I am curious about remake of Cherry Magic - a tall order in terms of casting of characters Kurosawa and Adachi.Cherry magic worked so well because of Keita Machida and Akaso Eiji.Lets see how Thais do it .The rest seem ok from trailers but trailers lie more than half of the time so we can only wait and watch.The surprise good Bls for me this week turned out to be Ghost host,Why you y me.They are much better than the popular duds like Unforgotten night.
Not a big fan of Ghost Host but have been enjoying Why You Y Me as well, also a surprise. The thing I do not like about that series is the girl, there is something off about her for me, the more I watch the more I do not like her.
@@samtab2364 The one with specs? I think her character is made slightly suspicious on purpose... Maybe there will be a story reveal at the end about her?
Unforgotten Night is so bad that it's become iconic. It had it all: drugged tigers, conspicuous product placement, running faucets, shoes on the bed, BDSM that was fluffier than cotton and bodyguard threesomes. I have serious doubts about Cherry Magic.
@@j_scott so well put J Scott 😃 but if Thais make a poor remake of Cherry magic it will be ranted upon by fans of Cherry magic and then forgotten.I think right now Thai Bl drama industry thinks they are the pioneers in churning out Bls quickly so cashing on Cherry magic was expected.
@@j_scott I resisted the urge to catalog the litany of concerns I have with this remake of Cherry Magic, chiefly because I think they all fall under the umbrella Mr Critic mentioned: somethings should never be remade. If the attempt must be tried, I'm OK with the casting. But I despair that GMMTV's assembly line approach to BL can render the custom, one-off flavor of a Japanese BL.
“ … and an ass shot of Neo” whoa … what a frank wording !😎 “Last Twilight” is my most anticipated one. Actually, when it comes to Thai BL’s titles. I’ve often found English titles of them preferable. Many English titles sound more beautiful & comprehensive. For example : “I Feel You Linger In The Air”☘️✨🌸 Besides, the title of “Last Twilight In Phuket” a side story of ITSAY has undeniably clouded over this GMMTV’s BL. Therefore its Thai title which means *”I’ll Never Forget Your Visual”* is more profound & impactful. It moves me to tears😢 to think that one male lead, even though he’s got the other one to stay by his side for the rest of his life, will only have very few of his boyfriend’s images to cherish in his fond memory. I have no skepticism for Sea’s acting ability. The scene in Vice Versa’s finale that he’s back to his own self staring at his mom for the 1st time in 2 years, breaking down in silence, tears rolling down his cheeks … kicked away my worries. He’ll handle the role so very well. And truthfully speaking : because his character is harder than Jimmy’s. Knowing it was given to this gifted actor, I grinned.😏 The topic I’d talked to my friends lately happened to be how P’Aof was praiseworthy. Every series he’d directed so far, he discussed with scriptwriters & always had the plots adapted until they’re most suitable no matter how different from the original ones. Like what you said whatever we saw in the trailer could be pretty much adaptive when the process is finalized. Let’s trust in the team.🤟🏻
I also think Sea is a much better actor.. and finally he is getting a really good director... and I agree with you on Back Aof.. he is among the very few gmmtv director ( along with Patha O) who really know script is the backbone and always casts the actors suitable for the roles. He did cast Ohm in He's coming to me even though there were a lot of gmmtv actors ( then Ohm was with CopyAbangkok) and similarly, Mix also, who later signed to Gmmtv after he was selected for 1000 stars.
Bad buddy still had some really clunky episodes, especially at start, badly staged fights and a wooden performance by Jimmy. Subverted tropes and a masterful performance by Ohm-Nanon really made the series special. Jimmy improved in Vice Versa- so let’s see. P Apf got a good performance from Earth in 1000 Stars- so this can be done! Su Su Na!
On Cherry Magic 1. I was shocked they announced it if legal issues about copyright still exist. If the haggling is over the amount of a rights fee, they just gave a ton of leverage to the other side. Foolish. 2. "Comparisons will be made..."/"...should never be remade." Reviews for the 2022 film on MDL are mostly savage. Is it because the film is bad? No, it's because the film didn't make viewers feel exactly what they felt when they watched the 2020 series the first time. That's no fault of the film, folks. That's the fault of viewers for expecting a 90 minute story to deliver the emotional punch, character screen time, and romantic tension as a 12 hour story that took three months to build its magic. CM2020 is nearly universally acclaimed as one of the best realized BL serial television productions to have been made. If CM2023 falls short in any category, people will hate on it. That is why Mr Critic declared certain beloved projects should not be remade. Trying to live up to something already recognized as the gold standard is an impossible task. It just invites negative comparisons. 3. TayNew: Both actors will be over 30 by the time this series airs. No one should question whether they are old enough for these roles. When DBK filmed 3-4 years ago, they were in their late 20s but still were playing college students. Our perception of them is mostly frozen at that point. They will need to overcome that audience tendency to see them as younger than they are. But from among GMMTV's stable of BL actors, only Off (who is equally "ancient" in real life) could possibly take on this series and approach believability. I do think if GMMTv is brave/foolish/rash enough to attempt a remake of a beloved BL series, casting "pillars of BL" was a safe, reasonably smart choice. *Then again, now the remake will compete against not only the memories of the original Kuorodachi but also the ghost of Pete-Kao* . Maybe they should have gone with unknowns, or at least unknown-to-BL-fans? Gonna ponder that some more. 4. Before I realized no teaser had been released, I grew impatient and searched "Cherry Magic" on RUclips. Of course, no teaser was to be found. But do you know what that search did find? A treasure the algorithm had not seen fit to reveal to me before Tuesday: the 2022 movie sequel to the series, in its entirety. I immediately abandoned the day's existing plans and watched it straight through. Then, I wrote my own MDL review because only a few of the existing ones fairly assessed it. (As ever, I appreciate likes on my reviews if Dear Readers want to hunt it down over there.) Here are some spoiler free highlights of my reaction. A) it's paced like a movie. It goes fast. Don't expect side characters or the office setting to have the same prominence because there's no time for that. Wouldnt work if it were a series. But it's not. And that's fine for a movie. B) this is a sequel. You know the old saying, "the sequel is never as good as the original"? If the original routinely ranks among "best of all time" at its genre, that cliche is likely to hold true. But the film does do what sequels are supposed to do: show what happened with the characters after the first story ended. Mission accomplished. It's a fine sequel to a brilliant original. C) As with the series, kurodachi chemistry anchors the whole thing. That still works, folks! I was smiling the big, happy smiles at the end. D) CM2020 had almost no LGBT subtext to it. It was "pure" BL in the sense that sometimes Bl depicts same-sex romance and avoids real world LGBTQ issues. Because the film focuses on a couple that already coupled--whereas typical Bl series concern themselves with couples becoming acquainted--it depicts issues established couples confront that courting couples do not. For that reason, I deem the film counts as both LGBT genre and Bl genre. That made me happy.
What? The movie is out? I waited patiently for it then I gave up on it. It's been a year since it's release. I love those two so much that I don't even care if the movie 'delivered'. Those two are going to be adorable in the Cherry magic framework.
I’m not sure if I’m wrong or not but I feel as tho they film a lot of these trailers before they actually fully film the actual show for some of these. I’ve noticed a lot of differences in scenes and how they look in past shows that make it obvious it wasnt filmed at the same time so it gives me some hope that these shows will be better than these teasers make them seem because maybe they filmed them quickly to get the general idea out there to promote it
My understanding aligns with yours: typically, the teaser trailer is filmed prior to pre-production being completed, especially for series slated late the following year. (One presumes that any series slated for a January debut is, by contrast, near to wrapping production.) But I don't share your optimism about finished series exceeding their trailer. It's easy to make a 2 minute trailer look interesting. Much harder to be interesting across 12 hours of episodic TV. Last year, Enchanté topped my GMMTV enthusiasm rankings. And that one....did not turn out well.
Actually these teasers are more directed towards sponsors... hence they do an unofficial teaser even before pre production. The popularity of the teaser depends upon the future project. For a company like gmmtv it is not a problem as they have signed contracts on wholesale with Oishi green tea, or Est Cola or Toyota or Nissan, hence, they kinda sponsor almost everything.. still Gmmtv has also dropped a couple of projects every year. Even series like Big Dragon or Unforgotten Night were able to secure considerable funding as the unofficial teaser had millions of views.
On Cooking Crush "the teaser kind of seemed nothing new to me..." The same quality that sowed trepidation and doubt for Mr Critic helped establish Cooking Crush as the series I am most optimistic will deliver what I look for in a BL: a strong romantic story, good couple chemistry, and some emotional feels. That result surprised me since unlike most of BL Fandom, I've never understood the enduring appeal of Gun and The Other Guy. But even I must grant they inhabit those avatars with aplomb--in my mind that makes this series a surer bet than every other teaser presented this week. .
