Lovely Writer (2021)

Sweet tender love story

I was already overwhelmed by the trailer of lovely writer the series but it contains so much more then I thought It would be. Every episode was just perfectly produced. All of the episodes contain different emotions and that makes it more exciting to watch.

I went from happy to sad to angry and to overwhelmed in this serie. It’s absolutely well made and I want to thank everyone that worked on this series. You did a amazing good job!!

The storyline is also very simple, exciting and loving
I finished the whole series with a big smile and a warm heart ❤️

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Beautiful Depiction of the BL Industry

Right off the bat, Lovely Writer did an incredible job at drawing light into the toxic world of BL. I loved how I was able to enjoy this series while also able to learn and grow in my knowledge of what these actors have to go through, Kao and Up created a magical on-screen chemistry accompanied by an awesome supporting cast and an amazing production team.

Let's Dive In.

Let's talk about the complexity that is the characters. The writers' room was filled with geniuses, I swear to god. The character development that EACH person has was brilliant. Up's personality was the most noticeable, along with Beu's. I liked that these weren't just one-dimensional characters, or that they were set up to have no story whatsoever. A huge pat on the back to the writers of this series. Next to the wardrobe. Perfection. Each character had such a set style and it was a beautiful mix of colors designs, and patterns. By far Hin was dressed the best. Onto the plot. It was beautiful. It depicts such a truthful story to what it's like for BL actors when it comes to real-life relationships and fans. I just hope that this was enough to teach the overzealous BL fangirls that what is on screen is for entertainment and entertainment only. Nothing is for real, and no BL actor should have to put their love life on hold to please their fans.

The acting was immaculate. This was Up's first main leading role, and he did an amazing job. Episode 9 and 10 was by-far the best episode of this series, and that's all due to him. I literally cannot wait to see him in future series. Kao was so precious here. He played a completely different character here than on UWMA, so it was a great way to see how versatile he is in his acting. Him and Up had great on-screen chemistry, the Viagra plot was hilarious (also kind of bad, but good thing it was just a joke) and led to a beautiful intimate scene that was so sensual and romantic ( also super consentual. CONSENT IS SEXY). Aoey, Tum, and Tiffy were excellent supporting roles. I found myself drawn to Tum and Tiffy's story more than I ever had on any other straight couple in BL. I genuinely loved their relationship, and yearned to see them more. Bruce (Aoey) did an incredible job. While his character needed some serious therapy, Bruce was able to bring about these emotions that I've only ever seen a few BL actors be able to pull off. I expect to see some much more from him in the future, and hopefully soon. With that being said, my favorite character was Hin. He was adorable, he was charismatic, and I loved that the series gave him his own little mini plot and we get to seem more of him in the end. His actor's performance was perfection, and I want to so badly see more of him.

While I did love Sib, he felt a bit clingy at times. I just wanted him to give Gene some space, especially at the beginning of the series when he was acting strange and obsessed with Gene, even when they weren't that close. I think it was a poor desision to have Gene forget who Sib was. In the flashbacks, Gene looked way old enough to remember, unless he went through some traumatic head trauma and forgot. Talking about the flashback, just how old is Gene compared to Sib? While the actors playing them young did a good job, the age difference was a bit startling. Sib was literally no older than 7 while Gene looked like he was about to start high school. While I can understand the age gap as an adult, it looked strange and off when they were kids. I would've loved it had they changed Sib to be a bit older or for Gene to be a bit younger. Episode 12 felt really off, as in, it didn't feel like it belonged in the series. While it wasn't bad persay, it still just didn't fit in my opinion. Them breaking the 4th wall was definitely the worst part of it all. Could have done without that awkward look my way for sure. Whatever happens to Aoey? Whatever happens to Mork? What was the underlying relationship between Gene and Sib's brothers? What when on with Gene and Sib's dads? Where does Tum and Tiffy's relationship stand? So many plot holes left open, so hopefully those go away in the special episode, or maybe even a second season.

Overall, I loved this series. The way they called out so many problematic subjects in BL was legendary. This series needs to be watched by every single person just for the sake of keeping the humanity of the actors and the fans. A definte recommend.

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Respect your BL-Actors....

I really wanted to like this series because I liked the premise. That toxic fans are a problem in the BL scene, as well as the widespread "shipping" should already be known from this series.
So actually this is a series with the important message to respect the privacy of the actors and not to force them into a fictional relationship.

