My Star 2, and Utsukushii Kare 2 all build on their characters’ well-established flaws from the first season to explore how that would manifest in conflict as these relationships continue and offer plausible scenarios for how the couples might make it through those issues (and it ain’t always pretty!). All of these are very successful second seasons, because they build naturally from what came before and directly address the doubts we had when those shows first ended about whether the couple can actually make it long-term.

Where this type of second season goes really wrong is when the writing violates character or the established patterns of the relationship in order to create conflict. In Together With Me: The Next Chapter, the show uses cheating as a plot device, having Korn cheat on Knock in a one-off hookup with a shitty villain character, and to add insult to injury, they juxtaposed it against Knock finally coming out in a poor attempt at dramatic irony. The reason this sucked was not just because it hurt our feelings; it sucked because that behavior was contra everything we knew about Korn, his devotion to Knock, and his well-established patience with Knock’s internalized homophobia. Now, don’t get it twisted: I do not believe cheating is an inherently bad plot device. It was actually used very well in I Promised You the Moon, a decision I will defend to the death (in fact, you can tune in to the conversation pod in a couple weeks to hear me do just that!). But its use in TWM:TNC did not make sense for the characters, and thus rather than deepening their relationship development, it irreparably harmed it. 

Another way a second season of this type can go wrong is when the writing is not committed to the narrative or leans too hard on first season nostalgia rather than dealing with the current iteration of the characters. Minato’s Laundromat 2 just did both of these things, which was especially frustrating because for nine weeks it was on track to be a very successful version of this type.The show started out tracking the painstaking and slow process of Minato dealing with his internalized homophobia and becoming a decent partner to Shin, but for reasons I can only speculate about, the show balked in the final act, backing away from finishing its narrative in favor of an amnesia plot and several episodes of first season nostalgia bait, ending with a happy resolution that felt wholly unearned and thus deeply unsatisfying. This was especially infuriating because the show got us invested in the growth arc before failing to complete it.  

So what is my point here? Second seasons can be very worthwhile, but only if there is a clear vision for what the story wants to explore about the relationship that is rooted in what we already know about the characters. There are rumors about other second seasons coming our way from shows like Big Dragon, Blueming, and The Eighth Sense, some of which have more potential to add to the original story than others (T8S is particularly primed for a solid second season IMO, because it left so much character development and natural conflict for the next stage of the relationship on the table). But regardless of where they decide to go with the plot of these additional seasons, the thing that will be most crucial is whether they keep fidelity to who the characters are and how their relationships work. That is how you successfully build from an origin romance in a way that feels meaningful and worthwhile.

[the-pink-quill]

Should I watch TharnType?

I have watched Love By Chance 1 & 2 and LITA, and Don't Say No has been on my watchlist for a while. I plan to watch it before Love Sea releases. I technically know the overall story of TharnType (I watched one of those Tharn❤️ Type: Their Story videos back when I was speedrunning all the 'classics' because two seasons plus a movie sounded beyond exhausting), but I watched this clip and am wondering if the entire show is just as good as this little sneak peak.

So, should I watch it?

And also, Earth Cooheart played a traumatized AF character in Love By Chance who seemed to have something going with his elder stepbrother(?)... would be lovely if anyone could comment which character he was playing and whether they have their own book/show yet.

Thanks.

[becauseimanicequeen]

NEON LIGHTS: TharnType

TharnType (season 1+2)

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP 15 BL’S OF 2020

WOW, 2020 was A YEAR. This was hard ranking these but I'll try my best...

1. Where Your Eyes Linger [Korean] - One of my all time favorite series, I think because I really felt the chemistry between the actors in this one. I love the whole bodyguard sort of trope as well and the writing in this was so well done imo. I loved the tension filled moments and build up between the two. I just wanted moreeeee.

2. I Told Sunset About You [Thai] - Season 2 was iffy but season 1 was AMAZING from start to finish. I felt like I watching a movie. The writing, the scenery, the build up for the main pair... it was all so well done.

3. Color Rush [Korean] - The storyline for this BL is just so fun, I really loved the entire premise of this world. The chemistry between the two was nice and Korea does such a good job of building up the connection between their pairings. I'm sad that season 2 dipped a bit in quality and that season 1 felt a tad unfinished, but I still really enjoyed it.

4. Why R U [Thai] - This was a well done BL that was fun, I enjoyed the chemistry between Saint and Zee and I didn't find the drama or the angst overwhelmingly frustating. Plus it had a nice side ship and I liked the love scenes too.

