talkingbl

[talkingbl]

Timeless Thai Taste Review

Okay so before attending the event, I already liked Apo and was very familiar with many of the BOC guys. I knew of First and TopTap from Don't Say No and 2gether, respectively, but I wasn't familiar with the other guys. That said, I'll start with the event itself and then go into the guys.

The Event

Overall: We had no clue what was going to happen because there wasn't much detail. We just knew there would be food and actors. Turns out it was like a miniature food expo with some entertainment segments. The purpose of the event was to promote Thai culture through its 2 of its biggest exports currently--food and entertainment. Because of this, the theme was storytelling through food and media. There were mini segments throughout the event and once the doors opened, the overall structure was as follows:

Food tasting expo

Actor introductions

Shine cast and producer panel

Trailer viewing (Shine and Reset)

Appetizer cooking demonstration with half of the actors (+ audience volunteer taste testers)

Trailer viewing (Vamp and another one that I forgot the name of lol)

Dessert/snack cooking demonstration with the other half of the actors

Video from Pond Ponlawit and Peterpan Tadsapon

Mini prize giveaway

Grand prize giveaway (signed poster and photo with MileApo)

Overall, it was a fun event (albeit a bit disorganized--but it was free so it wasn't a huge issue). The food was great and the actors were entertaining.

The Actors

I didn't get to really get a read on all the actors because there was so much going on but here is what I remember:

Jjay was very quiet and wasn't as interactive as the other guys were but I just chalked it up to nerves.

Bump was very funny and adorable. He had great crowd interactions during all of his segments and you could tell he was just happy to be there lol. Toptap also had good comedic timing and was very interactive with the audience.

Oab was....interesting. The best way I can describe him is like the straight man to the other guys's jokes/goofiness.

Euro was straight up adorable. He looked so innocent and sweet and like he was pretending to understand what was going on lol. He is very good-looking!

Son Yuke is actually so manly in person it is unreal. He has a sort of distinguished/classic handsomeness and dude looks absolutely yoked. He's very entertaining and engaging as well. Out of all the guys I hadn't known much about before, he drew me in the most.

Peter!!! Peter's charisma is through the roof. I really hope he gets more roles after Shine because he's got the entertainer gene. He's nice looking in person and his aura is very warm. He's got some serious cute little brother energy

Mile and Apo were incredibly funny, confident, and kind. Mile looks the exact same in real life as he does on the screen, just thinner. Apo looks a tad shorter but I think it was partially because most of the other guys had on boots/platforms lol. They both look like husband height standing next to average height women though 😂

Apo seemed really kind in a way I feel doesn't always come across onscreen. Like he legit had an angelic vibe about him that made me feel like he was a good person. Typing this out sounds really crazy especially with the way men in general move but I can't lie his vibes are immaculate at that event. Hopefully I'll never have to eat my words.

What really shocked me out of everything was how drawn I was to Mile. Like that man is so special and you can tell he loves being a part of this event/industry and the spread of Thai culture and it's just such an infectious energy. Plus, he makes sure to make eye contact with you and waves back every time with the most sincere smile on his face. At the risk of sounding insane, every time he waved at me it seemed like he was actually perceiving me lmao. Now I think I'm a Mile fan 😭😭😭😭

[talkingbl]

Timeless Thai Taste event was fun lol. Mileapo really do look like that and Mile’s energy is so good lol

Sleeper hits: Peter and Son

Might post a full review + pics later

[talkingbl]

A+ reddit post on the decline of media literacy.

[talkingbl]

I'm glad people are starting to talk about DMD's style over substance issue

I have dropped every DMD show I've ever started because by the end of episode 2 it becomes very clear they don't know what the fuck they are doing. Your Sky was a little better but I even dropped that after a bit. DMD needs to stop relying on fanservice and actually deliver something of substance. But I fear that will only happen when the fans stop eating it all up.

[talkingbl]

My main issue with Jamessu

and, to a lesser extent, other "idols" who start in the BL world then migrate to singing/dancing kpop/jpop-style idols, is rooted in the downplaying of their BL work.

Don't get me wrong, doing some performances every now and again can be fun/funny, especially when not done in earnest (like Sea Tawinan laughing at himself when his voice cracked during a fan concert). But when it's completely serious and a guy resents his BL work but is arrogant on account of having a large BL fanbase puts on a terrible show not worth the money fans pay for it? That's when it stops being funny and just gets annoying/weird to me. And I'm not saying James outwardly does/did this, but I am saying he gives this impression.

I also take issue with actors who don't necessarily outwardly belittle their BL work but move in a way that makes it clear that they don't care about acting/the series they get to work on. If you want to know what I mean just look at like half the guys signed to DMD. I remember watching the first season of DMD Friendship the Reality and being confused as hell to see so many of the contestants admit that their main career goal was to be a singer when I thought it was a show to match acting pairs.

But this isn't just limited to Thai actors--it happens a lot with korean actors as well. Regardless of country of origin, so many guys in the BL industry these days have 0 interest in being actors and are only casted as actors because their looks agree with Thai/korean beauty standards. Their acting is shit, the series' they're put in are either shit or made shit by the lack of care put into it, and it makes it difficult to fully enjoy works that could otherwise be enjoyable if they weren't just vehicles to launch a tpop/kpop career. It's very annoying because I'm sure there are men out there who want to be in front of the camera acting down, but don't get the chance because of these kpop idol wannabes.

