Payback

Payback Delivers Everything I Love: Dark, Intense, Emotional, and Absolutely Addictive

What a fantastic series. This is exactly my kind of drama. I love stories centered around violence, revenge, and the mafia world because they create such an intense and thrilling atmosphere, and Payback delivered that from the very first minute.

This is my first time watching Min as Sun, and I am genuinely impressed. His performance is incredible. From his facial expressions to the changes in his hairstyle and hair color, he makes every version of Sun feel distinct and believable. I especially love how the series uses Sun's changing hair color to clearly show which timeline we are in. The constant transitions between the past and present are handled so well. The flashbacks never feel confusing or unnecessary. Instead, they gradually answer questions while introducing new mysteries, allowing the audience to piece everything together naturally. It is such a smart storytelling choice and one of my favorite aspects of the episode.

Sun's story immediately pulled me in. After years of carrying guilt over the deaths of his mother and younger brother, he continues to blame himself for a tragedy that was never truly his fault. The real betrayal came from someone he once trusted, and that pain fuels the revenge at the heart of the story. The title Payback feels fitting because every emotion, every wound, and every act of betrayal is building toward something powerful.

It is also my first time watching Toptap, and he made a strong impression as Jay. He was only 21 when he filmed this series. He once said that if he didn't get the role in Payback, he would have worked an ordinary job instead, but if he did get the role, he would give it everything he had. He definitely lived up to that promise. For someone so young, he delivered an incredible performance and showed remarkable talent. This was his first leading role, and I truly hope he gets many more lead roles in future series because he absolutely deserves them.

It's so hard to find a series that delivers both a strong, engaging plot and genuinely great NC scenes, but this series absolutely delivers on both, making it one of the most complete BLs I've ever watched. The kissing scene at the end of Episode 3 was so hot. If you watch closely, you can even see the saliva dripping, which made it feel even more real, and I'm so glad it was an actual kiss rather than a fake one. The chemistry between them was intense, thrilling, and completely captivating. The riding scenes at the beginning of Episodes 4 and 6 were just as incredible and easily some of the hottest scenes I've seen.

And after watching more than 500+ BL series, I can honestly say Episode 8 delivered the most beautiful, intimate, and realistic love scene I have ever seen in the genre, and I am still SPEECHLESS. It never felt like I was watching two actors, it felt like I was witnessing two souls who truly belonged to each other. When Jay stand there holding the umbrella and Sun ran into his arms, holding him so tightly and begging him to cry, to finally let go of every wound, every grief, and every silent burden he had been carrying, my heart completely broke. It was heartbreaking and breathtaking at the same time. Every touch carried years of longing, every glance spoke louder than words, and every embrace burned with a quiet passion that felt impossibly real. The chemistry was undeniable, the emotions were overwhelming, and the cinematography captured every fragile heartbeat with such tenderness that the line between fiction and reality simply disappeared. It was not just a hot love scene, it was love finding its way through pain, sorrow, and healing, leaving behind a moment so raw, vulnerable, and unforgettable that it will stay with me for a very long time.

I also love how this series explores the dark truth behind the entertainment industry. It shows how older, more powerful people take advantage of young artists, manipulating and grooming them, not only through words but through sexual abuse, while convincing them that if they refuse, their dreams will never come true.
Imagine being a young actor with an entire life full of hope ahead of you, only to have it stolen by people you were taught to trust. It is heartbreaking to watch, yet it feels painfully real. I cannot help but believe that stories like this have happened in real life. This drama does not simply tell us about that reality. It makes us feel it, carrying us through the fear, the silence, and the pain that so many young people may have endured behind the spotlight.

Overall the acting is excellent, the story is engaging, the dark and intense tone is exactly what I was looking for, and the fight scenes were well executed. I also loved the music, which elevated many of the emotional and action-packed moments.

Payback has everything I want in a drama: compelling characters, emotional depth, revenge, chemistry, action, and a dark atmosphere that keeps you invested. It’s so rare to find a series that delivers a strong plot, excellent acting, and the best NC scenes all at the same time. This series has absolutely nailed every single box for me.

For me, PAYBACK is shaping up to be the best Thai BL of 2026.

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OFF TO A GREAT START!

