Odessa Jones
American living in South Korea
As a long-time reader of BL stories, and a long-time watcher of K-dramas, it was natural I would eventually discover Thai BL dramas. But this one, the first I watched, blew me away. None of the others I've seen since live up to it. (Though I do give Love Sick credit for coming closest.)
A few things distinguish it:
1. A plot focused almost entirely on gay romance. Most of the side-plots are also connected to the topic of gay romance. The straight romance side
plot about Korn's sister is the only slow bit but luckily the show doesn't spend too much time on it.
2. The extremely hot chemistry between the lead actors--who are themselves, it should be mentioned, extremely hot.
3. Another reviewer mentioned this, but it bears repeating: this series doesn't mess around with the BL cliche of "I'm not gay, I just love you." Though this series doesn't spend any time parsing identities, there are some characters who it appears would describe themselves comfortably as gay and bisexual. This feels like a step into the twenty-first century. It also makes it easier to believe that these guys will stay together.
4. No messing around with BL cliches about semes and ukes. There are too many of these cliches to list, but the important thing is that Korn and Knock take turns pursuing and being pursued, acting tough and acting needy. And the guy on bottom wasn't necessarily who I expected.
5. The absurdity of the plot with the scheming girlfriend is balanced by the emotional weight that the guys bring to these roles. They really give a convincing impersonation of people falling in love. People discovering a connection that goes deeper than just really, really hot sex.
6. Yihwa is an awesome character as the female friend who ships these two and wants them to get together. She stands in for every BL fangirl ever.
7. I love Lazy Subber's subtitles for this show so much that I've sent her fan mail. How else would I learn about the dirty sexual implications of the Thai word for smoking a cigarette?
8. Also unusual--but in a scary way--is the subplot about Farm. This story was a nod to the dangerous side of a sexual coming of age story, but the resolution was rushed. I badly want another season so we can see Farm get over his trauma and find a nice guy.
Conclusion: A show I will never forget. Also an accessible, cliche-free gateway to Asian boys' love narratives for newbies from other cultures.
A few things distinguish it:
1. A plot focused almost entirely on gay romance. Most of the side-plots are also connected to the topic of gay romance. The straight romance side
plot about Korn's sister is the only slow bit but luckily the show doesn't spend too much time on it.
2. The extremely hot chemistry between the lead actors--who are themselves, it should be mentioned, extremely hot.
3. Another reviewer mentioned this, but it bears repeating: this series doesn't mess around with the BL cliche of "I'm not gay, I just love you." Though this series doesn't spend any time parsing identities, there are some characters who it appears would describe themselves comfortably as gay and bisexual. This feels like a step into the twenty-first century. It also makes it easier to believe that these guys will stay together.
4. No messing around with BL cliches about semes and ukes. There are too many of these cliches to list, but the important thing is that Korn and Knock take turns pursuing and being pursued, acting tough and acting needy. And the guy on bottom wasn't necessarily who I expected.
5. The absurdity of the plot with the scheming girlfriend is balanced by the emotional weight that the guys bring to these roles. They really give a convincing impersonation of people falling in love. People discovering a connection that goes deeper than just really, really hot sex.
6. Yihwa is an awesome character as the female friend who ships these two and wants them to get together. She stands in for every BL fangirl ever.
7. I love Lazy Subber's subtitles for this show so much that I've sent her fan mail. How else would I learn about the dirty sexual implications of the Thai word for smoking a cigarette?
8. Also unusual--but in a scary way--is the subplot about Farm. This story was a nod to the dangerous side of a sexual coming of age story, but the resolution was rushed. I badly want another season so we can see Farm get over his trauma and find a nice guy.
Conclusion: A show I will never forget. Also an accessible, cliche-free gateway to Asian boys' love narratives for newbies from other cultures.
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