Seriously, I feel like ever since folks like PP Krit and Nunew put the Thai idol-actor industry in a chokehold, every new actor thinks they can pull it off as well. The unfortunate truth is that PP and Nunew are actually talented in the art of musical performance. With Nunew it's his radio-friendly vocal tone that's been on trend in Asia for the past few years, with PP it's his ability to take any song given to him and make it a moment. Then there's guys like Daou and Jeff Satur who were idols/artists before getting into acting and who are actually trying to make good series. For starters, these men have talent for days and show emotion and range for music that doesn't just amount to being koreaboos who think NCT are cheugy (and this isn't a knock to NCT at all--those guys have TALENT..this is just the group I notice they all tend to look up to). But on top of that, it is clear that guys like Jeff and PP actually want to act (since they don't have to if they don't want to) and they actually want to do a good job.

By contrast, so many of the new actors who've stepped on the BL scene in the past 3-5 years clearly see BL as stop #1 to being a successful kpop idol. Nowhere is that more present than when these actors get on korean idol survival shows or even train under an agency only to get cut very early on because of the obvious skill gap between them and the other contestants who aren't just doing it so they can be the next blackpink Lisa or got7 BamBam.

A more secondary issue I have with some of the Thai actors (specifically) who do this is that it's honestly kind of embarrassing? Because, for them, it's not just going to korea because that's the only place to pursue their passion, it's going to korea specifically to be "in" with the kpop/korean culture in a way that goes beyond just being a fan of kpop. And I'm not usually one to judge people interested in cultural exchange, I just find it strange that so many of the actors who are obsessed with becoming idols tend to elevate anything korean over anything Thai. It's why when they fail in korea, they go back to Thailand because they think it's guaranteed success/easier than in korea. I don't know I just don't like seeing Thai people worship koreans like they're better than Thais when in reality every country and culture has its good parts and bad parts. Thai people and the Thai industry are as good as anyone and I wish more of these actors believed that.

[talkingbl]

Boys In Love should get a season 2

I want to follow KimMon and KitShane's stories as they face the new challenges that university and adulthood bring

[talkingbl]

I wouldn't have much of an issue with GMMTV gobbling up all of these actors if they were purely a talent agency a la CAA or WME. But GMMTV is also a television studio and they operate (at least in part) on the old studio system where they seemingly have exclusive contracts with many of their actors. This creates a situation where you either have not enough work for your actors or not enough incentive to give your actors good work since you'd much rather them rot in your basement then allow them to work with a different studio.

Plus, it looks like they don't have enough managers. The only people who stay booked and busy are the pillars and Gen 2. Everyone else is fighting for scraps.

And before anyone says anything, I know some GMMTV actors have done work with other studios (Newwie, Fourth, etc.). And, without having seen the actors' contracts, I can't say that they're not all like Newwie's and Fourth's. But the fact that I rarely see any other GMMTV actors work on non-GMMTV productions speaks volumes about the execution of those contracts, if anything.

[talkingbl]

today is that day

which characters from my completed bls are the greenest of flags?

Ultimate Green Flags: Green means GO!

Tian (1000Stars) - an angel

Kao (KMA/DBK) - a good boy that stays caught up in bad situations. the Ashanti to Pete's Ja Rule

Xi Gu (MODC) -

Sean (Not Me) - he's just out here trying to survive

White (Not Me) - we love a supportive twin 😤

Kim (Unforgotten Night) - just trying to get his life right honestly

Pharm (UWMA) - worst thing he ever did was learn his soul mate's name. It's like I can still hear him calling for him to this day... "p'dean! p'dean!!! p'deeeeeaaaaaan~"

Yellow Flags: Not bad but do tread lightly...

Salawat (2gether) - I don't know man he might actually be a red flag now that I think about it...

Tine (2gether) - he pretended to be gay to get rid of his GAY MALE secret admirer. he might not be dangerous but he does lack brain cells

Pat (Bad Buddy) - for no reason at all, he healed from a gunshot wound in 1 episode. never trust a man who can't die

Pran (Bad Buddy) - friends with Wai

Siwon (Blueming) - when he's miserable, so is everyone else around him

Pi (FUTS) - unchecked anger issues

Daon (Blueming) - when he lies through his teeth like it's nothing

Neua (SCOY) - is okay with his boyfriend collecting his trash and bodily fluids

Sangwoo (Semantic Error) - not too bad but maybe a little vindictive and inconsiderate

Khai (TOL) - the first 6 episodes never happened[.]

Third (TOL) - the way he iced Khai was telling TO ME

Dean (UWMA) - not green enough to be green, not red enough to be red

Phupha (1000Stars) - nah cause the way he just tossed Tian to the side like that and turned the whole village on my mans was slimey af

Haoting (MODC) - relentlessly bullied a guy, then fell in love with him a week later. if that's not the hallmark of a well-adjusted human being, I don't know what is

Absolute RED Flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩

Pete (KMA/DBK) - this grown ass man bullied a teenager lmao

Mork (FUTS) - has no clue what boundaries are

Toh (SCOY) - he steals his crush's trash and makes shrines out of it

Jaeyoung (Semantic Error) - the lengths he went to just to piss Sangwoo off should tell you that this man is capable of some fucked up shit

Kamol - I feel like I don't need to explain why forcing a stranger to LIVE WITH YOU b/c he has a phat ass and looks like a cherub when he cries is red flag behavior

[talkingbl]

All the people wanting Sky and Nani to only do bromances "because the tension/build up will be better" are....yeah

[talkingbl]

if u catch me saying imina skynani...

