Be My Favorite (2023)

enjoy the life

I think this is one of the bls or maybe the bl with the best writing on gmmtv, I'm impressed with the writing, normally shows about time travel always tend to complicate the story too much that end with plot holes, but this series handles it perfectly simple but effective, the romance has an organic and genuine development, the secondary characters have their own personality and their own development with their own problems, the way of addressing sexuality and the community was beautifully done, the message of the series about enjoy the life makes my heart soft.

In general, I don't have any criticism. maybe the OST could have been better, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't like it.

def one of my favorite bls overall.

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the best bl drama in 2023.

I’m from a country where discrimination against the LGBT community is rife, and even though queer people aren’t exposed to lifelong imprisonment or banishment, they face lots of troubles here and are forced to get psychiatric treatment. They don’t have a chance to demonstrate, celebrate Pride Month, in brief, they don’t have a right to exist here at all.
This is not the first time I see Pride Parade or any manifestation of Pride Month celebration in Thai dramas, Nevertheless,some queer people in Thailand are still afraid to come out, because society can be judgemental, people won’t accept it. This causes self-escapism. Some people are scared of who they are and reluctant to admit their sexuality. But I’m so glad they can go public and at least holds each others hands. At times I ask myself “What If it happened in my country, where some people are ready to kill for being gay? It’s outrageous, especially when I realise that those murderers claim that they’re righteous in word and in deed, and they just were punishing the wicked?” Punishing. For love. That’s the most heinous act I can ever think of.
That’s what Piseang’s storyline was about, and it is magnificent! He married Pear according to their parents will. On top of that he couldn’t accept his sexuality, and that marriage was a hopless attempt to steer clear of who he really was. The way his emotions, feelings and thoughts were depicted in his eyes when he was standing in front of the Gay Bar and couldn’t go inside is just captivating! Absolutely loved it! Our surroundings will never accepts us, if we don’t accepts ourselves first. Sometimes after self-acceptance we stop giving a fuck of what other people may think. Nonetheless, parental support is essential and I liked the scene when Piseang was crying when he felt like his mother wasn’t okay with his choice.
Some things would never change and indeed, doesn’t matter how powerful we are to control the time, some things will always stay beyond our authority. I liked the notion, really! This drama was also about taking risks. Nothing ventured, noting gained. It was impossible for Kawi to save his father’s life, but at least they bit the bullet and did the surgery. Leaving this life with no regrets, especially for the things we left undone, right?
It was about living in the now. I liked it when Kawi stopped using the ball when he got together with Piseang and forgot about travelling to the future. He decided to go with the flow, because finally he was happy with the person he loved.
In truth, I thought I had a lot to say, but I stuck here. This journey was amazing. Color patterns and overall cinematography were breathtaking, GMMTV’s plots have improved recently!
I haven’t watched SOTUS yet I don’t know how it feels like to see Krist with Gawin, when people used to pair him up with Singto, but I liked them!
I really liked Pear. Her storyline was compelling. Her character was unusally reasonable and unique compared to some other girl characters we had in Thai bl dramas. I liked it when she stayed level-headed and accepted the fact that Piseang didn’t have feelings for her. She was mature enough to set boundaries with people who surrounded her and never actually offend them (She didn’t accept Kawis feelings, made it clear for him that she couldn’t be more than a friend. She did the same with Not). Furthermore, she was never full of herself, although she knew that so many boys had an eye on her.
I was afraid that Piseang’s and Pear’s parents would try to marry them because of the close-knit relationships their families had, but, fortunately, we didn’t have to go through this unnecessary drama, which is a cliche actually.
Its significant that the crystal ball’s power ran off when they were reassured once again that the only right decision was staying together, just like Kawi said “Being his and belonging one another is the only true decision”.
Also I liked it when Piseang didn’t have any other answer for “Why do you love someone like me?” besides “You’re cute”. NARAAK MAAAAK.
its such a bummer that I lack words to describe something I really like, so I will just say khawp khun maak maak for BMF!

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Beautiful ode to second chances

Beautiful. Well done to Krist and Gawin for a job well done. Gawin ended up being the perfect choice to play Pisaeng. Like many others, I was initially disappointed that Mike had been switched but now I am glad they went with that direction. The story was cute, the supernatural aspects made it all magical and I love how the story came full circle. The chemistry was amazing and they looked so good together. I had fun with this one and absolutely loved both main characters as well as the side characters.

