This piece isn’t a critique or Impression but is a commentary on what makes me eager to watch it each week. I will start by saying there are flaws. I have yet to watch a series that doesn’t have them. But the strengths outweigh the weakness, in my opinion. And I know I am not alone. Consistently it has gotten good reviews on MyDramaList, and each week the show’s ratings among Thai viewers remain steady. The YouTube Idol Factory versions are around 1 million per part of each episode. So what is it that makes me love it?
I love the character Toh. He is flawed, over the top, dorky, cute, and a bit of a collector of items from his fantasy secret crush Nuea. I won’t get into the collecting part here. Maybe in a different review, I will do the good, the bad, and the meh. Back to Toh, he is happy doing what he loves, photographing and collecting, plus being with his friends. His friends don’t put him down but accept him, bad habits and all. That kind of acceptance is a plus for me. I have never been one to fit in, and I have a terrible habit of throwing myself into whatever interests me. My husband & friends also accept me. I know that I’m fortunate. Not everyone has accepting friends, but I was happy to see Toh had a tremendously supportive gang. Also, this is his love story. It’s lovely that the weird, quirky, and charming kid can be the main character, not a side character played for laughs.
Representation:
Women: We have a supportive best friend, Som, who fits in with the group of gay men. She’s the lone female of the pack. She’s treated equally among them. We have a very kind mother and sister of Nuea. Women aren’t all evil. It’s refreshing to see them fill different roles. It’s almost as if they are just people. Prao’s gang is the exception, but they are ruled by the queen mean girl herself.
Lesbian: We have the lesbian couple in Nuea’s squad, Kongkwan and Fon. They are very playful and are great friends to everyone in both gangs. Lesbians. Treated as normal. Nothing strange or weird about the two of them loving each other. I can’t wait to see how they treat Gap! 💕
Bisexual: Nuea appears bisexual as he’s dated women before this current relationship. But not everyone needs a classification. We have another bisexual, Sky, who also has his first male + male relationship after dating women in the past. Dating a man is not a hangup for either man. There is no “Oh, but I don’t like men, I only like you” trope. Both men accept they have feelings and attraction to another guy, even though it’s the first experience for both. It’s a rarity to see in a BL two bisexual men without hangups.
Gay: We have soft gay men like Toh and Jao. They are sweet and kind but definitely gay. No one brings this up; it’s just understood to be true.
Trans: We have WaiWai, who is Prao’s friend. And we have Hippo, Sky’s friend. An interesting note is that Hippo seems to be shocked that Sky is interested in a man since he only brought girls to meet them before. She puts Jao on the hook by asking about his feelings for Sky. This question helps` Jao feel brave enough to confess his feelings to Sky. There is also a noodle vendor we meet when Daisy and Touch grab some food together, like a first date. She isn’t mocked or made fun of for being transgender. Daisy calls her sis. It’s sweet.
Gender Fluid: We have Daisy/Day. Daisy is a trans woman, in touch with her feminine side and very happy to present as a feminine guy, who loves clothes, makeup, boys, and her friends. I’m using her because, at one point in the dialog, Som says she is a transgender woman, but I asked my Thai friend if Daisy went by he/him or she/her. We’ve learned pronouns are important to people. I was told that Daisy went by he/him. As Daisy explores being Day, I feel they introduce a gender-fluid person in this show. It is rarely seen in the media. A gender fluid person does not feel tied down by gender, so they can be free to be he/him when they feel like he/him and she/her when they feel like, or they could go by they/them. All the members of both groups support daisy/Day. No matter what, Daisy/Day is loved.
The Issue’s Tackled:
I love that they tackle many issues that affect the current generation. We have Nuea and Toh teaching us this truth. Everyone deserves to have love. Toh is gorgeous and sexy to Nuea. That’s lovely. There doesn’t need to be a glow-up or a personal transformation to be beautiful. Nuea loves him for who he is.
The show also discusses body image issues, self-esteem issues, cyberbullying, and bullying in general. The cruel remarks about Toh’s appearance, the way that Touch’s friend calls Daisy too girly, the anonymous photos posted with nasty comments about Jao’s weight; all these are issues that many people struggle with. It’s not ok, says Sky to Jao. And I agree. It’s not. We have yet to see how things are resolved, but I’m happy to see them brought up. They even subtly bring up the political protest movement from the LGBTQ+ community by having two trans women walk off their noodle stand to join the protests.
That’s why I look forward to the show every week. Shewin’s shows always have heart. It’s the best way I know to describe it. I fall in love with the characters and the struggles they go through. I cheer for them to overcome the obstacles in their path and learn from their mistakes. Above all, I root for their happy ending because we all deserve one.
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Interesting take on an interesting series- I dropped it after 2 epiisodes though there were some things I really liked- including where they just stopped what little plot there was to have Toh’s friends do a fashion catwalk show- weird and hilarious. Also liked the variety of characters. For me- it was the director and actor portraying Toh to make him so over the top and leering/drooling in every scene while the more standard leading man opposite was acted as a “real” person and sometimes inexplicably cruel to Toh- I remember him dumping a present of Toh’s into the garbage in view of Toh- could have been slowly done as enemies to lovers- just found it a prettily clothed and brightly shot mess story wise.