[talkingbl]

Thai BL Companies: A Brief Guide

My guide to the major Thai BL companies for the BL newbie. I've not included defunct companies (Nadao Bangkok, Studio Wabi Sabi), companies that produce BLs but don't sign actors or companies I'm not as familiar with (Copy A Bangkok, Dee Hup House, iQiyi).

Be On Cloud (BOC)

Production Value: A- | Talent: B+ | Story Variety: C | Writing: B

Notable Series: KinnPorsche (2022), The Hidden Character (2023 Reality TV Series), Dead Friend Forever (2023), 4Minutes (2024)

Notable Actors: Apo Nattawin, Bas Asavapatr, Bible Wichapas, Fuaiz Thanawat, Jes Jespipat, Mile Phakphum

My Thoughts: As a heads up, I did not finish Dead Friend Forever ("DFF"), so please take this into account when reading my thoughts below.

BOC is the place to go for decently high production values, heavier themes, and acting that's a slight cut above the rest. BOC will bring lots of action and sex, with stories that tend to explore the more base sides of humanity.

The company's flagship series, KinnPorsche, is often cited as a good starting point into Thai BL for the average joe, however, I actually think 4Minutes is a better starting point as it takes all of the better qualities of BOC and leaves out the camp you get with KinnPorsche, which I believe is more of an acquired taste for folks who are new to Thai BL. I also think that KinnPorsche, while decent for a first production for a company, has lots of questionable directing/acting/and even writing choices that are largely eliminated in 4Minutes.

To me, the biggest issue for BOC from an artistic standpoint is the way some of their series tend to meander for awhile before getting to the point. KinnPorsche suffers from this in the middle of the series, and DFF also has this problem after the first 2 or 3 episodes. 4Minutes has sort of the opposite problem where it moves a little too quickly because of its short 8-episode run. Still, BOC's storytelling is made more interesting because of the subject matter of its series (KinnPorsche's mafia-bodyguard trope, DFF's...whatever the fuck they were doing in that scary ass show..., 4Minutes' psychological-sci-fi thriller elements).

Business-wise, BOC is a bit controversial to say the least. Their talent pool has been a bit of a mess what with Build Jakapan being forced out after being outed as the worst type of asshole and Barcode Tinnasit leaving for somewhat mysterious reasons, some of the company's key writers and producers turning out to be on a constant power trip, and even controversies surrounding the talent that haven't even had their first roles yet.

Additionally, their promotion tactics have likewise been polarizing. While they don't go full-throttle with their shipped-pair promotions, they do put on these elaborate events complete with fansigns, meet and greets, actor performances, etc. At first, it was a little flimsy (KinnPorsche cast humping the air and singing offkey in front of thousands of people), but I do think it's improving (4Minutes cast actually getting into character to perform songs (still offkey) like a stage musical of sorts, instead of singing/dancing as themselves). So, if you're wanting to get into Thai BL fandom culture, I'd say BOC has more opportunities for you to be part of that community in a way that doesn't ship you straight into delulu land.

Lastly, while I think BOC has a bright future ahead given the success of literally everything they do, I feel like a lot will ride on if they're able to keep Jes Jespipat (who was a known actor in the Thai lakorn scene before joining BOC) and attract more big-name talent. Barcode jumping over to GMMTV after alluding that he didn't want to be signed to a company again after leaving BOC is a bit of a bad look to me and I can imagine other industry talent is keeping an eye on things like that.

Change2561 (Change)

Production Value: C | Talent: C | Story Variety: B- | Writing: C

Notable Series: PitBabe (2023), This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (2024)

Notable Actors: Nut Supanut, Pavel Naret, Pooh Krittin, Pon Thanapon, Sailub Hemmawich

My Thoughts: Before you read the below, I've only watched about half of PitBabe and clips of This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans ("TLDHLB"), so many of my thoughts are colored by brief experiences.

Change is one of the newer companies to pop up on the Thai Queer Love scene. So far, their productions have been received relatively well and their upcoming series have garnered overwhelming support. Because Change is so new and both of their leading BL productions are so different, it's difficult to really point in the direction of a true identity. That said, there is an inkling that Change will be more of a novel adaptation company rather than an original content company. Additionally, Change has adapted/is adapting books that have hooks to them (Pitbabe with the omegaverse theme, their upcoming series The Most Beautiful Count and its strong identity/politics themes, etc.).

I can't really recommend a series for Change since I haven't finished the ones I've started from the company. I do think that Pitbabe is much riskier than TLDHLB, given that it does have an omegaverse element and it switches the typical seme/uke dynamic on its head.

Artistically, Change's direction looks promising, but I do warn that, likely because the company is so new, the talent pool is a bit shallow (same few actors star in each series) and the production quality varies drastically from work to work.