With Off/Gun you're getting a known commodity. Their fans are loyal and they'll show up to watch pretty much anything. GMMTV is gonna ride that horse til she drops.
@@j_scott I loved your "reheated frozen pizza" analogy from a different thread. Of course, some frozen pizza offers decent flavor. And reheating...well, if the appetite is there, that, too can hit the spot. My prognosis is really this: Cooking Crush will offer us nothing innovative or new, but it will execute the story suggested here, and there's no reason to doubt the actors. It'll get a 7.5 or an 8 from me probably. Not that I am prejudging. Lol
hehe the storyline may be different and it will be executed nicely by the actors.. eps Gun and Neo both are really good actors.. the thing I found repetitive is the characterization of Off Gun and Gun's expression..it is really difficult for the makers.. lol.. when we asked for something different they gave us Gun fighting 3-4 trained SWAT team members which seemed unbelievable and when they gave us a believable Gun as a Chef.. we find the story 'nothing new'... 😂
I just watched a 3 min. trailer for Cooking Crush and feel there's reason for optimism. A softening of my attitude. "The Other Guy", for whatever reason, has some appeal for me. He is sort of devilish. I never will understand the appeal of Gun although admittedly he is a good actor. Fluke and Gun to me are talented but rather homely tomboys. Oh well, if I am getting mean in my honesty then it's time for bed.
QUESTION: I was watching a RUclips short and it listed about 10 BL actors degrees. Is there a class distinction in the BL actors world or is going to university in Thailand standard and or affordable?
I don't think there is a class distinction in BL actors world.. acting has always been one field where one's degrees don't matter. About Universities, they are pretty affordable for Thais. There are different university systems.. so the price differs, still the government wants everybody to get an education and there are loans etc too.
Here for OffGun, OhmNanon and FirstKhao.I would like to watch Cherry magic, cuz of its plot, but the Kurosawa and Adachi cannot be beat😍🤩. I will get a try for Jimmy and Sea, cuz I was little bit disappointed with Vice Versa...
I got down to watch all teasers you mentioned on gmmtv. Perth is in one of them.Force - Book seem to be in 2 series teasers. I will look forward to those. I want to see more of Force - he is quite good looking.
I’m honestly more excited about the non-BL series (23.5, The Jungle, Midnight Museum, Wednesday Club, Enigma) than the BLs. The 2023 BL line-up feels almost a little like GMMTV is phoning it in a bit. I’m particularly reticent about Cooking Crush and Hidden Agenda. They put two of their most popular pairings and plopped them into the two most generic stories of all the series for the year. Perhaps they are hoping those actors will do something exceptional to wow us all and salvage the world’s most vanilla plot lines. But who knows. As you said, these are just the initial teasers. Several of these series might turn out better than they seem on first spec. Maybe Cooking Crush is the next Bad Buddy. 🫠🤡 I’m also curious about Last Twilight. It definitely has potential. But am I the only noticing the striking similarity to the Vietnamese series Want To See You. I trust Backaof to bring out the best in Jimmy/Sea and make an excellent drama. I’m just wondering if this is also a remake.
Just watched the official trailer for Never Let Me Go. It may have moved into the number one position of BLs for me to get excited about. Let's go Pond Phuwin!
Completely agree on not remaking Gaya, Cherry M, Semantic E… I would add ITSAY, 1000 Stars and Bad Buddy- Not just the acting but the team of director and production crew that was on the project were doing top level work Whereas Nitiman and Unforgettable Night could be made with new actors, team and screenplay- Almost guaranteed to be an improvement:)
Personally, The Cupid Coach is the failed series that I'd like to see remade. The fantasy premise had potential. A better script, and that idea could work.
Personally... I think I'd have remade You're My Sky and Our Days better. I'd still keep the cinematographer and most of the actors.. but would totally re-edit the screenplay.
Hello Sir BLC! Long time no___! I am with you, and some other commenters, about the difference often between these teasers and the series we may see. Although I don't think it's so unusual in the business to put out some teasing images, it is when the story doesn't seem to match up with what we've been expecting that there may be an issue. Interesting idea having a BL "greatest hits" with Our Skyy. Generally I am opposed to things being "remade" but I am a patient man. Thank you.
@@blcritic Hello back! I've been meaning to ask you the same thing! Are things even more settled (I hope) and better dealing with the economy, etc.? I am just busy with odds and ends. I try not to get swept up in holiday mania that takes over the US. Pleased to start my morning with coffee and your question!
100 BL series due to be aired in 2023?! where did you get that number? That is insane. From all over the world? I am sorry the Cherry Magic remake casting looks wrong to me. the guy who played Adachi looked believably awkward and cute. If they had got the guy from Why RU who was supposed to be in Middleman's Love before he dropped out from playing Jade I would believe him to be this awkward 30 year old. Only Friends looks messy and I am very interested. I like the fact that all characters are gay from the get go, and I love the fact that certain characters who usually play nice characters are playing Asshole F*Bois.
100 Bls from Thailand itself.. though I carried forward a lot pending ones form 2022 also.. BL is the new gold and almost every production house wanna try their hand on it.
@@blcritic Just from Thailand? WOW. It really is a goldmine. And to think English speaking territories only produce a bare handful of LGBT+ dramas and get such praise for it meanwhile Thailand, South Korea, Philipens, Taiwan, Japan and other Asian countries are churning them out year on year faster than most BL fans can keep up.
@@civivva4501 As you note, English-speaking countries produce LGBTQ series, not BL. Such material is more likely than BL to focus on adults, to feature lesbians, to de-emphasize first love, to depict out gay people who accept themselves, and to address real world issues queer people face just for being queer. Asian BL has a different wheelhouse. A BL can excel while doing none of those things. Even Heartstopper, which checks nearly every box that characterizes a BL series, adopts as leading themes coming out, self-acceptance, and homophobia. That makes its genre LGBTQ. (Or, maybe, a hybrid.) Even more relevant, it's common to find an LGBTQ character or storyline incorporated into any show. In other words, western series routinely integrate gay storylines into series aimed at general audiences. BL basically segregates same-sex romance into a niche genre that's not always taken seriously by the dominant culture. BL fans may embrace these series, but they are still widely perceived as Other in those cultures. So, while your point that the sheer number of Asian BL series dwarfs the number of English TV series primarily built around same-sex relationships may be true, the type and quality of representation offered varies greatly. BL fans who just want to see cute boys kiss may rejoice at the volume of series; however, most actual queer people will want that kissing set into a story structure grounded in some form reconizable to their own experience. "Churning out" also speaks nothing of quality, except insofar as that expression connotes "poorly made." (See, Phillipines 2020 BL compared to Phillipines 2021 BL. Off the deserved success, of Gameboys and GSP in 2020, Pinoy production houses started cranking them out in 2021. So....name me a Filipino BL series from '21 or '22 that improves on those two 2020 series?) In short, more stories does not equate to better stories. This reply is not an argument that the western way is better or that Asian BLs lack social or entertainment value. When they're well done, Asian BLs constitute a valuable addition to the totality of queer representation in media. Some of them do that better than western media, in fact. But just counting the number of projects, as your comment seems to do, is not a sound basis for comparing queer representation in Asian and western filmed media.
@@johnmaster3748 John, you weren't "man 'splaining" you were "Ron 'splaining" and gave me food for thought. The contrast you made between Western and Asian creations was very interesting. These subjects can be right under our nose but we are not always thinking on them. I was surprised at the big to-do over OffGun dancing under a rainbow flag in Not Me until I really thought about it. (I didn't intend on a post that made me appear so slow-witted...ha ha)
@@ronhilton9614 I still maintain that scene from Not Me is important simply because it exists, not because of its relevance (or not) for the series in which it appears.
With new Bl couples in every new series what happens to seniors like Perth, Saint, Tay and Gun? I miss Perth( LBC) - with his brown skin along with Earth he could probably infuse some realistic Thai people representation. Thai actors and the industry seriously needs to stop this blatant 'whitewashing'.Regular thai people are various shades of brown.
Speaking only as a Caucasian, this whole brown skin/ white skin thing seems to be like a caste system that shouldn't still exist. When I see a very light-skinned actor I assume this was a factor in their casting. And I'm not talking about the actors made lighter with heavy make-up, you see that too. It's come up here and there how darker skinned actors end up being thugs, criminals, "undesirables".
@@ronhilton9614 True Asia has this pale skin obsession! What I see in Thai industry is blatant promotion of 'whiteness' pervasive in society just like plastic surgery in S. Korea. I mean not liking yourself the way you were born is being normalized in young people.The kind of self esteem issues of not being loved for being yourself, looking like yourself wanting to do something to your face or your body hoping you will feel ok one day is being disseminated by media at unbelievable pace. Going under the knife for perfection, living with side effects of treatment/ surgeries is not the life you want. Actors make money out of their face/ body so they are somewhat 'compensated' but not you - the regular person on the street feeling so bad, left out. The insecurity regarding looks in the young generation is so visible when I talk to them.
