At first, i was hesitant to watch this cause the poster is not that eye catching, but when I watch until the episode 2, the story get more exciting. On how the story progress, from hate to love, enemies to lovers. Oh my God, I envied them even though its just a drama. Hoping to watch the 2nd season...
KUDOS... LOVE ... LOVE... LOVE...
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The actors are on sync and the story telling was done right!
There's no unnecessary plots and the scenes are captivating and believable at the same time.
Even the OST is amazing Kaownah's "be mine" amazingly matched the story.
I've seen a lot of BL with kissing/love scene but TharnType sets it self apart by making their scenes so HOT without looking cheap!
I would highly recommend this one to everyone out there!
But I'm warning you this will get you hooked and probably live you daydreaming about it for quite a while.
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This review may contain spoilers
I don't think I've loved a BL drama this much since Together With Me. I couldn't stop watching and stayed up until 3am two nights in a row because I couldn't stop. I've completely fallen in love with TharnType (and MewGulf too ugh help). I know a lot of people don't like Type because he's hot-headed, aggressive, and overly jealous, but I think all of those things make his character more human. Gulf's acting skills are really incredible. Gulf isn't anything like Type in real life, yet he was able to bring to life this character that is easily unlikeable because he's so human. That being said - Type's growth is incredible. From the first episode to the drama special, you can really see just how much he's grown (and how much Tharn has helped him achieve this growth). While I'm still not sure he's accepted his sexuality, I find it incredible that he's able to love not just Tharn, but himself. When the last episode jumps forward to three years later...*chef's kiss*. That's just what I needed -- TharnType openly in love, holding hands, acknowledging their boyfriend-ness. It just made me realize how much Type has grown. Again -- human!!!!
Of course I love Tharn, too. Soooooo much. Mostly because Mew is basically a god but. I mean. Look at him. That smile is enough. I felt like Tharn's character experiences less growth than Type, but Tharn still grew with him. I think dating someone that's so hot-headed, easily jealous, and struggling with his own sexuality was a new experience for Tharn, and that really forced him to think differently. Plus, the final episodes of the series worked to show Tharn that he's not "cursed" -- he just had a really toxic person in his life treating him like a puppet. That realization definitely takes weight of your shoulders.
As for the other characters -- of course I loved them. Their friends were so funny, and I loved the support they received no matter what. It was really heartwarming. Everyone just wanted them to be together and happy. I really felt this in the drama special too; the way Tharn & Type's relationship is just immediately accepted (also as if everyone shipped them all along lol).
The music was great too. I'm still listening to the OST because I just can't move on sobbb.
I'm definitely going to rewatch this. Probably multiple times, ha. I'm also looking forward to TharnType 2. I hope tons of people watch this drama and appreciate it for what it is. I didn't want to comment too much on some of the heavier subjects introduced because I think those are touchy for a lot of people (they seem to make or break the drama for them), but for me, I just spent the entire time in love with Tharn and Type and I was really happy with TharnType The Series.
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Review:
This series really is a work of art it touches on mental health, sexual assault, pain, abuse, toxic relationships, and more. People may hate type and Tharn but not all couples are lovey dovey like love at first sight.
Type suffers from alot issues with his sexual assault and Tharn is just as messed up as type who was also taken advantage of as a kid and constantly hurt by those he loved.
However as the story goes on y'all can tell that by these two meeting they're changing into better people. Type is getting better at expressing his emotions without acting violent and Tharn is learning how to genuinely love and trust someone without force. What a lot of people don't understand is that this may be reality for a lot of people. Life isn't perfect but when you find that someone who's worth it then your willing to work things out through all the hardships until you reach that perfect place.
(Ctto, Saw this on youtube) and yes i agree, and i will add more, their chemistry, their acting skills, the potrayal of their characters is just superb?? hands down, gulf is not the typical bottom you would see in a bl series he is an aggressive wifey and has that aura he can only make same as mew. So THARNTYPE is definitely ONE OF THE BEST. because they deserve it and did i mention the show was only funded by their director (P'Mame) and has no sponsor but it was successful..?
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This review may contain spoilers
Other than a touching story, excellent direction and acting make this a series BL fans would not want to miss.The director has handled elements light-hearted comic moments and serious drama well. When the homophobic Type realizes that his roommate, Tharn, is gay, he embarks on a rather hilarious attempt to either change rooms or make Tharn move out. But the serious parts about the clashes and misunderstandings between Tharn and Type are truly riveting, partly because they have been developed as characters we care about.
