Paint with Love (2021)

This was amazing! So much more then I could have hoped for

I’ve heard about this series and decided to give it a chance after episode 4 aired I honestly like the pace of it’s not slow things move right along it’s hilarious and beautiful I will say maze is horrible to Phap in the beginning before realizing what he really means to him. Tae’s character was written beautifully and he’s an amazing actor this is the first project that I’ve seen him in. The only thing about this I didn’t like was how horrible Nueng was about the misunderstanding that he and maze are brothers not lovers they kinda dragged that out a little 2 far. The story between him and Tharn was so cute I wasn’t sure if that ship
Would sail but it did. This series really touched my heart

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Nueng - Why? Just Why?

Nueng—Why? Just... Why?

After watching the trailer for this drama, I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it. But, as fate would have it, it was the only title my friend (who’s still in high school and a full decade younger than me—this will be important later) hadn’t seen. So, we decided to give it a whirl during the weekend, because what else were we going to do? Read? Pfft.

To my surprise, the cinematography, script, and acting were far better than expected. In fact, it wasn’t until episode 8 that I realized the actor playing Maze was Singhto—yes, Kongpob from SOTUS. Both male leads deliver solid performances, though the chemistry between them is... let’s say, lukewarm. Phap, in particular, often steals the spotlight, leaving poor Maze feeling like the sidekick in his own drama.

Now, when it comes to story, I’m a firm believer that great storytelling can salvage even the most chaotic script. And in Paint With Love, we have a script that occasionally veers into “what on earth just happened?” territory—there are moments that simply don’t add up. Yet, somehow, the storytelling manages to make the show enjoyable. It’s like watching a juggler who drops every third ball, but still keeps you entertained.

But the real kicker? The vastly different reactions my friend and I had to this series. She didn’t like the main couple at all—particularly Maze—and thought the plot was, well, a bit of a train wreck. Cue our in-depth discussion (as one does when avoiding actual responsibilities), and I realized the difference came down to life experience and, perhaps, a little thing called reading between the lines.

You see, she’s younger than me and prefers her characters to be either black or white. But the characters in this series are fifty shades of grey—no, not that kind of grey. They have strengths, weaknesses, and, most importantly, they’re flawed in deeply human ways. Phap’s jealousy of Nueng, for example, isn’t just a shallow plot point—it’s fueled by his insecurities, feeling like a stand-in for Maze’s past love. Maze, on the other hand, is grappling with his need for control, money, and his belief that he knows what’s best for others (spoiler: he doesn’t). He’s like that person who assumes they can fix everyone’s problems but ends up making a glorious mess of things.

One of the more poignant moments in the story is Maze’s flashback to his fight with Nueng. Maze opposed Nueng’s decisions because he believed he knew better, which led to them losing contact for years. There’s even a tearful begging scene where Maze asks Nueng to stay with him, which, let’s be honest, raises a few questions about their communication skills. Maze’s subsequent determination to send Phap to Japan is a desperate attempt to avoid making the same mistake again. He’s terrified of stifling someone’s potential—kind of like forcing Stephen King to write ad copy instead of novels. In his mind, maybe if he pushes Phap to follow his dreams, he won’t lose him too.

“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours,” as the saying goes, though in Maze’s case, it’s more like “If you love someone, push them out the door before they start packing.”

What makes this series fascinating (and frustrating) is that everything Maze and Phap do makes sense in character. But, depending on how well you read between the lines, your perception of them can wildly differ. It’s like solving a puzzle, except half the pieces are missing, and the picture on the box isn’t much help.

Now, let’s talk about Nueng, or as I like to call him, “the character that makes you ask, ‘Why is he here?’” Bland doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s like a slice of plain toast in a show that’s already lacking butter. And then he gets worse—eventually morphing into a character who hides his selfishness behind a mask of kindness. If the screenwriters had cut his storyline entirely and given us more insight into Maze and Phap’s motivations, the show would’ve been stronger for it. Nueng’s relationship with Maze? Bizarre, at best. His absence, his manager hitting Tharn’s manager, and all the trouble it caused was just a super messed-up subplot that added nothing but confusion.

It honestly feels like Nueng’s storyline was hastily slapped in at the last minute, which would explain why it feels more like a plot hole than a plot point.

In conclusion, Paint with Love is a show with strong points and weak ones, depending on how much you're willing to squint and interpret the subtext. A rewatch might help clarify a few things, but I suspect it will also remind you that Nueng was just there to test our patience. And trust me, I will remember very little about him in six months. But overall, it’s a decent watch if you don’t mind filling in some blanks yourself.

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Funny & sweet show with realistic romance and without the stereotypes and tired tropes!

This is one of the best Thai rom-com shows I've seen with a gay romance story line (I've watched dozens of shows and never review any before!). Fresh-feeling plot that manages to include some absurd comedy/situations, without resorting to a lot of tropes and stereotypical plot twists. The characters are fairly well-developed, extremely well-acted, and experience a lot of personal growth. The production value is pretty high, with well-mixed audio for the most part and diverse shots.