Business-wise, Change seems to be doing the typical Thai BL promotion tactics of fansigns, brand events, and social media fanservice, with their pairs having slightly more distance between them than shipped pairs from other companies.

Overall, I think if Change delivers on the lineup it announced in 2024, it has the potential to shake up the top players in the industry.

Domundi/Mandee (DMD)

Production Value: B+ | Talent: C | Story Variety: B | Writing: C

Notable Series: Why R U? (2020), Cutie Pie (2022), DMD Friendship The Reality (2023-, Reality TV Series), Bed Friend (2023), Your Sky (2024)

Notable Actors: Kong Kongpob, Max Kornthas, Nat Natasit, Nunew Chawarin, Thomas Teetut, Zee Pruk

My Thoughts: Warning that I have never finished a DMD show lmao (but Your Sky looks promising).

Ah, DMD...the long-touted GMMTV dethroner. DMD is a go-to for slice-of-life series that have NC elements but not at the level of BOC. Most of the series produced at DMD are straight up romantic comedies with no other themes explored at all. But within the romantic comedy genre, DMD series explore many common romance tropes (Cutie Pie with arranged marriage trope, Bed Friend with enemies to lovers trope, Your Sky with fake dating trope, etc.). Even with its upcoming series like The Next Prince and Love Upon A Time, we're getting a european royalty AU and period piece. It's truly like if AO3 had its own BL production company.

The company's flagship series is probably Cutie Pie. Though some might argue Why R U? put DMD/Mandee on the map (a la SOTUS and GMMTV). But, really, Cutie Pie was like the 2gether of DMD. It launched the company and its shipped pair, ZeeNunew, into the GMMTV-competitor conversation. That said, Your Sky is the best show I've seen from DMD and it's not even finished yet lol.

Artistically, DMD suffers from incoherent storytelling and mid-acting syndrome. Like Cutie Pie started off okay but I couldn't move past the terribly uninspired acting and all over the place plot. That said, a lot of their actors fit perfectly into established character tropes (tall/older confident and masculine seme/top, shorter/younger shy and feminine uke/bottom), which I think is a huge draw for lots of people. This is not something that affects my viewing experience, however, so I don't count this as a plus.

Business-wise DMD is a shipper's paradise. A lot of the shipped pairs act like real couples even outside of their shows, with some even being suspected of actually dating. They have all the typical shipped pair events but combine it with content out of the ass of the actors flirting, etc. DMD actors seem to have a much more international reach than, say, Idol Factory actors. While both have similar outreach in Asia, I think DMD tries to get their actors and works in western markets, which is a huge plus for western BL newbies. Additionally, DMD actors tend to not really be actors... I mean, they act, but most of them actually want to sing (and some can). This means that shipped couple birthday events are just concerts, fansigns are just concerts, extra video content is just music videos, etc. So, you will not run out of opportunities to see your favorite actors in the flesh in a manner that's (arguably) worth the money if you go down the DMD actor stan rabbithole.

Still, DMD is slightly controversial with allegations of sexism from its actors (stemming from a video released some years ago) and inappropriate pairings. With the rising conversations surrounding age gaps in pairings lately, DMD has come under fire for MaxNat in particular. For those who don't know, Max and Nat have been paired together since Nat was 17 (Max was 26 at that time). Though they were first paired before joining DMD, so most of their critics don't call out DMD for that. Still, some feel that even though Nat is now 22, DMD is wrong for keeping him in a pair with an actor 9 years his senior. The conversation is similar with ZeeNunew. Zee has been under particular scrutiny because of a comment he made about wanting to be paired with Nunew since Nunew first joined DMD at age 19 (Zee would've been 28 at the time).

Personally, I think DMD can't be blamed from MaxNat's pairing before they joined DMD. I also don't think it was necessarily wrong to keep them paired after they joined since, by then, Nat was a grown man. While MaxNat are not my cup of tea, at this point, Nat is 22, and I'm not in the business of trying to tell a grown man what to do with his career. Same with ZeeNunew. I like Nunew a lot and feel he is one of the most talented singers who also acts in BLs. But I never felt like he was showing signs of being exploited. At this point, as long as Nat and Nunew feel safe, that's all that matters to me. Additionally, new DMD pairings do not have these problems, so it's hard for me to call it a company issue.

Ultimately, DMD will likely continue to be successful for as long as ZeeNunew have stans lmao. But, on a serious note, I think the smartest thing this company ever did was DMD Friendship The Reality because it was a great way to introduce fans to new acting talent, build fanbases for the shipped pairs that came out of the show, and get money in the process. Now, ZeeNunew and MaxNat have pairs like ThomasKong and KengNamping who have skyrocketed in popularity to pass the torch to.

