Chimon Nanon Ohm
Thailand
Hormones had a boys' love (BL) side story but the first popular Thai drama series with BL as main story was actually Love Sick (2014). I love Love Sick! I don't think it's entirely fair to assess Love Sick based on current artistic and social standards since Thai BL series in general have improved a lot the last couple of years. Love Sick should be appreciated because it's a forerunner in the history of Thai BL series. It's not simply an imitation of Japanese BL series but an improvement of the traditional Thai lakorns. It also blurs the heteronormativity found in most Japanese BL series and traditional Thai lakorns. When Love Sick came out, it was actually revolutionary. No one was producing Thai BL series then compared to now when it's almost like a dime in a dozen. I remember during that time, the conservative sectors of Thai society even made a big fuzz about this Thai BL series (the same way they criticised Hormones). Some were even calling for the boycott or banning of Love Sick. Luckily, Thai BL series are more accepted now not only in Thailand but also in other parts of Southeast Asia, hence its current popularity in the region.
In terms of plot/storyline, Love Sick is very simple and yet very charming. It's about school boys falling in love with fellow school boys and how they navigated not only their school lives but especially their homoerotic and romantic relationships. Of course, aside from their homoerotic and romantic relationships, boys have other problems that could have been given more focus in Love Sick but let's understand that this is the first popular Thai BL series; everything's new, so let's give it a pass. The script was more natural and realistic compared to traditional Thai lakorns although there were a few times when the dialogue did not really make sense. Acting was generally ok if we take into consideration the fact that most, if not all, the cast members were newbies. The portrayals of Noh, Phun, Earn, and even Pete were actually cute. The chemistry between Noh and Phun was good. Noh was particularly endearing. Editing was awful especially of the first two or three episodes but it did improve in the succeeding episodes. With most probably a very low budget, not much can be expected in terms of production value. But Boy Sompob's official soundtrack (OST) "Shake" for Love Sick can be considered as a template for Thai BL series OSTs. No one does it better than Boy Sompob in bringing sensitive and touching emotions to Thai BL series OSTs.
Overall, I would recommend to watch and rewatch Love Sick. It's always good to look back and learn from the history of Thai BL series and see how far the genre has improved and still needs to improve.
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It followed the sexual relationships of everyday gay men living in Bangkok in the context of their careers, leisure activities, and family lives. As an advocacy series for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection education and prevention, Gay OK Bangkok also effectively tackled the sexual health of gay men. The plot/storyline was not convoluted at all. It was very easy to follow. The script was serious but simple enough to represent everyday gay men speak. While the series could have benefited from better character background and development, the acting of the main casts was really good. I can’t decide which portrayals I like more: Aof and Bing or Arm and Nat? And I love Pom and Sathang too! In terms of editing, Gay OK Bangkok was a bit slow paced for my liking. Overall production value including musical score was just ok.
On the whole, if you’re into more mature Thai BL series and Thai gay series, I would recommend to watch and rewatch Gay OK Bangkok because it’s more than ok.
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The plot/storyline continued from where the first season left off. We got to know more of Phun and Noh and their friends. While there were still some plot holes, Love Sick 2 had more depth than Love Sick. I particularly liked that the "seme-uke" (top-bottom) type of homoerotic and romantic relationships in Japanese boys' love (BL) series continued to be blurred in the second season. The treatment of homoerotic and romantic relationships were still nuanced and tasteful. The script was more mature and yet it did not sacrifice the cute and humorous dialogues. Acting and chemistry between characters were also better. The enhanced portrayal of Phun was worth noting. There were more dramatic scenes in Love Sick 2. Editing improved but there were still some unnecessary scenes. With upgraded budget, production value had definitely progressed from the first season. Musical score and official soundtracks (OSTs) were still generally on point. "Ruk Mai Mee Ngeuan Kai" (Unconditional Love) by Nat Sakdatorn and Tol Vonthongchai was particularly good.
Overall, if you liked the first season, you would love the second season. I would recommend to watch and rewatch Love Sick 2.
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Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey’s plot/storyline revolves around heart-warming friendships and young loves of the main characters with the issue of caring for stray dogs and cats as backdrop. Porsche and Pick wanted to "help animals that cannot help themselves." Sure, animal rights could have been tackled but looking at animal welfare was enough for a sweet romantic story like this. In six episodes, the script was able to communicate the main messages of the story. Though except for Emma, there was not much character background and development. The main cast were all newbies and this sometimes showed in their acting, but still, the chemistry of the two couples, Emma and Porsche and Pick and Rome, was promising. Both couples were cute together. And of course, the cats and dogs were endearing as well! In terms of editing, Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey was ok. Overall production value including musical score was also ok. Even Porsche’s dog costume was lovable.
On the whole, if you like simple and sweet stories and/or you want to know where the Off-Gun BL ship started, I would recommend to watch and rewatch Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey.
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