While the first Episodes are more fluffy and lighthearted, the dramatic scenes, later on, are all the more convincing. Especially the dramatic coming out scene, but also the press conference are outstanding.

Unfortunately, the story sometimes gets lost in the typical BL-Tropes and just follows old familiar patterns, like the prescribed roles of the shy "Bottom" and the overprotective and possessive "Top".
As a result, I can't take the series as seriously as it deserves with its theme.

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Who needs character depth when we have… announcements?

Probably my opinion regarding Lovely Writer is going to be a bit unpopular, because what I have seen in other reviews and in comments is that the vast majority liked the series, I in particular did not like it that much, but let's explore a little that it was this series for me.

As for the plot, it seems to me that it is fine, prior to the series I already knew its development, so more or less I knew what to expect, even so the series has many holes in the plot that I think are the element that does not It allowed me to never enter into the dynamics of the series and therefore I could not enjoy it as I suppose if it happen to other people.

In the first place, I have many doubts, I understand that the whole issue of their shared childhood (which is not very innovative) is something very important for both characters, but I think that with Gene I did not feel that impact, the series tells us this story and In the character of Sib we can see it since it is the root of his love/obsession but in Gene there are no signs that this has been so significant in his life until he finds out who Sib really, we see no signs that this friendship child influence something in his life, at least not clearly.

The humor of the series did not please me in many points, I think the relationship between Gene and Sib was tried to take more seriously and focused all the moments of "humor" in the secondary characters especially with Tum, but they were rare and eschatological at times and did not make sense within the tone of the rest of the series or the rest of the characters.

My biggest conflict with the series and what I feel I need the most to elaborate on is with Aey, as an individual, it seems to me like a disaster on all levels, in the plot of the character or his personality or the things he does does not make sense, but let me delve deeper a little in this, to begin with they put him as a main character as he is basically the antagonist of the series, but we do not know anything about him in the least, he is in a fight with his family we do not know why, he has a problematic relationship with Mork we do not know because (and don't even make me talk about this character because that guy was less than filler, I don't know what they wanted him for in the series if they weren't going to give him any dialogue), he's in love with Gene we don't know why, and a host of other things that we do not know and that are not clear.

Having a character whose life itself is a mystery to the viewer can be very good when it is well managed, but in this case it is not like that, the background is important because the series itself never treats him as an antagonist totally, there are moments that the intention is that we be empathetic with him and what he feels, but it is impossible to feel real empathy for a flat character and without background, they tried to make it very relevant and tragic but they did not show me any of that, at least if it had been a manipulator that enjoy doing it would make a bit of sense, but no, everything in the video where he exposed Gene and Sib's relationship does not make sense, he does it and then he spends his time suffering and also took the decision to do it for nothing, what was his damn objective? And the worst of all is that even at the end of the series the character does not evolve even a little bit, he has no development at all and the flat character that we see in the first episode is exactly the same that we see in the last.

There are other areas or characters where the series had a very poor development; Sib, let's talk about Sib, we don't know anything about him other than that he loves Gene, we don't know his interests or passions or anything, basically everything that isn't Gene is not relevant, are we okay? It is no longer time for us to think that people who live and breathe for others is romantic, in addition the character does not change anything, does not evolve, does not develop, nothing, first episode: cool boy, trusting, in love with Gene; last episode: cool guy, confident, Gene's boyfriend, they don't give him any depth anywhere and it only serves as a catalyst for Gene to “move forward” in his story, at least romantically.

Now, Gene, as a character it seems to me that he is the most interesting of all, we are getting to know his past little by little and he is the one who the series pays the most attention to, so that we understand how he feels, how he relates to other people, his fears and his goals itself, is the deepest character in the series and also the one who has evolved the most, although beating the other characters is not much to say either, because even if he evolves in more romantic matters or in the acceptance of his sexuality, there is still habits in which the series does not let him advance; for example: his evolution as a writer since chapter one is suggests that Gene wants to write other genres to explore new horizons but this ambition is something that the series always leaves aside (be careful, I am not saying that writing romance novels of the BL subgenre is a bad thing , far from it, I'm a fan, only that as a writer, Gene has the desire and the right to explore other genres), another thing is that from beginning to end Gene is a coward, even in the end if it weren't for Sib looking for him again, perhaps he would never have had the courage to go after him.

