Theory of Love (2019)

Painfully Bad

How is this show so well-rated and beloved?

I've seen other shows with Off and Gun paired together, so I know I can't blame their lack of chemistry on the actors... but damn if their characters Khai and Third have literally nothing going for them. You can't even blame the ratings on it being a steamy show because there are only a few kisses between the leads and they're all awkward as hell. Honestly, you know it's bad when the only pairing with any on-screen chemistry is the 'teacher emotionally cheats on fiancé with student' one.

The plot is ridiculously slow and Gun's narration constantly lampshading the fact Third is stupid for liking Khai doesn't help; if anything, it only makes the watching experience more frustrating because it destroys what little audience buy-in there was to begin with! Why should I care to see Third get treated like shit for 11 episodes of a 12 episode show? Gun's definitely a beautiful crier, but I still got bored of his constant tears by episode 2.

Meanwhile, Off's performance is, dare I say, off-putting. His coming out scene is so wooden and flat that I had to walk away. As a bisexual who didn't come into my identity until I was well into uni myself, I was hoping for more: more enthusiasm, more confusion, more distress or relief or incredulity. More anything. And it never got better. There was no sense of physical attraction between Khai and Third at any point in the entire show. A more generous read would be that Khai is a homoromantic heterosexual, but the stupid boner jokes undercut any credibility there. Instead, we're merely told that Khai thinks Third is attractive rather than that ever being shown.

Final verdict: 2/10 stars, direct to video.

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I wish KhaiThird didn't end up together

I have not read the book this story was based on, so my opinions are strictly based on the show.
First of all, Khai was not a good friend to Third. So, I really don't understand why Third was so passionately in love. Again, I don't understand why Khai fell in love with Third. Were the feelings always there? Or it was because of the video? Did Khai even like him as a friend first? Or he just tolerated him? It felt like the plot was rushed halfway. Both were incredibly toxic towards each other even though no one is entitled to the way how the other feels. After they start dating 'officially', Khai gets kissed without consent/is assaulted at the bar. But Third creates a ruckus without even giving a chance to Khai to explain. What kind of a boyfriend wouldn't believe that you are capable of getting assaulted? And after that Train scene happens (this is the only scene that almost brought me to tears thanks to OffGun), Third says "why didn't you tell me?". You threw a literal glass bottle at Khai when you saw him coming towards you to talk?
The OST was awesome. Un and Two were cute. You can give this show a try.

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There is literally no flaw in this drama, the actors were great, the storyline was great, the production was also great.
Trust doesn't come right away with love and this drama did a good job in showing that with Third. They also showed one-sided love and being in love with your bestfriend. What I also love is the way they write the characters, I relate with Third so much and I also loved Khai's character development.
Being a big fan of Thai BLs, most of them doesn't have a great storyline but Theory of Love is just different, the plot is just so great that I cannot compliment it in words. I recommend this drama but please take note that it's a story where you cry a lot.

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One of the best BL shows out there

They outdid themselves with "Theory Of Love". The quality was amazing, the storyline was gripping and the acting was compelling. Everything coming together to tell an emotional story that pulls at your heartstrings and has your emotions all over the place.
I'm quite new to the BL scene, but I can say that this one is amazing. There were no scenes where I had to bite down my teeth in cringe and I never felt like the story was going astray or boring. My favorite thing, which I think tied everything together, was the acting. The acting was so moving and you end up sobbing right alongside the characters. Third, especially, was portrayed spectacularly and I applaud the actor for displaying his feelings in such a manner that pulled the fans in.

I would highly recommend this show for anyone looking for something to fall in love with.

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Beautiful Story Line

I can not say anymore about this series, IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL. Not just their acting skills and visuals, but the story line and ost are so great. And I love how they explain not just about love in this series, but about friendship too. OffGun's chemistry is undoubtable, and the way White support Gun no matter what happen is so beautiful and heart warming even though he has his own problem. I really love it <3
And I love the way Gun decides to move on from Off, he is really mean it. He is not fall for Off for second time until Off can show that he is really love Gun. Even though Off already do anything for Gun, Gun not easily accept him. And when he rush to station when he know that Off maybe still waiting for them, he can show that he still has love for him but can not believe him so easily. Gun's acting skill is so great, he can show many emotions, and I cry when he cries, I laugh when he laughs, just look at his eyes you can feel what he feels.
I love when Off start to realize that he has the same feeling for Gun, he is an asshole, but yeah he tries to get Gun back. But it is too late for him. But he never give up, he tries again and again. I can feel how hurt his feeling when he wait all day long on station for his friends, but no one show up. When the scene Gun hugs him on station and he cries, I just can scream "I KNOW HOW HURT IT IS, I FEEL YOU PAPII" and I cry. His acting skill is improve so much, I really love it.
White's role here is so lovely. He try to help Gun to confess to Off, create many moments for them. But when he realize that Gun always get hurt when he watch Off, he start to comfort Gun and support anything his decision. Even though he has problem with his feeling to a girl who already has a boyfriend, he still can accompany Gun everytime Gun needs him. I love how he realize that he is not love that girl anymore, and start to chase his new love.
Mike is an asshole in the beginning, when he plotting a scenario with Off to Gun. But when he realize that he is wrong, he turn to support Gun and help White to protect Gun from Off. But I feel so sad for him because he can not be with the girl that he loves. He help that girl to make a wedding video, comfort her when she sad because of her fiance. But I love him when he let her go, even though it is so hurt for him. He even help her to make up with her fiance. And I feel happy when he find his new love.
I re watching it over and over again, and never get bored. I really love this series <3

