BL Drama Lovers Club

 MeNotYou:

Omg the product placement freaking kills me and so often it's done so awkwardly that it pulls you right out of the story. Annoying AF, not gonna lie. It's probably one of the reasons I liked 'The Sign' so much... cuz there wasn't any! LOL!

I don't think I'd mid it so much if it wasn't so obvious. Like a commercial within the show. They do it so often now that it's just funny. especially when they do the drinks and the actors hold the drink so awkwardly. Kills me every time. 

 GelfyFaeth222:

OK I actually had to go back to the end of 4 to see if I have skipped the episode LOL we're are jumping into a sub teacher. Mmmok

LMAO! I did the exact same thing. I was like wait, did I miss an epi? *head scratch*

 GelfyFaeth222:

Why do I feel like I know this actor?  ok this is the 2nd time I've stopped this show and its been 1 minute LOL

I thought the same. I think it's cuz he looks very similar to the Thai teacher that has been in quite a few BL shows, most recently being 'My Love Mix-Up' and 'We Are', Na Thanaboon Wanlopsirinun. Don't go by his MDL photo tho, cuz I almost didn't recognize him from it...lol.

 GelfyFaeth222:

Ok it's an exam. My subs said competition so I was expecting something public on stage

Me too! 

 GelfyFaeth222:

Today's wisdom ~ Often our failures are not failures. They're detours to somewhere better. 

Love this. It reminds me of those quotes "When one door closes, another one opens." and/or "When God closes a door, He opens a window." I think there's also one that says something about every time you fail or something goes wrong for you, it's because God has better plans for you, or something like that.

 GelfyFaeth222:

Wangsnack? What does that mean he changed his thread and name? Did he unfriend him? LOL 

I think it's referring to his photo being changed to just black.

 GelfyFaeth222:

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards"

Another really awesom quote!

 DramaNomNom:

Finally get to see Ep 11 of I hear sunspot. 

I freaking love this show too!

 RXinw:

Has anyone claimed Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon because I am claiming him RIGHT DAMN NOW!!!!

Don't think so? And Joong.... drool worthy as always. Thank you kindly to your donation to my saliva... and other glands. *curtsy*

 GelfyFaeth222:

Everything has it's audience but, where is the line in the sand? I will be interested  to see. 

Very good point. It's like that whole fan service thing that makes most international fans cringe because of the intensity level and the downright open refusal that an onscreen CP is not one in real life and the absolute hatred that is given when it's proved otherwise.

 DramaNomNom:

Does anyone know if there will be a season 2?

One can only hope. I think it would be easy to create one because of how the story is going too. *fingers crossed*

 American Fan:

Yeah, I started it but I'm not thrilled about it. I don't feel like reliving covid era. Too many bad memories and losses that affected me personally. It's prob a no-go for me. :-(

I didn't enjoy it that's for sure, and it was an immediate and major turn off for me (strike one) as well as all the trying to figure out who is who and part of which friend group, and who likes who and is going to be a side CP in the show (strike two). When too many characters and/or possible side CPs are introduced, I start feeling like IDGAF about any of them and all it does for me is make the story more complicated than enjoyable. I'm going to give it at least one more epi, maybe two if they're lucky, to see if they can turn my opinion around despite it. But yeah so far it's the first BL I might drop immediately or at the very least, put on hold for a much, much, later date.

 Jadeheart:

many of you are in the *craving new content* state, because you have seen it all already from the last several years, so you're having a different experience than I am overall right now.

Same, tho I'm definitely getting there fast.

 RXinw:

I am now off to watch Happy of The End.

Let me know how that goes cuz I haven't started it yet.

 axdxex:

How big of a mistake will I be making if I watch Tonhon Chonlatee? lmao

I've heard the most cringe and unhinged things about this show for a long time, and the curiosity is getting to me!

I really liked that one. It sure put Khao in a different light after first seeing him in his more recent stuff...lol. There's also some very nice eye candy moments. I'd say go for it!

 Casper:

It won’t let me quote a long post, I hope I can tag, @MeNotYou asked how I was looking Love Sea…

i finished it sometime yesterday and here’s what I thought 

Overall: so, already  I went into it with low expectations because I’d heard/been told a lot of people were dropping it. Because of that, I think i enjoyed it more than I would have if I had gone in with high hopes. There were several moments that I thought were funny that I had to rewind to watch again, like when Rak ordered Muk to get Mut underwear. I did skip around a lot, and I got annoyed when Mut was meeting with the dad while Meena was with him. I was yelling at my screen “get that child out of there!” (^_^;) I thought the mature scenes were done well, and I didn’t hate Rak chasing after Mut in the end. So, didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I doubt I’d watch the whole thing again, but I would definitely rewatch certain episodes or moments

The whole just @ tags don't work for me either, so I usually pick a sentence to highlight and quote from them to reply to. I felt the same way as you about it. I watched it in real time so I didn't have the advantage of hearing how peeps felt about it, but yeah I didn't see a lot of actor/character growth between LITA and it and it kinda felt like the same story just told slightly differently, so while the NC scenes were great as to be expected of them, I was kinda disappointed over all. But like you, there were a lot of good rewatchable scenes/moments, so not a total write off for me and sometimes, I find when I can binge a show, I sometimes end up liking it more than when I watched it epi by epi. You can miss or forget so many little things/subtle nuances/underlying msgs or undertones etc. in that week long wait that can often make a epi look and feel different otherwise.