@@zahrabjinu Preach it. I am not a sociologist but I can't understand how low self-esteem or poor body image can have such a widespread effect on culture, race, ethnicity.
Well I also do not get the obsession with pale skin.. but all of Asia are.. I remember my White friend saying 'I hate Snail white!'.. (Snail White is a popular whitening serum for lower middle class.. as it paints the face white.. with some dark ones looking greyish)
Your assessment lines up almost identically with mine. Only Friends has massive potential, if GMMTV will loosen the reins and let the BL horses run wild. I'm cautiously optimistic. Like you, I wonder about Jimmy and Sea being able to pull off such a dramatic story. I love Aof as a director, but I don't know if those two actors can rise to the challenge. I think a different set of actors would have been better. Our Skyy, hopefully, will be a lot of fun. I enjoyed the first one! The rest seem...fine. Typical GMMTV frozen pizza BLs.
And horses run wild when they are whipped! I don't get the whole JimmySea thing. I doubt also that they have what it takes. Sea always looks like he is going to say "Line?" and get help from offscreen. "Frozen pizza BLs"? Bravo!
@@ronhilton9614"Whipped." To appropriate the tag line of a sports broadcaster, the late Dick Enberg, indelibly associated with San Diego sports, "Oh my!"
@@j_scott if Jimmy Sea couldn't change your mind thru 12 episodes of Vice Versa, I'd put my money on the flying monkeys before I put my faith on their ability to elevate Last Twilight the way Ohm Singto, Earth Mix, and Ohm Nanon respectively elevated their Aof-scripted, Aof-directed series.
I think you summed up all shows well. For the most part the shows all seemed kinda meh. I personally think it is a mistake to redo Cherry Magic but it will be nice ro see Tay and New together again. The Off Gun project just seems…odd. Maybe because I enjoyed NotMe so much that I anything after that will be a let down. That all said, curious to see the real trailers and see what kinda buzz they get.
Yes, that one was announced last year in this event. Still waiting for that one and for the new Pond-Phuwin vehicle. Both may drop before 2022 ends, but your post is a good reminder that some of these announced shows may never come to fruition.
@@johnmaster3748 I also look forward to Midnight and am curious. If you like Pond Phuwin, have you watched their bi-monthly romping in Little Big World? Beyond their adorableness, it is a chance to see what they are really like as people (to an extent). I don't really believe they go back to their hotel and go all un-Biblical but I do believe they are really close. If their new series makes us believe maybe they are rolling in the sheets then who am I to stifle creativity?
@@ronhilton9614 I have seen clips of that show. The algorithm keeps putting it in front of me. Sampled 5 mjnutes of ine, once. But I mostly don't partake of the fan service vehicles that exist to sell the ships. I believe if there's a camera on, then they are performing. Even if that performance is a version of the real personality, it's not fully real either. But if watching them interact in (semi-)Real Life enhances your enjoyment of the series, I don't begrudge you that pleasure, nor do i begrudge them the extra paycheck.
The only one who interest me are : -Last Twilight the story look good but we will see. -23.5 can wait to see MilkLove together again and as a lead CP. -OurSky only for EarthMix and OhmNanon (it's just a mini episode so..) -Cherry Magic I hope TayNew will do great because the Japanese version was pretty great and without kiss, so I hope they will not just give us a kiss thinking it will be enough. -for JoongDunk serie It just a combination of different school BL no creativity and Dunk characters annoy me already (love the actors but why this serie) -when I saw OffGun one I was like WTF? It's look really bad and doesn't make any sense, it's look like GMMTV try to do BL just to do BL and doesn't care to make a good story -for Forcebook it look funny and cute why not I hope it will be more well done than the teaser and more interesting, but it's look better than Enchanté. -Dangerous Romance look interesting but also really Toxic And Only Friend or I don't remember the name with ForceBook NeoMark and FirstKhao, I was like WTF, it's look toxic but we will see. I'm not the type of BL fan who say a serie is good just because my ship have kissing scene in a serie, if the story is bad the story is bad. Anyway that's all for me so -Last Twilight -23.5 -Dangerous Romance -Cherry Magic & the special episode of EarthMix and OhmNanon in OurSky2 (maybe ForceBook serie too)
I was in turns excited and disappointed by the GMMTV line up. I am glad to see Khao/First again. I loved their acting and chemistry in The Eclipse. I am glad to see Neo picking up more roles but disappointed that Louis only has one support role. Of course, I will watch pretty much anything Gun is in so that's a given. I think I am most excited for Only Friends and Our Skyy 2. Cherry Magic fills me with trepidation. I am not overly fond of Tay/New as a couple. Cherry Magic is so quintessentially Japanese in my mind that I am not sure I can adjust. The movie is still new so a remake seems a bit soon for me.
I was hoping to see Louis and Neo together in a new series. I'm sure Neo will do fine in a new pairing but I love those two together. I missed what Louis is doing...?
I’m also quite nervous about Cherry Magic. I like Tay as a stand alone actor, but I’ve never been terribly excited about their pairing. And like you said, Cherry Magic is so very Japanese and iconic. I just don’t feel like it’s going to turn out well. Maybe they saw the success of F4 and assumed they do the same with a BL… 😬
@@blcritic I thought surely their pairing in Eclipse would lead to another coupling. The acting, characters and the building of the relationship was perfect. I'm so disappointed and I bet Louis is too.
Am I satisfied? Actually I am. Did I wanted more? Yes I did. But let's be honest: Rihanna will release her new album before GMMTV does something REALLY different (to be clear: Rihanna releasing a new album is something possible, but quite hard to happen for the time being...). I still remember my excitement when they showed The Eclipse and it ended just not like I expected from the unnoficial teaser. Among other examples... Even so, have hopes that they might be doing good series. Most of them will be not more than average or funny to spend some time. But I must say, at this point, not being a complete trainwreck is already a positive trait. I agree with basically all you said, the only thing for me is PerthChimon series that I have very low expectations. I don't know why, just didn't buy the story so deep...
@@andjelabozovic7365 I didn't say anything about FirstKhao, I adore them. And I also know that Perth and Chimon are great actors. It's just the story, I guess. I'm just not that hyped up, it doesn't mean that I think it will be a mess...
@@ronhilton9614 no shade to anyone, I love miss Riri. I joked about it 'cause even she knows it's been quite some time and she knows her fans are waiting. It wasn't meant as an offense, don't take it seriously
@@TheHyuugasama Oh no, no offense should be taken! I just happened to have a Rihanna comment on file in my head and I put it out there. There was nothing personal in any of this I assure you, just a communication lapse.
Critic, John Master, and Dallas, hey guys! 🙋🏻♂️ I just started watching "609 Bedtime Story" with Ohm and Fluke and it took 2 ✌🏻episodes for me to get really interested in it. I like this concept. Ohm has 2 characters: a waking character, who's straight, and a sleeping character, who's Gay. Fluke is waiting for Ohm in this Matrix-esque dreamland only and it even has a magenta tinge to it much like the Matrix's green tinge. There is a mystery going on in Dreamland too. I just wanted to alert y'all to this new BL with OhmFluke this I'm now enjoying.
On Only Friends It's difficult to draw reliable conclusions from a teaser trailer produced before a series films. But this teaser struck me for having an incoherent story. They seem to want to sell skinship. We know BL audiences enjoy skinship. But the recipe for becoming a legendary series isn't the amount of skinship, it's the creation of characters an audience cares about in a story that engages an emotional or intellectual response from viewers. You don't need skinship for that (see, Cherry Magic 2020). But it adds a welcome element when combined successfully (see, Kinn Porsche). I just don't trust GMMTV to get the combination correct.
Only Friends piqued my interest because it's something I never thought I'd see GMMTV try to tackle. A messy, sexed-up, possibly toxic, definitely chaotic story? From THEM?? I have to see it. It's the same director as 3 Will Be Free, so that's my reason for hope, such that it is. Even if it sucks, it won't be another Frozen Pizza BL.
@@j_scott in a different thread, I described the OffGun vehicle as "most likely to deliver what the teaser promised." Thats because the story formula looks familiar and the leads are definitely familiar. I should have credited *Only Friends* for being "series whose teaser incites the most curiosity" and also "series with greatest potential to surpass my first impression." The reasons for that optimism are summed up in your reply. But I'm not counting any chickens on the basis of a titillating teaser. Fingers crossed though.
