Playboyy (2023)

Don't judge a series by its rating

"Playboyy" is its own genre. There is "BL" and there is "Playboyy". You can't compare these genres at all.
I'm not a fan of NC scenes in series. I don't like it when such scenes appear in a series, just to show that the main characters have moved on to the next stage in the relationship. It doesn't add anything to the plot, it's just there to please the eyes of some fans.
This series is different. The creators themselves have written that this series is about "relationships of "human" through various definition of sex". And that's what this series is about. It doesn't glorify sex. It doesn't show it as something romantic. It doesn't make us believe that it must and should only occur in monogamous relationships. It shows that there is no such thing as "normal" sex. Everyone has different desires. Everyone has different needs. If these desires are fulfilled by mutual consent, give pleasure to all participants, there is nothing wrong with that.
Sex in this series isn't there to attract the attention of fans. It shows the characters' personalities, their traumas and their fears. Here I must add that the characters aren't crystal clear. They all have their flaws, some so serious that we feel bad rooting for them. There is no black and white in the real world. There are only shades of gray. And that's exactly what this series is. It shows all the shades of gray, not allowing viewers to easily judge which character did the right thing and which didn't.
This series had the courage to address difficult topics without wrapping them in a pretty package - drug addiction, prostitution, sex addiction, sexual abuse.
While watching this series, you have to keep thinking about why the characters acted in a certain way. You can't just turn on an episode and relax.
And for all the haters who are always talking about one thing - as someone pointed out earlier, this is a series about sex, so there must be sex scenes. They can't just talk about it for 14 episodes. Watching a series about sex and complaining that there are sex scenes is like walking into a bakery and complaining that there is bread.
I love this series. I'm hoping for a second season. Maybe then more people will discover this hidden gem.

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Iconic Cult Classic

I will start out by saying this series will not be for everyone, in fact it won't be for most people but what it will be is memorable!

Playboyy is NOT your typical run of the mill predictable Thai BL. If you are looking for Boy meets Boy, Boy falls in love with Boy, Boy (maybe) kisses Boy, There is a miscommunication and then they make up and live happily ever after.....this IS NOT the series for you. There is nothing wrong with those types of series but Playboyy is not that!

Playboyy is unhinged, camp, satirical, hilarious, sex positive, fashion forward and unapologetic.

If you scratch just below the surface of the iconic one liners and murder mystery plot you will find that Playboyy celebrates gay sex in all its forms. Playboyy shows you that their isn't just one way to be in a relationship with someone and that none of those relationships are less than just because they are not traditional BL relationships. They are complex and messy and are unique to each couple rather than being cookie cutter.

The series also doesn't shy away from some of the very realistic issues that come from being a gay person or worse yet a gay sex worker in Thailand. How this community is marginalized, abused and struggling to live let alone be accepted. The show also reminds you that money is power and that we can all end up doing things we are not proud of just to survive.

Now lets address the NC scenes. Let me say it one more time because everyone seems to be taken aback or surprised by this....The series is 18+ and it is sex positive! Yes there are a lot more NC compared to normal Thai BL. They are also far more explicit and unhinged. They are not your dead fish kiss, squeal because someone touched me, we are dating and kissing is all we will ever do NC. As I mentioned before Playboyy celebrates all forms of gay sex so you will have crazy unhinged make you scream in shock scenes, you will have sweet romantic scenes, you will have BDSM, role play and the list could go on. This isnt a porn so no you aren't going to see full frontal nudity but you will be asked to use your imagination and think about what the shot would be like if the underwear weren't there!

Yes the show is low budget, yes some of the acting is questionable, yes some times the plot takes a back seat to the NC, Yes there is a lot of broken English being spoken, Yes the NC can get crazy and/or uncomfortable or down right funny. It's for all of these reasons that I say Playboyy is not for everyone. But if you are someone who likes something different, who loves to laugh and scream some times at the same scene, if you want subversive and unique then Playboyy is absolutely for you.

I recommend finding a friend just as unhinged as you are to watch the show with. I will admit that the comment section and the members of the Chaos Train who all watch it as it aired added the icing on top of the cake for me. You will absolutely need someone to talk to about this show with so don't be shy in finding a watch buddy!

