TharnType (2019)

Far from the best

I have no idea why it is so popular to be honest. I never saw the appeal. Too many things bothered me about Tharntype, the top five of which are:

1) Man, people walk so slow in this world.
2) The homophobe-turned-gay trope is getting very tiresome.
3) I could not finish watching that scene where Type was literally having a nightmare about being sexually abused as a kid without knowing that Tharn was molesting him while he was asleep. I actually closed my eyes and waited for it to finish. Jfk, this MAME girl has issues.
4) The two leads need to up their game in the acting department. Mew was stone-faced nearly 80% of his screen time, and Gulf acts like he never really was sure of what he's doing. I literally haven't seen him do anything apart from having that irritated look on his face.
5) Mew looks like he already finished school 10+ years ago, lmao. It would take me a lot of convincing before I can believe that this guy can actually play a senior in college.

There are some saving graces though:
1) I loved Mild's version of Techno. I think he is the most seasoned actor among the leads, and he shows it well. He knows that Techno is mainly created for comic relief, and he delivered.
2) I appreciate Tum and Tar's story, which left me with a lot of questions when I watched Love by Chance. I actually preferred Kok and Hiter over Title and Cooheart in LBC, and they were good acting wise. The chemistry between them though seems forced, and thinking about these two caring for each other is quite disturbing since technically they are family.

Other points:
1) A lot of sub-plots in the series seems forced. For instance, Lhong's 180-degree turn was quite a nice touch, but he literally was absent throughout most of the series. It would have been great if he maintained a constant presence throughout the show instead of just appearing near the end to do that one big scene. The girl who 'slept' with Type was another example. Clearly she was there to make Type doubt his sexuality and after 1-2 eps, she was gone. The cameo from Pete and Tin also never made any sense. It would have been great if the scene that immediately followed Pete walking away from Tharn and Type was the same scene where he was run over by Ae. That would have been epic; it would have brought the entire story full circle.

2) I have never been a fan of this trope where they introduce a character in one ep and then suddenly eliminate him/her after s/he serves his/her intended purpose. Thai drama writers really need to stop making their supporting characters seem disposable. Pretty much 90% of the supporting characters in TharnType was treated like this: Klui and Seo (who were so funny and could have been used well!), Tharn's ex, and the same guys I mentioned in point #1.

3) Tharn's needlessly long and slow-motioned crying scenes were pure cringe.


This is the second series from MAME I've seen that was a huge letdown. I should really stop buying the hype when choosing which BLs to watch.

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Should you watch this?

If you are a fan of LGBTQ this series is highly recommended. I myself at first was a bit backward about this series but then gradually the plot began more likeable, i'd say. Gulf portrayed the character of Type in the best possible way and it was just truely commendable. As for Mew, he too did an amazing job with his character Tharn. The side characters added some comedy to the plot which made the series better, especially the character of TechNo. The series had quite some ups and downs but the romance and dialogues made-up to it. I won't say much, but the series for me was a must watch!!

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The bad outweights the good

I can understand how some people might like this show, it does have some strong points, but the story is so problematic that I had to force myself to watch the second half of the episodes just to be done with it.

TharnType has a good cast and the show is well done from a production standpoint. The chemistry between Mew and Gulf if off the charts, which explains why they are one of the biggest pairing in thai BL. The scenes where Tharn and Type are together and in peace are great. Unfortunately, these moments are rare and involved in bigger overall problems of the show. I don’t know if I can say that I like any of the characters (maybe Champ).

I can’t get 100% on board with the main couple because of the night Type got drunk in Tharn bad, early in the season. Yes, Type was being homophobic and an idiot for awhile, but Tharn did go to far by taking advantage of unconscious Type. It becomes even worse after we find out about Type’s past. I don’t feel like Tharn ever really tried to apologize for what happened that night.

This show has a major problem with romanticizing relationships with non consensual moments. At some points I almost felt like the show was implying that it was okay to do things if the other person didn’t say no too much. This is a show that centers around the sexual assault of two, I’d say three, teenagers, and the issue is not handled well at all. I can’t understand how TharnType manages to give a free pass to two abusers, that don’t face any consequences. San took advantage of younger Tharn and the only thing he got was a single punch from his still best friend, which in turn is the victim’s older brother. Thorn knows that what happened was wrong but he still forces Tharn to be around San. Regarding Lhong, I don’t even have word to explain how poorly the story fails to address what he did and why nothing happens to him.

PS: I have to highlight how this show manages to hard two terrible brothers. Thorn, besides his involvement who Sam, is also quite creepy around Thanya. And Technic is also a terrible brother for what he did to Techno.

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TharnType! Yes

Second BL I've ever watch and honestly not disappointed! A must-watch!!