GMMTV

Production Value: B- | Talent: B+ | Story Variety: A | Writing: B-

Notable Series: SOTUS (2016), The Gifted (2018), Dark Blue Kiss (2019), Theory of Love (2019), 2gether (2020), A Tale of a Thousand Stars (2021), Not Me (2021), Bad Buddy (2021), My School President (2022), Only Friends (2023), High School Frenemy (2024)

Notable Actors: Barcode Tinnasit, Est Supha, First Kanaphan, Fourth Nattawat, Gun Atthaphan, Inn Sarin, Jennie Panhan, Krist Perawat, Mark Pakin, Mix Sahaphap, Nani Hirunkit, Ohm Pawat, Perth Thanapon, Sky Wongravee, Tay Tawan, Tu Tontawan, William Jakarapatr, Win Metawin

My Thoughts: GMMTV is probably the most prolific production company in Thailand when it comes to producing BL series. They have the most series, the most actors, the most events, the most money, etc. The company's identity is rooted in the schoolboy BL. Regardless of if we're talking high school boys or university men, get used to Thai uniforms if you're going to watch damn near any GMMTV BL produced before 2021, thanks to the SOTUS effect. It's not until the company enters the BL stratosphere in 2020 that we start getting a significant uptick in BLs that don't revolve around doing everything in a school building except learning.

Beyond the school settings, GMMTV is known for romantic comedies, slice of life stories, camp elements, terrible audio quality, empty sets, and 'we definitely shot this on a $2 budget' aesthetics. In fact, it wasn't until about 2021 that GMMTV production quality shot up after the explosion in popularity of 2gether. Suddenly, post-2020, Never Let Me Go was being shot in 4K, ThamePo had boom mics that worked and not just wireless mics that brushed up against the actors' clothes and picked up every sound but the actors' voices, and Sky Wongravee was signing to this broke ass company!!! And at this point, GMMTV's identity is less in its art and more in its business.

But first, the art. GMMTV, by far, has the most variety in its BL lineup. And while they don't push the envelope as much as, say, BOC, they're starting to add in mature themes at a reasonable pace. GMMTV's talent pool has shifted dramatically with so many basement dwellers leaving and very well-known actors signing (Sky, Barcode, Boun, Prem, etc.). This means that while you will occasionally see some of the most struggle acting you've ever seen from Dunk Natachai (love u, Dunk), you will see some of the most moving performances from your Gun Atthaphans. It's honestly a somewhat strange thing to experience in real-time.

Additionally, GMMTV's stories are largely adaptations of popular Thai and Japanese works (think SOTUS, Cherry Magic TH, etc.). But occasionally you will get original series that hit just right (Moonlight Chicken).

Artistically, the biggest issues with GMMTV include the weakest actors getting the most work and the most interesting stories, the inconsistent production quality, the clear favoritism, the focus on money over art, the way many of the most popular pairs clearly hate kissing boys lmfao, and, most starkly, the episode 5 drop off.

The episode 5 drop off is a series KILLER. What this refers to is how GMMTV series are almost always good, sometimes even GREAT for the first 4ish episodes. But by the time episode 5/6 comes around (or whenever the couple actually gets together in the series), we go from really good storytelling to leaning on the shittiest cliches you can imagine, the characters becoming straight up stupid, or random things happening for literally no reason with no context at all and a resolution that comes out of actual nowhere. Like there will legit be episodes of a series where one of our leading men gets shot or hit by a car or whatever, his boyfriend is like super scared and worried he's going to die and it's this big traumatic event. No less than 15 minutes later and it's like nothing happened. The shooting/car accident was literally just there to artificially raise the stakes and waste your damn time. This happens in almost EVERY GMMTV BL. Either that or the characters fake-out kiss like 30 times after they get together until there's 2 minutes left in the season finale when they finally kiss.

Regarding the other points, for example, the company treats Gen 2 (in particular, JoongDunk, PondPhuwin, ForceBook) like they are untouchable gods despite most of the talent residing with the pillars, company-switchers, het series actors, and even Gen 3 actors. Don't get me wrong, I understand those 3 pairs are stan attractors, but I feel like GMMTV is not taken super seriously as a company because the actors in these pairs get like 2-3 series per year while some of the company's best actors don't see the light of day.

Business-wise, if you're a kpop or jpop fan or otherwise into idol culture, GMMTV is probably the most comfortable transition for you. GMMTV treats its "artists" like idols (complete with "triple threat" allegations (LMFAO)); every actor getting their own song that they also struggle to dance to; every pair getting their own official mascot, logo, fandom name, and lightstick; concerts; shipped pair reality shows; etc. Hell, even the non-BL pairs get some of these things so long as they look good together and have chemistry (looking at you, Sky-Nani imina). It's like a fanservice paradise over there (except it's not billed as the pairs are actually dating, but that they're all in the will they-won't they, phi-nong, more than friends but less than lovers, stage). And if you pay close enough attention to the GMMTV pairs, you will notice common trends of how they interact/promote that will quickly unravel any delulu thoughts that you might have at the outset of seeing them together.

But to me, the best parts about GMMTV's business strategy, however, are their international focus and the novelty in their company promotions.

As for their international focus, most of their content is freely available on YouTube and subbed in English. Many of their artists are bilingual. And they're starting to produce events overseas at a high clip (e.g., TayNew recently in Rome, JimmySea in LA last year, GMMTV Fan Fest 2025 in Japan, etc.).