I love revenge stories when they’re done right, and so far it seems like this will be done right.

this is the story of Min, a 25 year old guy with a troubled past. for years he had been blaming himself for the death of his family members, until one day he finds out the real culprit behind their deaths was someone else. then he sets out on a journey to get revenge.

this is my first time seeing any of these actors. and I’m blown away by how amazing Min’s acting is. I was ready to hate on his character when we started the drama with him holding a knife to an innocent child. but by the time the episode ended, I was rooting for him and ready to fight alongside him😂

Fuaiz as the villain was also amazing. I didn’t even realize at first that he was the same guy that had a past connection with Min until they showed a flashback. it’s safe to say that I will be HATING his character 😂

I absolutely loved the cinematography and the color grading. it’s so gritty and dark, very fitting for the stiry. I love the non linear story telling too, even though it might feel a bit confusing at first. I haven’t read the manhwa, but inwas able to follow the story along. (feel free to comment if you wanted me to explain!)

so far this is looking VERY PROMISING! idk how I’ll survive the wait for a whole week till the next episode drops!

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Just watch this already or you will miss a great series

Wow what an amazing and incredible series. Everything is just too perfect. Main leads acting is too fabulous. It doesn't feel like they are performing for the first time. And about series main leads have acted too real to feel real emotions. When i first saw the trailer of the payback i was like hmm it is ok, i don't like them too much but after watching ep 1 i totally fall in love with them and with their phenomenal acting and chemistry. This series has captured everything romance, entertainment, revenge, everything. This is 10/10 series for me. I will never forget this series in my life. Toptap minlee will remain my forever favorite actors. This series will remain top 1 in my heart. The main leads actors acting feels too real to me whether it is romance, kiss, or their intimate scenes.

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SUN shines again through the help of a SON of capitalism

A will that has been long lost - Pain deep within, hidden away. A past too painful to recall, yet it ignites the fire of revenge within the soul of Sun. Captured by this intense wish for remedy, Jay reaches out to get a grip on this soaring son of the flames. Will he provoke Tears that can extinguish Sun´s fierce desire?

BEST PART: Visual & Moody Elements (9.5)
Cinematography enlightens the viewers' hearts by setting scenes in the most captivating and intriguing colors. In my opinion, the team of Thai and Korean production professionals succeeded in the expression of ANGST and despair, while also leaving room for soft and romantic moments. Overall, the vibe is quite dark, but there is some relief from this darkness through colorful and bittersweet comedic sequences. Just exciting to watch all these creative and bold motives that were introduced by "Payback". It´s a real payback of the time and subscription fees paid to watch the series.

GOOD and INTRIGUING ACTING (9.0)
Toptap and Min nailed even the most micro-expressive parts. To me, Toptap's skill is to express strong emotions with lasting glares - telling an entire story just with a glimpse; Sometimes he made me feel like I´ve interrupted a significant moment of self-revelation. Shogun, Fuaiz and Khunnote were similarly able to capture my floating attention. Hope to see more of their acting in future series.

WEAKNESS:
Could be traced back to my attention span and amount of time invested in similar series (plot-wise), but sometimes I felt a bit lost with all the information in long dialogues - I take this as motivation to improve my concentration again. Additionally, I might have an unresolved personal trigger with Sun´s disheartened and stoic personality. However, I can very much understand what has caused him to have serious difficulties expressing himself and allowing himself to experience happiness.

PAYBACK is a strong player in this year's publications.

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A Must-Watch Masterpiece: More Than Just a BL Drama

This whole year, most BL series have done nothing but greatly exceed my expectations, and I am incredibly happy to say that Payback falls right into this elite category. While I went into this project with exceptionally high expectations, the series somehow managed to completely shatter them, delivering a fabulous show led by immensely talented actors.

From the very first episode, it pulls you into a dark, intense, and emotional story that is impossible to stop watching. As a big fan of the original manhwa and novel, I was amazed by how much care, effort, and attention to detail went into this adaptation. Even when making specific changes to the source material, the creators made it work beautifully, capturing the true heart of the original while delivering something cinematic and emotionally powerful.

What makes Payback stand out is that it succeeds where many BLs struggle: it effortlessly balances a gripping, well-written plot filled with intriguing, surprising twists, and genuinely excellent NC scenes that serve the relationship rather than existing purely for fan service. The overall atmosphere is top-tier; the series trusts its story instead of constantly interrupting heavy moments with exaggerated comedy or silly sound effects. The humor is there when needed, but it never undermines the darker, revenge-driven themes.

Phenomenal Chemistry & Depth
It is genuinely hard to believe that this is Min and Toptap’s first series as lead actors, let alone their first project together. Their chemistry feels completely natural, effortless, and deeply rewarding to watch. They bring Sun and Yohan to life so flawlessly that Toptap and Min have officially become my favorite actors.

Min’s acting deserves special recognition. His performance is extraordinary; he has this incredible ability to maintain a guarded, almost expressionless face while still letting the audience read exactly what Sun is thinking and feeling. That is a massive skill. Even the subtle changes in his hairstyle and color perfectly mirror the stages of Sun's growth. I felt such a strong bond with his character—I laughed, I cried, and I cared so deeply for him that I know it’s going to be incredibly hard to say goodbye when it's over.