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an ambitious diamond in the rough, once you know what you're in for

Playboyy, I think, is something quite special. Before I get into a review though, I want to clarify what Playboyy *isn't* because I feel this show is getting a bad rap from viewers who came in with false expectations and were disappointed by the reality:

This show isn't really "BL" in the traditional sense. While there is romance, it is not the focus of the show. The romantic relationships frequently take a backseat to the the personal development of characters and the relationships between friends. It is also nowhere near "an idealistic world free of homophobia" (or, as in more modern BL, a world where gay love triumphs over societal homophobia)--it is a very real and harsh world where the characters are hitting rock bottom. Finally, a lot of the NC scenes aren't *trying* to be sexy or titillating. They function as pieces of the plot and often depicting negative experiences.

I think going into the show with these expectations in mind makes it a better experience. But on with the review:

-The Full Review-

STORY:
I, personally, really loved the story of Playboyy. As someone who has experienced losing friends badly to drug addition, I found Nont's story particularly raw and effective (and, honestly, quite triggering). I thought the decision to use an ensemble cast and a weaving narrative was especially effective in creating a real sense of this disadvantaged and isolated community caused by societal prejudices. It was very satisfying to watch these narratives bump into each other, often in completely accidentally and tragic ways.
While I agree some of the story was over the top or hard to follow, I didn't find it particularly detracted from the quality of the show. I like getting a little exaggerated in my narratives and I think it fit with the highly stylized production. While it wasn't a water-tight plot, I think it was probably the strongest script in the past year in terms of really exploring the depths of the characters and their conflicts. None of the characters felt like extras or like they were leaning on tropes. Each individual had their own story to tell and had their moment to shine.

ACTING:
The acting in Playboyy is a bit hit and miss. As a stand-out star, Dech is absolutely untouchable. Nant/Nont are a monster of a roll that swings between camp, performative highs and truly raw, exposed lows, and he brought me along with him every step of the way. Really, really impressive work. Shell was a wonderful partner for him, matching him in almost every scene and developing a unique and intriguing chemistry. I also greatly enjoyed any scene with Parm and/or Aun, which always felt very grounded and warm, and was continually impressed by Korn, who managed to maintain a necessary friction between Zouey and the rest of the cast.
Beyond these actors, the performance were a little bit shakier. Some of the actors struggled with stilted line deliveries (and I don't mean the English, which I've never had a problem with) or unnatural body language. I was never quite sold on Jack/Chat or Jeffy/Fay as couples, though each actor shined in other areas (such as Chat and Korn's wonderful friendship). In particular, and unfortunately, I found Hymn took a stylized drama and crashed it into melodrama more often than he stuck the landing. That said, I still found this ensemble created a style that played to their strengths well and rarely rendered a scene ridiculous.

PRODUCTION:
Production is where this show really, really shines. The lighting is absolutely gorgeous, full of intentional color, harsh shapes, and neon texts. Each arc and couple has their own world and visual language that helps sort out the massive cast and is, quite frankly, beautiful. The highly stylized, theatrical sensibilities also help highlight the moments when humanity comes crashing in and we left very broken characters in plain framing. It's really, really beautiful to watch.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I love the costuming of this show. I think the underwear was a phenomenal way to juggle the desire for nakedness with the reality of film-making and the comfort of the actors. If you allow it to, the underwear becomes part of the style and lets the characters exist, naked and vulnerable, without becoming exploitative. I also loved the way fashion (especially Nont's) brought it's own sense of drama and feeling to the characters. Realism clearly wasn't the goal here, and this department delivered.

INTIMACY:
Finally, because it has to be talked about, I think the way the NC scenes were stylized were nothing less than brilliant. Playboyy telling a story about the human condition through sex, it is not making porn. When the characters are feeling good and feeling pleasure, the audience is allowed to find the sex scenes hot. But more frequently, the scenes depict a vast variety of other emotions. When Zouey is feeling awkward, nervous, and uncomfortable, the scenes are made awkward with clumsy blocking and...eccentric soundtracks. When characters are being hurt, the scenes are painful and brutal and shocking--escalating quickly and making you wish it would slow down or resolve to something different. It's incredibly effective.
I've been very disappointed at the way BL fans discuss sex in this show, as if the only purpose of an NC scene is to provide spicy fanservice for the viewer to get off on. The old Oscar Wilde "Everything in the world is about sex. Except sex, which is about power." definitely holds true here. For these characters, sex that is about their own pleasure is rare and the show mirrors that reality. But that doesn't make the scenes bad or "accidentally" ridiculous. It is an intentional part of the story and, in most cases, very effectively done.