@@johnmaster3748 Yeah, I learned last year not to pin any real hopes on a GMMTV trailer. Both Vice Versa and The Eclipse had intriguing trailers. VV never lived up to the hype and The E fell apart in the last couple of episodes. I agree that Cooking Crush seems most likely to match up well with the teaser. Essentially, it's Off/Gun playing Off/Gun in Off/Gun's Fun Night. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's reheated pizza.
@@j_scott if you consult the Mr Critic archive for last year's version of this video, you will find me most bullish about Enchanté. Ahem. So, no, I don't trust previews. Teasers that hook me tend to convey a story premise that makes sense.i don't give a hoot about actors cast or skinship promised. This one definitely missed the mark with conveying plot. To me it came across as selling sex. To be fair, the script may not even be done yet; so, there's time to give me what I want--a good story about interesting characters. Active gay sex lives will be a welcome bonus.
@@johnmaster3748 We were all excited about Enchanté. I still feel sad about what could have been. I'm not sure there IS a plot in the Only Friends trailer, just a chaotic mess of sloppy kisses. I suppose I shouldn't pat GMMTV on the head for simply trying something new. There's still plenty of time for them to toss the whole thing into the gutter next to Check Out.
On The Boss and The Babe A series built around a romantic relationship between a CEO and an intern? Gross. CEO-employee stories are a staple of K-drama rom-com. Boss-employee stories are a present day equivalent of royalty-commoner fairy tale romances a la Cinderella. So, yeah, I get the temptation of this trope. Except Prince Charming didn't operate in a world where workplace sexual harassment was regarded as a social problem in need of remedy. Celebrating power imbalance with romantic comedy seems distasteful when in real life people get exploited and victimized. Maybe it's my western political biases, but I think "CEO meddles in the life of newby intern" is an atrocious concept for a rom-com. That conceit worked for *Whats Wrong with Secretary Kim* because the romance begins years into their working relationship when she was so competent at her job that she could stand up to him. Indeed, one could argue she wielded more power in their day-to-day working dynamic than he did as CEO of the company. WWWSK is an outstanding k-drama because it avoids the pitfalls of the genre: power imbalance. Likewise, Cherry Magic succeeds as an office romance. But notice that Kurosawa and Adachi occupy similar levels of power within that office, and they work in different departments. Again, no power imbalance = romance and comedy gold. Off the top of my head, I can recall three recent, workplace-centered Thai BLs that suffered because they couldn't properly resolve the power imbalance issue between the lead characters. *Bite Me* became one of the most milquetoast series of 2021. A blossoming affair between two characters with an age gap, with one appointing himself career mentor to the other, with being his literal boss...it just didn't work on any level and was cringey when [Mark's character] felt uncomfortable. This year gave us another chef story, the very pedestrian one about the street food chef hired by the hotel CEO magnate. (So bland, the title from six months ago has slipped my mind.) At least that one recognized the potential for complications from building a romance between two parties with such a power imbalance. I give that series credit for acknowledgement an issue existed and working it into the resolution of the story. Finally, *Rak Diao* depicted a relationship between a supervisor and one of his direct reports. This BL sit-com evaded the power imbalance with a set-up that made Diao landlord at home and Rak the boss at work. Rak Diao is the most successful of the series mentioned here because that mitigation worked for this series. Still, Diao's workplace comportment was terrible, and he ought to have been fired from his job six times in the first four episodes. Because the series was a sit-com I give it more rope to play with, but I won't say it solved the power imbalance issue as well as it might have. As for what I expect from GMMTV: minimal, superficial discussion about why a boss should stay away from employees' private lives, especially the most junior, least powerful ones; a romance pursued without professional consequences, such as other employees accusing the intern of sleeping his way to the top; anything resembling a plausible office workplace. When the time comes, I'll watch with an open mind. But my expectations are low.
Oh this one I agree and so well put. I loved secretary Kim only because it was heavily dosed with humour and for Park seo joon. When I see boss and intern ( low rank employee) trope I am typically scanning how wrong, fanciful, unrealistic the whole thing is. Such romances should actually have a disclaimer in the beginning. People spend so much time at work that such romances could give ideas to a lonely soul out there that such a thing is possible!
hehe I agree with you.. and the way we are brought up here, we have to be so much careful because workplace dynamic is different and nowadays anything can be termed as workplace harassment. Having said that, there are a lot of workplace romances, even this coming year we are having a lot.. i forgot about Middleman's love which is also an office romance however the power dynamic will not be like a CEO and Intern. Secretary Kim was fun...
Critic, John Master, & Dallas! Happy Thanksgiving 🦃. "Dangerous Romance" interests me the most because it stars a brand new powerful couple: PERTHCHIMON. These two are veteran actors. They know their business in the BL world. They are serious. They are both gorgeous and they both are mad talented. (Plus, Chimon is a left-handed Capricorn ♑️ Dragon 🐉 like me, so my bias has no shame. 🤚🏻☝🏻) Please prove me wrong, y'all. 😉
@@matthewjay660 wouldn't dream of proving you wrong. But if Dallas is lurking in this comments section, she's doing her work only with the like button. Miss her!
That was fast. A Boss and a Babe, not interested. Hidden Agenda, not interested. Last Twilight, the plot is kinda interesting but Jimmy should go back to being a doctor, he is a bad actor and I do not think he is attractive (what is the story, is he some big guy's boyfriend). The thing is I really like Sea, he is the one carrying that ship. Cherry Magic?? I also have nothing against remakes or sequels but there are some series, like you said, should not redone. I saw the Cherry Magic movie was not impressed. The sad thing is I really like Tay New as a couple and would like to see them together again. Hope they can figure out how to make it work. Cooking Crush, not interested, I am bored with that couple, seen it to many times already. I like them both as actors but it is time for them to do seperate things. Dangerous Romance, I had to go back and watch the promo a few times, I like Chimon and Perth (big Perth fan) I think there is a nice connection there. You could see they were working on that in the last Safe House. The story is not new, (are any of them, play it safe GMM) and they just love cheap drama and cheap moments, setting in the rain learning your father is in the ICU, riding bikes spouting math equations. Shouting I hate you at each other and than the forced kiss, come on. So I really hope it works but do not have high hopes. Our Sky 1 I liked, let's hope they can come up with some good stories for Our Sky 2 and it is not just GMM parading the current ships. Only Friends is the only one I really got a good vibe from, yes kinda a Friend Zone with bl, (lets slap bl on something that worked before, again). I was a fan of Friend Zone which had bl and gl couples, hope they can make it work with Only Friends, the promo was good, yes loved thd Neo butt shot as well, haha.
Uff... Not many you are waiting for then? 😄 I think Bl wave in Thailand is more to do with commercial success so we have more poorly made ones than good ones. I think Koreans are going the same way. Bl is new gold, indeed.
Coming back here now My School President really blown us away hasn't it?
I am pleased to see FirstKhaotung again, instead of them being re-partnered. I don't have a lot more to say about these upcoming choices.
I am curious about remake of Cherry Magic - a tall order in terms of casting of characters Kurosawa and Adachi.Cherry magic worked so well because of Keita Machida and Akaso Eiji.Lets see how Thais do it .The rest seem ok from trailers but trailers lie more than half of the time so we can only wait and watch.The surprise good Bls for me this week turned out to be Ghost host,Why you y me.They are much better than the popular duds like Unforgotten night.
Not a big fan of Ghost Host but have been enjoying Why You Y Me as well, also a surprise. The thing I do not like about that series is the girl, there is something off about her for me, the more I watch the more I do not like her.
@@samtab2364 The one with specs? I think her character is made slightly suspicious on purpose... Maybe there will be a story reveal at the end about her?
Unforgotten Night is so bad that it's become iconic. It had it all: drugged tigers, conspicuous product placement, running faucets, shoes on the bed, BDSM that was fluffier than cotton and bodyguard threesomes.
I have serious doubts about Cherry Magic.
@@j_scott so well put J Scott 😃 but if Thais make a poor remake of Cherry magic it will be ranted upon by fans of Cherry magic and then forgotten.I think right now Thai Bl drama industry thinks they are the pioneers in churning out Bls quickly so cashing on Cherry magic was expected.
@@j_scott I resisted the urge to catalog the litany of concerns I have with this remake of Cherry Magic, chiefly because I think they all fall under the umbrella Mr Critic mentioned: somethings should never be remade. If the attempt must be tried, I'm OK with the casting. But I despair that GMMTV's assembly line approach to BL can render the custom, one-off flavor of a Japanese BL.
“ … and an ass shot of Neo” whoa … what a frank wording !😎
“Last Twilight” is my most anticipated one. Actually, when it comes to Thai BL’s titles. I’ve often found English titles of them preferable. Many English titles sound more beautiful & comprehensive. For example : “I Feel You Linger In The Air”☘️✨🌸
Besides, the title of “Last Twilight In Phuket” a side story of ITSAY has undeniably clouded over this GMMTV’s BL. Therefore its Thai title which means *”I’ll Never Forget Your Visual”* is more profound & impactful. It moves me to tears😢 to think that one male lead, even though he’s got the other one to stay by his side for the rest of his life, will only have very few of his boyfriend’s images to cherish in his fond memory.