The story encapsulates second chances and I hope this extends to giving the actors themselves a second chance. We all need to set aside our preconceived notions about them.

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Gawin is a Leading Man!

I think I along with everyone else who saw It at the time were shocked by the announcement that Fluke Gawin Caskey was going to be a lead in a new BL with none other than Krist Perwat. Now I had no prior experience with Krist, as I have not seen SOTUS yet but when I saw Gawin, of course I was instantly on the bandwagon to watch.
I mean after all I am a Gawin FANATIC. He's one of my top 5 Favorites ever duh! After Dark Blue Kiss, Enchanté and NOT ME, I was hooked. I could see his star power and I was waiting until we got to see him again.
So I went into this series completely unaware of what it was going to be about or who was in the cast, I genuinely went into it blindly because of my love for one of the leads, and I have to say, I wouldn't have it any other way. I got to experience every emotion to the fullest. And let me tell you this series was amazing. I am genuinely upset that it hasn't received the attention and recognition that it definitely deserves.
This series genuinely impressed me a lot. I mean speaking about Gawin alone, this is a complete turn around from his other characters. We got to see him play one of the biggest and cutest green flag characters I've ever seen. In his other roles he's more gruff and more intense. (Excluding Enchanté) More of a fighter and survivor. Here we got to see him play the role of the cute, clingy, ball of fun but who still has great opinions and values, and speaks up vocally about what's right and wrong. Willingly pushing away and separating from toxic people. As He Should like the king he is!
Like I said above I had no prior experience with Krist so I genuinely went into his acting blindly. And I gotta say he was amazing. Krist is the main character so we spent most of the time with him going through his journey.
We get to see Kawi struggle, hurt, learn, accept and evolve throughout the series and it's a beautifully painful ride. The show's themes highlight living life the best and most authentic way you can. We get to see Regrets, Personal Growth and Authentic Love.
And don't even get me started in the amazing supporting cast of characters like Pear and Max who were wonderful friends, played by none other than the absolutely Beautiful Aye Sarunchana and the adorkable Aou Thanaboon.
I can't praise it enough. If you haven't yet, or you're not sure you should please please, check it out. Do it for Gawin at least ?

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Be my favorite...

Check out my full review here:
https://www.reviewsbytonei.com/post/be-my-favorite-gmmtv-show-of-2023

In the grand scheme of things, this show stands tall as a fantastic addition to the top-tier roster of GMMTV's best BLs. I'd comfortably rate it a solid 9.5 out of 10. The magic truly comes to life thanks to the dynamic duo of Gawin and Krist – their impeccable chemistry is just the tip of the iceberg. The real magic lies in the outstanding script and skillful direction that weaves everything together seamlessly. It's a harmonious blend of all the right elements, making 'Be My Favorite' a remarkable gem in the BL universe after the pandemic and I said what I SAID.

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An unexpected gem!

I had no plans to watch this drama but a friend recommended it to me and I was amazed by how much I loved it. It's incredibly well written with strong characters who change and grow in ways that feel organic and grounded even within the fantastical plot device of time travel. I love that Kawi and Pisaeng coming out to themselves & others and embracing their love for each other turns out to be the key to everyone's happiness, not just their own.

I honestly don't get the hate for Kawi. Yes he starts out as a selfish loser but the journey is the point, once he realizes how much he's harming the people he cares about he works hard to grow into a better, braver person. He's prickly to the end but that's his personality which Pisaeng clearly knows and finds endearing. The very end of the series where Kawi loudly proclaims he doesn't want a wedding but plans out the details while Pisaeng walks behind him looking bemused perfectly captures their dynamic and I loved it.

The show has a strong LGBT sensibility which you don't always get in a BL. The scenes with Pisaeng first standing in front of a gay bar afraid to go in then going in and freaking out because Max recognizes him were poignant. I think it's important that Pisaeng goes through coming out first before he and Kawi get together. Kawi's journey is different but very important because we get to see what happens in one of the alternate futures when he's closeted and putting Pisaeng through an incredible amount of pain as a result.