5. 2gether [Thai] - I know people love this one, and I really enjoyed it too. It's perfect for those with a sweet tooth. There are some really great affectionate/sweet moments betweeen the main pairing. It was also the first BL I ever watched (if you don't count waterboyyy way back in the day lol) so it has a soft spot in my heart. But I do think it was a tad too safe for me. I prefer my BL's to have angstier/hotter moments throughout. The ending kiss made up for things, but it was unreastic to not have a proper kiss beore that. JMO.

6. Manner of Death [Thai] - I saw a gif of maxtul from this on tumblr and it's what originally got me into BL's. It spiked my interest. I see those two as the grandfathers of BL because they have been in so many things together, and their connection is so strong. I enjoyed this one a lot because it was a more mature series, and had it's own vibe/feel to it that I really appreciated.

7. TharnType Season 2 [Thai] - Season 2 wasn't as strong as season 1 for me but it was still enjoyable. I was really into Mew/Gulf and their chemistry when I first started watching BL's because it felt so genuine to me, and T+T was one of the first shows to really push the boundaries with the intimacy. Solid season.

8. Your Name Engraved Herein [Taiwan] - This was such a beautiful movie, with a positive ending, and I really loved watching it. It was depressng at times, but overall I just think it was so well done.

9. Mr. Heart [Korean] - Recently rewatched this series and it was so good! So fun and enjoyable. Loved the storyline, it felt pretty unique. I enjoyed the connection between the main two. What brings it down for me a bit is some of the physical moments in the series, like when one of them would hit the other... not for me. But overall, I could look past some of things because I enjoyed the rest of it.

10. Cherry Magic [Japan] - Such a cute and fun series, and definitely one of the most memorable ones for Japan. I had a bit of an issue with the intimacy stuff (they really couldn't even peck on the lips once??? It felt too platonic to me at times) but that aside, it was well written and a great watch.

11. Boy’s Lockdown [Filo] - This is actually my favorite of all the "quarantine" related series we got after Covid. To me, it was cute and fun and we got to see the main two come together in a nice and organic way. It was a good mix of different content.

12. Gaya Sa Pelikula [Filo] - Some cheesey/annoying moments for me, mostly regarding the sister character, but the rest of the series was nicely done. It also sort of felt like a mini movie. It has a slightly different vibe for me from other Filo series. I enjoyed it a lot.

13. Wish You [Korea] - Not my ultimate favorite series from Korea but it was well done. Wish I had more to say about it haha. But it was good.

14. Hello Stranger [Filo] - Another quarantine related story, and for a "web series" where the characters never really met til the end, it was really enjoyable. It was a great depiction of what students were going through during covid and I liked the way they went from scene to scene and did different interactions.

15. Because of You [Taiwan] - Def. some low/cheesey moments in this one as well but it was the first Taiwan series that I saw, so I enjoyed how different it felt compared to the other countries. Taiwan definitely has it's own style too. I liked that there were three couples in this one, and I enjoyed all three storylines.

Honorary Mentions: I'm not going into details with any of these series, overall I found parts of them enjoyable, but there were things I didn't love overall. But still worth checking out.

Korea: Craving You

Japan:Life: Love on the Line, HIS

Filo: My Day, Gameboys, Quaranthings, Cheat the Series

Thai: Gen Y, Present Still Perfect, Ingredients, En of Love, My Engineer, Saifahzon, My Gear Your Gown

Also check out my lists from other years! https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021 https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

[jojotichakorn]

archer's DRAMAtic list

releasing a new list of dramas that i have seen with six different categories in terms of recommendation. the series are placed in order from most to least liked in each category. each series is linked to its mydramalist page.

must-watch

1. never let me go

2. the eighth sense

3. my school president

4. we are

5. only friends

6. semantic error

7. enchanté

recommend

8. our dating sim

9. pit babe

10. 3 will be free

11. my love mix-up th

12. vice versa

13. a breeze of love

14. the warp effect

15. light on me

16. a boss and a babe

17. manner of death

18. cherry magic

19. to my star 1 & 2

20. like in the movies

21. you make me dance

22. kieta hatsukoi

23. love tractor

24. 23.5

25. dirty laundry

26. love for love's sake

27. we best love: no 1 for you (JUST season 1)

28. color rush

29. 2moons2

30. gameboys

31. a tale of thousand stars

32. long time no see

33. my engineer

34. our skyy (+ our skyy 2)

recommend but dislike something about it (in brackets: what i dislike)

35. guardian (the last 10-ish episodes / the ending)