Despite having to compress a rather long story into 12 episodes or so, the story does not appear rushed. Both the main characters are developed in well-paced episodes. Tharn's vulnerability beneath his confident behavior is portrayed very well. While he may seem flippant at times, it soon becomes clear that he is very serious about his relationships. Type's homophobia is traced back to the experience of being raped by a man when he was young, and it is sensitively depicted--the series does not make it seem acceptable or excusable to be homophobic just because he has been raped by a man. This is subtly but strongly pointed out by how Type's best friend, who turns out to be gay, is hurt for Type's homophobia.
Credit must go to the actors playing Tharn and Type. They have really good chemistry, and we can really feel that the characters love each other deeply whether it is in the sweet moments or when Type stages a break-up with an unaware Tharn so as to expose how Tharn's best friend has been ruining his (Tharn's) relationships. I can practically feel Type's desire to just hug and console Tharn even as he pushes Tharn away. It may sound strange, but there are moments when I feel as though they are kissing each other tenderly even when they are not actually doing so. This is one of those BL couples (like Krist and Singto) that are going to be hard to unpair.
Despite all the strong points, there are some things that may make one uncomfortable in the story universe of TharnType (which takes place in the same story world as Love by Chance). These stories have serious references to rape (which is not a problem). Type and Tum in this story have been traumatized by rape, and we see just how hard it is for victims to get over the experience. Yet, in the same story world, rape can be trivialized (which is the problem), as we see a hint of in Love by Chance in the Techno/Kengkla couple) as Kengkla basically rapes a drunk Techno and even fools Techno into thinking that Techno is the perpetrator of the crime). Even in the case of TharnType, there are moments before Type actually enjoys sexually intimate moments with Tharn where Tharn's behavior is practically sexual harassment. One example is when Tharn undresses a drunk Type and sleeps beside Type to give the homophobic Type a shock the following morning. If there weren't such moments, the series would be even better.
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OVERRATED, DISTURBING & A BIG WASTE OF TIME
IDK what people actually like so much in this show but it definitely doesnt deserve more than 5. The entire show just normalises r@pe and toxic behaviour. They used someones trauma to excuse a lot of stuff which would never be justified if even hes had bad experiences before. Their entire relationship is pure toxic and it doesnt really get better. Some decisions that they take are taken so hastily and never really explained later. Idek why i finished this show (maybe cuz i thought it'll get better later which never really happened) but do know that i was annoyed throught watching this show.I recommend u to not waste your time on this. There are wayyy better BLs out there. This had no story, hardly justified chemistry and at the end leaves u feeling and asking why did u even watch this.
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BEST BL DRAMA I'VE EVER SEEN
I wasn't expecting a lot of this drama, but it turned out to beat "Together With me" and is now my favorite BL drama and I will say why:- The Characters all have and amazing construction: Even the secondary characters ended up having an good background, and the background of Tharn and Type just fitted perfectly both personalities of the characters. Some people will say things about Type, and I myself thought he was a total jerk several times, but if you look to his background you will see he is totally traumatized, and I think they made a very complex character but it turn out amazing, in his place I think I would be scared of a relationship and having feelings for a man (If you have never watched the series you will understand what I'm talking about in the second episode I guess).
-The characters grow a lot together, especially Type, You can see how he is insecure in the very beginning and he ends up being a boyfriend a bit toxic for some times, but when the drama goes he begins to trust more in himself and in the special episode they made you can see a very mature Type as sweet as Tharn and that has no shame of their relationship. You can see how much Long gets better too, he's other character that has an amazing history and you can see how much he grew through the suffering he went in in the end of the series. It's visible how the relationship between Tum and Tar gets better and better too, almost all the characters turned out much more mature in the end, you can see how they turned in better people, and this is just amazing.
-The musics are amazing, I cry until today while listening the music theme of the couple Tharn Type because of some scenes of Episode 11, who already watched it can understand me I guess, Everyone was crying while the song was playing, the timing was just perfect, I love this song so much.