I have no skepticism for Sea’s acting ability. The scene in Vice Versa’s finale that he’s back to his own self staring at his mom for the 1st time in 2 years, breaking down in silence, tears rolling down his cheeks … kicked away my worries. He’ll handle the role so very well. And truthfully speaking : because his character is harder than Jimmy’s. Knowing it was given to this gifted actor, I grinned.😏
The topic I’d talked to my friends lately happened to be how P’Aof was praiseworthy. Every series he’d directed so far, he discussed with scriptwriters & always had the plots adapted until they’re most suitable no matter how different from the original ones. Like what you said whatever we saw in the trailer could be pretty much adaptive when the process is finalized. Let’s trust in the team.🤟🏻
I very much appreciate your analysis.
I also think Sea is a much better actor.. and finally he is getting a really good director... and I agree with you on Back Aof.. he is among the very few gmmtv director ( along with Patha O) who really know script is the backbone and always casts the actors suitable for the roles. He did cast Ohm in He's coming to me even though there were a lot of gmmtv actors ( then Ohm was with CopyAbangkok) and similarly, Mix also, who later signed to Gmmtv after he was selected for 1000 stars.
@@blcritic You sure know a lot of background that I/we would never know. You could probably do a whole column on actors NOT cast suitably, right?
Bad buddy still had some really clunky episodes, especially at start, badly staged fights and a wooden performance by Jimmy.
Subverted tropes and a masterful performance by Ohm-Nanon really made the series special.
Jimmy improved in Vice Versa- so let’s see. P Apf got a good performance from Earth in 1000 Stars- so this can be done! Su Su Na!
On Cherry Magic
1. I was shocked they announced it if legal issues about copyright still exist. If the haggling is over the amount of a rights fee, they just gave a ton of leverage to the other side. Foolish.
2. "Comparisons will be made..."/"...should never be remade." Reviews for the 2022 film on MDL are mostly savage. Is it because the film is bad? No, it's because the film didn't make viewers feel exactly what they felt when they watched the 2020 series the first time. That's no fault of the film, folks. That's the fault of viewers for expecting a 90 minute story to deliver the emotional punch, character screen time, and romantic tension as a 12 hour story that took three months to build its magic. CM2020 is nearly universally acclaimed as one of the best realized BL serial television productions to have been made. If CM2023 falls short in any category, people will hate on it. That is why Mr Critic declared certain beloved projects should not be remade. Trying to live up to something already recognized as the gold standard is an impossible task. It just invites negative comparisons.
3. TayNew: Both actors will be over 30 by the time this series airs. No one should question whether they are old enough for these roles. When DBK filmed 3-4 years ago, they were in their late 20s but still were playing college students. Our perception of them is mostly frozen at that point. They will need to overcome that audience tendency to see them as younger than they are. But from among GMMTV's stable of BL actors, only Off (who is equally "ancient" in real life) could possibly take on this series and approach believability. I do think if GMMTv is brave/foolish/rash enough to attempt a remake of a beloved BL series, casting "pillars of BL" was a safe, reasonably smart choice. *Then again, now the remake will compete against not only the memories of the original Kuorodachi but also the ghost of Pete-Kao* . Maybe they should have gone with unknowns, or at least unknown-to-BL-fans? Gonna ponder that some more.
4. Before I realized no teaser had been released, I grew impatient and searched "Cherry Magic" on RUclips. Of course, no teaser was to be found. But do you know what that search did find? A treasure the algorithm had not seen fit to reveal to me before Tuesday: the 2022 movie sequel to the series, in its entirety. I immediately abandoned the day's existing plans and watched it straight through. Then, I wrote my own MDL review because only a few of the existing ones fairly assessed it. (As ever, I appreciate likes on my reviews if Dear Readers want to hunt it down over there.) Here are some spoiler free highlights of my reaction.
A) it's paced like a movie. It goes fast. Don't expect side characters or the office setting to have the same prominence because there's no time for that. Wouldnt work if it were a series. But it's not. And that's fine for a movie.
B) this is a sequel. You know the old saying, "the sequel is never as good as the original"? If the original routinely ranks among "best of all time" at its genre, that cliche is likely to hold true. But the film does do what sequels are supposed to do: show what happened with the characters after the first story ended. Mission accomplished. It's a fine sequel to a brilliant original.
C) As with the series, kurodachi chemistry anchors the whole thing. That still works, folks! I was smiling the big, happy smiles at the end.
D) CM2020 had almost no LGBT subtext to it. It was "pure" BL in the sense that sometimes Bl depicts same-sex romance and avoids real world LGBTQ issues. Because the film focuses on a couple that already coupled--whereas typical Bl series concern themselves with couples becoming acquainted--it depicts issues established couples confront that courting couples do not. For that reason, I deem the film counts as both LGBT genre and Bl genre. That made me happy.
Carly Simon sang, "nobody does it better, makes me feel sad for the rest". In complimenting you I don't intend to slight Mr. Critic and J Scott.
@@ronhilton9614 No slight taken. John is the best when it comes to writing up critiques. I tend to recycle the same trite comments. LOL
@@j_scott Nothing wrong with recycling and your comments are far from trite. I would recognize them as such since I often flinch at trite BL dialogue!
What? The movie is out? I waited patiently for it then I gave up on it. It's been a year since it's release. I love those two so much that I don't even care if the movie 'delivered'. Those two are going to be adorable in the Cherry magic framework.
@@zahrabjinu I was surprised too! And free on RUclips no less!
I’m not sure if I’m wrong or not but I feel as tho they film a lot of these trailers before they actually fully film the actual show for some of these. I’ve noticed a lot of differences in scenes and how they look in past shows that make it obvious it wasnt filmed at the same time so it gives me some hope that these shows will be better than these teasers make them seem because maybe they filmed them quickly to get the general idea out there to promote it
My understanding aligns with yours: typically, the teaser trailer is filmed prior to pre-production being completed, especially for series slated late the following year. (One presumes that any series slated for a January debut is, by contrast, near to wrapping production.) But I don't share your optimism about finished series exceeding their trailer. It's easy to make a 2 minute trailer look interesting. Much harder to be interesting across 12 hours of episodic TV. Last year, Enchanté topped my GMMTV enthusiasm rankings. And that one....did not turn out well.
Actually these teasers are more directed towards sponsors... hence they do an unofficial teaser even before pre production. The popularity of the teaser depends upon the future project. For a company like gmmtv it is not a problem as they have signed contracts on wholesale with Oishi green tea, or Est Cola or Toyota or Nissan, hence, they kinda sponsor almost everything.. still Gmmtv has also dropped a couple of projects every year. Even series like Big Dragon or Unforgotten Night were able to secure considerable funding as the unofficial teaser had millions of views.
Here I was thinking I might be the only one interested in "an ass shot of Neo"!
😂😂
On Cooking Crush
"the teaser kind of seemed nothing new to me..." The same quality that sowed trepidation and doubt for Mr Critic helped establish Cooking Crush as the series I am most optimistic will deliver what I look for in a BL: a strong romantic story, good couple chemistry, and some emotional feels. That result surprised me since unlike most of BL Fandom, I've never understood the enduring appeal of Gun and The Other Guy. But even I must grant they inhabit those avatars with aplomb--in my mind that makes this series a surer bet than every other teaser presented this week.
.
With Off/Gun you're getting a known commodity. Their fans are loyal and they'll show up to watch pretty much anything. GMMTV is gonna ride that horse til she drops.
@@j_scott I loved your "reheated frozen pizza" analogy from a different thread. Of course, some frozen pizza offers decent flavor. And reheating...well, if the appetite is there, that, too can hit the spot. My prognosis is really this: Cooking Crush will offer us nothing innovative or new, but it will execute the story suggested here, and there's no reason to doubt the actors. It'll get a 7.5 or an 8 from me probably. Not that I am prejudging. Lol
hehe the storyline may be different and it will be executed nicely by the actors.. eps Gun and Neo both are really good actors.. the thing I found repetitive is the characterization of Off Gun and Gun's expression..it is really difficult for the makers.. lol.. when we asked for something different they gave us Gun fighting 3-4 trained SWAT team members which seemed unbelievable and when they gave us a believable Gun as a Chef.. we find the story 'nothing new'... 😂
@@blcritic It's not like I don't like OffGun but why did I sigh and roll my eyes at their preview?
I just watched a 3 min. trailer for Cooking Crush and feel there's reason for optimism. A softening of my attitude. "The Other Guy", for whatever reason, has some appeal for me. He is sort of devilish. I never will understand the appeal of Gun although admittedly he is a good actor. Fluke and Gun to me are talented but rather homely tomboys. Oh well, if I am getting mean in my honesty then it's time for bed.