In all, this isn't a show that I would widely recommend to everyone, largely on account of the seriousness of the subject matter. But I am infinitely grateful that this show exists and is pushing the boundaries of what stories are acceptable to tell in BL. I've genuinely enjoyed my time in this world, and I very much look forward to the to be continued. :)

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didn't work for me

Overall: the creators tried to be edgy, sexy, funny, sweet and mysterious but managed not to do any of those things well (I did laugh a few times but some of that was not supposed to make people laugh). 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on GagaOOLala (note there is a very important scene after the initial end credits in episode 14). The production company Copy A Bangkok has also produced: War of Y, Y Destiny, YYY and Make It Right

Watch Notes: I'm not even sure what to write here. There is an exposition dump at the beginning of episode 14 so you could watch that and then the final episode (through to the very end because there is a scene after the end credits), which won't make a ton of sense but neither did the series

Content Warnings: (pretty much all content warnings) murders, death, rape, sexual assault, abuse, suicide (it's complicated), grooming, manipulation, kidnapping, torture, coercion, blackmail, kink shaming, homophobia, drug addiction, non con video recording/sharing/outing, beaten up/violence

What I Liked
- a person can definitely be horny as a virgin and a person can be more comfortable giving pleasure rather than receiving it
- saying that wanting it rough was fine (though I didn't see any rough play until later...)
- a mystery
- appreciate that they tried something different from what we normally see (i.e. fluffy romcoms)
- that sports guy was upset about non con recording/sharing
- at least safe words were mentioned and after care was shown
- realistic friendship between the rich guys and the not rich guys

Room For Improvement
- the two false statements right at the beginning annoyed me
1. not everyone enjoys sex and that is totally okay
2. research does not prove that people think about sex 388 times a day https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140617-how-often-do-men-think-about-sex (the average for a college-aged man was 19 times a day which was less than thinking about food and sleep) and that study suffered from the "white bear problem" ie telling someone not to think about something makes them want to think about it
- negative and stereotypical portrayal of sex workers
- the NSFW scenes were at times tossed in (especially in the beginning) and definitely felt they were there for a shock factor rather than an integral part of the story
- NSFW were painful to watch because they felt simulated, everyone was always wearing underwear and they didn't use clever camera angles to leave the viewers' minds to fill in the rest, overall the scenes didn't make me feel anything at all, perhaps because I hadn't connected with the characters yet which leads into...
- there were a bunch of characters and I didn't get a good sense of who they were/didn't connect with them, I finally figured a few out and they tossed in more characters
- there was some nonsense stuff that veered into camp and I think it was intentional but it wasn't enough so just felt awkward
- the Japanese voice overs (think ended after ep 2) and randomly speaking in English which made an unfortunate comeback at the end
- exposition dumps in episode 2, 11 and 14
- super disappointed about talking about a safe word but then forgetting it
- cliche poor communication and not clearing it up right away also "let me explain" and doesn't explain
- styling
- characters shared 1 brain cell, characters just believed someone because they said something
- characters had poorly done redemption arcs/personality transplants
- not clearly explaining a very confusing plot and hinting at a season 2 to explain things

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What a RIDE!! I'm so thankful

I actually feel sorry for people who dropped Playboyy in early episodes because early episodes are kinda confusing I can't lie.. Everyone is just randomly having sex with other characters out of nowhere.. But that's the things that makes Playboyy so unique and amazing. You can't understand what's going on but you get addicted anyway. Like for real I rewatched it every episode at least 3 times and everytime I noticed new things!!

Actors are so bold, sincere and comfortable so it makes everything better because even in cringey scenes I enjoyed it so much! In some bl's they don't even let different ships actors interact with each other but in Playboyy nearly every character has at least 3 different ships like poor/lucky Dech literally made out with half of the cast because he played 2 characters...

Choice of music were amazing as well. I listen the opening credits everyday :)

Other thing that made Playboyy so special was the comment section. Everyone was so unhinged, funny and polite at the same time and I enjoyed coming to this amazing comment section every week. Let's reunite in season 2 comment section!!! <3

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A GUILTY PLEASURE !!!

Trust me when I say this:
I literally went from WTF is this cringe fest to waiting every week, biting my nails, speculating theories to watch every new episode that airs. episode.

For those who haven't started watching the series and is in a dilemma to start it or not . Let me tell you, either you'll like it or you don't , there is no in between. Either you are the one who would just drop it after few episodes of you'd be totally absorbed in it. I am the latter.

Don't just go by the reviews of the people . Specially the ones that keep watching and but also keeps complaining about it like, it's all s*x , too many NC scenes, weird dialogues etc. etc. Like!!! Bruh!! What were you expecting, it's clearly written over in the disclaimer as well as the synopsis, what's this about... They clearly knew what they were signing up for.