Let's talk about the performances, Up does it quite well, yes, the series revolves around this character but even in moments where he is not the main focus of the series he continues to take all the spotlights, his tone is well achieved, when he is sad, happy, shy, you feel his emotions genuinely and his chemistry with Kao is good, as for Kao although I don't think his acting is bad, if I think he is more limited in certain scenes, I don't know if it's because of the direction or just the script or the shallow depth of the character will prevent it from being more convincing at certain key moments. With the rest of the cast at least the secondary ones, a similar thing happens to me, I do not think they are bad actors but I do not think that their performance is very immersive, of the rest of the characters nor let's talk they present so little and have so little relevance and dialogues that it is impossible to say anything about his performance.

As for the music, it is fine, it does not seem anything outstanding, the main song is not exactly the OST that I like the most of a romance series, but it is not hateful or something like that, the production is also well achieved is the standard that they give us in general the Thai series so on that side well, what if I would like to comment is that it has the most cynical advertising and commercials that I have seen in a long time, it is how to hide it a little.

Anyway, for me this series is not outstanding in many aspects, but it seemed entertaining at times, but it does not go beyond that, if the series enchanted you or is your favorite, it is very good I do not intend to offend anyone, It's just what the series left me, even so I hope later to be able to see other works by the actors, especially Up because I think that with other deeper characters, perhaps another direction could give us something very good.

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Insightful and Entertaining!

(There will be very minor spoilers that are unrelated to the plot)

Where do I start with this show... I feel like I liked it more than I should.

It wasn't anything special nor did it have great aesthetics or music. It is your normal Thai BL.... so what makes this show worth watching?

It was everything together blending almost perfectly that made this show enjoyable for me. It started off cliche, one of the lead's acting was amazing while the other's was a bit off, both were eye candy and the plot didn't seem all that great. But as the story progressed, one can clearly see where it is heading.

Though it was nothing too deep, the plot had a very significant meaning that exposed the toxicity a fandom can hold. It was a healthy diss to the BL community as a whole and I loved the way the script of these arcs was written! Gene's acting was top-notch, changing from an introverted writer who was in a slump to an introverted writer who fell in love. The humor was where we needed it and there was no extra drama or over-dramatic characters (except for one... *sigh* that character had so much potential). It had enough of everything.

But the most important aspect of the drama that I must talk about, and I am sure every review out there is pointing it out, is the healthiness of the relationship between NubSib and Gene. NubSib is your typical 'dog gong'. He caters to Gene's every need and it's not limited to only when he's pursuing him, but also emotionally accommodates him and actually speaks to him about everything. Gene is also portrayed to be very mature and I love how non-toxic and healthy their relationship is, not only compared to its BL drama counterparts but all dramas as a whole.

One major issue I had throughout the show was the music and sound effects.... what did they make it so dramatic for? The music was beautiful, but the editing of it and the sound effects into the drama were overdone and could have been toned down a bit. There were also quite a few plot holes that were not addressed or filled even in the last episode and though it's not disrupting the main story, it is irresponsible of the scriptwriter to not take care of them. I love most of the side characters and their stories, but almost all the side characters either didn't get enough screen time or lacked some charm or depth.

This drama had a LOT of setbacks. It could have been MUCH MUCH better. But I am willing to overlook all of that because of how much I enjoyed watching it despite the problems. And the fluff in this drama is super cute :')

If you are someone looking for entertainment, this show will provide you with a lot of that and more.

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Golden cast, golden message

Side note: this kinda gave me Romance is a Bonus Book vibes with its focus on writing/publishing. This was definitely better though.

I love the subtle messages that this drama infuses in the cute romantic plot line. I feel like they were trying to highlight so many issues, from hypersexualization of lgbtq+ relationships within the lit/entertainment world to generational trauma tied to homophobia.

I'm not gonna lie, when I first started to watch this I thought it would be just another overused trope. I couldn't understand why certain characters already seemed to have feelings for one another and I thought things were moving way too fast to follow. Without spoiling, I'm just gonna say this... EVERY THING WILL MAKE SENSE EVENTUALLY. Stick around til the end! I promise it is so worth it.

