Love Senior

Do you miss the SOTUS era of BL’s? What if I told you I found a GL that gives you those feelings? Love Senior surprised me by giving me SOTUS vibes in the best way with all the fun head fourth- and first-year student push-pull dynamics within a GL (Girls Love). I thought I was over the engineering school phase, focusing more on adult series with more mature plots, but I was waiting for one to come along and hit me in the feels. I won’t say there aren’t flaws in Love Senior, but if you miss SOTUS, My Engineer, or any other engineering BLs and GLs, try this one.

Synopsis:

Second-year electrical engineering student Gyoza is the head hazer of her branch (Engineering Department). Freshy Manaow asks for Gyoza’s signature as part of their initiation activities. Contrary to Manaow’s expectations of the small senior, Gyoza has a cool personality. Instead of getting an easy signature, Gyoza makes Manaow agree to compete in the electrical engineering freshy contest with her friend Ali.

(Source: MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the novel “Phi Wak Kha Rak Nu Dai Mai” (พี่ว้ากคะ รักหนูได้ไหม) by Karnrada (กานต์รดา)

Cast:

Main Role

• Anda Anunta Teavirat is Manaow

Main Role

• Lookkaew Kamollak Sangsubsin is Gyoza

Supporting Role

• Noon Thunyaphat Inyawilert is Warang

Supporting Role

• Praewa Putticha Boonyamas is Prang

Supporting Role

• Pin Danita Choktadaporn is Jupjip

Supporting Role

• Atom Aphichaya Kamnoetsirikun is Luktan

Supporting Role

• Pam Parima Peamkaroonrath is Thida

Supporting Role

• Som Supatsorn Suriyakul is Oei

Supporting Role

• Bua Buachumpoo Homdork is Grazia

Supporting Role

• Jenny Pataravadee Thitivoodtikul is Lada

Supporting Role

• Sceneho is Suay

Supporting Role

• Devi Deviyabha Uddhachandra is Poy

Supporting Role

• Mersedes Siripath Sarakune is Belle

Supporting Role

• Tora Toranin Manosudprasit is Mafueang [Manaow’s older brother]

Supporting Role

• Bonus Tanadech Deeseesuk is Pure

Supporting Role

• Jame Kasama Khanjanawattana is Ali

Supporting Role

Ohm Phatcharaphol Nimnual is Jaojom

Mawin Tanawin Duangnate is Sutrit

Special Guest Role

• Max Nattapol Diloknawarit is Max (Ep. 3)

Director

• Ying Manassanun Su

Assistant Director

• Poy Napat Patamasingh Na Ayutaya

Executive Producer

• Oh Yot Kornherun

• Wittawat Sangsakit

Producer

• Simon Kessler

The Intro to Love Senior:

The Intro to SOTUS S:

The title sequences to SOTUS S and Love Senior have the same patterns and texture. SOTUS S’s primary background color is blue, and they chose red for Love Senior. Is it an homage or a violation of copyright?

What do you think?

Another nod to SOTUS S happens when Manaow is forced to stand up and recite everyone’s name because she gave another girl her badge to wear. Thus proving that she knows people’s names, she calmly shares info she has gathered since their first meetings. It reminded me very much of Kong Pope reciting names to Arthit in front of his peers.

Thoughts:

Star Hunter Entertainment produced its first GL with this title. The series aired weekly on GMM25 and WeTV with a delayed airing on Star Hunter Entertainment YouTube Channel between November 28, 2023, and January 10, 2024. The series is complete and currently available on Star Hunter’s YouTube channel.

Ying Manassanun Su directs Love Senior. She was assistant director for Secret Seven (2017) and Oops! Mr. Superstar Hit on Me (2022). (Source: MyDramaLis,t) I feel more confident about the authenticity of a GL, knowing that someone who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community directed the show. She’s in a relationship with actress “Mo” Amena Pinit. (Source: My Drama List). Love Senior is a Star Hunter production. I was impressed with the quality of the editing, set, sound, etc. of Star Hunter. I’ve watched their shows for many years, and they continue to improve. Other than GMMTV, we need more independent production companies for diverse BL and GL content. But I digress.

The Story:

Manaow is a young woman with a bright smile who enters as a first-year engineering student. She goes through SOTUS to be accepted.

SOTUS is institutional hazing that exists among engineering colleges in Thailand.

SOTUS

S – Seniority

O – Order

T – Tradition

U – Unity

S – Spirit

Senior students force the incoming students to complete tasks or challenges, like obtaining all the senior’s signatures and completing puzzles, overcoming physical and mental hurdles. These activities are designed to break the first years down and make them a cohesive unit. The incoming first-year students must maintain a strict schedule, and they have strict appearance standards as well. They need to memorize everyone’s name. If a person fails at these tasks, hazers punish them. Many times, hazers punish the group alongside the student. Senior students are to be respected and deferred to during SOTUS.

You can’t act too familiar. You do what the senior tells you to. It’s militaristic in its methods, using physical group punishment for ‘infractions’ that the juniors commit. I’m sure you can tell that I’m not a fan of the system. I don’t feel it has its place in a school environment. Hazing can quickly go too far, with people seriously injured or psychologically traumatized.