QUESTION: I was watching a RUclips short and it listed about 10 BL actors degrees. Is there a class distinction in the BL actors world or is going to university in Thailand standard and or affordable?
Thanks, you hit on something I have always been curious about myself.
I don't think there is a class distinction in BL actors world.. acting has always been one field where one's degrees don't matter. About Universities, they are pretty affordable for Thais. There are different university systems.. so the price differs, still the government wants everybody to get an education and there are loans etc too.
Here for OffGun, OhmNanon and FirstKhao.I would like to watch Cherry magic, cuz of its plot, but the Kurosawa and Adachi cannot be beat😍🤩. I will get a try for Jimmy and Sea, cuz I was little bit disappointed with Vice Versa...
To me : those countless annoying product placements played a part to ruin Vice Versa.☹️😓😤
@@Fantasticzone
I can only agree with that and the development between the main characters was too slow
I agree with you 100% on Cherry Magic. I am worried hell a lot even thought it is TayNew's series but just hopes that they will prove me wrong.
I got down to watch all teasers you mentioned on gmmtv. Perth is in one of them.Force - Book seem to be in 2 series teasers. I will look forward to those. I want to see more of Force - he is quite good looking.
Force is also a better actor among the 2.
@@blcritic yes, that i have already said on your Enchante review video.
I’m honestly more excited about the non-BL series (23.5, The Jungle, Midnight Museum, Wednesday Club, Enigma) than the BLs. The 2023 BL line-up feels almost a little like GMMTV is phoning it in a bit.
I’m particularly reticent about Cooking Crush and Hidden Agenda. They put two of their most popular pairings and plopped them into the two most generic stories of all the series for the year. Perhaps they are hoping those actors will do something exceptional to wow us all and salvage the world’s most vanilla plot lines.
But who knows. As you said, these are just the initial teasers. Several of these series might turn out better than they seem on first spec. Maybe Cooking Crush is the next Bad Buddy. 🫠🤡
I’m also curious about Last Twilight. It definitely has potential. But am I the only noticing the striking similarity to the Vietnamese series Want To See You. I trust Backaof to bring out the best in Jimmy/Sea and make an excellent drama. I’m just wondering if this is also a remake.
Just watched the official trailer for Never Let Me Go. It may have moved into the number one position of BLs for me to get excited about. Let's go Pond Phuwin!
Completely agree on not remaking Gaya, Cherry M, Semantic E…
I would add ITSAY, 1000 Stars and Bad Buddy-
Not just the acting but the team of director and production crew that was on the project were doing top level work
Whereas Nitiman and Unforgettable Night could be made with new actors, team and screenplay-
Almost guaranteed to be an improvement:)
Personally, The Cupid Coach is the failed series that I'd like to see remade. The fantasy premise had potential. A better script, and that idea could work.
@@johnmaster3748 not a bad idea- they even changed some of the cast and story part way through- probably due to pandemic
@@justdave3153 yes. The pandemic wrought some havoc with that series.
Personally... I think I'd have remade You're My Sky and Our Days better. I'd still keep the cinematographer and most of the actors.. but would totally re-edit the screenplay.
@@blcritic I'd keep Skyy cinematographer and replace the director and most of the actors...and rework the screenplay
Hello Sir BLC! Long time no___! I am with you, and some other commenters, about the difference often between these teasers and the series we may see. Although I don't think it's so unusual in the business to put out some teasing images, it is when the story doesn't seem to match up with what we've been expecting that there may be an issue. Interesting idea having a BL "greatest hits" with Our Skyy. Generally I am opposed to things being "remade" but I am a patient man. Thank you.
hello hello... how have you been?
@@blcritic Hello back! I've been meaning to ask you the same thing! Are things even more settled (I hope) and better dealing with the economy, etc.? I am just busy with odds and ends. I try not to get swept up in holiday mania that takes over the US. Pleased to start my morning with coffee and your question!
I am good and things are doing good.. I am optimistic.. Happy Holidays!
@@blcritic Same to you and I am pleased by your response. Optimism=good!
I get the spread it gives scoop for different tastes, although I don't really see any real new themes.
True... they tried.. but ..
100 BL series due to be aired in 2023?! where did you get that number? That is insane. From all over the world?
I am sorry the Cherry Magic remake casting looks wrong to me. the guy who played Adachi looked believably awkward and cute. If they had got the guy from Why RU who was supposed to be in Middleman's Love before he dropped out from playing Jade I would believe him to be this awkward 30 year old.
Only Friends looks messy and I am very interested. I like the fact that all characters are gay from the get go, and I love the fact that certain characters who usually play nice characters are playing Asshole F*Bois.
100 Bls from Thailand itself.. though I carried forward a lot pending ones form 2022 also.. BL is the new gold and almost every production house wanna try their hand on it.
@@blcritic Just from Thailand? WOW. It really is a goldmine. And to think English speaking territories only produce a bare handful of LGBT+ dramas and get such praise for it meanwhile Thailand, South Korea, Philipens, Taiwan, Japan and other Asian countries are churning them out year on year faster than most BL fans can keep up.
@@civivva4501 As you note, English-speaking countries produce LGBTQ series, not BL. Such material is more likely than BL to focus on adults, to feature lesbians, to de-emphasize first love, to depict out gay people who accept themselves, and to address real world issues queer people face just for being queer. Asian BL has a different wheelhouse. A BL can excel while doing none of those things. Even Heartstopper, which checks nearly every box that characterizes a BL series, adopts as leading themes coming out, self-acceptance, and homophobia. That makes its genre LGBTQ. (Or, maybe, a hybrid.) Even more relevant, it's common to find an LGBTQ character or storyline incorporated into any show. In other words, western series routinely integrate gay storylines into series aimed at general audiences. BL basically segregates same-sex romance into a niche genre that's not always taken seriously by the dominant culture. BL fans may embrace these series, but they are still widely perceived as Other in those cultures.
So, while your point that the sheer number of Asian BL series dwarfs the number of English TV series primarily built around same-sex relationships may be true, the type and quality of representation offered varies greatly. BL fans who just want to see cute boys kiss may rejoice at the volume of series; however, most actual queer people will want that kissing set into a story structure grounded in some form reconizable to their own experience. "Churning out" also speaks nothing of quality, except insofar as that expression connotes "poorly made." (See, Phillipines 2020 BL compared to Phillipines 2021 BL. Off the deserved success, of Gameboys and GSP in 2020, Pinoy production houses started cranking them out in 2021. So....name me a Filipino BL series from '21 or '22 that improves on those two 2020 series?) In short, more stories does not equate to better stories.
This reply is not an argument that the western way is better or that Asian BLs lack social or entertainment value. When they're well done, Asian BLs constitute a valuable addition to the totality of queer representation in media. Some of them do that better than western media, in fact. But just counting the number of projects, as your comment seems to do, is not a sound basis for comparing queer representation in Asian and western filmed media.
@@johnmaster3748 John, you weren't "man 'splaining" you were "Ron 'splaining" and gave me food for thought. The contrast you made between Western and Asian creations was very interesting. These subjects can be right under our nose but we are not always thinking on them. I was surprised at the big to-do over OffGun dancing under a rainbow flag in Not Me until I really thought about it. (I didn't intend on a post that made me appear so slow-witted...ha ha)
@@ronhilton9614 I still maintain that scene from Not Me is important simply because it exists, not because of its relevance (or not) for the series in which it appears.
With new Bl couples in every new series what happens to seniors like Perth, Saint, Tay and Gun? I miss Perth( LBC) - with his brown skin along with Earth he could probably infuse some realistic Thai people representation. Thai actors and the industry seriously needs to stop this blatant 'whitewashing'.Regular thai people are various shades of brown.
100% Agree. Of the main leads in most of the Thai BL series in 2021 or 2022, I think less than 10% of the actors were tan-skinned.
Speaking only as a Caucasian, this whole brown skin/ white skin thing seems to be like a caste system that shouldn't still exist. When I see a very light-skinned actor I assume this was a factor in their casting. And I'm not talking about the actors made lighter with heavy make-up, you see that too. It's come up here and there how darker skinned actors end up being thugs, criminals, "undesirables".
@@ronhilton9614 True Asia has this pale skin obsession! What I see in Thai industry is blatant promotion of 'whiteness' pervasive in society just like plastic surgery in S. Korea. I mean not liking yourself the way you were born is being normalized in young people.The kind of self esteem issues of not being loved for being yourself, looking like yourself wanting to do something to your face or your body hoping you will feel ok one day is being disseminated by media at unbelievable pace. Going under the knife for perfection, living with side effects of treatment/ surgeries is not the life you want. Actors make money out of their face/ body so they are somewhat 'compensated' but not you - the regular person on the street feeling so bad, left out. The insecurity regarding looks in the young generation is so visible when I talk to them.