 American Fan:

I've been thinking about the new Gay Marriage Law in Thailand and how that might affect BL drama stories in the future.  Would it change character behaviors, expectations, dialogues, endings...etc.

Me too because so many prior BLs seemed to emphasize not having it in their storylines, so I think it will have a positive impact in ThBLs down the road. Hopefully that translates into better stories and directorial decisions. *fingers crossed*.

 DramaNomNom:

Want to try and watch it this weekend? I'll do my best not to let you down. 

Ok, that works for me if it works for you. It might force me to keep and maintain that only 2-3 epi guideline since the weekend currently holds the most shows I'm watching. *grin* If we add e/o to our friend list, we can dm e/o while we watch in real time. I used to do that with another person. We'd pick a show to watch together and binge it over the course of the weekend since we were two hours apart. It was fun and almost like sitting in the same room together...lol. Also, that allows us to decide where to stop or if we wanna keep going too. Thoughts?

 RXinw:

I am glad my post sparked discussion and opened the floor for opinions.

When I started watching BLs 26 months ago, I ended up watching more Thai BLs just because there were so many of them. This discussion group was just as lively but very biased against Thai BLs. Instead, there were many people who strongly preferred JBLs and KBLs to the point that if you liked Thai BLs, you would not get the support we now have for one another. I'm glad the group has changed for the better.

For many here who want to see our beloved BLs change for the better, I think they are headed in the right direction. For me, I have to remind myself about expectations, that BL's history comes partially from yaoi   (やおい) and Shōnen-ai^[b] (少年愛, lit. "boy love"). Beginning in the 1970s it was used to describe a new genre of shōjo manga (girls' manga) featuring romance between bishōnen (lit. "beautiful boys"), a term for androgynous or effeminate male characters. Keeping this in mind, you can see how many of the BLs produced today have followed the same formula, esp. if they're manga adaptations.

After finishing over 200 BLs, I've already seen positive changes from older (and numerous) BLs to the ones we have gotten in the last few years:

• Although many of us may be enjoying the NC scenes of 4Minutes, the plot and mystery has intrigued me more. I have some guesses and have read similar thoughts, but I can't wait to solve all the mysteries. Crossing my fingers that there will be very few plot holes. I also enjoyed the plot, mystery & fantasy aspects of these shows: My Stand-In,  The Sign. 
• I loved the music in About Youth and My School President.  These were both fairly low-angst, feel-good types of shows that were well-done.
• Love for Love's Sake I found this drama different and compelling.
• For realism, these shows have won me over: 
  • His.  A dramatic show with a child custody battle. Engaging and heartwarming. A hidden gem.
  • I Told Sunset about You (and its sequels) This series is one of the best coming of age LGBTQ+ stories I have seen. Set in Phuket, the scenery is breath-taking. It's well-acted, well-directed, and I loved it. In Teh, we have a character confused about his sexuality as he finds himself attracted to his long-term crush Tan and to Oh-aew, his former best friend with whom he has recently reunited. 
  •  Last Twilight which dealt with disability and transplant.
  • The Eighth Sense and Bed Friend which impressed me with the use of anti-depressant and counseling for dealing with trauma.
  • Moonlight Chicken. It still amazes me that there were only 8 episodes because they were able to pack so much storytelling.

 MeNotYou:

I freaking love this show too!

I'm really enjoying how wholesome it is. 

 DramaNomNom:

I'm really enjoying how wholesome it is. 

Gah! I've now commented on so many shows back to back I can't remember which one we were talking about now. I really have to start putting names in my replies cuz I talk waaaay too much, especially when I'm playing catch up!

 MeNotYou:

The lead singer's vocals are so incredible and unique to me.

Woosung is amazing and so hot too! His voice is a gift.

 RXinw:

Oh, there you are :) I was wondering what happened to my other half (opposites attract) and I see we have another similarity.

Lol. I've been really distracted today. Tried to pay for my groceries with my library card, literally. My mind is involved in my current art project and couldn't even make dinner for myself. It's scary at times to feel so detached from everything.

Opposites unite!! (High 5!)

 DramaNomNom:

lol it happens...we were talking about I hear the sunspot

It's the downside with playing catch up to multiple missed pages of comments in a single go...LOL! 

I love the more unique story of IHTSS and I found it to be a refreshing departure from all the workplace and ordinary/overdone school romance storylines. I mean sure it still sort of takes place in a school, but rather than the focus being on the school and the students per se. It's more about a development that happens to originate there and focuses on the development itself, rather than just the place and regular student life occurrences...if you get what I mean. 

As a woman who used to babysit a partially blind, deaf, and mute 6 yr old little girl when I was just a preteen, it hits a special place in my heart too. Remembering all the learning of ASL, the fingerspelling when I didn't know or couldn't remember how  to say a specific word, and just the whole learning to communicate with someone in a different way...gave me the feels big time. Who knows, maybe it's part of the reason why I'm so good with non-verbal cues and pretty good at reading a room in minutes today...lol. It's also probably why I have a soft spot for the new KPop group, Big Ocean, which consists of three hard of hearing members who incorporate KSL into their dance routines and "MV".