36. kinnporsche (basically everything connected to the minor family)

37. the eclipse (political metaphor)

38. not me (political conclusion)

39. dark blue kiss + petekao cut (honestly just many small things that add up)

40. lovely writer (explained in this post)

41. he’s coming to me (thun’s backstory)

42. history 3: trapped (cops being the good guys)

don’t feel strongly about it either way

43. until we meet again

44. dangerous romance

45. i told sunset about you

46. love sea

47. 2gether (+ still2gether)

48. my pistachio

49. ingredients

50. cutie pie

51. hidden agenda

52. where your eyes linger

53. wandee goodday

54. step by step

55. YYY

56. hello stranger

57. red balloon

58. en of love: tossara

59. gen y

60. oxygen

do NOT recommend but like something about it (in brackets: what i like)

61. bad buddy (pat)

62. moonlight chicken (heart and li ming)

63. love by chance (ae and pete)

64. why r u? (saifah and zon)

65. 2moons (ming and kit)

66. star and sky: star in my mind (khluen)

67. great men academy (tangmo)

68. together with me + preq. bad romance, seq. together with me the next chapter (max and tul origins)

69. en of love: love mechanics + alt. version: love mechanics (some parts of the romance)

70. bed friend (some parts of the romance)

71. history 2: crossing the line (qui zi xuan and hsia yu hao)

do NOT recommend AT ALL

72. my gear and your gown

73. theory of love

74. the best story

75. advance bravely

76. sotus (+ sotus s)

77. tonhon chonlatee

78. we best love: fighting mr. 2nd

79. history 1: stay away from me

80. history 3: make our days count

81. water boyy

82. tharntype

[dandelionfairywish]

sad cloud part 1

when you just need to let it out.

please watch when your in a good placeas sum of the dramas and moviesis hard to watchand deal with difficult theme.

1 .viki dramas and movies  

2. Netflix original dramas and movies 

3.  viki take of dramas and movie sometimes without warning and you might not see them depending on where you live  so   enjoy while you can and I'm going to keep them on the list if they do get removie because sometimes they put them back on.

1. Love in the Air 

2. My Dear Donovan 

3. HIStory3: Make Our Days Count 

4. HIStory3: Trapped 

5. The Last Goodbye to Mama 

6. Goodbye My Princess: Director's Cut 

7. Queen Dugu 

8. To Love 

9. Maid's Revenge 

10. My Amazing Boyfriend Season 2 

11. The Starry Night, the Starry Sea 

12. Because of Love 

13. The Forbidden Flower 

14. The Untamed 

15. One and Only 

16. Forever and Ever 

17. Meet Yourself 

18. Stay with Me 

19. New Life Begins 

20. Love Like the Galaxy: Part 1 

21. Doom at Your Service 

22. If You Wish Upon Me 

23. Color Rush 

24. Color Rush Season 2 

25. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 

26. Healer 

27. The Beauty Inside 

28. Jealousy Incarnate 

29. The Last Empress 

30. Radio Romance 

31. Padam Padam 

32. The Light in Your Eyes 

33. Flower of Evil 

34. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo 

35. The Eighth Sense 

36. Happiness                     

37. Tale of the Nine-Tailed 

38. Goblin 

39. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon 

41. Utsukushii Kare 

         42. Utsukushii Kare Season 2 

43. My Beautiful Man: Eternal 

44. Hoshi Furu Yoru ni 

45. Sachiiro no One Room 

        46. Life: Love on the Line (Director's Cut)

        47. Kojinsa Arimasu 

48. The Yearbook 

49. A Tale of Thousand Stars 

50. Until We Meet Again 

51. Once Again 

52. TharnType 

53. TharnType Season 2: 7 Years of Love 

54. Eien no Kinou 

55. Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu 

56. Once Again 

57. Hello Monster 

58. Love Affairs in the Afternoon 

59. Come and Hug Me 

[absolutebl]

Hey! So I'm watching destiny seeker and it's so cute that it makes me want to watch more university bl. The problem is that i think I've already watched most of the known ones. Are there some lesser known uni bl that you'd recommend?

( Off the top of my head, ive atleast checked out sotus, bad buddy, we best love, kiss me again, 2gether, futs (I can't remember if that was high school or uni tbh), semantic error, tharntype, lita, blueming,eighth sense, stay by my side (I don't remember if this was uni or high school either), theory of love, his:2 crossing the line, and be my favorite if that counts. Oh and I've never been able to make it through oxygen)

Exhaustive List of University BLs as of late 2023

This list is by my ranking off the Spreadsheet of Doom. Best (by my standards) first. I treid to pick only those that are set in university and revolved around it as the primary drivers. He's Coming to Me got knocked off, for example, but UWMA stayed on.