What drew me to Lovely Writer was Kao from UWMA (the BEST bl if I do say so myself). His acting here is so enchanting and convincing, I genuinely felt like Nubsib was INFATUATED with Gene. It's the little things like the way he would look at him and how he would act when he missed him. I actually felt jealous!

Anyway, watch Lovely Writer.

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I’m giving it 8.5 stars even though I actually want to give it 1 star

„Lovely Writer” was a consistenty great show throughout the first 10 episodes. The 11th episode had some serious pacing issues and the 12th episode felt like a delusion in itself but on that later.


The Positives:

Let’s start by saying how this show touches upon some serious issues that involve the
BL industry. It is pretty self-aware in that aspect and I love it. For example that overly feminine gay actors apparently aren’t selling but also how they could profit from inclusion and progressiveness by casting less feminine gay actors from time to time.

Then there are some other issues that the show discusses, like people’s entitlement to your personal life and sexuality.
The scene where Gene has dinner with his friends and how they expected him to be gay simply bc he writes BL novels and even tried to pressure him into a coming out, regardless of him being comfortable with it or not. The friends even tried to come off as supportive, kind of, but ended up being incredibly insulting instead. One girl even thought that by shipping Gene, it would somehow make her supportive of him. This was incredibly uncomfortable to watch bc there are in fact people who think that shipping two (gay) people together somehow equals acceptence and support.

My absolutely favourite scene though was probably Gene and Sibs dinner with their parents, when they finally decided to open up about the romantic nature of their relationship. This one was even more uncomfortable to watch. Not just bc of the parents’ take on homosexual relationships but also their take on the whole of BL-genre.
When the topic of BL came up, the parents seemed to get pretty awkward and uncomfortable but they still tried to come off as kind of open-minded, but not really. They talked about BL as if it was a trend and wasn’t to be taken seriously. It’s something to laugh at and maybe it can be enjoyed at times but it’s nothing to be discussed at dinner in a respectful and serious manner. And while the parents seemed to be kind of open-minded about BL, the moment their sons tell them that they’re dating, their fake acceptance crumbles at lightening speed.
The whole scene depicts some very serious conflict but I’m glad it wasn’t turned into an overly melodramatic mess. Everything felt very realistic. I feel like this is the reality for many lgbtq people when they deal with their families.

Another point that I would like to applaud this series on is the way it portrayed how writers are pressured to write what the publishing house thinks the fans want. Their own wants and concerns seem to not matter at all. I never hated or even really disliked Bua and I think it’s bc she has such a quirky personality and she has to shoulder a lot of responsibilities too. I certainly understood where she was coming from by pressuring Gene to write NC scenes bc she thinks it’s the main selling point of BL, but it is just as important to understand where Gene was coming from.
NC scenes are, ultimately, not necessary for portraying a love story. They can be a great add-on if the story demands it but adding them simply for gratuitous reason can either be boring or even distract from the actual storyline and I think it’s great that Gene and Hin had a conversation about it.
The term Yaoi may have originally meant something like “porn without plot” but there is a reason why this term is nowdays mostly replaced by “BL”. Because BL evolved throughout the years as a genre and keeps evolving. It’s so much more than the simple term “yaoi” describes. I personally really dislike this stigma attached to BL, that it’s mostly smut and that the main selling point of BL dramas should be hot guys. I’m not saying that there isn’t any truth to it but there definitely is a stigma.

All in all I liked the non-preachy tone of how the show drew attention to these issues. Everything felt natural and not forced. I didn’t feel like the story tried to condescendingly push the issues into my face. It didn’t feel like the show put itself on a high moral ground and thought itself to better than BLs or other BLs. It actually made me care about the issues more. I loved that instead of actively bashing the industry and fans it simply served as a mirror to the fans and the people in the industry. I hope that these issue will become less and less prevalent over the next years. The change might be slow but I’m happy as long as it’s happening at all.


The Romance:

It was ok. It was cute but nothing special. While at some points the romance certainly broke away from stereotypical tropes or even subverted them in a way, it stayed staunchingly loyal to others. I liked the scene when Gene was drunk and wanted to kiss Sib but Sib prevented him from doing so. Their communication was usually pretty open and mature too, something that is usually a rare find in BL. But then again, while Gene seemed to be portrayed as an actual human being with some depth, Sib felt like a cardboard cut-out. He was the typical BL “top” (I don’t like using this word to describe characters but I feel like it’s the best way to describe him here).
His whole motivation for everything was Gene. He was there not to be his own character but to be perfect and capable and to basically fawn over Gene. He had no real depth and it’s disappointing. At least Gene behaved like a human being and speaking of Gene, Up did a wonderful job of portraying him. His acting was consistenty good and even phenomenal at times. Can’t really say much about Kao bc Sib wasn’t a well written character but I guess he did a decent job with what he had.