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I am so glad I found this BL. It has to be one of the best produced that I have watched. The story is interesting, the acting is top-notch and the visuals are beautiful.
A Thai drama where the students Major in something other than Engineering for once, in this they major in film which is ACTUALLY interesting, throughout the series, there are countless references to films we all know and love, it makes me feel closer to the story as I studied Film also.
The acting is incredible, Gun especially the emotions he can portray just in the way he looks at someone is amazing, it felt real and that made it all the better.
The story although pretty simple is satisfying, it's more than having a crush on your best friend it's about love, friendship, change and more importantly what love actually means.
It even has a good ending where I felt all my questions were answered and I felt content and happy.
I don't think another BL will top this one in the creative department for sure.

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This show absolutely BROKE ME. I think many people can relate with the "In love with someone that does not love me back" situation, but it's a different feeling when that person is someone you're really close to. To be honest, and I know many people agree with this, Khai was an asshole up until halfway of the series, but Third was also blind not to see how he was being used over and over again, however i guess people in love don't really see wrong in the person they love so i get it. I like how this story is not the typical love story, it took a long time until both characters are ready to be with each other.

I also really liked the story line of Two and P'Aun, although people kinda figured out that they would end up together, i honestly thought otherwise. I liked how their story unfolded, they truly brought a lot to the table.

Onto probably my favorite storyline, Bone and Paan. This is the storyline where I was on the edge of my seat since i did not know what would happen next. The whole time i was rooting for them because they just seemed so perfect for each other, and even if he could've been with her in the end, he knew that it's better if he let her go, to be with the man she truly loves despite his flaws. It broke my heart seeing him watch the woman he loves be with another person, but in the end he got to be with someone else. I honestly wanted them (Bone and Paan) to end up together, but it would be too cliché so i'm happy with how it all went down

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Our imperfect love stories

I went into this show with little to no expectations, only hoping that it wouldn’t be too melodramatic. It wasn’t. It had heart, and everything felt real.

Let me first start off by praising Gun. He was truly the shining star of the show. His character, Third, required quite the range considering his lengthy character arc - hopelessly in love to jaded anti romantic to hesitant lover. And he managed to pull off every single one very well. His cries only became more genuine as the story became more serious, and his cold gaze and harsh words pierced through the screen. You could feel it when he fell in and fell out of love.

The main storyline starts off borderline comedic, and though it dwindles, the funny scenes do still exist to give the show some much needed relief. Unrealistic elements exist, but they progress the story further. The metaphors with the movies are well placed as well - the show plays off its theme quite nicely.

The characters all feel real and have their individual lives and love stories. And this is where my title comes from: these love stories are imperfect. They are on-and-off, misunderstood, confused and complicated. And that’s the beauty of self discovery. These characters make mistakes and grow.

My one gripe with this show is that the two friends’ love lines could have been handled much better (looking at Bone and the last minute tacked on gf), but even though they are limited by the main story, their screentime is not a waste.

tl;dr great acting from gun, the show is heart fluttering, messy but realistic, rare gem of a journey of self-discovery

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I really loved this one soso much! I watched the whole series without a break from the first Episode to the last episode. The chemistry was too good to be true and felt so real that i think i won’t be able to forget third and khai for the rest of my life like ohmygod xD. Their acting was on fire i could literally feel every emotion (when they were crying it was just art!) that’s why i can say for me that it‘s ~better than every bl series i have watched. I didn’t really like The female characters tho.. they were crazy and annoying. Even though the main characters fitted so well to them (waaay too well) I must say that Theory of love is my favorite bL. I won’t be able to forget this for some time now :(

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Makes you wanna bang your head against the wall in slow burn but you love it