Title - Country & Year

MY FAVORITE UNI BLS - WATCH THEM NOW - 10/10

Semantic Error - Korea 2022 Until We Meet Again- Thai 2019 We Best Love - Taiwan 2021

THESE ARE PRETTY GREAT TOO - 9/10

Bad Buddy - Thai 2022 Blueming - Korea 2022 Oxygen the series - Thai 2020 The Eighth Sense - Korea 2023

THESE ARE GOOD BUT TROUBLE ME IN SOME WAY - 8/10

2gether & Still 2gether - Thai 2020 Be My Favorite - Thai 2023 Between Us - Thai 2023 Dark Blue Kiss - Thai 2019 (prequels = Kiss Me Again et al, watch guide here) Destiny Seeker - Thai 2023 Hidden Agenda - Thai 2023 HIStory 2: Right or Wrong - Taiwan 2018 (teacher/student) Love By Chance - Thai 2018 (Mame warning) Love Class - Korea 2022 Love Class Season 2 - Korea 2023 Mr. Unlucky Can Only Kiss AKA Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! - Japan 2022 SOTUS - Thai 2016 Star in My Mind - Thai 2022 Stay By My Side - Taiwan 2023 TharnType - Thai 2019 Theory of Love - Thai 2019 Why R U? (Korean remake) - Korea 2023 Why R U? - Thai 2020

IT'S FINE 7/10

2 Moons 2 - Thai 2019 2 Moons The Ambassador (2 Moons 3) - Thai 2022 En of Love: Love Mechanics - Thai 2020 Enchanté - Thai 2022 Future the series - Thai 2023 Love in the Air - Thai 2022 (Mame warning) Mr. Heart - Korea 2020 My Engineer - Thai 2020 My Type - Taiwan 2021 Nitiman - Thai 2021 Private Lessons - Korea 2019 (teacher/student) Secret Crush On You - Thai 2022 Silhouette of Your Voice AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru - Japan 2017 Step For You - Korea 2018

I HAVE CONCERNS OR MEH - 6/10

2 Moons - Thai 2017 Ai Long Nhai - Thai 2022 En of Love: This is Love Story - Thai 2020 En of Love: Tossera - Thai 2020 Friend or Lover - Taiwan 2016 Gen Y - Thai 2021 Love By Chance 2: A Chance at Love - Thai 2020 Love Mechanics - Thai 2022 My Secret Love - Thai 2022 Starstruck- Korea 2023 Together with Me - Thai 2017 Tonhon Chonlatee - Thai 2021 You're My Sky - Thai 2022

WELL IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO - 5/10

4 Days - Pinoy 2016 Don’t Say No - Thai 2021 Friend or Lover - Taiwan 2021 Gen Y 2 - Thai 2022 Itsuka no Kimi e - Japan 2007 Like Love 1 AKA I Love You As A Man: Part 1 - China 2014 With Love - Thai 2019

YOU MAY REGRET YOUR LIFE CHOICES

4/10 Fish Upon the Sky - Thai 2021 Nabang Spark - Korea 2011 Our Days - Thai 2022 Pastsenger - Thai 2023

3/10 Coming Out AKA Kamingu Auto - Japan 2014 Melody of Our Love AKA Bokura no Ai no Kanade - Japan 2008 Our Memory - Taiwan 2020 Reminders - Thai 2019 The Cupid Coach - Thai 2021 Together with Me the Next Chapter - Thai 2018

2/10 From Here to There - HK 2012 The Effect - Thai 2019

1/10 A Round Trip to Love - China 2016

Here's an older post I did:

Slightly more recent:

[waitmyturtles]

The Old GMMTV Challenge: The Master Post and Explainer

Updated: August 23, 2024

Hello! Welcome to The Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC), my personal syllabus and journey through the most important, and/or impactful, and/or seminal of Boys Love (BL)/Series Y dramas from Thailand.

I started watching Thai BL series in 2022 with the airing of KinnPorsche. From there, I dallied with shows that were referenced across Tumblr -- but I didn't dig into learning about the genre as a whole until I watched 2021-22's Bad Buddy, and was thoroughly moved by it in countless ways.