- The acting were just perfect, I'm crying right now while writing this when I remember the scenes of the characters crying, all they made such an amazing job, the best ones to me were Gulf as Type who made perfectly the role, Kaownah as Long, I feel chills just of remenbering the acting of Kaownah, he was more than amazing and Kokliang as Tar although Tar doesn't has a lot os scenes the ones he had were perfectly well done. Mew were an amazing Tharn too, but I don't think his character was as complicate as the ones I said before so he kinds of fades when compared to these other characters because Tharn turns out too be too kind and this made him less complex I guess, but some scenes he made were amazing, the crying ones especially, the one in the bed and the one in episode 11 made me cry with him, I love him so much.
-If you like host scenes, this drama has a lot of them since the very beginning (Ep. 4), and they have their cute scenes too, just in the perfect dose
Now just some final considerations, if you don't like the drama because of Type's behavior, please watch it again and pay more attention in his backstory, because this drama for me is almost perfect, the only think I thought was a bit weak was the last scenes, I was expecting a lot more, but when they made the special episode, it just disappeared because this special episode is the definition of perfection.
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1) The story isn't cliche, like I originally thought it would be. Going in to watching Tharntype, I had this understanding that Thai BL dramas have those classic cliched stories and black and white plots, but Tharntype completely obliterated that concept for me. It might seem semi cliche at the beginning because "a straight guy, who hates gays, ends up falling in love with one", but with each episode you get to know more about who Type really is and why he acts the way he does. I really think that's beautiful and keeps the viewers interested.
2) The characters are actually well thought out/executed. Maybe I'm biased, but it seems like Tharn and Type have such an in-depth personality/past that they become more than just characters. With each episode, I found myself being swallowed more and more by this idea of who they really are and what makes them tick. For example, Type comes off so strongly as this angry, aggressive, foul-mouthed douchebag that it actually took my a couple of episodes to get why I was hearing good things about the story. You immediately want to hate him for his narrow-minded outlook on homosexuals and write him off as a shitty guy but, as the story progresses (like I said earlier), the beautiful view of him comes forward. You understand why he's such an ass most of the time (even though sometimes it's still a little hard to justify) and truly feel for him. Tharn was also hard for me to swallow, at first, because he comes off as this almost masochistic dude who's willing to put up with some asshole who literally hates him, but then you realize why he's like that and what is pushing him to do the things he does. Also, the other characters come across as well thought out, which is hard to come across in the BL world (at least from my experience), and that makes you love them all even more. I won't say anything else about the other characters because it will become spoilers, lol.
3) The ACTORS! I mean, come on... I'm sure everyone has already said this, but the chemistry between Mew and Gulf is actually, legitimately, wonderfully insane. I'm not going to go into them much because I swear I could literally write a whole paper on how amazing those guys are and how special their relationship is for each other. Anyway, every single person in that cast seemed to be perfect for their role. I wouldn't change a single thing, honestly. Mild, who I had no idea existed before, has quickly become a favorite of mine. Sometimes I'm not sure where Techno begins and Mild ends. His ad-libs and comedic timing is everything and really helps bring heavy scenes some light (which I know is also due to the writing). But, what I love most about him is that he doesn't just play the "Funny Best Friend". He's able to carry through with heavy emotions that come with difficult scenes, and I really respect and appreciate that. Baby Kaownah was an absolute pleasure to watch. The way he is able to portray his character is amazing to see. Just like Mild, he's able to deal with the heavier emotions that come with the series, as well as his character. I'm really looking forward to seeing where he goes next. This is getting too long so I'll move on, but the rest of the cast is also amazing!
4) THE WRITING (THANK YOU P'MAME)! I said this in the beginning, but the story isn't what it originally seems to be. Every episode peaks in one way or another, and nothing comes off as "just for the shock value" or "just for those bl sex scenes". Everything has a purpose, sometimes you just have to wait to see what the purpose is (and I love that).
Okay, look this is really getting too long but, just know that this is really REALLY worth watching! You can literally come yell at me on my twitter @_fluffyjungoo_ (yes I'm an army.. suck it) if you don't like it after you've finished it, but I really don't think you'll regret it.
I HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR P'MAME, P'TEE, MEW, GULF, AND EVERYONE ELSE! THIS SERIES REALLY BLEW MY MIND AND I'VE LITERALLY REWATCHED IT WAY TOO MANY TIMES! CAN'T WAIT FOR SS2
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Plot-wise, it isn't something that will "WOW" you, but you'll find it easy to watch and binge. In acting, they aren't the best but they portrayed the character so well, and I think that the casting are perfect for the characters personality. In chemistry I'll give them a 10, you'll know what I mean if you're going to watch this series. Honestly, I've watched this series 3 times now because of the on-point chemistry of Tharn and Type.