There's a lot of skinship in the show but the way it's portrayed evolves from scenes where Kawi is drunkenly kissing Pisaeng but not willing to enter into a real relationship to the skinship that happens after he confesses and then at the end when they are a longtime couple. I appreciate that the director thought through the details and didn't just serve the same thing in every scene where they kiss or touch each other.

The confession scene is incredibly sweet and honestly the first lovemaking scene made me cry. I love the crosscutting with the poem which I know a lot of people found cringey but the poem is wonderful and captured a lot of the themes of the series.

The secondary characters are incredibly well written, especially Pear who goes through her own emotional journey and growth through her relationship with her parents. I loved that the core friends group remains together at the end and they all got to see Pear get her happy ending.

This is a BL that starts in college but tells a mature story about adulthood, embracing your true self, and accepting the ups and downs of life. Truly wonderful and I hope GMMTV keeps investing in well written and directed stories.

Check out our podcast on Be My Favorite (SPOILERS):

YouTube: https://youtu.be/xf1z29hVLKE?si=sRPC9zm8me1mFd3o

Podcast streaming service: https://pod.link/1556918754/episode/e8bf73061708c29b7c0cfdf7cadbdda5

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Be My Favorite was definitely a favorite

Since I've only seen Krist in "The Jungle", and Fluke in "Dark Blue Kiss" and "Not Me" (where I skipped most of his parts) I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Krist x Fluke. To my surprise, they made a cute couple; they definitely had chemistry though the romance wasn't romantic. However, I'd say that was due to the pacing and direction of the show after Pisaeng and Kawi actually started dating.

For the most part, the earlier episodes were enjoyable. I found myself laughing a lot and really invested in Krist's character but halfway through the show Kawi sort of did a 180 and became unruly and unreasonable; presumably the anti-social in him. I don't mind the changes as he has his own reasons but I was let down that there were no real consequences for his rash conduct. Everyone, especially Pisaeng, tends to forgive him right away as long as Kawi says sorry or whines a little. And if that doesn’t work, Kawi would bring up his dad’s illness or his poor background and would then get a pass. I’m not blaming Kawi, I think the show actually did well in showcasing this aspect. Since Kawi is anti-social, he’s going to be indifferent, self-absorbed, and in this case a sympathy seeker. And well, who doesn’t love a flawed main character? Kawi also mentions working as a stress factor but we never got to see him work or know what he did...? Maybe I missed it but not sure how he supported himself before his future self traveled to the past.

As for Pisaeng, I only feel three ways about him: I like him, I feel bad for him, and I don’t understand him. Pisaeng is nice, kind, loyal, honorable, and personable. All good traits that made him perfect as Kawi’s punching bag. In regards to his character, I only wish the show dived more into why he believes or thinks his mother leans towards homophobia and/or is unaccepting of his orientation. Since it was never hinted and instead she’s only denied him so many times and revealed to have a lot of employees in the LGBTQ+ community. She also doesn’t love her son any more or less for being gay. Plus we saw that Max, who’s part of the community, really admires Pisaeng’s mother. Pisaeng only exudes negativity when he’s with his mother and I truly want to know why.
I'm not a fan of Pisaeng painting his mother as homophobic when she was only doing what she thought a good mother would do for her child. I, however, did like that Pisaeng called his mother out on what she ‘thinks is best for him’ while never considering ‘what makes him happy’. I mean THAT was beautiful!

I like Max. He’s the kind of character that is a voice of reason for the leads and audience. I just wished his friendship with Kawi wasn’t as one-sided as it was (I can’t remember one thing or time Kawi did Max a favor or helped him with his cause. Even in their 30s and Kawi as a celebrity, Max took care of him. Kawi recognized the giver-taker relationship with Pisaeng but somehow didn’t notice it in his friendship with Max).

Even though I’m a bit disappointed that Kawi got away with some things, I’m more disappointed that Not/Knot got away with A LOT. However, these disappointments don’t affect the overall rating because once again it’s a good reflection of the real world.

Overall the show gets a 9.5 from me because although I was annoyed towards the middle, lost interest in the last two episodes, and wasn’t satisfied with how certain situations were handled (i.e. Krist not wanting to have s*x but never expressing it to Pisaeng and they just ended up doing it), I took a lot away from this series. I had fun and loved that it was slightly different. I especially like that Kawi, towards the end, said they should live their lives where they would never want to go back [to the past] and fix it. I thought that was clever and eye-opening. This was definitely one of those light-hearted and feel-good series and I’m glad I checked it out!