This series had me on edge I totally loved it. It had some happy, funny, sad, stressful moments all over the place which made it so much better. There was still a lot of Toxic behavior that was promoted but overall it does deserve the rate that I gave it. Plus, it was spicy (if you know what I mean~) and that was certainly something else ;)

Opinions about some of the characters...

Type: I do understand that he had whole internal homophobia (cuz of the thing that happened) but the whole "I don't like men but you" thingy was a bit no, he really needed to come to terms with it. Also, he was REALLY toxic for most of the series. I get it, some couples may have some fights but this was not it most of the time. He was always the one making a fuss about little misunderstanding without looking at the whole picture. Despite that, I believe his character came to become much better towards the end and I really liked his development.

Tharn: Listen this man was a puppy and I loved it! However, sir needs to step up and stand up for himself a lot more, the way Type talked to him sometimes was not it and he just stood there and apologized like no ma'am. Still, he was the sweetest boyfriend ever.

Techno: BEST BFF!! He a homie if I've ever seen one. I love him and that's that.

So TharnType was the most toxic couple I've seen in BL and we do not condone that type of behavior but I really liked the series if we moved past those moments.

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somethings can't be fixed with tears and forgiveness

That is probably a quote from the Bible. Anyway, I started this show like a month ago, because I wanted to see why everyone hates Tharntype. This gets so much hate, and I want to see if it is warranted. I could see why because of the plot. It's a mad controversial in that aspect. But those sketchy edits you see on YouTube shorts never actually tell you why the drama is controversial. I am anti-description, so it took me a hot minute to actually understand what was even happening in the show.

This show is fucking dark, and nobody talks about it. Type is annoying, and I actually couldn't stand him at first, but I came around. His feelings towards gay people were warranted. I am not homophobic, and I am bisexual myself, and I love me some gay rights, but I understand where he was coming from because he was so young when he was sexually assaulted. That shit will fuck you up for life, bro; that's crazy. But Bro was dropping slurs like it was a religion. That was crazy. types feelings, and everything is understandable. I think that it is bad to classify a group of people as something just because you had one bad experience. But I understand why he would do that, because the experience was a really bad one.

I watched episodes 1 through 5 like a month ago all back-to-back, and I finished the show today watching 6-12 back-to-back, and I feel like I watched two different shows. The characters became so much more likeable, and I was just having fun watching them banter back and forth. I am going to look at my close friends to see what I was actually thinking while watching it, because that's always fun.

I can't find when I started the show, lol. At 1:09 a.m. on June 7th. I wanted to know why everyone actually hates TharnType, so I started it. Type was being homophobic and going on his little rants, and I was already annoyed. When he was sleeping with his eyes closed and mouth shut, he was so cute. just not when he has his mouth open and is talking. Then Type, just like me, started having an identity crisis because of his hot roommate. Two wrongs don't make it right. I know why the show gets hate. It's overly dark and built off a dark plot. At 2:31 am, I started to feel bad for Type because of his upbringing and everything that had happened.

Then we met the siblings Thorn, Tharn, and Thanaya, who we all love to death, and they are the best trio in this show, bro. We love them. Most things in the show are Techno's fault because he actually can't keep his big mouth shut. If techno shut up, we wouldn't have this show. Type starts shifting into hating gays but not his boyfriend. because apparently him being with a man and having sex with a man wasn't gay in his eyes? Make that make sense? It just doesn't. Then I took a break from the show for a month, because I totally forgot about it until the random letter wheel picked it for me today.

I posted today that bad comments aren't real and I just need to watch shows and get them over with even if they are unbearably bad. And that's what I did. I was going on rants about how annoying the type is and how most things are his fault as well, because he can't keep his pretty mouth shut and has to put his two senses into everything, like I am doing now. Type was smacking Tharn; personally, I wouldn't let that slide and smack him back, bro.

Seo and Klui were my favorite next-door neighbors, and they for real need their redemption, bro. They were great, and I loved them to bits, especially Seo and his Koreabo ass. Klui was just confused and very nosey, and they were both the representation we needed.

Tharn and Type are becoming more compatible with each other, and they are starting to openly flirt with each other, and I think that was cool to see.

They met San's pedo ass, and no one ever talks about him, but he was out here having sex with a 14-year-old, which is 10th grade in Thailand and 9th grade here. and San was in 10th grade and Tharn was in 7th grade when they met. So he got groomed by him for sure. That was really, really gross.

Type and Tharn start being extra toxic, and they are both loving it and stuff like that. Type is coming to terms with their relationship, his feelings, and how he is doing overall.

Then Tharn says some shit about tar to tum, and that had me thinking for the rest of the fucking show. Tharn said something about Tum liking Tar more than a brother, and I was like, no fucking way, and Tum tells him to shut up and walks away. No one talks about that. That would have been a crazy twist, bro. And it just gets swept under the rug, like what?