I subsequently learned that Bad Buddy was, in large part, constructed to communicate with tropes and expectations established previously by the genre. In order to get to a point where I could appreciate Bad Buddy in all of its historic glory, I therefore decided to start from the top -- to watch Thai BLs in chronological order so as to help me better understand the tentacles of this young genre. I was also impacted by a post from a BL Tumblr lifer, @absolutebl, who talked in 2022 about current shows by the GMMTV network, the biggest producer of BL dramas in Thailand, that were answering for mistakes made in the early Thai BL days.

Bad Buddy is a GMMTV show -- but in order to learn fully about the genre, I've created a syllabus of shows and movies that spans well outside the GMMTV network and sphere of influence. In the spring of 2023, I crowdsourced information about Thai BLs from the INCREDIBLE BL community on Tumblr, and came up with the syllabus below.

This syllabus is ever changing, especially as this young genre (which was arguably born in 2014 with the airing of Love Sick) continues to explore itself outside of its male-and-male romance genre boundaries, by centering women and/or non-binary individuals, and even leaving romance behind for horror, suspense, mystery, crime, and more.

Besides watching dramas on this syllabus, I'm also in the process of reading English-language books and articles about the Thai BL genre and its influences in Thailand and across Asia on queer and non-queer communities, as well as on the most marketed-to BL audience in young women. Links to reading materials are below the syllabus.

If you're looking to learn more about BL, this is but one resource to use. There's an incredible community of bloggers here with vastly more knowledge than me about the history of this genre. This is only my path, and I encourage you to explore the corners of Tumblr to create your own Thai BL journey!

The Drama Syllabus and Review/Meta Links

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here)

21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here)

31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) The Miracle of Teddy Bear (2022) (watching) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here)  37) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (part 1 and part 2) 38) Honorable Mention: War of Y (2022) (for the sake of an attempt to provide meta BL commentary within a BL in the modern BL era), with a complementary watch of Aam Anusorn’s documentary, BL: Broken Fantasy (2020) (thoughts here) 39) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 40) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine "Genre BLs," Along With a Critical Take on Branded Ships (review here)

41) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) (review coming) 42) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023), Coupled With a Speed-Watch of My Love Mix-Up Thailand (2024) to Comment on GMMTV Trying to Make Magic Happen Twice 43) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 44) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 45) La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 46) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 47) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 48) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 49) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 50) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew)

51) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 52) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 53) 23.5 (2024) (GMMTV’s first GL) (thoughts here)

Additional Reading Material

Dr. Thomas Baudinette, Boys Love Media in Thailand

Dr. Peter Jackson, Queer Bangkok

Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific -- Issue 49, Thai Boys Love (BL)/Y(aoi) in Literary and Media Industries: Political and Transnational Practices, June 2023

[firstkanaphans]

Can I ask what happened with the Earth/Stud subplot of Friendzone? I haven't seen it.

Apologies if this is a little rude, I won't mind if you don't answer. :)

This isn’t rude at all, Anon! I’d be happy to tell you. But let me start this off by saying that I do not like Friendzone. At all. In fact, my biggest worry going into Only Friends was that it was going to be like Friendzone. Every single character in Friendzone is the worst person you’ve ever met in your life and yet it’s written as if you’re supposed to root for them. Luckily, it seems that P’Jojo has pivoted a bit in Only Friends because even super toxic characters like Boston are still likable. You understand their motivations even if they suck. Friendzone is just a mess.

But onto Earth and Stud.

Full disclaimer: It has been a while since I watched Friendzone and I have no plans to watch it again, so this is just my recollection of what happened. It’s also a wild ride, so strap in.

So Earth (played by Singto Prachaya) and Stud (played by Plustor Pronpiphat) have been friends since college. Stud is a, well, stud. He sleeps with any boy that will have him (mostly AJ Chayapol who I’m pretty sure was only 17 at the time). Earth is in a long-term committed relationship with a much older doctor named Sam (played by Nat Sakdatorn, the ultimate zaddy).

One day, Stud decides it would be super fun to sleep with Earth’s boyfriend Sam. In my recollection of this, Sam put up no fight whatsoever. Stud flirted with him like twice and Sam was just like, “Earth who?” Earth, meanwhile, is just a precious little cinnamon roll who has never done anything wrong in his life: great friend, great boyfriend, plant dad. Does not deserve this shit.

I think Stud and Sam only sleep together once? Maybe? But eventually Earth finds out and is super mad at Stud and not nearly mad enough at Sam, but whatever. It was 2018. Back then it was still okay to blame the mistress.

Anyway, as all of this is happening, Stud starts to realize that he hadn’t slept with Sam because he wanted Sam. He had slept with him because he wanted Earth and was only trying to break them up.