Let me help you a bit on what not to expect, if you are planning to watch:

1. If you're expecting typical romance or romantic premises. My dear it's not, it's s*x.
2. You are not watching something categorically Oscar level, it's just entertainment, so have an open mind.
3. If you have main couple syndrome , this is not for you. There are many couples and all are mains.
4. Should prepare yourself for some English and Japanese with thick Thai accent. It might be cringe at first, but you will start to enjoy it.
5. If you're into green flag characters. Everyone here is fckd up.
6. Watch shows with only happy endings.
7. MOST IMPORTANTLY: If you want to watch it with parents!! Should think twice!

Coming back to the story. The story will get you hinged. All couples have different storylines and they are all connected. What I liked, the most about this series is it gives the audience the opportunity to judge every character and situation based on their perspective. That's what entertained me the most.

PLAYBOYY was not the best BL series, but it's definitely the best on it's own!! It has always entertained me with every episode. I will proudly say this that this series has been MY GUILTY PLEASURE!!!

SO If you have patience, keep and open mind to go on with the story: You will fall in love with it

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An extremely curious and engaging mix of Thai LGBT and Japanese Pinku Eiga

This show deserves a lot more credit than it is given and most of the criticism it receives are way out of proportion and generally coming from people who don't get what it is about and who expected something different and more tropey.

There are obvious and objectively justifiable flaws in its acting and script but they are by no means worse or more serious than in several other projects where much bigger faults are easily overlooked by the fandom.

This is a unique, interesting and generally intriguing yarn that covers loads of serious subjects from male prostitution and sexual kinks to social commentary on Thai society, hierarchy and judicial system with an interesting homage to the Japanese Pinku eiga genre in its way of mixing thriller elements and serious dramatics with satire and spoof as well as in its deliberately over-emphatic NC scenes and underground-style cinematography. Those who have been familiar with the genre are most likely to be less baffled by what they saw than the standard BL fans accustomed for ordinary Thai BL.

Strictly for open-minded adults and strictly not for fujoshis

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I'm devastated

like seriously I don't know what to do with my life now. I was hooked onto this series after giving it a second chance. It has a really interesting storyline and kept me entertained until the last minute. I will patiently wait for a hopeful second season because I have so many questions left and I need answers. The Story continued on really fast at the beginning which actually made me drop it but I came around and gave it a second chance just to be surprised at how good it actually is. The acting was so good and I really loved the cast because I think they all fit there roles so well. I even cried now watching the last episode.

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Super Cringefest that's only fun if you watch with friends and laugh together

If I have to use one word to describe “Playboyy”, it would be CONSISTENT. How can a drama be so CONSISTENTLY cringey, sappy, nonsensical with poor acting all throughout the 14 episodes??? That in itself is an amazing feat.

I debated whether to rate this lower than my lowest rated drama “Coffee & Vanilla”. I finally decided to give this a whopping 4.0 just because of the entertainment value. So, now it’s my second lowest rated drama. Watch this with an open mind and enjoy the ride. Nothing makes sense!!!

A few quick thoughts as I don’t even know how to write a proper review:

1. BAD acting all around. I was hoping they would get better, but nope, it’s one of the worst-acted dramas I’ve ever seen.
Well, at least some guys are hot and have nice bodies.
2. I am fine with all the sex and the different fetishes, fantasies, etc. In fact, I wanted the drama to go bolder and more explicit. 3. It ended up wanting to be unique but not quite achieving that. All the sexy scenes are just cringey.
4. I also cringe every time the random English dialogs pop up out of nowhere.
5. Too many names and I don’t remember who’s who. I barely recognize all of their faces. Gotta go with the nicknames.
6. There are some crazy outfits worn in the drama, especially by Nant.
7. I wonder if the actors all get boxes of underwear as part of their deals. There’s so much product placement in this drama.
8. I quite liked the romance between Zouey and Teena (Greek god) in the beginning, but then they disappeared after they got together, and became the most boring pair. The drama threw in a twist in the end and then gave you the worst writing ever.
9. What the heck is that ending??? Is there going to be a season 2? Did the drama run out of money to write a complete season 1? The screenwriter got to be fired.

Unfortunately, I did not join any watch parties. This would be an amazing drama to watch with friends and laugh about it. Do I recommend it? Definitely NOT unless you have nothing better to do, or you just want a cringefest to laugh with your friends.


Completed: 3/2/2024 - Review #411

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