Lovely Writer (2021)

VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.....did not see this coming from miles !

After months of escaping all the possible spoilers, I finally finished Lovely Writer. And you know what.....not bad at all!! This was a pretty decent....dare I say a quality show. I started watching this show without any expectations or read reviews or gauged the public reaction (which I usually do because time is of essence)……I simply dived into it. The end result was me decently satisfied with this new Thai BL drama. Without anymore ranting let me start with what I appreciated about the show.


1) OUT OF THE BOX SETUP: The real star of this show has to be the story. To be honest, there is no complicated plot or a genuine plot to begin with. However, the setup is unique from BL standpoint. As ironical as it may seem, the fact that a BL series is made on the world behind the production of a BL series definitely captured the audience’s attention. Apart from addressing our curiosity to know what goes in the making (even though most of the developments were predictable) of a “hit bl show”, the inter cast dynamics, PR gimmicks, fan pleasing, product placements, real story v/s eye grabbing scenes narrative, capitalizing gender/sexual identities etc was partially if not completely touched upon. Due to the light tone of the show, the makers did not dig too deep vis-à-vis these issues. But the fact that they are acknowledging, rather almost parodying (to some extent) these realities was refreshing to watch. For this fact alone, I would want to congratulate the author of the book and the makers who decided to tell this story. There is no moral of the story in the end with regard to these industry practices nor do they start a conversation about reforming this industry. Nevertheless, their decision to give a peak into this world is a start for future BL stories to be more progressive, inclusive and reformed.

2) UPSCALE PRODUCTION: Now we all know that Thai BLs get good financial backing. Because they are widely watched in Thailand and around the world, big channel executives and companies do not shy from spending extra on them and earn millions in profit. So of course, Lovely Writer had scenic scenes, houses we all wished we lived in and clothes we all wished to have in our wardrobe. But according to me, the budget was particularly well spent on the cinematography. I seldom come across Thai BLs with this level of refined camerawork. So many scenes were angled beautifully with the perfect lighting. These creative decisions added more layers to the story and the characters.

3) THE MAIN COUPLE: This couple took time to grown on me, but boy was I glad. The first few episodes did not give any butterflies in my stomach, neither was I swooning. It was only from the mid episodes when the story started revealing itself, did I see their charm. Gene and Nubsib aren’t like Tharn-Type level steamy or passionate; they aren’t like Korn-Knock type long time best friends who radiate same energy and; they aren’t like Konpob-Arthit like senior-junior who slowly initiate their relationship. They are a mix of all these iconic Thai BL couples and much more. On the surface, they are extremely opposite to each other but in essence they were very similar. Gene is calm, collected yet nervous and at times under confident. Nubsib is confident, charismatic yet lonely and detached from the world. Together they were the perfect harmonious couple one could wish for. Gene brought out the best in Nubsib, whereas Nubsib gave Gene the environment where he felt accepted. This show is about them and seeing their journey. Just like colorful shards of glasses forming beautiful patterns in a kaleidoscope, their ups-downs, joyous interactions and individual personality traits molded the best moments of the show. Up Poompat portrayed the character of Gene very well. I was surprised to see his acting, especially in the scenes where he had to cry or be an emotional mess. I think the casting director did a great job, as he has tons of potential. Kao as Nubsib looked almost destined to play this character. Visually, he fit the character like a glove. Though I feel he needs to improve his acting skills, but all in all he did put great efforts in his first role as the main lead.

Areas where the show could’ve improved:

1) COMICAL MUSIC: I did not like the music. I felt it was too cheesy and almost cartoony, especially when a back track was used when the leads were about to kiss or they had a sweet moment. Listening to someone singing “I wanna kiss” in the background when the leads are about to do that killed the moment for me…so many times. Eventually I had no choice but to accept this and get over it.

2) BELOW AVERAGE SECONDARY CHARACTERS: This has been an issue with Thai BLs for a long time but because the cast was more expansive in this one, some characters managed to irk me. I found Aey as a character very frustrating. I understand that his job was to bring more salt to an otherwise sweet story, but he seemed like a half cooked character. The character sketch was dodgy and his portrayal by Bruce was unfortunately not up to the mark (according to me). He needs more training and workshop coaching, especially for scenes that demand him to cry or show vulnerability. Characters like Tum and Tiffy were sometimes sweet and sometimes boring. The actors were okay, but Ken who portrayed Tum also needs more acting workshops. I personally feel the amount of work and dedication the makers put in improving the acting of leads, they do not do that for the other cast members. Unfortunately, acting is one job where you can’t hide. One might not have the taste or knowledge of identifying great acting but public can definitely recognize bad acting.


Lovely Writer brings an obvious yet not so obvious story onscreen. It’s an interesting blend between reality of the industry and a fictional mushy tale. For BL lovers this is a must watch. This show is all about enjoying the story, witnessing some truths yet indulging in the addicting world of BL. Pleasantly surprised !

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