A Flawless Production
Beyond the main leads, the supporting cast brings incredible depth and authenticity to the show. The side characters have their own genuine stories to tell instead of just being used as background fluff.

Everything about this production is exceptional—from the gorgeous, stunning visuals to the incredible music, which was a massive highlight for me and set the perfect mood for every single scene. With fantastic pacing, memorable characters, and a plot that keeps you completely hooked, Payback is an unforgettable masterpiece. It is one of the most complete series I have ever watched, earning a permanent place among my all-time favorites. I honestly couldn't recommend it more, and it is one I will definitely be rewatching for a very long time. Easily a 10/10!

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Do you believe in karma?

IQIYI: https://www.iq.com/play/payback-uncut-episode-1-1h8pgey90dg?lang=en_us

This whole year most of the BL series have done nothing but greatly exceed my expectations. And I'm happy to say that this series also falls under this category. While I definitely had pretty high expectations for this one, it somehow exceeded them.
Excellent acting, a fantastic plot with intriguing and surprising plot twists, stunning visuals, and everything else are truly exceptional. And of course i wanna mention the music which is also quite a highlight for me in this series.

* Bank/Sunny is a devil, wow. At first I thought he would be one of those ex characters trying to get in between the main character and their love interest. But wow, it is so much worse.
* I love all of the small details throughout the episodes.
* Main character is definitely up there with the greatest main characters in BL history!
* This series reminds me of a lot of different series that I previously watched, but I want to say that the one it reminds me of the most so far is Jack & Joker, and it's certainly a good thing.
* I really like Khajorn, he is a good father as well as being just really nice to everyone, including the main character.
* I also like Sky, his cheerful character definitely helps with all the heavy themes of this series.
* Main character seeing his brother in Sky is breaking my heart.
* Main character's performance at the audition absolutely gagged me, just wow. I don't know how much was planned and how much was just pure coincidence; he still did an absolutely perfect job with that one.
* Pakin choosing Sky as his model while knowing that he is not good with cameras feels like bullying.
* I do agree with people who said that Pakin and Sky could be a side couple. While I didn't like Pakin's behavior towards Sky at first, I do agree that as a photographer he would be a great person to help Sky with his phobia.
* Sun finally revealing his identity to Sunny was an absolute highlight of the episode for me.
* The scene where Sky was clearly having a panic attack and started to break down and nobody did anything for a long period of time about people pointing cameras in his face while he was clearly in distress on the floor, crying and almost passing out, really rubbed me the wrong way.
* Even though I pretty much predicted everything about what happened to Sky and his fear of cameras a while before it was shown to us, still seeing it and seeing this whole thing genuinely made me just so sad and mad on Sky's behalf.
* Khajorn and Sky are family Sun so badly needed in his life, seeing them go through everything together and support each other throughout every step is genuinely so sweet yet somehow still breaks my heart.
* Every time I think Sunny can't get worse, he just has to do something to prove me wrong.
* I liked the fight scene in episode 9.

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Episode 7 reveals an important part of Jay's past and gives much more meaning to the title "PayBack."

As Sun learns about Jay's family history and the betrayal that destroyed his mother's company, he begins to understand that revenge isn't only his own story. Everyone around him carries emotional scars and unfinished business.

What I enjoyed most was watching Sun slowly change. The lonely young man who trusted no one is beginning to open his heart—not only to Jay, but also to Kajorn and Sky. Seeing him accept others as allies was one of the most satisfying parts of this episode.

The story is gradually shifting from a simple revenge drama into one about people who have been hurt, finding strength together.

The preview for Episode 8 suggests that Sunny and his powerful supporters are finally ready to strike back, so the conflict is about to become much more intense.

At this point, I feel that "PayBack" no longer belongs only to Sun. It has become the story of everyone's revenge—and everyone's chance to reclaim what they lost.

🇯🇵 Streaming Information (Japan)
Rakuten TV (Japanese subtitles)
Episode 1 is FREE
Full Series Pack (10 episodes): ¥3,168 (180-day rental)
iQIYI Japan (Japanese subtitles)
🌏 International Streaming
iQIYI (Available in selected countries/regions)

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loss, revenge and love

Overall: unique premise with solid chemistry. Note: this is based on a manhwa/webtoon of the same name. I haven't read the source material and will review the series based on it's own merits. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Airing on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/payback-uncut-episode-1-1h8pgey90dg?lang=en_us

Content Warnings: past (murder, suicide, manipulation, coercion, blood, death, beaten up, severe bullying); present (punches, near sexual assault, non/dub con turned consensual/it's complicated*, mental health struggles, coerced oral sex/sex trafficking