Want something new, watch this
Want love-hate relationship, watch this
Want good kissing scene, watch this
Want a nice OST, watch this
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TharnType Is the Thorn in My Side
TharnType is a first BL for so. many. watchers. Right now, it is sitting at a 7.7 MDL rating with 58,013 viewers and the TikTok hashtag for it has accumulated 2.4 billion views. It is a widely known drama and it is an introduction to the BL industry for many drama-watchers (unfortunately so, might I add, but I’ll get into that later).Important note: I have not read the manhwa, so I will not consider it in the grand scheme of this review. The rest of this review contains mentions of assault and homophobia. If you are not comfortable with that topic, I do not recommend proceeding.
Buckle up, BL babes. Let’s dive into this mess of a drama.
Prologue: History
TharnType is actually the child story of another BL named “Love by Chance,” released in August of 2018. I watched the first few episodes, but quickly got bored and decided to drop it. From my research, Tharn is not present in this story, and Type is a very minor character (not important to the plot, but Type is played by actor Earth instead of Gulf). Fourteen months later, we were given “TharnType,” the drama that created a massive fanbase for this drama family tree.
Chapter I: Plot
Personally, I think 2% of the plot had potential, but the writers just decided to go about it in the worst of ways. Let me give you why I think it could have been something better: The plot of a homophobic person (sadly still a very real possibility of encounter today) gaining a new perspective by befriending an openly gay person is interesting. Together, they could navigate the why’s and how’s of this conversation, and it could have started a really interesting dialogue on the roots of homophobia, the history of the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand, the lack of support and/or rights, and how to respectfully discuss these topics and initiate change (in legislation, mindsets, etc.). But that’s just it…they COULD HAVE done this, and they didn’t.
I have a lot of problems with TharnType and it’s fans, and one of them is this: the foundation of TharnType’s plot is s*x. So much of this story’s plot revolves around s*x. For narratives, plot refers to the physical world while story pertains to emotional points. The story of Tharntype is so lacking in creating a substantial message that it relies completely on plot, and not a good one at that. Plot and story should work together like a seesaw: one gets the spotlight and then they switch. But Tharntype’s narrative structure is like such: homophobic comments (plot), s*x to fix a problem (plot), homophobia (plot), s*x to appease Tharn (plot), more homophobia (plot), s*x because they become a couple (plot), misunderstanding/fight (plot), make-up and more s*x (plot), the end.
This is why I tend to lean away from those who rate this anything larger than a 2 as it just feels like an excuse to watch two boys have intimate and nsfw moments. People can say they love this because of the characters being endearing or the narrative exciting, but it just feels like an excuse to hide behind because the characters are…problematic and the plot is…something to be erased from one’s search history.
Chapter II: Story
Sort of previously touched on, I cannot even tell you what I think the message of this story is. Be kind? Like, really?? Is that the best we can do?? At times, it even seems like they want to instill empathy for homophobic individuals. Type’s assault is certainly not something to be taken lightly, but I also do not condone him projecting this trauma onto others through homophobic remarks. One’s trauma is not an excuse to create trauma for others. THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE MESSAGE! But no, it’s more so “trauma because of reason, reason deserves understanding, forgive the past, push your roommate into having s*x with you.” Wow. What a message we want an impressionable audience to learn from. It may be awful but yay, queer representation (/j)!
Chapter III: Characters
The first character we are introduced to is Type. He is a soccer player, a rich kid, a popular student, and best (/j) of all, homophobic. He is the definition of your douchey young adult boy: he is insensitive, brazen, and petulant. In his first inner monologue, he says, “I bet he [Tharn] and I could help each other get laid within the first year” (ep 1). Like?? HUH?? Reference 1 for my comments about the plot above. But, after Type learns about Tharn’s sexuality, their friendship takes a sharp nose dive into the ocean of homophobia, and we stay stranded there for many episodes — where we have to hear him say, “I hate gays” roughly 500 times. We later come to learn that Type was sadly abducted and assaulted as a child, and that is the reason behind his aversion for gay people, but everything he spoke was either homophobic or annoying — a really hard character to have total empathy for.
