This could have been so much better

What can another trite, tropey, cliché-ridden Thai series centering around a cooking theme say that has not already been said? Both from a positive and negative perspective that seriously does not sound like a broken record (I know that dates me).

The story could have been an interesting one as it certainly did start out on an entertaining note. We have a struggling young man named Peach (Guide Kantapon) who developed a great understanding and finesse for baking from his Grandma (actress unknown). Both make a living by selling Grandma’s chiffon mini-cakes. Her chiffon mini-cakes have been instrumental in changing the direction of one individual in an orphanage where she has been delivering her cakes for many years. She gently dispenses, as a grandmother ought to, not just wise advice on baking but on how to live. She is pivotal to this whole story and is the fulcrum to Peach’s transition to fully realizing himself.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2023/12/30/bake-me-please-series-review-ep-1-to-6/

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A Beautiful Romance with a Historical Backdrop

If we did a crossover between “I Feel You Linger in the Air” and “To Sir With Love”, the end result would be “After Sundown”.

Adapted from the novel “Dap Saeng Rawi” (ดับแสงรวี) by CEO, the movie is a rustic romance with a slight supernatural edge. The first thing I noticed about this movie is that, even though it was promoted as a horror thriller; the story is anything but that. The film is a delicately crafted romance between the main leads, Zee Pruk (Phraphloeng) and NuNew Chawarin (Rawi). The movie is full of cliche tropes- social divide, arranged marriage and revenge. This might make it sound old-fashioned, but that’s the charm of this movie which keeps you enthralled from the get-go. I wasn’t much invested in the horror aspect and only watched this because Zee & NuNew are a force to be reckoned with. And they do not disappoint, although their scenes here are a little less passionate (as compared to their romantic scenes in “Cutie Pie The Series), their chemistry shines through. Let me walk you through the best moments in this movie!

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/12/after-sundown-movie-review/

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A Delectable Slice of Life

Short and Sweet, Coming of Age Story!!

“You and My Stars” is a Thai BL miniseries about three boys who are experiencing their first crush, first love & first confessions where you feel shy and worried (basically it is a depiction of puppy love at it’s cutest). The webseries is so sweet and short that you can watch it without thinking too much. Win (Poom Jittipat) has a crush on his classmate Time (BM Chanatip Aumpu), who instead has crush on Win’s best friend Hunter (Photo Patawee), who is a casanova. To confess his love to Hunter, Time asks Win to deliver 999 stars he handcrafted to Hunter. Even though Win feels heartbroken, he delivers them without any negative thoughts. Hunter in my opinion is a very good friend and Win, even though in love with Time does not show any negative emotions towards anyone which depict a healthy and positive personality. Time’s struggle with his first heartbreak and his emotional turmoil is well portrayed; the actors, who actually do look like high schoolers, did a good job in acting shy and awkward.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/20/you-and-my-stars-series-review-ep-1-2/

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Not Exactly An Entertaining Watch

I’ll be honest from the beginning. This is not going to be a very positive review. If you’re an OffGun fan who loved the show and don’t want to read anything negative about it, I would suggest to stop reading this review right now. If you’re an OffGun fan who was massively disappointed by the show like I was, go ahead.

As a long-time fan of OffGun, I had literally teared up out of excitement when “Not Me” was first announced, and to this day it remains one of my favourite BL’s. I am a big fan of the magic that they have created before, not just in “Not Me” but in “Theory of Love” as well. After doing great shows together, as I said in the first impressions, I was simply confused as to why they would choose a project that seemed to pale a little in comparison.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/08/cooking-crush-series-review-ep-3-to-12-cut-version/

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Pointless Drama and Over Melodramatic Storytelling

This series is marred by something, and I wrestled with trying to find the most appropriate word to describe that. A word that is strong enough and powerful enough to impart disconnect to what is happening in this series. Finally, I found the precise word: Eschew, which literally means ‘to keep away from or shun, avoid, circumvent, boycott, or dodge’. Quite literally everyone in this series does what he can to avoid telling the truth, or face reality, or abstain from communicating effectively, openly, or honestly. It seems to be the driving force of Thai BLs to be as evasive and elusive as you can to create artificial dramas. This is another sad example of that artifice.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/07/for-him-series-review-ep-1-to-12/

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Most Disappointing Watch of 2023

There is no myths here; that went extent along with the dinosaurs. Instead, it is a jumbled incoherent mess of disorganized shifts of scenes packed with individuals for the most part that are astonishingly unlikable, dumb as a box of rocks, naïve, and caricatures. Some are decidedly despicable creatures as well.