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A Touching Story About Family and Taking Every Chance to Leave Your Comfort Zone

From the moment I saw the official trailer, I knew this series was quickly gonna become a favorite for me. Some stand out aspects were how the plot and writing could hold on its own without making romance the focus. I liked how Kawi making sure he spent enough time with his dad before it was too late held just as much weight (if not more at times) as him trying to form a relationship with Pear. I liked how Pisaeng had his own sexuality journey and Pear had her own journey with confronting her mother. The time travel mechanics were also very cleanly explained and that's really hard to do if time travel isn't the main trope of the media. Krist, Gawin, and Aye really blew me away with their acting at times and they really embodied their characters on screen. The music and OST were 10/10 for me, REDO is insanely catchy and the many different instrumentals were spot on for each situation. The only downsides were the writing getting a little muddy after Kawi decided to pursue Pisaeng in the college timeline. Those episodes (8-10) felt a little slow in my opinion. All in all, this is maybe one of the top GMMTV BLs of this year.

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Timeslip, paranormal romance, JittiRain strikes again

Adapted from a JittiRain y-novel (author of 2gether & Vice Versa) this was a “rewrite the past to fix the future” PNR.

It featured a wooden Krist and revelatory Gawin (I was never a fan until this show), some good rep of things like queer struggles with rights to partner’s medical and life decisions, but awkward chemistry. It certainly wasn’t as bad as I expected.

With Jittirain, one of her main characters is going to be a manipulative liar or extremely unlikeable or both. In this case: unlikeable.

As a result I didn’t particularly enjoy this show, but with Gawin’s performance and some appealing side characters, like Max, I also didn’t hate it.

A rollercoaster of content & characterization packaged in a meh narrative sausage casing left me feeling unmoved but fine. It was fine. I was fine with it.

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Be my favourite is my favourite lol

I can easily say this is one of the finest bls of 2023. The story was unique for a bl though the concept reminded me of "Tokyo Revengers". It had significant twists and the story remained interesting throughout the whole series. This series tackled with social issues, coming out, confrontation and more. And the best part is the side characters like Max and pear were given the attention they deserved.
The cast was annoyingly perfect. My goodness how do I even express that Gawin Caskey in the lead role was everything. Dare I say removing Mike and giving the role to Gawin was actually a great decision as I cannot picture Mike in such a serious lover boy role after all these comic characters he played. Gawin as Pisaeng was impressive as hell. The character itself is great and bro made it even more beautiful. He acts with his eyes. You can see the expressions through his eyes. His eyes are full of emotions and the character is well detailed. I cannot imagine a better Pisaeng than Gavin. He is literally what we call a man written by women. Total green flag and a ray of hope in the toxic world of bl.

Now for Krist. I'm impressed. In sotus he looked hesitant and uncomfortable in most parts but in be my favourite his acting improved significantly. He seemed much more comfortable with bl. The character was so chaotic which only shows how versatile he is as an actor. I would even go out of my way and say GawinKrist have more chemistry than kongarthit ever had.
I think I was the only one who genuinely appreciated the idea of Gawin replacing Mike. I'm not trying to disrespect Mike but It's just that Gawin goes more with the character. Gawinkrist is the best thing that happened on gmmtv this year.
And finally the osts were fire. Didn't skip the intro even once.
I would love to see this pair doing more work. And I really hope Gawin will get the appreciation he deserves.

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one of the best show..

starting from the acting it was genuinely so impressive. I really liked each and every character. so glad Paer wasn't like the 'mean girl of the bl plot' because that'd be very sad.
krist as kawi literally took my heart away and gawin my man soo amazing I really loved his performance here.

coming to the story I loved it sooo much literally the best part of show is actually the story. it takes pretty fun, intresting and intense twist and turns. besides that..

the music.. even though people doesn't really notice but I felt the music of this show was so on point and it fits the whole show very well. it's usually not a highlight but it was a highlight here for me.

what else I liked was there wasn't any forced LGBTQ representation infact it was subtle and so right.

I feel that it's a must watch because this show has all the goods and it has magical watching experience.

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