The end of the year always gives us delightful treats regarding BL productions. 2023, in particular, is ending with a bang. There are such great BL series in motion! Most importantly, the variety of subjects portrayed makes it all that much more fun. We are no longer stuck with a one-theme-only BL engineer students series. Plots are more carefully scripted and acted out, even though there’s room for improvement in the editing department. What pleases me the most are the more mature content and characters.
Category Archives: Thai Reviews
“Playboyy The Series” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
This latest collaboration between make up brand “Cathy Doll” and “Copy A Bangkok”, directed by Cheewin Thanamin spans 14 hour-long episodes and is an arousing drama surrounding four privileged young men. With a large cast of attractive characters populating this series, the seemingly abrupt disappearance of the main character’s close friend, and four seemingly random men walking into their lives to beguile, tease ,tempt and seduce them, has all the ingredients of a strong series. The ensemble cast features Korn Palat (Zouey), Chat Wasutha (First), Vivitar Pharunit (Captain), and Fay Chintub (Porsche). Paired against them in a series of flavorful introductions are the men who want them for anything but positive reasons: KaowOat Supasin as Teena, Shell Thakrit as Prom, Boat Pakorn as Keen and Jeffy Chutipon as Jump. Both set of men delight and disappoint in different roles throughout the first two episodes.
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“Last Twilight” First Impressions (Ep.1 to 3)
Mhok (Jimmy Jitaraphol Potowihok) a young man who is in financial constraint due to his criminal record, which renders him almost completely unemployable, meets Day (Sea Tawinan Anakoolprasert) an ex-badminton player who is losing his vision and is in need of a new caregiver to navigate his normal life. Mhok, who is in heavy debt and is in need of a stable, high-paying job, stumbles upon Day and his family, and despite being rough around the edges, Mhok tries to put himself in Day’s shoes and be more empathetic towards him, while also being the only person who doesn’t outright “pity” Day.
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“Beyond the Star” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
“Beyond the Star” is a Thai BL drama which revolves around the entertainment industry, where young people with passion and dreams gather to fulfill these different talent hunt AGENCIES who release and train artists. In the show” Beyond the star” is a project that trains a bunch of newly joined people in their talent agency. Since this show is based on Entertainment Industry, of course there will be a rival agency that will focus on the same thing. Now, in the first episode, we see both company Manger or say Directors, Araya and Kiat Sitting together dramatically drinking wine while talking to each other in a so-called classy manner. Though the faceover between trainees of both rival agencies in the first scene was good; the introduction of trainees happens so fast that it’s hard to remember who is who. Kengakla, Namo, Kita, Nathee, Tul, Trin, Copper, Mawin, Tonnam, Phupha and Phark are the characters who are trainees. In the first two episodes we get to know that Kita (Willi Arawill) and Nathee (Focus Poonyavee) are secretly dating even though the Agency has strict no dating rules but “love is love” and we can see two more future couples as well- Kengkla (Llouis Kitawat), Namo (Bank Chanwut) and Mawin (Tae Natthapat) with Mangkorn (Bigboss Woraphon).
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“Shadow Part 1” First Impressions (Ep.1 to 7)
Prachaya Ruangroj (Singto) stars as Dan, a young man who transfers to Saint Lawrence’s, to start a new life. Instead, the first thing that happens to him at the all-boys school is that he’s hazed by Nai (Natouch Siripongthon, Fluke) who thinks he’s using the new student to for free notes. Instead, Dan spends the entire lecture doodling. Despite the joke, and a short-lived annoyance the two become fast friends, which works out because Dan’s roommate Josh (Poon Mitpakdee), is Nai’s best friend.
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“I Feel You Linger in the Air” Series Review (Ep.3 to 12)
I saw a comment on my first impressions of “I Feel You Linger in the Air”, pointing out that I had given it 5/5 stars, which was rare for The BL Xpress, and personally, quite rare for me too. I had been sure about it then, but I did start to think about whether I had been too optimistic. Was I getting caught up in my feelings and giving it too much credit, seeing the show through rose coloured glasses?
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“Dangerous Romance” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)
Yet again, another Thai BL that, one, doesn’t live up to its expectations, and two, does not live up to its title. This was a typical formulaic standard, trite, and tropey BL that I could have written even if I were in a coma. It is pretty much epigonic. Only the names were changed.
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“Naughty Babe” Series Review (Ep.3 to 12)
Yaoi is the name given to “Boy on Boy” romances with raunchy and comedy scenes that are too much for dramatic novels or manga to have without a censor. Recently, creators of Boys’ Love series all over the world have seen the importance of including Yaoi factors in their series. The reasons are to reach a larger audience through the new options these aspects create in their works. Taking facets of the genre and adding them to the BL has become the standard. Attractive fathers, zany and beautiful friends and their large, serious boyfriends (seme) are a few of these details you can find in “Naughty Babe”. Evil and equally attractive villains are there to keep the drama never too far from the viewer’s minds. All these ingredients together make “Naughty Babe” work as it includes every feature of the Yaoi genre’s most popular characteristic.
“My Dear Gangster Oppa” First Impressions (Ep.1 & 2)
The unspoken world of bars, guns, knives and mysterious shy boys is the one that the new Boys’ Love drama “My Dear Gangster Oppa” consists of. Like “KinnPorsche”, the drama is as simple as a man taking stock of the different cuts and bruises running down his body; you could miss it at first. But instead the storyline focuses on a shy college student named Guy (Ping Krirttanun) in love with his best IRL friend Wahl (Winner Tanatat). Then there is the tall, attractive Tew(Meen Nichakoon), a bar owner with beautiful hosts and a man of few words. The dichotomy of the two characters & their lives shouldn’t work. With fully C.G.I. rendered game play of the massive online game they play along with their online friends, it’s clear the two storylines, the people and situations that populate them blend into each other and that is the world of “My Dear Gangster Oppa”. A unique take on the webtoon “My Ideal Relationship” by Ken.
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“Only Friends” Series Review (Ep.3 to 12)
Not one of these characters lied is something that one can say about the cast of this twelve episodes drama. The powerful show that showcased a group of friends who would have been happier if they never met came to its conclusion recently. As the characters make decisions that decide their “Happy or Not So Happy Endings” with surprising clarity, many fans were on the edge of their seats, every Saturday, waiting to see what comes next.
The BL Xpress 