Season 1 ends with Earth still dating Sam (🤮) and I want to pull my hair out at how stupid everyone is being.

But it’s not over yet because there’s (unfortunately) a season 2.

In season 2, Earth struggles with still not trusting Sam since he is, you know, a dirty fucking cheater, but luckily him and Stud are able mend their broken relationship. I think the impetus for this is Stud’s mother dying? Maybe? It’s actually very sweet. The power of friendship and all that.

They start hanging out more and somewhere along the way, Earth decides that a great way to get back at Sam for sleeping with Stud is by sleeping with Stud himself. So that’s what he does. Stud is, at this point, madly in love with him and Earth is well-aware of those feelings, but does not feel the same. It’s deliciously angsty. My favorite scene in the whole series. You can watch it here around the 3:15 mark. (It’s fade-to-black because this was 2018 and we all know that gay sex wasn’t invented in Thailand until Tharntype in 2019.)

Sam finds out—I’m pretty sure Earth just straight up tells him in an act of pettiness I can only aspire to—and rather than ending what has at this point become a very toxic relationship, he suggests an open relationship instead so that Earth can sow his wild oats or whatever. And then the series somehow still ends with Earth and Sam together. Jesus effing Christ, I can’t.

Now that I’ve typed all of this out, I’m realizing it’s basically Only Friends if the reason Boston hooked up with Top was because he was secretly in love with Mew and now I want that so freakin’ badly. Mew is the beer-flavored nipples girl in this show and it’s what he deserves.

I think that’s all? I know it probably sounds super intriguing when laid out in a concise list like this but I cannot stress enough that you should not watch this show. It’s not good. And it’s so freakin’ long. Each season is like 16 episodes and most of it is just a het dumpster fire of trash. I spend every day praying Only Friends stays on the path it’s currently on and doesn’t veer into Friendzone territory. But even if it does, at least it’s gay.

[talkingbl]

How A BL Can Go From Melodrama to *Cinema* 🤩

1. Better production quality across the board. But particularly when it comes to set dressing (all BL markets), audio quality (Thai BLs), sound design and sound track. Tired of hearing unintentional real-room acoustics because GMMTV was too cheap to buy enough wireless mics for every actor, or because MeMindY thought wireless mics were the only kind of mics allowed ever and now we can hear every brush against the mic, or hearing the water on the beach over the actor's actual voice. Tired of the bland, plain "dorm room" with absolutely no personality that's clearly shot in a hotel room. Tired of the same 15-20 clearly royalty-free backing tracks blaring over an actor's voice at inappropriate times that are the editor's way of calling the viewers idiots by handfisting a cue that a tonal shift is occurring. And I am utterly exhausted with cheesy sound effects that completely suck the tension out of every scene! Just fucking stop!!!! Example of good production quality: The Blue Hour (not a series but still...).

2. Multi-season series (with shorter seasons overall). And no, I don't mean sequels (a la Tharntype 2/Still 2gether) where the characters are fundamentally in a different story. I want to see genuine conflict explored with the care it deserves, characters actualized, and romantic moments that linger just enough to leave viewers wanting more. Most BL storylines are entirely too rushed (or, on the other hand, feel like 2 different stories crammed into one season of television). I'd rather split up seasons by character arc the same way it's done in Hollywood or anime and cut seasons down from 12-14 episodes to 8-10. I feel like most Thai BLs would benefit from taking the multiple shorter-seasons than the one longer-season approach. Good example of a multi-season series, with strong pacing due to tighter seasons: Young Royals.

3. Better acting. And no, I don't mean crying and screaming because that's what the uninitiated think good acting looks like. I'm talking microexpressions when Neo portrays Boston's silent hurt watching Top take genuine interest in Mew. I'm talking the subtle glance down to Juntaek's lips when Jisub shows Jaewon's inital interest in Jihyun on their meetcute. And I'm talking the quiver of Fourth's voice when Gun is confronted with the reality that maybe he's not cut out for the music industry. A great performance doesn't necessarily have to be understated or even realistic, but it does need to be consistent with the story conventions and characters we're dealing with. Under/overacting to the point of parody is okay in satire. But doing so in a story that otherwise leverages typical romance/tragedy story beats looks ridiculous. It would also be great if all the lead actors were talented too.... Example of a good acting performance: Fourth (most of the time) in My School President.

