2022 was a succinct mix-up of phenomenal dramas strung together with some “Not So Good Ones”. We saw some excellent directives bought to life by nuanced actors who delivered praiseworthy performances. In today’s feature, we will be exploring such gems from the Thai BL industry!

Drama_Llama’s Favorites

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us – Starring Nike Nitidon, Pond Ponlawit, and Mam Kathaleeya

A story about a young man who falls in love with his deceased father’s best friend, 180 Degree the series tackled grief, sexuality, and society in a vividly philosophical way. It is full of symbolic and political undertones, offering viewers three characters separated by generations who represent three different worldviews. It inspired. It hurt. And it left me in awe. It isn’t often a drama manages to teach me as much as it entertains while never feeling preachy. 180 degree the series taught me as much about myself as the characters on screen.

Not Me – Starring Gun Atthaphan, Off Jumpol, First Kanaphan, Fluke Gawin, Mond Tanutchai, and Sing Harit

A story about falling in love while fighting against oppression, Not Me tells the story of two twin brothers, Black and White, and their journey to discover what lengths they will go to in the fight against injustice. With an incredible ensemble cast and a remarkable story about love and revolution, Not Me touched hearts and inspired change.

To Sir, With Love – Starring Jam Rachata and Film Thanapat

Although To Sir, With Love is technically an ensemble Thai lakorn with two gay male leads rather than a BL, it feels right to list it here. It is an intriguing story about forbidden love in a time when being gay meant losing everything. Despite this, our leads overcome their obstacles, proving that love can triumph over expectation.

Love Mechanics – Starring War Wanarat and Yin Anan

Love Mechanics is a cheating story with heart. Led by actors War Wanarat and Yin Anan, it follows two young men who struggle with liking each other amidst the fallout of one of their relationships. While the story itself is good, the real power of Love Mechanics is its two lead actors.

My Only 12% – Starring Earth Katsamonnat and Santa Pongsapak

A friends-to-lovers story, My Only 12% follows two inseparable neighbors who learn how deep their love runs when they’re separated. This drama spans years and delves into unrequited love, heartbreak, identity, coming out, loss, and falling in love. I wasn’t expecting to like this drama as much as I did. Hence the reason it’s memorable for me. It doesn’t have the dramatic power (for me) that the previous dramas do, but it’s powerful in its own slow burn way.

MychelleLove’s Favorites

In 2022, we had a plethora of BLs released, which was quite overwhelming to me. We had so many amazing dramas premiering that it was almost impossible to watch them all. I have my own favorites from 2022 and I would like to share them with you.

Not Me The Series

Without a doubt, Not Me was the most amazing, beautiful, and heartwarming drama I have seen in a very long time. Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat was mind-blowing in this series. His portrayal of Black/White was phenomenal. He showed he is truly worthy of this role. How he made each character unique and you could differentiate when he was Black as opposed to White without hesitation. Off Jumpol’s portrayal of Sean is his absolute best work to date. His expressions when Sean’s father was killed were admirable. When he told White his story, the emotions were so realistic.
The entire series was truly resplendent of the modern society in Thailand- the struggles of the poor as opposed to the wealthy. If you have the money, you have everything. If you do not, then you suffer. The most memorable scene for me was during the LBGTQ+ demonstration when Sean and White were lifting the Pride sheet. They looked at each other and you knew what they were thinking. You see, the love they have for each other.
Once Sean finds out the truth, you can see the hurt, betrayal, and heartbreak in his eyes. You feel Sean’s pain, you can feel White’s struggles with doing what needs to be done. This was another scene where I felt the raw emotions experienced by both of them.
If you have not watched this one, please mark it down and enjoy one of my all-time favorite series ever.

Between Us

This series was so beautiful, and heartwarming, and filled in some gaps from UWMA. We get to see the romance evolve between Win (Boun Noppanut) and Team (Prem Warut). We caught a glimpse of their relationship in UWMA and I had questions about these two and they were answered in Between Us.
We get to see Team’s struggles with his past, which was heartbreaking. We can see he struggles with insomnia and anxiety before every swimming match. Win seems to be the only one who can calm Team so he can sleep and perform his swim meets. They start their relationship in a very interesting manner and we watch them trying to figure out what they have- are they in “friends with benefits” relationship or is it something more?
Once all is revealed with Team and his past, you understand so much about his anxieties and struggles. We also watch Team struggle with his feelings for Win and not truly understanding how he feels. Is it real or just because they are close? He is so unsure on whether he can love anyone. This series was very well done, in my opinion. I loved the back-and-forth between Win and Team; getting to meet Team’s family and learning more about his past. Meeting Win’s family and learning more about Win and why he struggles with love. I was so excited to watch Manow (Samantha Coates) romance Pruek (Bosston Suphadach). I adore Sammy and I am happy she got her man. Another series I personally recommend.

We will be back next week with the second edition of this feature. So till then, keep watching this space as we bring you more updates from the Asian BL World!