The whole universe of this story centers around one of the densest characters I have ever seen. Not only is he naïve and remains so throughout, but he is also the biggest milqutoast and nebbish individual ever in any BL. It was exacerbating to watch him not be able to fend for himself in any meaningful way, with conviction and simply ‘forgive’ people for astonishing bad transgressions against him without making it very clear how he really felt or where he stood. He gives a new definition to the term wimp. I am talking about, of course, the apple of so many guys’ eye for whom I simply could not figure out why. Rak (Kong Montree) who consistently walks around looking lost and functioning in a dream world of his own making. To say he is naïve is to be kind to him. It goes deeper than that. It is as if he wears a sign on himself that says, “Yes, I am really this clueless and as dumb as I look. So go ahead and use me. I really won’t figure it out but oh when I do, I will simply forgive you and move on. Thanks.” For example, his boyfriend had been cheating on him for a while with his own best friend. His passive acceptance of this along with his wounded look made it appear as if it was his cross to bear, and he wore it almost like a badge of honor. When he finally breaks up with him, he allows and tacitly accepts his former boyfriend to visit and harass him without making it abundantly clear that it is finally over, period. At one point, his former boyfriend attempts to rape Rak, and still, Rak forgives him.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/05/dinosaur-love-series-review-ep-1-to-8-final-story-ep-910/#more-14438

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Most Disappointing Watch of 2023

This is a touching, sentimental journey of young love that was brilliantly done in the beginning but then got lost in its time journeys to recapture its past. While in some ways the story was exceptional, its execution was unfortunately lacking in logic. Initially it had me hooked on the strength of its young actors playing the parts of their younger selves. Simply put, they were brilliant.


This is a story of destiny but not on a linear trajectory. It is a destiny of love between two young men who were meant to be together but had to traverse different directions to get to the promised land. The love story starts out so beautifully between Saunsoon (Mix Wanut) a pensive, withdrawn, perhaps a bit emotionally frail young man, pretty much a loner whose escape is to go the movies. His name literally means zero which adds to his feelings of self-loathing until he begins to realize the power and impact that the number zero has. Along the way, he meets Ongsa (Tor Supakorn) who is, without question, one of the most enigmatic and complex characters in any BL I have ever seen. Tor’s performance is one of the best as he has to traverse so many aspects to Ongsa’s dimensions.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/04/absolute-zero-series-review-ep-1-to-12/

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The Best Sequel in 2023

I’m literally in tears because the drama ended too soon and there is STILL so much left to explore!

Have you ever felt this inexplicable connect to a storyline or characters that keeps you coming back for more? If you are an ardent fan of the “What Did You Eat Yesterday?” franchise, you will understand the connection. I have been religiously following this show for almost 5 years now and everytime, they make an announcement, my heart skips a beat. That’s how much I love this melodrama and I’m really invested in each and every character in this show. Starring veteran Japanese actors Nishijima Hidetoshi & Uchino Seiyou in the lead roles, this slice-of-life romance focuses on the daily lives and struggles of a middle-aged gay couple. You ask, what is so special about them? Shiro and Kenji are probably the most realistic depiction of the problems faced by a gay couple, in an idealistic, closeted society. Their renditions are so heartwarming and inspiring, you can’t help but get roped in their lives. For now, join me as we reminisce some of the finest moments from the sequel!

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2023/12/27/what-did-you-eat-yesterday-2-series-review-ep-3-to-12/

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An Intriguing Adaptation with a Stellar Casting

I pondered endlessly on how to best handle this review. Should I make a detailed comparison between the Thai and the Japanese versions? Should I compare the acting calibers of the main pairings in both versions? And ultimately, which version was better?


Seemingly confused and baffled by these questions, I realized that the best option was to review this show as a separate entity. Adapted from the manga series “Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!” (30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい) by Toyota Yuu (豊田悠), the Thai version is a rustic adaptation of the original work (be warned, it isn’t a remade version of the Japanese adaptation). As such, it has a flavor of it’s own and needs to be savored as the main course and not a side dish. When I first saw the official trailer starring Tay Tawan & New Thitipoom, I was slightly apprehensive. Having watched them play the main lead in “Dark Blue Kiss”, I knew they have a phenomenal chemistry. As veteran actors, you can’t condemn their acting skills. My worries were related to the fact that I absolutely loved the Japanese version. Akaso Eiji and Machida Keita left a memorable impression in my mind, and I was unsure if TayNew could recreate the same magic. Let’s address the elephant in the room as we talk about the other pairings as well!