@@zahrabjinu Preach it. I am not a sociologist but I can't understand how low self-esteem or poor body image can have such a widespread effect on culture, race, ethnicity.
Well I also do not get the obsession with pale skin.. but all of Asia are.. I remember my White friend saying 'I hate Snail white!'.. (Snail White is a popular whitening serum for lower middle class.. as it paints the face white.. with some dark ones looking greyish)
Your assessment lines up almost identically with mine. Only Friends has massive potential, if GMMTV will loosen the reins and let the BL horses run wild. I'm cautiously optimistic.
Like you, I wonder about Jimmy and Sea being able to pull off such a dramatic story. I love Aof as a director, but I don't know if those two actors can rise to the challenge. I think a different set of actors would have been better.
Our Skyy, hopefully, will be a lot of fun. I enjoyed the first one!
The rest seem...fine. Typical GMMTV frozen pizza BLs.
And horses run wild when they are whipped! I don't get the whole JimmySea thing. I doubt also that they have what it takes. Sea always looks like he is going to say "Line?" and get help from offscreen. "Frozen pizza BLs"? Bravo!
@@ronhilton9614 Maybe Jimmy/Sea can change my mind. Maybe monkeys will learn to fly. Strange things happen all the time, right?
@@j_scott What did you say? I was busy looking hopefully out the window for that flying monkey!
@@ronhilton9614"Whipped." To appropriate the tag line of a sports broadcaster, the late Dick Enberg, indelibly associated with San Diego sports, "Oh my!"
@@j_scott if Jimmy Sea couldn't change your mind thru 12 episodes of Vice Versa, I'd put my money on the flying monkeys before I put my faith on their ability to elevate Last Twilight the way Ohm Singto, Earth Mix, and Ohm Nanon respectively elevated their Aof-scripted, Aof-directed series.
I think you summed up all shows well. For the most part the shows all seemed kinda meh. I personally think it is a mistake to redo Cherry Magic but it will be nice ro see Tay and New together again. The Off Gun project just seems…odd. Maybe because I enjoyed NotMe so much that I anything after that will be a let down. That all said, curious to see the real trailers and see what kinda buzz they get.
true.. let's wait for the real trailers... i think some of the trailers are rushed.
David! You're back! I was starting to look for your picture on milk cartons. (Do they still do that?)
@@ronhilton9614 I am back! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.
@@pasguy1965 You too sir. It was low key, as was my preference.
@@ronhilton9614 Thanks!! It was nice to have a few days off work!
I am patiently waiting on midnight (or moonlight) chicken 🐔🐤☺ with Earthmixx 👍😘❤❤
Yes, that one was announced last year in this event. Still waiting for that one and for the new Pond-Phuwin vehicle. Both may drop before 2022 ends, but your post is a good reminder that some of these announced shows may never come to fruition.
Yeah .. both the series will air soon.. the only series dropped from Gmm 2022 may be 'You Fight I love' as i didn't see any update on that.
@@johnmaster3748 moonlight chicken looks HOTT I can't wait to see Earthmixx in more adult roles ❤🥰
@@johnmaster3748 I also look forward to Midnight and am curious. If you like Pond Phuwin, have you watched their bi-monthly romping in Little Big World? Beyond their adorableness, it is a chance to see what they are really like as people (to an extent). I don't really believe they go back to their hotel and go all un-Biblical but I do believe they are really close. If their new series makes us believe maybe they are rolling in the sheets then who am I to stifle creativity?
@@ronhilton9614 I have seen clips of that show. The algorithm keeps putting it in front of me. Sampled 5 mjnutes of ine, once. But I mostly don't partake of the fan service vehicles that exist to sell the ships. I believe if there's a camera on, then they are performing. Even if that performance is a version of the real personality, it's not fully real either. But if watching them interact in (semi-)Real Life enhances your enjoyment of the series, I don't begrudge you that pleasure, nor do i begrudge them the extra paycheck.
The only one who interest me are :
-Last Twilight the story look good but we will see.
-23.5 can wait to see MilkLove together again and as a lead CP.
-OurSky only for EarthMix and OhmNanon (it's just a mini episode so..)
-Cherry Magic I hope TayNew will do great because the Japanese version was pretty great and without kiss, so I hope they will not just give us a kiss thinking it will be enough.
-for JoongDunk serie It just a combination of different school BL no creativity and Dunk characters annoy me already (love the actors but why this serie)
-when I saw OffGun one I was like WTF? It's look really bad and doesn't make any sense, it's look like GMMTV try to do BL just to do BL and doesn't care to make a good story
-for Forcebook it look funny and cute why not I hope it will be more well done than the teaser and more interesting, but it's look better than Enchanté.
-Dangerous Romance look interesting but also really Toxic
And Only Friend or I don't remember the name with ForceBook NeoMark and FirstKhao, I was like WTF, it's look toxic but we will see. I'm not the type of BL fan who say a serie is good just because my ship have kissing scene in a serie, if the story is bad the story is bad. Anyway that's all for me so
-Last Twilight
-23.5
-Dangerous Romance
-Cherry Magic
& the special episode of EarthMix and OhmNanon in OurSky2
(maybe ForceBook serie too)
You put a lot of thought into this, thanks.
I was in turns excited and disappointed by the GMMTV line up. I am glad to see Khao/First again. I loved their acting and chemistry in The Eclipse. I am glad to see Neo picking up more roles but disappointed that Louis only has one support role. Of course, I will watch pretty much anything Gun is in so that's a given.
I think I am most excited for Only Friends and Our Skyy 2. Cherry Magic fills me with trepidation. I am not overly fond of Tay/New as a couple. Cherry Magic is so quintessentially Japanese in my mind that I am not sure I can adjust. The movie is still new so a remake seems a bit soon for me.
I was hoping to see Louis and Neo together in a new series. I'm sure Neo will do fine in a new pairing but I love those two together. I missed what Louis is doing...?
I’m also quite nervous about Cherry Magic. I like Tay as a stand alone actor, but I’ve never been terribly excited about their pairing. And like you said, Cherry Magic is so very Japanese and iconic. I just don’t feel like it’s going to turn out well. Maybe they saw the success of F4 and assumed they do the same with a BL… 😬
Yeah I was also surprised to see Louis get just one supporting role.. I think his pairing with Neo was going on well..
@@blcritic I thought surely their pairing in Eclipse would lead to another coupling. The acting, characters and the building of the relationship was perfect. I'm so disappointed and I bet Louis is too.
"...fills me with trepidation." This reaction is sensible.
Am I satisfied? Actually I am. Did I wanted more? Yes I did. But let's be honest: Rihanna will release her new album before GMMTV does something REALLY different (to be clear: Rihanna releasing a new album is something possible, but quite hard to happen for the time being...). I still remember my excitement when they showed The Eclipse and it ended just not like I expected from the unnoficial teaser. Among other examples... Even so, have hopes that they might be doing good series. Most of them will be not more than average or funny to spend some time. But I must say, at this point, not being a complete trainwreck is already a positive trait. I agree with basically all you said, the only thing for me is PerthChimon series that I have very low expectations. I don't know why, just didn't buy the story so deep...
"Rihanna will release her new album before GMMTV does something REALLY different"
You just killed me! LOL! And you're not wrong!
but firstkhao are amazing and their acting and chemistry too
@@andjelabozovic7365 I didn't say anything about FirstKhao, I adore them. And I also know that Perth and Chimon are great actors. It's just the story, I guess. I'm just not that hyped up, it doesn't mean that I think it will be a mess...
@@ronhilton9614 no shade to anyone, I love miss Riri. I joked about it 'cause even she knows it's been quite some time and she knows her fans are waiting. It wasn't meant as an offense, don't take it seriously
@@TheHyuugasama Oh no, no offense should be taken! I just happened to have a Rihanna comment on file in my head and I put it out there. There was nothing personal in any of this I assure you, just a communication lapse.
Critic, John Master, and Dallas, hey guys! 🙋🏻♂️ I just started watching "609 Bedtime Story" with Ohm and Fluke and it took 2 ✌🏻episodes for me to get really interested in it. I like this concept. Ohm has 2 characters: a waking character, who's straight, and a sleeping character, who's Gay. Fluke is waiting for Ohm in this Matrix-esque dreamland only and it even has a magenta tinge to it much like the Matrix's green tinge. There is a mystery going on in Dreamland too. I just wanted to alert y'all to this new BL with OhmFluke this I'm now enjoying.
Hey hey.... For me it is a bit early.. do let us know after 4-5 episodes. I am kinda saturated seeing Ohm Fluke..
Most excited for Only Friends and Dangerous Romance.