Then everything starts to spiral, and I start having a crisis. You think, Oh, they are doing well now, and everything is fine. Nope, it's a Thai drama. Fuck your feelings. Lhong's twist, bro; that's why I titled the review the way it is. Bro was crazy. That's why the review is higher than a 7 because of the last two episodes. They caught me so off guard, and I like predictable shows, but when they are unexpected or not what I thought, that makes me even more happy, so good on the writers.

Overall, their relationship was and still is a mess because they lack trust and are both the most jealous people to ever walk the Thai drama boys love earth. Maybe if their personalities didn't crash and they didn't fight over everything, they could have gotten together sooner and stayed happier longer in the show. Yeah, that's my take. I am going to watch Season 2 and the special episode because I am just going to knock all the tharn-type stuff out and then move on instead of coming back to it like 4 months later and being hella confused. I understand the hate, but at the end of the day, it was pretty well written, and the actors did one hell of a job; it was interesting. But at the end of the day, it was really dark drama, and people need to talk about that more, bro. This was hella long; that's my fault. Okay bye!

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Trigger Warnings Everywhere!

Please be aware this show and review contain trigger warnings about sexual assault, abuse, and homophobia.
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STORY:
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When talking to most BL fans who have been around for a while they will praise TharnType as a BL classic. To most it is. Why? I have no idea.

The basic premise of the story is Type is a college freshmen in the Sports department and he finds out that his new roommate Tharn is gay. Type then lets us know he hates all gay people because he was kidnapped and molested as a child. Okay logical. Should he hate an entire population of people because of one person who was evil? Of course not, but one can't choose their trauma responses so I give him the benefit of the doubt. He then proceeds to make Tharn's life a living hell to get him to leave the dorm. To be honest the first few episodes are terrible. Type is not a good person. He is so homophobic that as someone who is LGBTQ I wanted to go into the screen and smack him so hard for the things he did and said.

As the show progresses it seems that out of nowhere about half way through the show Type throws his entire homophobic agenda out the window and falls for Tharn. Yay this is good the show should be better? Wrong! Now instead of dealing with his homophobic attitude we are left with a man child who whines and complains until he gets his way. He manipulates Tharn so many times into doing what he wants and how he wants it that I almost and I mean almost feel bad for Tharn. I will get more into my problems with Tharn in the next section.

Overall the show is a horrible representation of the BL genre. It promotes unhealthy mindsets towards people in the community. Romanticizes sexual assault and bullying and wraps it up in this package of because the men are hot and have chemistry it's okay.

If you want a better representation of what it looks like to be a sexual assault survivor and enter a relationship go watch Love In The Air starting at episode 8 for Pai and Sky story.
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ACTING/CAST
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Mew as Tharn - Overall I thought Mew did a good job at playing Tharn. Other than the blaringly obvious fact he was in his mid-twenties playing a teenager his performance was spot on. I did feel heartbroken for him near the end of the series as Lhong's plans started to unfold and he found out the truth about what his "friend" had been doing behind his back.

However, the character of Tharn is one I can't wrap my head around. Why is this extremely handsome, insanely rich, music major so tied up on his roommate Type? In 12 episodes he never once tells the audience what it is that attracted him to Type in the first place. Why did he put up with Type's homophobic, controlling, manipulative, and honestly abusive self when he could have had so much more as a character? Furthermore, why did he come to Type's defense in front of the school after Type went viral for making homophobic remarks?

Now while it may seem like Tharn is a victim of the story he is nowhere near the good guy people make him out to be. On more than one occasion he forced himself upon Type by kissing him, giving him a blowjob, and trying to have sex with him in public against Type's wishes. How is this the foundation a happy relationship is built on. To be honest if he wasn't an adamant top I would have shipped him with his brother's best friend. At least he loved and cared for Tharn.

Gulf as Type - I hate Type as a character so much! What he does at the beginning of the show is horrible. I get it he was sexually assaulted as a child by a gay man so he holds certain prejudices. However, at some point you have to learn to let them go. I only say this as a victim of sexual assault myself. For the longest time I couldn't be alone in a room with a guy without having a panic attack but I worked through it and now I'm okay. Also I am ashamed of his parents for not getting him help at a younger age.

Putting aside his homophobic rhetoric, I would love to say he redeems himself but he doesn't. He all the sudden is okay with Tharn being gay and the show turns into this whole thing about "I'm not gay but my boyfriend is." I'm so sick of BL shows showing the "straight" guy who is only gay for one man. That is not how the LGBTQ community is.

Type is also extremely abusive towards Tharn emotionally and verbally. He is constantly telling him that he hates him and while some find it endearing I couldn't be with someone who is constantly telling me I'm worthless. He also is incredibly jealous to the point of violence. He does what he wants when he wants to and if Tharn has a problem with it then he can honestly get over it. If I met someone like that in real life I would have run the other way.