But it resonated strongly with international viewers and my taste just doesn’t embrace this one and that’s ok:)
The first two episodes Toh was a bit much to handle. But as the series progressed I feel that we got more of his internal thoughts and the same for Neua…they both were playing a part of cat and mouse with each other. For me the selling point is the group of friends and how accepting each member was of each of their insecurities and oddities. They truly rallied behind each other, when things were going good, they were each others partner in crime. When things were rough, they were there to cry together and hold onto each other.
I understand if its not your cup of tea. Thanks for sharing your views though 🙂 – Jen
HELP DAISY ISNT TRANS?? 😭😭
As I read the character Daisy, I understand Daisy to be gender fluid. But that’s based on my observation of Daisy appearing to go by the different pronouns. But if you read Daisy as transgender, that can be your interpretation too. The concept of trans women and gender fluidity can be sometimes overlapping, especially in dealing with translations and different cultures. They don’t explicitly call out their gender identity or sexual orientation in the show, it’s left for the person watching as to what the make of the different characters. The thought behind it seems to be acceptance regardless of identity or sexuality, loving ones self and being confident in yourself, being happy in whatever way feels the most authentic version of you. That’s my take on it.
I find that especially american younger viewers struggle to accept that the whole point of the story is that it is possible for this superguy to fall in love with a quirky skinny endearingly dorky guy and find him attractive and sensual. It has been so culturally ingrained by Hollywood that the only reason for two leads to be together is that they are both superperfect and sexy. They time and again miss the point of why you might start to like someone, such as curiosity, the interest sparked by someones admiration for you, the way they stand out and are different from others, etc. Or that someone my be utterly dorky but a killershark in bed which will definitely make a relationship steadier over time. Because, in the sack it doesn’t come down to looks or perfection but sensuality and chemistry. And it DOES build a foundation for two people to draw closer and admire eachother more. In fact the 3 love stories touch on this: 1. Dorky and quirky can be loved 2. Chubby can be loved. 3. Neither man nor woman and yet perfectly both, can be loved by an awesome guy. The stories are about acceptance and possibility. When I see my beautiful young sister weighed down with all sorts of fears of inadequacy I really feel we need more shows telling the story of what it is really like. I even like the matter of fact way they go about desire, quirky kinks, first sexual encounters, awkward daydreams, and even basic “use your condoms, it’s not embarrasing to use or ask”. Or even “a difference in sexual experience is not a red flag or the end of the world”. All of those things would have made my life a lot easier 20 years ago and I am not even LGBT anything. I can’t imagine how necessary it must be for a far more underrepresented group who are usually used for comedic effect (as fun as it may be in a movie such as tootsie). In fact one of the things that strikes me about most of the Thai BL stories is how sexpositive and quite realistic the sexual representations are. Sure, the settings are glam (never have I seen larger bathrooms and bedrooms). But the step by step is far far from the “cringey perfect sex colourfilters, symphonic music to cover slurps and sounds, no condoms, no awkward situations and bodycramps” that your standard hollywood sex goes for.
I couldn’t agree more. There needs to be a level of authenticity to the stories we tell. A relationship can start off in many ways. Also you can be attracted to the geeky person, whose heart is big. Or if they are funny and make you smile you care less about looks and more about the feel of the person you are with. Love and attraction can form in so many ways but we only see the pretty people getting together or the ugly ducklings getting a glow up to make the hotness equal for both parties. That isn’t the case in real life. I think fiction can tell a story and be entertaining while maintaining a bit of truth at its core. Sex can be fun, awkward, messy, confusing and beautiful. It’s lovely to see that even the inexperienced can be enthusiastic too. Because at the end of the day seeing a relatable character on screen is what makes us feel something. In my opinion anyway. I also hope that the younger generation learns to view sex, love, relationships and self image from a standpoint of grace, compassion, curiosity, kindness, love and acceptance. Thanks so much for your thoughts and input. 💕- Jen
Sorry for the late reply. Life can be a bit hectic.
You are right about American younger viewers, but I would clarify it’s almost all younger viewers, in my opinion. It comes from being fed from mass media as well as countries that there are the pretty popular people who date the pretty popular people. The rest of us can only pipe dream of that. Even in ugly duckling stories, there is always a glow up, where the girl or guy transforms into the socially acceptable equal of the main character. Also looking into things like TikTok, the rise of E-girls and such, pretty people get attention and love seems to be the message sent to younger generation.
I totally agree with the chemistry point. Because it’s not about looks, it’s about the feel of the person you are crushing on. They make you feel butterflies due to their actions so that you learn to find their appearance enduring and a part that you love. The sensuality and confidence factor make a person sexy in the bedroom. I think Toh’s eagerness and aggression make Neua want him even more. Confidence is sexy. And Toh doesn’t care about changing his looks.
I love the three point you made. They are all true. It comes down to love. And acceptance. This story at its heart is one that says everyone, no matter of age, gender expression, sexual orientation, appearance fully deserve love.
Yes, the awkwardness of daydreams, sexual encounters and bedroom play are not usually mentioned in films because its seen as a taboo, or too adult. I think this series shows that you can include these and it’s not porn. I also look to series like Sex Ed for normalizing sexual desire and kinks. If people were to be honest with the younger generation I think it would benefit their future partners and their sense of body autonomy. I gave my kids around 14 the talk by way of teaching using videos from planned parenthood and making books available to them and giving them access to ask me and the hubby anything if they wanted to know.
Thanks for your thoughts and musings Anita! I’m so happy we get to talk about this. Feel free to comment anytime.
Hugs – 💕😘 Jen