WILL NOT WATCH Cooking Crush (maybe just clips of NeoMark).
Everything else is a Meh! for me.
why would it be unfair to compare a bl with a gl?
On Only Friends
It's difficult to draw reliable conclusions from a teaser trailer produced before a series films. But this teaser struck me for having an incoherent story. They seem to want to sell skinship. We know BL audiences enjoy skinship. But the recipe for becoming a legendary series isn't the amount of skinship, it's the creation of characters an audience cares about in a story that engages an emotional or intellectual response from viewers. You don't need skinship for that (see, Cherry Magic 2020). But it adds a welcome element when combined successfully (see, Kinn Porsche). I just don't trust GMMTV to get the combination correct.
Only Friends piqued my interest because it's something I never thought I'd see GMMTV try to tackle. A messy, sexed-up, possibly toxic, definitely chaotic story? From THEM?? I have to see it. It's the same director as 3 Will Be Free, so that's my reason for hope, such that it is. Even if it sucks, it won't be another Frozen Pizza BL.
@@j_scott in a different thread, I described the OffGun vehicle as "most likely to deliver what the teaser promised." Thats because the story formula looks familiar and the leads are definitely familiar. I should have credited *Only Friends* for being "series whose teaser incites the most curiosity" and also "series with greatest potential to surpass my first impression." The reasons for that optimism are summed up in your reply. But I'm not counting any chickens on the basis of a titillating teaser. Fingers crossed though.
@@johnmaster3748 Yeah, I learned last year not to pin any real hopes on a GMMTV trailer. Both Vice Versa and The Eclipse had intriguing trailers. VV never lived up to the hype and The E fell apart in the last couple of episodes. I agree that Cooking Crush seems most likely to match up well with the teaser. Essentially, it's Off/Gun playing Off/Gun in Off/Gun's Fun Night. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's reheated pizza.
@@j_scott if you consult the Mr Critic archive for last year's version of this video, you will find me most bullish about Enchanté. Ahem. So, no, I don't trust previews. Teasers that hook me tend to convey a story premise that makes sense.i don't give a hoot about actors cast or skinship promised. This one definitely missed the mark with conveying plot. To me it came across as selling sex. To be fair, the script may not even be done yet; so, there's time to give me what I want--a good story about interesting characters. Active gay sex lives will be a welcome bonus.
@@johnmaster3748 We were all excited about Enchanté. I still feel sad about what could have been.
I'm not sure there IS a plot in the Only Friends trailer, just a chaotic mess of sloppy kisses. I suppose I shouldn't pat GMMTV on the head for simply trying something new. There's still plenty of time for them to toss the whole thing into the gutter next to Check Out.
Hard to tell. it could be better, or worse. O... Whatever... very limited room for a new ideas.
On The Boss and The Babe
A series built around a romantic relationship between a CEO and an intern? Gross.
CEO-employee stories are a staple of K-drama rom-com. Boss-employee stories are a present day equivalent of royalty-commoner fairy tale romances a la Cinderella. So, yeah, I get the temptation of this trope. Except Prince Charming didn't operate in a world where workplace sexual harassment was regarded as a social problem in need of remedy. Celebrating power imbalance with romantic comedy seems distasteful when in real life people get exploited and victimized. Maybe it's my western political biases, but I think "CEO meddles in the life of newby intern" is an atrocious concept for a rom-com. That conceit worked for *Whats Wrong with Secretary Kim* because the romance begins years into their working relationship when she was so competent at her job that she could stand up to him. Indeed, one could argue she wielded more power in their day-to-day working dynamic than he did as CEO of the company. WWWSK is an outstanding k-drama because it avoids the pitfalls of the genre: power imbalance. Likewise, Cherry Magic succeeds as an office romance. But notice that Kurosawa and Adachi occupy similar levels of power within that office, and they work in different departments. Again, no power imbalance = romance and comedy gold.
Off the top of my head, I can recall three recent, workplace-centered Thai BLs that suffered because they couldn't properly resolve the power imbalance issue between the lead characters. *Bite Me* became one of the most milquetoast series of 2021. A blossoming affair between two characters with an age gap, with one appointing himself career mentor to the other, with being his literal boss...it just didn't work on any level and was cringey when [Mark's character] felt uncomfortable. This year gave us another chef story, the very pedestrian one about the street food chef hired by the hotel CEO magnate. (So bland, the title from six months ago has slipped my mind.) At least that one recognized the potential for complications from building a romance between two parties with such a power imbalance. I give that series credit for acknowledgement an issue existed and working it into the resolution of the story. Finally, *Rak Diao* depicted a relationship between a supervisor and one of his direct reports. This BL sit-com evaded the power imbalance with a set-up that made Diao landlord at home and Rak the boss at work. Rak Diao is the most successful of the series mentioned here because that mitigation worked for this series. Still, Diao's workplace comportment was terrible, and he ought to have been fired from his job six times in the first four episodes. Because the series was a sit-com I give it more rope to play with, but I won't say it solved the power imbalance issue as well as it might have.
As for what I expect from GMMTV: minimal, superficial discussion about why a boss should stay away from employees' private lives, especially the most junior, least powerful ones; a romance pursued without professional consequences, such as other employees accusing the intern of sleeping his way to the top; anything resembling a plausible office workplace. When the time comes, I'll watch with an open mind. But my expectations are low.
Oh this one I agree and so well put. I loved secretary Kim only because it was heavily dosed with humour and for Park seo joon. When I see boss and intern ( low rank employee) trope I am typically scanning how wrong, fanciful, unrealistic the whole thing is.
Such romances should actually have a disclaimer in the beginning. People spend so much time at work that such romances could give ideas to a lonely soul out there that such a thing is possible!
hehe I agree with you.. and the way we are brought up here, we have to be so much careful because workplace dynamic is different and nowadays anything can be termed as workplace harassment. Having said that, there are a lot of workplace romances, even this coming year we are having a lot.. i forgot about Middleman's love which is also an office romance however the power dynamic will not be like a CEO and Intern. Secretary Kim was fun...
Critic, John Master, & Dallas! Happy Thanksgiving 🦃. "Dangerous Romance" interests me the most because it stars a brand new powerful couple: PERTHCHIMON. These two are veteran actors. They know their business in the BL world. They are serious. They are both gorgeous and they both are mad talented. (Plus, Chimon is a left-handed Capricorn ♑️ Dragon 🐉 like me, so my bias has no shame. 🤚🏻☝🏻) Please prove me wrong, y'all. 😉
@@matthewjay660 wouldn't dream of proving you wrong. But if Dallas is lurking in this comments section, she's doing her work only with the like button. Miss her!
Happy Holidays Matthew! Wow you're left handed.. I am also left handed, but I am an Aries just like Ohm.. hehe
That was fast. A Boss and a Babe, not interested. Hidden Agenda, not interested. Last Twilight, the plot is kinda interesting but Jimmy should go back to being a doctor, he is a bad actor and I do not think he is attractive (what is the story, is he some big guy's boyfriend). The thing is I really like Sea, he is the one carrying that ship. Cherry Magic?? I also have nothing against remakes or sequels but there are some series, like you said, should not redone. I saw the Cherry Magic movie was not impressed. The sad thing is I really like Tay New as a couple and would like to see them together again. Hope they can figure out how to make it work. Cooking Crush, not interested, I am bored with that couple, seen it to many times already. I like them both as actors but it is time for them to do seperate things. Dangerous Romance, I had to go back and watch the promo a few times, I like Chimon and Perth (big Perth fan) I think there is a nice connection there. You could see they were working on that in the last Safe House. The story is not new, (are any of them, play it safe GMM) and they just love cheap drama and cheap moments, setting in the rain learning your father is in the ICU, riding bikes spouting math equations. Shouting I hate you at each other and than the forced kiss, come on. So I really hope it works but do not have high hopes. Our Sky 1 I liked, let's hope they can come up with some good stories for Our Sky 2 and it is not just GMM parading the current ships. Only Friends is the only one I really got a good vibe from, yes kinda a Friend Zone with bl, (lets slap bl on something that worked before, again). I was a fan of Friend Zone which had bl and gl couples, hope they can make it work with Only Friends, the promo was good, yes loved thd Neo butt shot as well, haha.
Uff... Not many you are waiting for then? 😄 I think Bl wave in Thailand is more to do with commercial success so we have more poorly made ones than good ones. I think Koreans are going the same way. Bl is new gold, indeed.
@@zahrabjinu Zahra you might check out the Korean series Weak Hero Class 1, I binge watched it today 8 episodes, not really a bl but powerful.
@@samtab2364 will check it out
It not necessary to say that Jimmy is not handsome plus its your personal taste and it's immature wtf
@@mariondaim4491 like do you really need attractiveness to act. She or he doesn't think he is a good actor because he isn't attractive enough. Wtf😂