Tharn. I HATE this character. Aside from Prapai, Rain, and Payu from Love in the Air — characters who have no depth, no personality other than s*x as well, and are shallower than the sea below the cliff I wanted to jump off of after watching Bed Friend — Tharn is the worst of worst of love interests. He is manipulative, intrusive, and very simply put, weird.
Techno. *sighs* What can I say other than what. the. fawk kind of a friend is he? Homie to the homophobe. Techno seems to be there to carry the plot to the next step, but he feels like nothing other than that. He is also there for comedic relief, but by the time his jokes came around, I was already too annoyed by Thorn or too appalled by Type.
After the many, many instances where I wanted to bleach my eyes from seeing Tharn do anything on screen, I did not think we could go any lower on the character bar. But then, we were punished by the presence of his best friend: Lhong. What a curveball he was. The drama would have been way more impactful if the message was, as I stated again, your trauma is not an excuse to be harmful to others. But we were cursed with an abuse-saturated plot thanks to Lhong. I honestly cannot get into how insane he was from his betrayal (lies to Tharn), craziness (stalking), and abuse (gang r*ping Tharn's past lover). I am deeply concerned by whoever was able to come up with this character.
Chapter IV: Production + BTS
I am happy to see that the director, Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee, seems to have grown a lot since his TharnType days. I believe as his repertoire grew, his positive storytelling of Queer representation has increased as well. He went on to make “Lovely Writer” in 2021, “Something In My Room” in 2022, and later this year, GMMTV will release JoongDunk’s newest project, “Hidden Agenda.” I am glad his projects seem to support a growth of mindset, but it is also hard to look past the unrecognized damage TharnType has done.
Though this isn’t about TharnType, I still think it is important to mention. In 2021, Art Pakpoom Juanchainat who played Mew’s love interest on the drama, “What The Duck,” posted a video sharing that Mew had nonconsensually kissed him off-screen. The hashtag #MewSexualHarassment was trending on Twitter. Many of Mew’s fans came to his defense saying it was fan-service, resulting in the other side of watchers claiming this was normalizing sexual harassment. (I got all of this information from an article published by the Thai Enquirer.) I believe earlier this year, Art and Mew made up (whatever that means??) and it was all put to bed, but this continues to prove me right in the distaste I have for fans of Mew and the production's he's worked on.
Chapter V: Conclusion
In the beginning of this review, I brought up that it is unfortunate how this drama is the first BL for so many people. Why I say so is this: TharnType depicts a toxic relationship, one built upon a wrongly placed sexual desire, and it furthers the wrong and harmful view that those who are gay are such because of predatory reasons or as a result of sexual assault. You may feel inclined to give this story the benefit of the doubt, but this wasn’t made in the early 2010s, this was released in 2019. Only four years ago…I mean, come on now. TharnType isn’t like SOTUS (another first BL for many) where I saw the flaws, but could accept/move past them because of the time and the impact it made on including BL couples in the film industry of Thailand. TharnType shows this toxic dynamic and poor portrayal of a relationship not for the better of the Queer community, and I can’t try to rationalize it because they should have known better. I should mention that I know this drama is based on a manhwa (“TharnType Story”) written in 2014 and published in 2016; but, even so, the time gap between the manhwa and the production is large enough for lots of progression in acceptance. And because of that, this story should have never been adapted to the screen. We should have just left it in the past, let the dust collect and accept what it was for its time.
When I decided to write this review, I started with the hope that I could open the eyes of some of the insanely obsessive fans of this series. I still hope for this, and not that I steered your mind to agree with *my* thoughts, but to make you think about the content you are consuming. I use dramas as an escape, something I believe many of us have in common. But I also look to them for storytelling. For creative plots, captivating performances, and positive representation. If these things are lacking in a production, what are we doing? I get that we sometimes need to take our mind off of the hardships of our personal life, but at the cost of supporting a flawed drama is a hefty price — one that birthed the problematic trinity: TharnType (and it’s three sequels— oml, who asked for that), Don’t Say No, and Love in The Air.
Just like all my reviews, I would like to thank you if you made it this far, and I hope I gave you another perspective on this drama. Whether you agree or disagree with my thoughts and points, I am glad there is this place for a respectful conversation.
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The only thing I have with this drama is its lack of coverage on sexual harassment at the beginning of the show, so if you absolutely don't want to watch a show with that in it, I wouldn't watch it.
But, at the same time, it goes over sexual harassment in different situations...
Either way, I definitely like this show a lot.
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