Yeah the headline pretty much summarizes it. It's technically a romcom, but the kind where you're crying for the most part.
It really captures the tropes and the cheesiness of romance movies pretty well. But the highlight is the angst. And evidently, we all LOVE angst.
Okay, starting off, I don't think I need to even say anything about the acting. OffGun are amazing, and so are Mike, White, and Earth. The supporting actors also did really well, especially the ones who played Lynn and Paan.
The OST is absolutely my favorite. Nothing beats it, except maybe The Untamed.
Okay, coming to the plot: I really love it. Maybe its just the angst lover in me but the different spins on unrequited love really got me.
On my first watch I spent the first half basically cussing Kai out. The amount of hatred I felt for him at that point was off the charts. On your first watch you're watching from Third's pov and empathizing with him so Kai really does seem like a total jackass. But rewatching it honestly gave me a completely different perspective on it: the first time round I didn't really register how much Third was responsible for his own suffering. For the most part, Kai was oblivious, and can you blame him? Third barely let his feelings show. But yes, Kai did take Third for granted and was in general as ass who didn't show his friends enough care. The "breaking his heart so he goes back to being my friend" kiss though? Total dick move.
But the key point of the first half was that more than just being in love with Kai, Third was too attached to the concept of romance and looking at his life through a cinematic lens. He romanticized the idea of unrequited love, his favorite romance movies telling him that if he's dedicated enough one day his love will be returned. Which is why I like how Third gets disillusioned and then detaches himself from the concept of love and his dedication to it, prioritizing himself and his sanity. And that is where the switch flips, and we see the rest of the story from Kai's pov. And this is how we slowly start falling for Kai. I'll be honest, nothing in the first half really hurt me as much as that scene with Kai, heartbroken after the movie scene, rehearsing the lines again and again following Third's instruction to be more energetic, but at the same time tears are falling down his face as he realizes this is how Third must have felt all those times. Maybe it's coz he spends most of the series with a smile on his face, but whenever he cries (especially when he's forcing a smile but ends up crying) it just hits so much harder.
The accident arc was kinda not my thing, but it served its purpose I guess. The arc with the junior girl and "I don't want to love you anymore, it hurts" - so. much. pain. But worth it. It was needed, coz Third was obviously still insecure, and Kai couldn't really find the balance between overcompensating for what he did before and actually talking stuff out. He tried to just pretend nothing happened and if he just shows Third enough love he'll forget it, but he just ended up setting himself up for heartbreak. The train scene hits hard coz we feel that sense of abandonment, of being forgotten, but it's also a time lapse of Kai finally letting go of the false hope he had that everything would magically become fine, which actually lasts even until Third comes there - he's still pretending everything's fine and as if he didn't wait all day for people who (inadvertently) ditched him, but Third hugging him is the final straw that makes him break down.
The flow kinda dies down after that though, the last episode doesn't really live upto the peak in this one.
Then there's the side ships. I kind of like how all of their stories play into the idea of unrequited love. Two has been pining after Lynn for years but doesn't realize that he's also on the receiving end of unrequited love until much later - by that time, he actually returns the feelings, but he had been so caught up in his old crush that he didn't acknowledge them. Poor Lynn though, girl seems to have a hard time finding love, first that jackass of a boyfriend, and then the guy who loved her having fallen for someone else by the time they got together. I really liked the Bone and Paan story though, in that they let it remain unrequited. Beyond the awkwardness of the student-teacher dynamic, that's the most realistic course of an unrequited love - the object of your affection probably does not feel the same way about you and probably does not realize that you've put them on a pedestal and are looking at them through rose-tinted glasses. But Bone shows the true selflessness of love, even unrequited, when he decides to choose Paan's happiness over a chance for him to (possibly) win her over. Bone best boy. Be like Bone, everyone.

Overall, this is the kind of show I would consider a classic, a must-watch. There's a lot to love about it, be it the movie references, the pining and angst, the portrayal of romance, the iconic scenes. The verdict is that if you haven't watched it, you absolutely should.

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What a wonderful series

I went into this series pretty much guaranteeing myself that I wasn't gonna like it because I don't usually like drama's where one of the main characters is basically being emotionally tortured by watching their secret love sleep around with someone else(or in this case, multiple people). Although I know it is a reality some live with, it's not particularly something I like watching. But when I pushed past some of those parts, I did really enjoy this series A LOT. I enjoyed the fact that the series took it's time, it didn't feel as rushed as some others that I've watched. The acting was really good and I can relate to a lot of the interests of some of the characters. They're all so funny and creative and that's something I appreciate. I've said this before but I do enjoy stories with characters who don't exactly know their sexuality yet, or at least their unaware of their feelings for a specific person, which doesn't necessarily mean they have to change their label or call themselves anything they're not comfortable with. This series has that and I think it makes for an interesting plot. I liked the fact that prior to them ever getting together, they were best friends... which to me makes their relationship more precious. It's kind of something that everyone secretly wants. It's very comfortable love. I also really appreciate the dynamic between the 4 of them as friends. They're really good friends to each other and have genuinely good intentions to help and support each other. It's very cute.
Oh, and not to mention that I'm a fan of film so some of the movie references in this series was really awesome to see. I honestly would watch it if they made a sequel or a spin-off. but even if they didn't, I'm very satisfied with what I was given.
I would watch this series again. Maybe not back to back but give me a month or two and I'd totally binge it again.

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