Novelty-wise, they've got several things going for them. They're the ones that started the annual lineup shows where they drop trailers for series coming out in the next year, have performances from their in-house T-Pop groups, and interview the casts and crews of upcoming series. They also have unique events like GMMTV Starlympics (if you're a kpop fan, it's like ISAC but only one company's idols participate against each other and there's musical performances), and GMMTV Company Outing (which is their annual company trip and isn't officially televised, but the artists and their managers always upload videos in real time of the shenanigans that occur at these outings). GMMTV even spearheaded the shipped-pair variety show content mill with mainstay pairs getting their own shows themed after either the actors' names (think EarthMix Space) or their interests (think TayNew Meal Date). These are all pioneering promotional tactics that make GMMTV series and shipped pairs even more entertaining.

Besides the money-making genius at GMMTV, however, there have been so many scandals with this company's actors it's hard to keep track. Everything from misogyny allegations, to homophobia, to people criticizing them for largely platforming straight-presenting (?) actors over out actors, to racism, to abuse (Pawin Thanik, Foei Pattara), to inappropriate behavior with children (think Prom Teepakron), etc.

Despite the scandals above, GMMTV is going nowhere. Having so many artists signed to one company, content where there's something for everyone, and an international focus with a parasocial lens is helping GMMTV maintain its status as the premier producer of BL content in Thailand.

Idol Factory (IDF)

Production Value: A- | Talent: B- | Story Variety: B- | Writing: B

Notable Series: Secret Crush on You (2022), GAP (2022), The Sign (2024)

Notable Actors: Babe Tanatat, Becky Rebecca, Freen Sarocha

My Thoughts: Disclaimer: I've only watched Secret Crush on You (SCOY) from Idol Factory.

IDF is the first company to be spearheaded by a former BL actor (Saint Suppapong). It's a newer company with an uncertain identity as of yet (though, I'd say that they're wanting to be known as an all-things queer love (QL) company rather than one focused on BLs or het dramas).

I don't have much to say about IDF artistically except that it's being well-received by BL audiences. Most of the people who like their dramas like the chemistry between the shipped pairs as well as how seriously the company takes queer stories. At IDF, you'll not only find BLs and GLs, but also stories involving trans characters seeking acceptance (see SCOY), for example.

Business-wise, there's a risk here. While the pairs in these shows are lauded for their chemistry, there's not a lot of variety and some pairs have been entrenched in controversy regarding their offscreen activities. Personally, I don't agree with all the folks making a big deal out of some of the actors dating each other in heterosexual relationships. I just hope it doesn't affect IDF's ability to thrive as a company since they're one of the few taking real chances in their content. Additionally, it's not lost on me that more of their stans hate the fact that the actors are in straight relationships than the fact that Billy Patchanon (leading man in The Sign and SCOY) unabashedly said the n-word...

I think that if IDF can expand its talent pool, it'll continue to find success in the BL world.

Jinloe

Production Value: F | Talent: C | Story Variety: D | Writing: F

Notable Series: Hit, Bite, Love (2023), Addicted Heroin TH (2024)

Notable Actors: August Vachiravit, Jur Vasin, Newyear Nawaphat

My Thoughts: Didn't watch Hit, Bite, Love (HBL) (actually dropped the trailer like 2 seconds in lmao) nor did I have any interest in Addicted Heroin TH (though I've seen many clips on the internet).

Jinloe should probably close and all its actors sign to Tia51. Their company identity is making people as uncomfortable as humanly possible by casting children to do questionable things on TV. I don't think that company is a safe place for kids and I think the content they produce is targeted toward...a specific kind of reprehensible person. If you want to see what I mean, just take a gander at the MDL pages for HBL and Addicted Heroin TH.

I can't really speak on their art because I don't watch their shows.

Business-wise, they seem to make dumb decision after dumb decision. From casting a 15 year old to play the love interest of a 27 year old, to NC scenes involving minors, to not even attempting to build out their repertoire of dramas, this company has no vision nor any direction. They're trying to market NewyearJur as a shipped pair with music videos together and social media posts (since those two are the only ones who seemingly have age-appropriate interactions in Jinloe series), but it's all failing miserably since: 1) people familiar with Jinloe's shady business run when they see that name; 2) neither Jur nor Newyear are particularly talented in a sea of similarly-aged actors actually showing potential; and 3) neither Jur nor Newyear have the clout of others in their age range since they started with Jinloe (as opposed to, say, Mick Metas at GMMTV who got clout from being related to Win Metawin).

Jinloe will probably be the next company to close but I also don't doubt that creeps will keep them open.

MeMindY

Production Value: D | Talent: C | Story Variety: D- | Writing: D

Notable Series: Love By Chance (2018), TharnType (2019), Don't Say No (2021), Love In The Air (2022), Love Sea (2024)

Notable Actors: Boss Chaikamon, Fort Thitipong, Noeul Nuttarat, Peat Wasuthorn

My Thoughts: MeMindY is known for its CEO (?), Mame. Anyone who is familiar with Mame's work knows they're going to get dicey romance stories often centering around university students with at least one scene of romanticized abuse for good measure. Now, I do think the abuse stuff is changing (Love In The Air (LITA) didn't really have any of that), but I can understand why MeMindY has that reputation. Either way, every MeMindY show will have engineering/med school/architecture/some other type of professional school students, actors folks consider conventionally attractive, reluctant bottoms that don't know they're gay, somewhat aggressive tops who are always physically bigger than the bottoms, strict heteronormative dynamics, and sometimes literally insane plot elements (like the Tor plotline that came up in TharnType (TTTS))...