If you are coming from the BL fan world, this show might not be cute/shippable enough for you, but if you are looking for a light romcom show with a more realistic view of relationships, this is a great pick.

More reasons to watch:
- Characters are adult-age, with is refreshing if you're coming from watching typical BL
- Subverts one trope (inappropriate romantic feelings) by having no actual shady behavior but allowing it to cause a lot of misunderstandings and drama nonetheless!
- Minimal use of gay or trans-femme stereotypes (there is one exaggerated character and sadly they are a bad person, but they aren't used for comedic relief just because of their femme-ness)
- None of those annoying sound effects that indicate something "hilarious" or bizarre has happened
- Really sweet opposites-attract that seems realistic

While there are of course things that could be improved, and there are some slowly paced parts that I skipped through, this far outshines many of the other dramas I've binged. If you're tired of shows with 10 side couples, plots full of holes, same-old gags and plot twists, then watch this show to remind yourself why you like romcom shows, especially BL/gay/Thai ones.

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It does a good job of being simple

A series with an interesting beginning, nothing too innovative, but fun added to a very interesting development, however the ending leaves something to be desired.
Plot: simple, is the word that summarizes this plot. Two people who don't like each other, but in the end are already in love with each other. There are secondary plots that for me were not well developed throughout the series, although they do not compromise the central plot.
Acting: good, but some stand out. Sing is still as perfect as ever I don't think there is any series that he delivers a half-assed job, sometimes, like the Baker Boys series he is on automatic, however here it is not the case I feel that he, Sing, has managed to deliver everything from the character. Tae is very good, even though I don't know his other works I feel he delivers a lot here. The "supporting roles" or the secondary ones, some are fine, others not so much, but I will mention the ones that caught my attention. The actors in Together with Me are perfect, especially Maen who as always delivers everything and a little more, but the others are good even with little screen time. Now the other couple of the series didn't appeal to me much, even though they are good actors, I wasn't convinced that they liked each other, they lacked chemistry and more screen time for them to develop. The rest is average.
Music: melodious pop music that I don't like, but that is always found in series with this theme, I don't know why. It's not bad, but it's not outstanding and sometimes it's even repetitive in several situations.
Setting: urban, there is nothing for me to talk about.
Overall it was a good series, but with problems, the lack of a "stronger" story/plot makes the series, for me, weak, because the series itself forgets its main premise for a few good episodes and added with the second couple without chemistry makes it weak in a whole, for me the main characters hold this series, but this is just a personal opinion. And with a rushed ending in which everything is solved very easily it leaves the viewer a little confused. I recommend watching it, but I don't think it's a Sotus that will make you want to watch it again and again in the future.

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Its Good.

This is my opinion as a common viewer, i am not an expert.

I have watched 30 BL series (i know there are people who has watched more).
This series is not perfect, not the best/orginal story and music. But at least is watchable.
There are a lot of BL series out that are just so bad, and feel like you are watching a filler with cliche and predictable roles. This serie is at least more than 50% different of what i described.

So while you wait for your new series starts airing or if you run out of things to watch, this is worth to give a chance.

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Had high expectations but unfortunately the series did not live up to them

When I first heard about this series- I was super excited because of the main couple. I love Singto and Tae's avting in some of thier previous series so I know the potential that they have when it comes to their acting. But this season...I really wanted to love it. But I can't.

Story-6/10
There were some good parts, I will say that. However, it kinda got repetitive with the jealousy. Also I actually wasn't that invested in the secondary MM couple ( I was actually more invested in a MF couple who had a small part). There were times when I wasn't able to keep my attention to the series and that's unfortunate.

Acting/Cast-7/10
I love the cast. And they actually did do a good job, given with what they had to work with. So for that I give a 7.

Music-8.5/10
I love the music so much! I know that I am going to miss it on my Fridays.

Rewatch Valu-4/10
I don't see myself coming back to this anytime soon, unfortunately.

Overall-6.5/10
Overall I give this series a 6.5. I felt that it had potential to be an awesome series but it was unable to reach it.

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Adorable and endearing: a hidden gem!

Believe it or not, I dropped this drama twice! I tried watching it but could not get past 20min of the first episode. Twice.

Then, a couple of days ago, I decided to fish it out of my dropped list and give it another go! Kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel. I thought! I was so wrong! This drama does not belong in the bottom of the barrel. No way! It is sweet and cute, a normal romance!