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/05/cherry-magic-thai-series-review-ep-3-to-12/

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The First Thai GL Celebrated All Over the Globe

One of the first GL series from Thailand, "Gap The series" was a well-received and appreciated show, that broadened the scope of the GL industry. In an industry monopolized by the Boys’ Love genre which mostly focused on the love story between two boys, it was nice to see a lesbian love story. The show was nicely paced, being a sweet and cozy workplace romance between a boss and subordinate, with one being cold but sweet and other being a ray of sunshine.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/27/gap-the-series-series-review-ep-1-to-12/

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A Brilliantly Scripted Thriller

I grew up on a stable diet of Indian mythological (Ramayana & Mahabharata), both have been remade again & again with different casting. The central character that remains at the heart of both mythologies is Lord Vishnu (both Lord Ram & Lord Krishna are his reincarnations). So, when the trailer for “The Sign” was released, I was intrigued; because it had two main characters based on Indian mythology. I was surprised to say the least; Garuda is the vahana/vehicle of Lord Vishnu while Sheshanaga is his mount. Although we know about the enmity between Garuda and Nagas, their story was never properly described/depicted beyond the fact that they both serve Lord Vishnu. So, to see two divine figures from the Indian mythology in a Thai drama was quite riveting. It was only after the show started that I realised that Thais have their own myths about Garuda & Nagas. The show is hugely based in modern era, but is fantasy drama based on the age long enmity between the two demigods. In Buddhism, Garudas are enormous predatory birds with intelligence and social organisation. The Garudas have kings and cities, and some of them have the magical power of changing into human form; as can be witnessed with Phaya’s characterization. The Garuda are enemies to the nāga, a race of intelligent serpent- or dragon-like beings, whom they hunt. Nagas are believed to live in either water bodies or in caves and have different clans; as witnessed by their attire. Tharn is mostly shown wearing green clothes, which depict his noble status while Chalothorn is show wearing black clothes which signify the fact that he is a royal. “The Sign” cleverly combines these age-old mythologies with the concept of reincarnation to script a thriller that is incomparable to most modern dramas in the BL world.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/25/the-sign-series-review-ep-3-to-12/

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Could Have Been So Much Better

When I first started watching this show, I was very excited to see a Korean-Thai crossover BL series, especially with Mew in it. But as much as I wanted to enjoy the show, it was disappointing, to say the least. There was no plot, no chemistry, no romance, no anticipation to watch the next episode and I really didn’t care about what will happen next. If you are watching a romantic drama, you can ignore all the emptiness if the romance, chemistry, and interaction between the two main leads is toe-curling but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case here which ruined the show. It felt forced and awkward, even the confession part, I didn’t feel anything watching it.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/24/love-is-like-a-cat-series-review-ep-1-to-12/

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An Impressive Watch Indeed

Watching this series is like wrapping yourself up in a warm cozy blanket on a cold winter’s night as you are reading a romantic allegory. While the sensation is comforting, the fable still provides you with enough stimulation to keep you awake. But you suddenly realize that you reach a part in the story where one of two possible endings can happen. Either a fairy tale one or a tragic one. While I certainly love a fairy tale ending (and these two guys deserved one), I was preparing myself for a tragic one as the series did seem a bit dark overall. Unfortunately, I got neither one. And I threw off my warm blanket and started to cry with disappointment. Let me elaborate.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/23/memory-in-the-letter-series-review-ep-1-to-6/

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A Memorable Watch Indeed

Sometimes the only way to truly find oneself is to get lost first, to become disoriented by all the things that you have trouble facing until what you really want becomes the magnetic north that sets you free.

The Korean BL Boys Be Brave adapted from Seok Young’s webtoon Can’t Confess and starring actors Kim Sung Hyun (Kim Jin Woo), Nam Shi An (Jung Ki Sub), Jung Yeo Joon (Choi Bal Geum), and Ahn Se Min (Ji In Ho) is all about being found inside a lost place.

The synopsis of Boys Be Brave is simple. Four people, all of them opposites, each of them with very different lives and ways of dealing with those lives, coming together in an insightful, romantic way that reveals who each of them truly are beneath layers of insecurity, masked smiles, and pride.

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https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/05/17/boys-be-brave-series-review-ep-3-to-8/

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