Artistically, MeMindY needs to take a step away from university BLs. While TTTS and LITA kept my interest for a bit, I do think Don't Say No (DSN) felt a bit stale. But I'd say it's likely because DSN didn't have the best acting and its episodic structure made it difficult for me to connect with the underlying story. Particularly, the episodic structure in DSN didn't work as well as it does in GMMTV's ThamePo. Still, I appreciate the fact that MeMindY picks actors that do not seem bothered at all about kissing and portraying sex with other men. It's what makes MeMindY series more dynamic than series from other companies despite the laundry list of issues they tend to have.

Business-wise, MeMindY leans HEAVILY into the shipped-pair dynamic. It's less commercial than GMMTV and, these days, less 'we're actually dating' than DMD, but somehow it comes off as just as in-your-face as DMD and GMMTV. I'd even say that I consider MeMindY a peer company to DMD and GMMTV based on the popularity of its shipped pairs alone. Like MewGulf (RIP), BossNoeul, and FortPeat are all booked and busy. MewGulf did for Mew Suppasit and Gulf Kanawut what BrightWin did for Bright Vachirawit and Win Metawin. Mew and Gulf never have to act in BLs ever again to have success and can solely focus on their het careers and terrible singing. I'd even go as far as to say MewGulf is often considered the blueprint for what a shipped couple can be with folks (not me--zonzons leave me alone) often comparing ZeeNunew and the like to MewGulf. BossNoeul is similar to a JoongDunk/PondPhuwin level of noteriety without nearly the same level of dramas to their name, which speaks volumes.

Because MeMindY can produce 1-2 series per year with the same 4 actors and have people shipping them to the high heavens, I think we can consider it an established company that will continue to thrive barring bankruptcy lol.

Open Label

Production Value: C- | Talent: B | Story Variety: -- | Writing: B

Notable Series: Century of Love (2024)

Notable Actors: Daou Pittaya, Offroad Kantapon

My Thoughts: Open Label is the new company on the block. From my understanding, Daou and Offroad actually formed the company themselves (a la YinWar with YWPB or Saint with IDF). Open Label does not have an established identity because they've produced approximately one show. BUT, they did tell us about DaouOffroad's new series The Wicked Game, which looks to be a bodyguard romance that takes on some of the more mature themes we typically see at BOC.

Artistically, all I can say is that they're off to a great start with story selection. Century of Love (COL) was a good first entry as it has a fantasy/supernatural element that blends Thai folklore and religious practices with its romance. There's also the level of comfortability and chemistry between its key actors (Daou and Offroad) that is hard to come by. Hopefully as the company produces more successful series, budgets can increase and they can attract even more talent.

Business-wise, there is no business. There is only DaouOffroad and a slew of pretty faces we have yet to see in anything. This is a good starting point for any company, however, so we shall see how things continue to progress from here.

Ultimately, I'm optimistic that Open Label will see success.

Tia51

Production Value: C- | Talent: C+ | Story Variety: D | Writing: C-

Notable Series: My Universe (2023), LoveSick 2024 (2024)

Notable Actors: Almond Poomsuwan, Bew Busaya, Krit Ngamtanakijja, NJ Deeprompt, Progress Passawich, Shane Thanatpong, Sky Phasith, Toto Thayawat, Yeepun Purichaya

My Thoughts: I've only watched LoveSick 2024.

Tia51 is not exactly new but, from what I know, they've only produced 2 series. Because of this, they don't have an identity yet.

Artistically, so far, so good. It's definitely interesting to have one of your first series be a remake of an iconic series, and it seems to have been a genius decision by the folks over at Tia51. But, because the flagship series is a remake, the only thing to discuss artistically is the talent pool. The directing in Love Sick 2024 was, at times, very inspired. The actors were nearly all rookies and a good 75% of the cast were under 18 at the time of filming--2 things which do come through quite a bit in the finished product. Still, I found that the lead role was very strong, all things considered, and the changes made from the original to this remake seemingly made a lot of sense. Going forward, it's really just about staying at this level of quality or better.

Now, out of all the companies in this space, Tia51 is the only one I have personal experience with when it comes to the business/fan side of things. While in Thailand, I stumbled upon the premiere of LoveSick 2024. While the event itself could've used a little more logistics planning (though part of the problem here is that my Thai isn't very advanced so I had a little more difficulty getting around the venue), it was overall pretty well-organized, which left a good impression on me.

Additionally, the actors are all hella clouted in Thailand (from my understanding, many of the actors cast in the show actually had fanbases through things like music and social media prior to being cast), which adds to the business potential of Tia51. It also helps that, from my experience meeting the crew and cast, they are all very charismatic and are quickly learning how to be good entertainers. Because of this, I think the business of Tia51 has potential to expand. They just need to not waste Progress's acting talent, Chok and Toto's singing talent, and the rest of the cast's social media clout in order to succeed. This means picking tasteful stories to tell and actually nurturing their musical talent in a natural way (unlike GMMTV platforming non-singers).

Conclusion

If you're coming from western media, I'd say the best place to start is either BOC (they have the more serious vibes you get in western media with few quirks) or GMMTV (they're the most accessible).