Aoey:

. The storyline did him so dirty. I know that some people as well as the characters in the show love to treat him as a villain simply bc he initiated some conflicts for Sib and Gene but he honestly wasn’t a villain. He was a very real, very flawed character. He actually felt more human than any other characters in this show.
While he unquestionably did some very assholish things, he was nowhere near irredeemable. He wasn’t a cookie-cutter villain, he had a personality, backstory, depths and a lot of unfortunate happenings as well as a difficult family. If I were to call someone a villain it’d be his sister. He had a motive for what he did and he was on a self-destructive journey. Does this excuse his behavior? No. But the circumstances of a person shouldn’t be overlooked either. He’s 20 years old, he’s a lost kid, he needed someone to help him getting out of his toxic mindset and the only person who seemed to be genuinely willing to do that was Mork.
We only ever got minimal scraps of their storyline so we don’t exactly know what happened between them but we know that Aoey has some very deep-seated resentment towards Mork while Mork has some deep, romantic feelings for Aoey. For that reason it’s understandable that Aoey wouldn’t want any help from Mork. Aoey circumstances are very tragic. I could never bring myself to hate or even dislike him. I mostly felt sorry for him and wished for him to be happy or least to stop being so self-destructive. It’s like he knew what he was doing but couldn’t stop.
Anyway, the Aoey/Mork dynamic is very interesting and I would love to see it unfold more. Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a second season with them as the main leads, fingers crossed.
Bruce is a great actor btw! He did this wonderfully complicated character so much justice.

Tum and Tiffy:

I was never invested in their romance and it’s not bc they’re a heterosexual couple. I warmed up to Tum pretty fast but liking Tiffy was...difficult. At first she seemed ok even though I disliked her simply for assuming that Tum was gay for no reason at all. They were a heterosexual couple who were supposed to break the hetero- stereotypes and in a way they did, but why did they make Tiffy be so adamant about perceiving Tum as gay even though he openly told her many times that he wasn’t? And what was the deal with the ridiculous rapping-shtick? Tum rapped about not being gay and suddenly she believed him? Even though she didn’t believe him before but rapping it somehow did it for her? I don’t get it.
And what about her awful treatment of Aoey? At first she seemed to care about him. They weren’t super close but at least she seemed to genuinely care about his well-being but then drops him right before an interview? Not even telling him why? She said he supposedly knew why but that’s just cheap and awful. She should’ve at least talked to him. And she’s supposed to be older and a professional at that? lol
In the end she was a very judgmental and selfish character. Ironically, I disliked her instead of Aoey.


The last two episodes:

Finally let’s talk about the last 2 episodes. There’s not really much to say about the 11th episode apart from how it disrupted the pacing of the story. For some reason the show decided to go full-on melodrama for this episode. It was strange bc nothing really warranted Sib and Genes break - up.
Yes, shit happened, they got exposed (kinda..they weren’t even intimate, just playing around in the sea) and were told to stay away from each other for a couple of months. They could’ve easily done that without needing to break up. They could’ve called and texted each-other, they could’ve even lived together (maybe get some delivery service if they’re not allowed to be seen together). Knowing how mature they usually were in dealing with other conflicts I was amazed at how childish and melodramatic this specific conflict needed to be.

The 12th episode was especially weird. The first half might seem ok (not a fan of time jumps) but the moment Sib appears in front of Gene it gets very strange, to say the least. First of all it’s kinda unexplained how and why he appeared in front of Gene and we also never really get to know what was going on with him throughout these 4 (or maybe 8) months. The only thing we know is that he apparently ended his contract and is free to do whatever he wants.