4. Increased story variety. From broad themes and co-genres all the way to specific character arcs and tropes, we need more variety in BL stories (ESPECIALLY in KBL). Give me more period pieces, sci-fi, horror stories, star-crossed lovers, soulmates, magical boys, heroes' journeys, survival stories, mysteries, etc.! Good example of an unconventional character arc: Not Me.

5. Longer Episodes for KBLs. This is one area of production I think the KBL industry can learn a lot from the Thai BL industry. While the stories I've watched never really feel rushed, they do feel a bit empty/inadequate. The writers could explore more themes and character drama just by lengthening episode runtime 10-15 minutes per episode. Good example of a KBL with many longer episode runtimes: The Eighth Sense.

6. Subtlety. This is kind of an amalgam of 1 and 3 but I want to say more. Stop telling me the plot/character arc and just do the plot or arc. Stop cueing tonal shifts with on-the-nose music/sound effects and trust that, as your viewer, I am intelligent enough to know that the actors have gotten serious after a bout of laughter, or have simmered down from a heated exchange. When you cue your viewer, you either think they're dumb or you don't trust that your actor, director, and/or writer are doing their jobs. Either way, the viewer is left unsatisfied. Good example of subtle storytelling: I Told Sunset About You.

[ppeonppeonhan]

Which BL couple had the best story arc from Season 1 to Season 2?

I legit had to give up on TharnType half-way through season 2. I regret seeing part 2 of 2gether. I refuse to watch the Together With Me sequel. (It's been too long to see that MaxTul storyline again. There's no way it's not problematique.) I barely made it through part 1 of I Told the Sunset About You and SOTUS. And Dark Blue Kiss and Between Us (below) did not stick the landing as spinoff shows.

Gameboys 2 (below) and To My Star 2 (top), however, knocked it out of the fucking park. Give them all the awards.

Fingers crossed the Cherry Magic movie sequel still captures their vibe. I've been anxiously avoiding it. 🙃

[jjsanguine]

BL/QL Ask game: The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

From @clara-maybe-ontheroad

I feel like starting a random tag ask game for all the terrible shit us QL-lovers put up with, sometimes for pleasure, sometimes for pain, sometimes for both! The list of questions ended up being very long so no one has to do them all, just the ones you want, but I'm excited to see what everyone comes up with :)

The categories are:

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL

I listen to basically anything so I've yet to really be weirded out. I have kpop, world music, afropop, Afrobeats, gospel, country, drill, R&B, praise and worship (?) and others I don't know the genre names for jumbled together in the same playlist lmao.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute)

"Let's kiss the dog together" in Lovely Writer. I don't like dogs so this made me crease even more. Kissing animals is gross I'm sorry.

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad)

Any line I truly disliked is blissfully gone from my memory.

Most stupid decision made by a character

Any of Phupha's decisions in The Promise (2023), but chiefly the decision to disappear from 10 years. I know it was the driving force in the show but it was still a fucking terrible decision.

Worst plot line

Gram x Eugene in Not Me. Literally huh ??? I choose to ignore it.

The most problematic show you've watched

Probably Tharntype. I do not care what happened in Lhong's life man. Why are you muddying a cartoon villain with a sob story.

A show people love but you find bad

I never finished Love In The Air or Gap the Series. I didn't find them bad really, I just got missed an episode and then never caught up.

A show people find bad but you will defend

I don't know if people dislike the while show but secret crush on you episode 1 makes you want to peel off your skin and wring the ick out of your bones. But after you've taken a month or so to recover from that, it's a masterpiece.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it

Probably Tharntype, purely based on me watching it several times but also wanting to throw my phone for like 80% of the runtime. It's like when I eat food and go "I'm not sure how I feel about this" the entire time, but have to conclude logically that I liked it somewhat since I finished it all of my own volition.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated

A lot a lot of them. I am easily pleased.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny

There's no level of horniness that will make me stick with a show that I'm losing interest in. Why would I bother with something that has a plot in that case lmao.

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character

I've never done this with a QL because I could just watch a fancam, but I am going to keep watching Outer banks even though season 3 was character assassination because Pope is my baby.

A bad show that you would still recommend

Why would I recommend a show I think is bad??

The character that ruined a show the most

He didn't ruin the show but Not's off screen redemption arc in Be My Favourite soured the ending a tiny bit for me. Not everyone has to win y'know?

Most awful character that you hated /Most awful character that you loved / A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like

If I dislike a fictional character I usually just forget about them.

A hero that should have been a villain

Joke in Hidden agenda. He was a troubled guy but they could have gone full on toxic with it.