Kokliang as Tar - What can I say about Tar other than I feel so bad for him. So many people talk about how annoying Tar is and how horrible he is for what he did to Tharn. However, I look at things from his perspective. He was happily in love with Tharn and then was sexually assaulted by a group of men. Of course he shut down. Of course he broke up with Tharn. Who can blame him. The depressive obsession he has with Tharn is natural to me. He still loves Tharn but is stuck in this constant loop of what happened to him. The show doesn't dictate how much time is passed but based on context clues I think it's been less than a year since he and Tharn broke up. If that is true of course he is still navigating through his trauma. If we were to have met him 3 years or more after the breakup then I could see maybe people's point of view.

Mild as Techno - This was the saving grace of the show for me. Techno was the character that gave us some much needed comic relief. He tried his best to be a supportive best friend to Type but wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit either.

Kaownah as Lhong - To say I hate a character is really strong for me. But, I hate Lhong! How the hell did he not end up in jail by the end of the show. Not only did he try to kill Type....but he also hired the men who assaulted Tar. How could Tharn and Type let Lhong go with him simply dropping out of school? You are letting a sociopath free to roam the streets. You know he's going to latch onto someone else soon and so the same thing again. The last couple of episodes were hard to watch for me as his evil deeds were revealed.
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RELATIONSHIPS
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Tharn x Type - Oh lord I could go on for hours about these two. Their chemistry while amazing was the only thing about this couple. Unlike many early BL's (which is strange to say since this was released in 2019) the couple actually kissed each other. For many this was the KinnPorshe of early BL. I digress though....I wrote a lot about their relationship above so I'm not going to rehash it out. If you want to watch two hot men make out for six episodes you will enjoy it. If you are looking for a good, healthy, representation of a relationship please move on.
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REWATCH VALUE
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I would love to say I haven't rewatched this show but I have a few times. I kept thinking if I watch it again it won't be so bad! However, each time it only gets worse. For those of you who rank this in your top 10 I appreciate your candor. For me this is a hard pass now. I doubt I will rewatch this again.

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My friends also recommend me with this. At first I don't feel the chemistry at all! The reason why I continuing this because of the story and it captures me... but while watching episode 8, it started me to fall in love with the characters because they learned themselves and they change themselves. The story is an incredible plot twist! I love it! The ending satisfied me well. Especially their special episode it satisfied me more. I will not going to re watch this because I just don't feel to watch it back hehe rather than "2gether" . I also love their ost! It's interesting and its catchy for me. Well as you can see this series is not recommended for the minor person, it has a lot of hot scenes haha!

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One of the best!

I really love this series! It is one of my favorites. I have watched it multiple times. First of all, Mew and Gulf's chemistry is honestly off the charts. I love them. I really love the storyline and the development of their relationship. I will be honest, it is really frustrating at parts. There are parts where i want to jump into the screen and shake some sense into Type. I also am not a huge fan of the the Tar and Tum story. Rewatching it, I typically will fast forward through their parts. Man the love scenes in this one are amazing. I love the love. The way Mew and Gulf play off of eachother is amazing. They just fit perfectly together. I also really love the music in the show. I would most definitely recommend this show! Its one of the best BL dramas I have seen, and i have seen a lot of BL dramas.

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Watching the first 6 episodes, I was kinda bored with the story which felt slow and pedantic. I didn't find the characters interesting either so I stopped watching only to come back to it after watching 'The Untamed.' As it is one of the highest-rated Thai BL series, I had to finish it to make a final judgement. I found the series to be too earnest, too heart-on-the-sleeve, too poised which makes it feel unnatural, and too unrealistic like how Type fell for Tharn so quickly or how . Also, the amount of sexual assult in the first few episodes was shocking and kinda turned me off. The series does deal with internalized homophobia so props for that, but I wished that they delved deeper into that topic. It would have been cool if they mentioned the difference between pedophilia and homosexuality and that in a gay couple, neither has to be the 'wife,' but it is understandable that they didn't as it would have been quite complex. This series is quite heavier and dark than other BL shows as it deals with rape, murderous jealousy, pedophilia and mental illness, but unfortunately just skims it. Overall, it was slightly entertaining though I did watch it on 2x speed. The story just didn't grab me as the previous BL shows that I've seen (The Untamed, SOTUS and 2gether).

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Okay tharntype. I love the plot. Its kind of cliché from hate to love but personally I don't mind it and I really like it. It's amazing how well Gulf portrayed type being a new actor, and Mew's acting made me cry so many times. Their chemistry is so good as well. Tar's character annoyed me at first but he ended up redeeming himself. And Lhong my favorite character. He might have been a manipulative mastermind, but he was a very develop and interesting character. I feel in love with him throughout the series then started to hate him. The character is so evil but everyone ends up aching for him. The actor that portrayed him was beyond talented. I've rewatched tharntype so many times have never got bored of it.

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