That’s not even my main issue here. The tone of the show kind of changes when he suddenly appears. The scenes feel unnecessarily long but also almost too “perfect”. Like I’m watching a fairytale. And then we get a scene when Gene complains that he doesn’t know how to finish the his novel and Sib tries to help him by whispering some ideas into Genes ear and we get a 4th wall break! Both of them suddenly interact with the camera. They’re looking directly at it and even touch it to symbolize the transition between the scenes.
Suddenly I felt like I was watching a special episodes of YYY. The humor suddenly didn’t fit the overall tone of the series. This show had never had any other 4th wall breaks and while “Lovely Writer” is undoubtedly a comedy it never had the same type of comedic style, like for example YYY. This change in tone felt incredibly jarring.
And what exactly were these ridiculous ending scenes even supposed to be? What was their purpose? They were long and unnecessary and the screen time could’ve been used so much better.

Now let’s get to the weirdest and most reciculous shtick they pulled in ep 12:
Sib and Gene are fictional characters.

Yes, the audience understands that “Lovely Writer” is a fictional story, Sib and Gene don’t exist in real life but...did they have to be fictional even in their own story? Why was the scene, where we see Rose writing about them, needed? It just left me baffled, lost and completely unsatisfied. This scene alone made me debate if I wanted to give this show 1 star, and one might think that’s too harsh but I humbly disagree!
This last scene put everything in a new context; Sib and Gene are fictional characters written by a BL author. While I respect and love what Rose has done with her story, I didn’t want her to be IN the story, at least not like that. It would’ve been fine if they showed someone being inspired by Sib and Gene to write their own novel but why did they have to show that it was Rose and that she simply imagined their story?
Ngl, I feel very cheated by this...twist. Especially bc nothing in the story even suggested any 4th wall breaks or anything else that would’ve shown that they were fictional characters.
I remember reading a comment on ytube which said that this show was so meta that the last scene adds a new level of metanarrative to it and that’s why it’s great. Well, I have to disagree.

Yes, the show is meta but it still has its own reality. It shouldn’t have been connected to our own reality bc again, what was the point? If the point was to remind us that this is not a real story then that’s moot bc we, as the audience, know that it’s a fictional story. If the point was to remind us in the midst of a fictional story that we’re watching a fictional story (with no forewarning) then they did a stellar job! And it’s the worst decision they could’ve made.
They did their best to show some very dark and very messed up things that are permeateing the entertainment industry (in this case BL specifically but I’m sure it can be applied to other fields) and they did it in a pretty serious manner. Suddenly being aware that all of it is fiction, creates an estranged feeling towards these issues. Almost as if they’re not real or at least not as important. Now, I understand that all of these issues are very serious and are based off of some real happenings. But you’re not making a documentary, you’re making a fictional love story.
And usually, when you want to make a fictional story, you’d want to make it be as immersive as possible.
You’d want your audience to believe that it’s real. At least while they’re watching it. And while “Lovely Writer” does portray some serious issues that are very common in the bl industry, they’re not excatly a secret. Maybe an open secret at most.

What the series did well (till the last episode) was that it made the audience connect and feel emphaty for people that are suffering from such issues through the lenses of Sib and Gene. As audience members we feel a connection to Sib and Gene. They’re like our friends or family. We want them to do well, to be happy. Sometimes when you know that similar things are happening to the actors and their loved ones, it’s not always easy to experience the same type of intense emphathy bc actors are often not even perceived as humans but a fans possessions. I think Lovely Writer did well in showing us what it would feel like if we or our loved ones suffered from the same issues many actors suffer from. So, making the whole show feel like it was a fictional story was a wrong move. It makes the emotional impact much less intense imo.

And if the writers, for some reason, wanted the audience to be aware that Sib and Gene are fictional characters even in their own story then they should’ve made it obvious early on bc using it as a twist is the weirdest, stupidest decision made. It actually makes it seem like the actual author of the novel (Rose) is the protagonist instead of Sib and Gene. They should’ve called the series “the BL author” like you know,...”the Shipper”?

Excuse me for the long review and thanks for staying with me throughout this rant

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A BL That Subverts Expectations

So I won't lie. The first episode of this series I was like... this is okay? However, by the fourth episode I knew this was a special show. Full of subverting expectations, really important lessons, such sweet moments it made my face hurt. A heavy emphasis on consent in this which we STAN. It's got a lot of really really amazing stuff in it. Though I think episodes 11 and 12 kind of took it down in rating for me. But we'll get into that more.