What I Liked
- unique, gritty vibe
- supportive friend and manager
- acting (normally low affect is tricky, but the actor has done a great job and I understand why the character is that way)
- chemistry
- the uncle is funny
- that the manager suggested a therapist

Room For Improvement
- I was a little confused in the beginning due to multiple timeline jumps and characters who changed hair color (update: note that the source material does this as well so it is a faithful adaptation in that regard)
- music too loud at times or doesn't completely match the vibe of the scene
- the leads needed more screen time
- exposition dumps

*my take on the physical intimacy with the leads - It didn't feel non-consensual to me.
Sun - he says he is guilty for what happened (others had a role hence the revenge). I don't think he thinks he deserves to feel, especially happiness/pleasure. From his dream, the viewer sees there is attraction. So the non con didn't feel as much as non con to me. In the past with the crying while being intimate, one part was emotional sadness and another may have been physical pain; however, he wanted physical pain, he did not think he deserved a pleasurable experience.

Jay - I believe it started as a game to get Sun to feel things and then changed to genuine love/caring especially after he learned something. Jay's interest in Sun crying makes me think that Jay has not cried (ever/in a long time) and was fascinated by it in the past and wants to see Sun having feelings again, including happiness and pleasure.

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Sleek, full of intrugue, electric tension and suspense....damn good!

After episode 4, this goes straight to my top 3 currently airing shows......its so good that its making me angry, really angry!!!

I must say that I love the tension and intrigue and the build-up for the 'revenge'......I started this only because I liked the dark storyline, to an extent Fuiaz, and the colour palette ...and am surprised how good the first episode was!! I guess this one will turn out to be one of those good story, good acting, gripping tales from iQIYI

BL-needle Score: 7 Moderate BL-ness so far

The story, script, acting and production values - all of them are just right for this one, a least for now. The dark story, the stench of intense betrayal, the clueless guy turning the schemer and reaching his goal with powerful allies...and then, the allure of a romantic pair that seems intense, power and angst-craving driven, is a sure shot add-on......it definitely looks set to bang!! Glad that I decided to watch it.

Verdict: Definitely Watch

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Criminally underrated series

I didn't read the manhwa so I went into this series totally blind. Such an unexpected delight! Incredible storyline, acting, cinematography, and music. Every episode I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next.

The biggest applause goes to the main leads, Min and Toptap, who have insane chemistry. A lot of times their emotions were vividly expressed through their eyes alone, and many scenes had me either squealing over their unexpectedly romantic moments or emotionally wrecked by their heart wrenching backstories.

Not a single scene felt overacted or cheesy, which I normally see a lot of in BL series, especially when it comes to NC scenes. Often times I was laughing out loud, and other times I'm trying not to cry. The production team and Min did a fantastic job portraying Sun as both a badass who could easily punch someone's lights out, but yet loyal and endearing in a way that will make you feel genuinely moved and want to root for him. Needless to say, this series is a must watch!

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Good with spots of mid

Payback has an interesting premise that is well carried by the principle character/actor of Sun but is honestly hindered by the romance in it.

I know it's technically integral to the plot of the show but the romance absolutely drags. Jay's actor is bad. His acting reads like caricature and he lacks the nuances to his facial expressions the character needs to pull off someone who is mysterious and powerful. His flat performance kills any chemistry between Jay and Sun which in turn makes the romance seem like a waste of screen time. Also a lot of the scene's that are supposed to be the build up of the romance / physical do play out or at least are directed kind of sexual assault-ish so please be warned if that is a triggering topic for you.

Aside from that, the show has a tonal issue. There is not enough balance to where they make things light and silly and where they make things heavy because the main plot of the story is extremely heavy. Having funny moments isn't bad but having so many every episode kills the message that you treat the topics with the wight they deserve.

On a positive note, the acting for most of the other characters is really good. Khajorn and Sky have great personal chemistry with Sun and pull their weight in all of their scenes, Bank/Sunny is played by an actor I know is phenomenal and he does not let down in this role either. I honest to gods do not like any other show Boss is in but his role as Pakin is played so naturally I might give more of his work a try.

Sun is the center of the show and the actor does great justice. You can see a subtle evaluation of his character grow in how he treats others and how he treats and expresses himself. He makes you really feel the grief and desperation of Sun and you want to root for him, even when you know he has done wrong in the past. Min, the actor, has very expressive eyes which they comment on in the show and I think is what made casting him the right choice.

The plot is also interesting. Both a revenge story and a tale of how to heal when you don't believe you have the right to. A minor commentary on the entertainment industry with not particularly subtle messages but good messages none-the-less about what it means to want to live. Combined with it being well shot, I really enjoy the show despite the flaws and am excited to see how it ends. With Sammon as a writer I have high expectations.

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