A morally bad character you're into

Kinn. Well, most characters in Kinnporsche. If they were real I'd want a few dozen degrees of separation between me and anyone with such casual disregard for human life.

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into

I don't really keep track of who others are into.

The show that disappointed you the most

Step by step. You don't even need to change the plot, just the pacing.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons

I 100% purged my memory of it, whatever this show was.

[lemonfreshlysqueezed]

Bl mistakes (Part 1)

Scenes that I would have shot again and fixed.

Don’t get me wrong some of these are from my favorite bl’s but here are some mistakes I’ve noticed while watching. Some of these are just funny and others are annoying and pulled me completely out of the story.

Disclaimer I am in no way trying to offend people, these are just things I noticed.

TharnType Season 2 (Ep. 7) The mic is visible when Fiat gets out of bed.

Unforgotten Night (Ep. 4 3/4) The hair on Kamols face. It was there for multiple scenes in multiple episodes, like come on!

Never Let Me Go (Ep. 7 2/4) The bug on Palms face. I actually thought this was kinda cute, idk why.

My School president (Ep. 1 1/4) The hair or fluff on his cheek

Again on episode 5 2/4

Cutie Pie 2 You (Ep. 1/4) The bulge from the mic of woman in the pink dress. It just looked weird.

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP BL’S OF 2019 AND EARLIER

I decided to group all of the BL series I've watched from 2019 and prior together because there simply weren't enough. I decided just to go with 10 for this list cuz there were nowhere near enough series as there were for the other years. I love that BL series have really taken off and improved every single year! I just have so much fun watching them and I'm glad others feel the same.

1. TharnType [Thai] - Sexiest bl of all time? Possibly. At least in 2019 haha. A few others have risen to it's level now, but the first time I saw this it really blew me away. Yes, there are some major problematic elements in this series but imo mewgulfs chemistry and the drama more than makes up for it.

2. History 1-3 [Taiwan] - This is a fun series and definitely the best for Taiwan imo. I love that each series is so different from the others. My personal favorite is season 3, I loved both seasons that year. But I've found enjoyable things about all of them. I also love that Taiwan has a good mix of intimate scenes and moments but also longer episodes and different storylines. Just wish we had more from them.

3. Until We Meet Again [Thai] - This drama definitely has really slow and cheesey moments and I am not sure the supernatural storyline was for me but I still had a great time watching. The three pairings were all so different from one another. I like that it had a deeper storyline as well. Definitely memorable.

4. Love By Chance [Thai] - This is one of the "older" thai bl's but has such a unique flair to it and there's a very specific charm that drew me in. It was just well done and cute.

5. The Boy Next Door [Korean] - This was a series I just recently watched and it was very fun and cute. Can def. be seen as a "bromance" in parts but it still had romantic undertones. Not a lot of "intimate" moments here or anything and defintely more of a comedy but I liked how different it was and it was really easy to watch.

6. 3 Will Be Free [Thai] - The most "poly" bl series we've gotten yet. I loved the focus on all three of the mains and relationship between the three of them. I think the show could have gone a bit deeper with it, but I still loved watching this show and I liked the thriller sort of aspect to it, it was different.

7. Theory of Love [Thai] - For me this one started out really good and then got quite a bit draggy near the middle. When it switched POV'S I wasn't as into it and there was way too much crying and drama lmao. But, for a sort of trashy, classic, Thai bl series, it fits the bil.

8. Dark Blue and Moonlight [Thai] - This BL was a HOT MESS from start to finish. A bit odd and all over the place, yet somehow, I still really enjoyed watching it. It was kinda like a car crash you couldn't look away from lmao.

9. Kiss Me Series [Thai] - TBH I don't remember this series all that much and should prob. rewatch it at some point, but it's another fun classic thai bl series. I mostly skimmed it for TayNew tbh.

10. He’s Coming to Me [Thai] - Ghost storylines aren't really my thing but I did enjoy this series and I thought the chemistry between Singto and Ohm was sweet and the storyline was pretty unique.

Honorary Mentions:

Thai: Together With Me (Don't ermember much of this but gotta love MaxTul), WaterBoyy (My first "bl" experience with New+Earth wayyy back before I ever even knew what BL was), Sotus (Didn't enjoy this one as much as other people but it was okay.)

Taiwan: Red Balloon (Nice Taiwanese series, nothing super outstanding but decent.)

ANTI: ADDICTED. I cant tolerate the "love" this series gets... it depicts sexual assault in a romantic light. It's an absolute NO for me.

Also check out my other lists from 2022, 2021, and 2020! https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022 https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021 https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020