So lets start with how much I love the love scenesssss lol. There was so much skinship in this and passionate kissing that I lost track. Like the intro song says at the beginning "I wanna kiss you!"They weren't lying lol. I think also the director wanted to poke fun at other series lacking on that aspect in their shows? Or showing subpar kissing? That's what it felt like anyway. Kao as Nubsib was gorgeous and the best you can get in a man literally. He did such a good job playing the ideal role and yes I got sucked in. I've loved him since UWMA and I shall continue to love him in anything he does! Up as Gene was really good too. Though his character frustrated me later on, the acting was great. Gene is such a mess sometimes and awkward, Up did a really good show portraying that appropriately. Then put these 2 together and you have some of the most solid chemistry I've ever seen in LGBTQ content let alone BL content.

The story doesn't really start going until Nubsib actually moves in and they start "practicing' for material in Gene's book and Sib's acting role. That stuff was hilarious and a great gateway into exploration between them. That entire scene with Gene being drunk off his a** and Sib rescuing him from the bar was stellar. Not only in acting, but in representation of consent dude! So important to show that even if Gene appears to really want Nubsib in that moment, he cannot consent if he's that drunk ya'll and Sib knows that and respects it. I freaking loved that scene. Moving onto Sib and Gene having a history. I thought it was fine, though the child actors don't look the ages they are meant to portray. Which confused me, but it was well done. Gene didn't have to get so angry, but I get Nubsib was technically lying to him about stuff. However, trying to understand goes a longgggg way.

Fast Forward to them FINALLY getting together. Which was...lit lol. The interaction with coming out to the family was something else! So proud of Gene and his brother for sticking up to the dad. Acceptance from the family is what matters most. You don't need it but it's so important. So I for the most part was okay with how it was represented. Though Nubsib's family talk I'm conflicted about. It wasn't very "accepting" to me since the dad clearly cares more about reputation than his son or else he wouldn't of brought that up. Also wtf does his son being in a gay relationship have to do with reputation? Its annoying and I wanted so badly to be in that room and set him straight. Damn right you can't stop him from being an adult and living his life stupid. It works out in the end but that kinda irked me.

Before we get to the slight downfall of this series, I wanted to talk about side stuff. Aoey's character was interesting to say the least. I'll talk about his demise at the end, but his character was so interesting and I wanted to see more of his backstory danggit! Hin I didn't care for at all. He was annoying at the beginning, gets slightly better because he has less screen time and just doesn't do much. Tum and Tiffy were cute, however I don't understand why Tiffy straight up assumed he was gay? Wtf was that about? That was some stereotyping if I've ever seen it and she of all people should know better! She's a bada** girl who doesn't give a crap about labels and she's gonna do that? Unless I missed something. Didn't vibe, but together they were okay.

Time to move on, to the dreaded 11th episode f*** up. First thought. They couldn't chill secretly until the end of the series shooting!? Gene had to end it!? I get he thinks doing it for Nubsib's career or whatever. But what a load of crap. You know that's not what he wants! Why have this show make fun of cliches and then do one that sucks this late into it!? So hear me out and let me elaborate. Legally Sib's company CANNOT under any circumstances force their actors to do anything in their personal relationships. Unless it's part of a contract, which its made clear its not they will catch a lawsuit! Nubsib and Gene are not slaves to the system. So that entire boardroom scene was nonsensical. Look at this from an outsider perspective too. It reeks of homophobia without the context of it being for a BL show. So that wouldn't fly either! Then followed up with Gene wimping out again got me aggravated to say the least. This show should've not done the obvious thing and had them fight it together. Because a breakup is cliche at this point. You can't dictate who people date and Tum's sister is the biggest b**** ever. By then Aeoy was cancelled too because he escalated the situation by garnering sympathy from fans during the livestream. Really bad move dude. Very reminiscent of a real-life situation that happened between 2 BL actors...if you know you know.

Immediately I was like Nubsib better cancel his contract with these people. I would've on the spot, however if he doesn't after he's nuts. These people are unethical and how disrespectful you have to be to try and decide for an actor of yours how important his relationship is to him. With his partner RIGHT THERE!!! Holy crap I wanted to throw that woman out the window! It's not for his benefit girl, its for yours don't lie. The reporters too, why do you feel the right to dig into someone's private life like that? Though realistic I suppose, that's none of your business and disgusting. I live for the scene of Nubsib hugging Aoey though out of nowhere and being like "see? I can act too" oof that was a win.