At the end of this trial period in the first year, the students who have completed the tasks receive the gear to symbolize their dedication to Engineering and the principles ‘taught’ in SOTUS. I don’t know if it’s because my only exposure to the SOTUS institution has been Thai BL or dramas. Still, I see an opportunity for bullies and the power-hungry to exert their authority over the young students entering college. If someone yelled at me and treated me the way these characters get treated, I would choose a different path.

Also, another side tangent: the traditional uniform of all engineers must be black pants or skirts, white button-down shirts, and a maroon outer shirt with a gear symbol on the pockets. In all engineering BLs I’ve seen, they dressed the same way.

Personally, I’ve always found it odd to have uniforms for university-level students. I assume it’s to promote unity and equality. If everyone has to dress the same, there is little to tell about each student’s monetary status and background. It also makes spotting the engineers very easy. 😁

Back to the story of Manaow and Gyoza (I couldn’t stop snickering at the name cause it made me hungry for gyoza (Japanese pan-fried or steamed dumplings) when someone said her name).

Gyoza is a head senior in the SOTUS program. Her demeanor is serious and stern. Her appearance is the opposite of her demeanor. She’s petite and pretty with a cute button nose, long hair, and round glasses. She’s adorable. People around her want to protect her. You can see that she draws people in. She has many champions and friends. Gyoza is studious, spending long hours studying in addition to her hazing duties.

Opposite to Gyoza, Manaow is tall, athletic, quick to smile, and a bit of a Tom (the word for Tomboy, aka a masculine lesbian in Thai terms). Her older brother attends the same university. Manaow likes everyone. She’s cheerful, quick-witted, and a staunch defender of those she considers friends. When asked about her dating preferences, Manaow admits she accepts anyone she likes, whether men or women. It’s refreshing to see a bisexual character in a GL. I can only think of a few others that didn’t fare well regarding reception. Looking at you, Pearl Next Door.

We meet another freshman named Luktan, who is cheerful, friendly, and eager to get to know Manaow. You can see the girl crush forming in their first interactions where Manaow is kind to her and helps her out.

Gyoza’s gang includes Warang and Prang. They’ve been together since their first year. They study together, support each other in tough times, and help each other when needed. Seeing the healthy dynamics between them at the show’s beginning is lovely. However, I said the beginning. Warang has feelings for Gyoza, but Gyoza does not notice how protective and caring her friend is. We can see the conflict coming a mile away. At this point, I assume it’s a love triangle between the three characters. But I shouldn’t be so hasty as to box them into a plot line.

A man named Pure is her senior in the SOTUS system. He is a friend to Gyoza and her group, but seems to dote a little too much on Gyoza, making his feelings transparent to us and those around Gyoza.

Another senior we meet, Gyoza’s former roommate Poy, seems abnormally close to her. Can you keep up with all the crushes on Gyoza and Manaow? Cause I can’t. It’s overwhelming at times.

You think we are talking about the plot, friends secretly in love versus new love arriving on the scene. But there is so much more in this series. They packed a lot into these episodes.

Manaow is drawn to Gyoza’s, even catching her when Gyoza stumbles. This first encounter sets the stage for a damsel in distress and a champion with a lot of love. Gyoza nominates Manaow to enter the first-year contest, where a boy and a girl of a chosen faculty perform for votes. It reminds me of a prom king and queen, a high school experience that Americans have. Manaow agrees to it to get Gyoza’s signature. The two grow close.

In episode 3, We can spot a wild Max Nattapol….I want to scoop him up. If I throw a Pokeball at him, will I catch him, or is he too high a level? 🤣 I’m sorry for the nerdy Pokemon reference. He’s a fourth-year head hazer, and he wants to punish Manaow, who got into a fight while she was drunk over boys talking junk about Gyoza. Gyoza takes responsibility, saying she didn’t teach her juniors well enough. As punishment, she has to run 67 laps. I hate SOTUS. It’s like the army. However, in true GL fashion, all the members join in and run laps with her.

Ok, here’s where it seems to go off the rails. We have, in no particular order, two car accidents, a time skip, jealousy, date rape, infidelity, a psycho player, a coma, and amnesia. It’s too much for this girl here. And all the crying. Let me tell you how much crying…..too many tearful scenes. I swear if I cried that much, my face would be swollen, puffy, and not at all pretty.

Had we stopped after our couple sorted out their feelings and confessed, it would have been a good GL. As it is, they crammed two seasons worth of plot in only ten episodes. There should have been two five-episode seasons covering different plot arcs, but they pushed it all into one, which makes the plot hard to follow. Which is the villain? Is there a villain? Why must they go through so many trials and tribulations in these episodes? It’s exhausting.

But I did enjoy the first half of the show. And for that alone, I will give it a mid-rating. The acting was good, and I mostly liked the characters. The chemistry between the main couple was good, and they made me smile a lot in the first four episodes.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. [See our Review Guide]