If you're coming from eastern media (particularly kpop), GMMTV is probably the best place to start, closely followed by DMD. The fandom experience that is a huge part of kpop, is very similar here. In fact, for kpop fans, it might even be helpful to think of the BL companies in kpop company terms. GMMTV/DMD/BOC = SM Entertainment/JYP Entertainment/YG Entertainment, respectively. MeMindY & IDF are like the smaller companies that still have popular groups like WakeOne and KQ Entertainment.

If you're coming from other BL industries (Taiwan, Japan, Korea), I'd say start with Change or DMD for Taiwan and Tia51 or BOC for Korea. If you're coming from Japanese BL, I don't know what to tell you because jbl stans almost always think jbl is superior to everything else and won't given] anything else a chance. Plus, production quality-wise, jbl productions are very dissimilar to Thai productions in almost every conceivable way lmao so I can't really make any good comparisons.

[talkingbl]

Someone posted on Reddit "What are your 'WHY DOES NOBODY SHARE MY VISION' ghostships?" and one response said ApoNunew and now I feel like I need to spread my vision here.

JesGun

SkyInn

ChokunJava

[talkingbl]

ThamePo ep. 4 put on a storytelling CLINIC.

[talkingbl]

watching pit babe for the first time and one of their sponsors is a chicken nugget brand?

[talkingbl]

2024 Best actors in BL

Reminder that for this list, I only consider actors who have had Main/2nd Main Couple roles in one or more BL-related series and/or films. I complete this list without regard to whether they have done a BL in the past year. Purple = new entry or higher ranking from the previous list. Red = lower ranking from the previous list.

Tier 1 - Phenomenal actors who make you believe fully in their characters. These actors have only a few weaknesses but numerous strengths. They evoke empathetic responses, making you feel what the characters feel. The actors in this group can compete with the best actors anywhere.

Gun Atthaphan

Billkin Putthipong

Wayne Song

Tier 1.5 (aka the Fourth Nattawat Tier) - Tier 2 but without the "I'm actually acting" vibe and the "I can't play a silly character" problem. The only reason these actors aren't Tier 1 is because Tier 1 is reserved for thespians who have proven themselves beyond a reasonable doubt.

Fourth Nattawat

Neo Trai

Mark Pakin

Tier 2 - A full step above Tier 3 actors, these actors are convincing in their roles but struggle with one significant aspect of acting. These actors are typically excellent in emotionally intense scenes, but struggle with light-hearted scenes (rarely vice-versa). There is a recurrent awareness of the fact that these actors are acting that limits suspension of disbelief at times.

Krist Perawat

Fluke Natouch

Ohm Pawat

Fiat Pattadon

Singto Prachaya

Off Jumpol

Apo Nattawin

Bible Wichapas

Tay Tawan

Nanon Korapat

Perth Tanapon

Lim Jisub

Jes Jespipat

Bas Asavapatr

Fuaiz Thanawat

Tier 3 - Above-average actors in the BL genre that do well enough to make you care about their characters. Their characters seem natural and charismatic but there is typically a feeling that these actors are simply playing themselves a lot of the time, which can distract from their characters’ stories.

Max Nattapol

Charles (Shan-Tsun) Tu

New Thitipoom

Rookie Watch - Rookie BL actors who need practice in key areas, but still offer Tier 3 (and at times above)-level acting. These actors are the ones to watch 2-3 years down the line to adequately judge their growth.

Progress Passawish

Park Seoham

Park Jaechan

Honorable Mentions - Actors who do one or two things really well and have great potential but generally float around average.

PP Krit

Podd Suphakorn

Mix Sahaphap

Santa Pongsapak

First Kanaphan

Nonkul Chanon

Some notes:

Santa had some decent showings, but I am struggling to see the vision with his character in Perfect 10 Liners He's removed rom Rookies because he's not a rookie anymore. Same with Mix.

Phuwin was removed from the list entirely because his abilities are very limited. It seems like the role of Pi was made for him, which is why he performed so well then.

First was moved down because I find that he struggles with some of the roles he's typecasted into. He's not completely believable as a bad boy and there's something about him playing opposite Khao that takes away the feeling of him playing a particular character.

Removed Win, Earth Cooheart, and Zee from Honorable Mentions because Win has not impressed me, and Earth and Zee seem to have regressed.

After re-watching Bad Buddy and other Nanon-projects I realized that what made Nanon special in Bad Buddy was his chemistry with Ohm. Otherwise, he's not on the same level as Gun and them.

[talkingbl]

lmao I wrote this in 2022 and damn near nothing has changed.

things to retire in 2023

bad acting/actors

good tropes (mafia, enemies to lovers, messy gay drama) done poorly (lita, ttts, fahlanruk, etc.)

bad audio in thai bls (we pray)

boring kbls

casting 14 year olds in sketchy roles

11th hour conflicts

slapstick in serious dramas (or hell slapstick in general that's my least favorite type of comedy)

bad intimacy scenes (yes, this includes kiss scenes)

female characters all being toxic for no reason

misplaced crack video music (also known as royalty free music)

toilent humor

misplaced singing

otherwise we move

[talkingbl]

Your Sky is like 2gether if Tine was actually romantically interested in Salawat