Past all that nonsense. We get to more nonsense lmao. The show becomes the butterfly effect for a hot minute, with Gene living through his memories again. It seemed like they were gonna have him live in the past unhealthily for material and I was like really? That's what we're doing!? Then out of literally NOWHERE Nubsib shows up at the house and kisses him like THAT. All is forgiven? WHAT!? I appreciate the cuteness and that skinship scene with Gene afterwards had me in a flutter. But me and my friend watching this thought it had to be a dream because of how outlandish it was. But nope! It actually was happening! No resolution or talk about it. No redemption of Gene bailing out after lying. No big stick it to the man scene of them coming out as a real couple to crappy stans. NOTHING. What a disappointment. I guess at least Tum said screw you to his sister and made his own management company. That was nice. I can also say Aoey's ending was surprisingly dark though and I'm 50/50 about it. He's left with noone, Tiffy abandons him and his love interest moves on. All he has is gifts from fans and their support online. I feel like he even ate a flower from the bouquet at one point (fact check me) because he's lost it completely and is finding validation from consumption. Dark stuff and idk how I feel about it. I appreciate the thought process behind it, but I think he deserved redemption too. Maybe in another season? I doubt it heavily but damn.

As lackluster as those last 2 eps were. The role-playing genderbend recreations of Snow White, Cinderella and Romeo & Juliet were funny and cute! I didn't need to see another lover die on top of Kao via a gunshot wound, but those scenes were cute. We get a wink fourth-wall-break at the end that was clever, which ends with a kiss of course. The ending meta thing with the author of the books we didn't need and it was hella confusing. This series overall was still fantastic! Idk what it is though with series failing during the last few eps. We need to figure out how to fix that guys! Watch this though, you won't be overall disappointed with the results!

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A pretty decent BL for the Thai industry!

May 14, 2021

Lovely Writer is definitely a strong drama. Although, I did have some troubles with the plot and the execution. It was still a good series regardless. First of all, I JUST LOVE HOW THEY EXPLORE CONSENT AND THREW SHADES to the industry. With the number of shows I have watched, consent is so rare to see and it's so sad. Often the ML is always pushing themselves to their partners and that makes me want to drop a series.

I really love Gene and Nubsib's chemistry and they were hot. Like certain scenes got me running laps. I was a bit uncomfortable with the age gap during their childhood scene. But yeah, I guess it was just me...

Anyway, there are certain parts where I was shocked. Like damn, the plot twist was very shocking.

Now onto my rant:
If I am being honest, the plot was a bit messy and draggy and predictable. I really love the idea and concept but I think the execution was just a literal pain. AND as for a show, I thought that was gonna break the BL stereotype, I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED that they followed the typical route for episode 11. As for the music, I was a bit irritated cause some of the choices did not fit in with the scene. It was more of a nuisance if you know what I mean. Also, how can the series turn into the very thing it was calling out in the beginning. Like the first half was about calling out the BL industry and then suddenly in the second part, it starts following the cliche plots???!!!!!

Also, WTF WAS EP 10-12 I LITERALLY SKIMMED THROUGH IT CAUSE I WAS BORED AS HELL. THOSE EPISODES WERE A LITERAL 5/10. HONESTLY, IT COULD HAVE ENDED ON THE FIRST HALF OF EP 9 AND I WOULD BE TOTALLY OKAY WITH IT.

ALSO YALL WILL LOVE TIFFY AND TUM. Their sidestory was so cute and they were my motivation to continue the series. Even though they had least amount of screen time. I love them so much. If it weren’t for them, I would probably dropped this series at this point. Cause I was just literally dissatisfied with everything....

Anyway, make sure to watch this series as it's still pretty darn good!! I hope my rant didn't ruin it for you heheheh

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Give it a try, you won't regret it.

To me, this is one of the best BL series of all time. From the story, acting, directing, theme, and message, everything is great. The relationship portrayed here is healthy and full of CONSENT. It is entertaining and educative, without being patronising. Give it a try and it will give you something more than just entertainment. It's a bit slow at the beginning but it's totally worth it. Especially if you finish til the end, there will be amazing surprises for you. Don't forget to watch behind the scenes too. The director gives insight on the making process and about the message they try to convey.

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