The story about straight laced, rigid ad executive's repetitive clashes with his complete opposite, a messy painter were sweet, charming and adorable.
Singto is so hot as an adult in well tailored suits. Tae as the painter, is perfect: a big child lacking maturity and seriousness but brimming with talent and charm, is a fitting opposite. To my enormous surprise, I found myself enjoying this childish character: for once in my drama watching career, I was not annoyed by such a character! He was endearing. I wanted to grab him and hold onto him and cuddle him and tell him "well done"! I mean, look how cute he is collecting animals amongst which a cockroach named Steven! Too cute!
Singto and Tae had great chemistry together. So their characters' relationship was credible: both are in love but both suffer from a ton of insecurities which keep them closed off. They are attracted to each other so much so they sleep together. But what they do not do is really talk to each other. Add to the mix some, unavoidable for a romcom, misunderstandings and you have the makings of an excellent romcom.

While the romcom part stayed on rails and followed its natural development through every possible romance trope (misunderstandings, drunken confessions, break up, time jumps -only three months, but still....) some other plotlines were abandoned quickly (a series of suspicious accidents which led to believe someone was behind it but it turned to nothing) or just skimmed (cute office romance, the CEO's friends: how, why?). It was nice seeing the actor who played Techno in TharnType again...

I simply loved the music: they managed to do away almost completely, with the usual thai funky songs which are all similar and they used some nice arrangements of classical music. The animated opening credits were my favourite and I never skipped them (which I usually do when watching a drama!)

But of course, they had to almost ruin everything with an unconvincing second couple and the creepy manager. The second couple had zero chemistry and ...does Yacht EVER close his mouth? His mouth is always slightly open and when I noticed that early on, every time when he was on the screen, I was watching his mouth and wondering if he was ever going to be sitting still and listening to others with his mouth closed? No, NEVER! Sorry to say but Yacht is not a main lead actor: a comic relief support actor? Oh, yes, any time! But main roles in romcoms? Please, don't!
The other problem this drama suffers from, at least for me, are the characters of actors' managers. I still have to find a Thai drama where the manager/agent is NOT a trans or femgay character, overacting and screeching. Here the trans character was particularly caricatural. Maybe, they are like that in real life? I don't know. I would like to know! Does anyone know?
Or another thing I noticed which looked off: when the painter decides to paint wearing a white spotless shirt and when he is finished with the painting, his shirt is still spotless!His hands as well! Try simply drawing something with a felt tip pen and your hands will be dirty within five minutes.

In conclusion: I loved it. It is not the masterpiece in storytelling but it is a solid enemies to lovers drama oozing chemistry, charm and fun while giving me butterflies. There is character development: Maze becomes less stiff and the painter more serious in each other's company: their relationship is mutually beneficial.

I am only surprised at myself: why did I drop it twice in two years? I remember finding their initial relationship too cringy. Twice. Not this time! Maybe, just maybe, a string of highly hyped dramas which I did not like at all, are to blame? My taste has been honed and learned to appreciate a simple love story to its true value! Which is 9/10 with points being taken off for annoying managers.

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why the hell does this have a low rating??? review is longg

i had this in my list for a month and didn't watch it due to the reviews being so low but looking at the reviews and checking their ratings on certain dramas its clear they lack taste.. but moving on i enjoyed this not only did it have many actors that i enjoy i really like the whole uptight boss and artist love story. the fact we learn a lot of life lessons from this and can actually take away the advice they give us. you can either take my review like a grain of salt or take it into account when u are deciding to watch this.

i went into this for singto because i loved him in sotus but i hated the pairing he was in so i decided to give this a shot. i rate dramas based on how fast and enjoyable they are and for me this was it hands down. each episode had me i couldn't stop watching its literally 6am now i started watching this 10hrs ago.

i actually liked the story maze the uptight boss who does everything perfect meets a carefree go with the flow phab and their love story begins. im a sucker for a good enemies to lovers trope. i love how they actually focused on the art pieces and explained the different emotions and meanings most shows would just go yup love painting there you go. my favourite part had to be when phab talked about how there are 2 lines a straight one and curved one , this is something im going to take away from the show and use it. i loved side couple story bl actors who fall for each other it was cute.

cons : the misunderstanding and thats it the whole story to do with maze and nueng i dont even blame phab for thinking there was something going on cause even i was confused on their relationship i couldn't tell if they were brothers who secretly had feelings for each other long ago or not. so this really just comes down to the writing i hated it and groaned every time i saw them alone together cause i know damn well someone bout to see them and the trip to nuengs house finding out things but then later phab was seemed taken back by the things he learned when nueng told him? unless i missed something or it was just poor writing.

acting/ music 10/10 idek what to say i loved every ones role there wasn't a single person i hated in the show i recognised majority of them from the maxtul together with me S1&2. i love love mae with my heart once again we have her back as the problem solving best friend. the side couple nueng and tharn had so much chemistry i just wished it didnt take them till the last ep to confess their feelings. i prefer singtos paring in this the chemistry flows a lot better in this than it did with k it seems natural and not like hes forced to be there.

overall : cute show something to see if you ran out of things to watch.

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