Tonhon Chonlatee (2020)

Watch it for the side characters and comedy........ Story can go to hell and burn.......

*This review will have a lot of spoilers, cause imma rant, share my experience while watching the show, and talk about the good parts of the show as well.*

I'm going to start with the story, cause...boooyyyyy did it have some major issues with writing, directing and pacing. The issues taken up by the show in the earlier episodes were very interesting and got me all hyped up cause, we had a gay protagonist who had a crush on his childhood friend who is homophobic (seems more of internalized homophobia), who was living with a closeted gay couple......I mean coommmmeeee onnnnn *some serious eyerolling* IT COULD HAVE BEEN AN AMAZING SHOW. See the thing is I don't usually expect shows to talk about social issues, but if u want to take up such topics like internalized homophobia, coming out to friends, discovering your sexuality, then just brush upon those plot like most of the BL shows do, you can't rely your plot around such topic and fuck up majorly with writing these scenes, cause if not written and directed well they completely fall flat on their face and the viewers end up not feeling SHIT when these scenes appear on the screen. The show's plot majorly focused on some of these issues and the show was really unsuccessful in conveying those emotions in the viewers, hence the bad reviews we are seeing. I'm not saying don't touch such subjects, I'm just saying with such an amazing concept for plot mixed with the comedy (which was quite good), this had so much potential but was a let down because of the writing......I mean HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA cause some parts of the story were such a let down. I'll list the let downs for you -

Ai and Ni - just don't get me started on the plot of Ai and Ni, sooooo much potential storyline wasted, cause there was so much build up, with many conversations about it and even bring Miriam into the picture to hide it. I was looking forward to the coming out to be funny and effectively deliver a closure at the same time, but the whole scene was a let down and the whole scene had no depth to it, it just felt like some random filler scene. Another big complaint I have is WHY .WERE .THE .KISSING .SCENES .NOT .INCLUDED, I don't know what the problem was, if you cannot show the kissing scenes, don't include it in the script and awkwardly point the camera in a different or just awkwardly cut the scene.

Ton - I'm pretty sure assessing Ton's character from the show, it seems like most of the homophobia he had was internalized because we found out in the final episode that he liked chon since his childhood and his parents moved away so that their son forgets chon. So, having a such a homophobic father and being told that being gay is wrong, would have caused a lot of confusion in ton, as he had feeling for a boy. They tried to show hints about it using, scenes where Ton was watching SOTUS, 2gether etc.. They could have shown the development of Ton in a much better way rather than using Na as a fake rival to kinda forcefully make ton accept his feelings for chon which did not work by the way, I think the convo he had with Na about liking a guy had a much deeper effect on Ton than the stupid making ton jealous plot. Moreover this realization of feelings plot was soooooo fast.....

Toxic characters - Amp, Neung and Ton's dad, If I could I would have drowned all the three characters.......I'm so tired of the ex-girlfriend plot, I'm ready to YEET any other show with plot from my watchlist and there are many, it is such a cliched plot, it needs to buried forever cause it has been used too much to create problems for the main couple in BL shows. Neung was just an unneeded character, he literally had no role, neither was the attempted rape necessary cause lemme tell u it didn't do shit to alter the story in anyway, feels like it was he was there to just piss me off to another level......Now coming to the major ass of the show the dad, he shouldn't have been allowed to have kids, he thinks of them as baby making machines. See I don't mind a homophobic dad plot, it is getting to the overuse point too.......keeping that aside, considering it was a comedy show I was expecting a lot, but definitely not what they gave us. The moral of the whole dad plot was "Give your parents a kid then you can date whoever the freak you want", like seriously, I banged my head against the wall after that scene, that was literally the worst thing in the whole show for me.

Now, coming to the next problem with the story - the pace, it was all over the place, the episodes in the start were very well paced and the story moved at a steady pace.....but all the major chunk of the story was then crammed into the last 3 or 4 or so episodes.....It went from a steady pace of 30 to 100. It would have been much better if they had stuck to the pace and increased the episodes or you know had a slightly quicker pace from the start cause nothing much happened in the first few episode ( they were funny as hell, but the story didn't progress much.

Now that I'm finally satisfied with my rant, let's talk about the GOOD PARTS of the show.....

Chon - I liked Chon's character a lot, he is an absolute QUEEN, I like the way he doesn't take shit from amp or anyone for that matter. I feel like someone should award him for his skill of throwing water at people XDXD. He knew what he wanted from a relationship. He also knew what he could achieve and what he can't. I also like the way he made things between him and Na very clear from the beginning. (It was sad to see Na being turned down but it was the right thing to do). He did commit the crime of being a part of the making Ton jealous plot.

Na, Pang and Chon's mom - These three have become my most favorite side characters in the BL universe.
Na is a very very very good boy....*Pats Na**Hugs Na*, He was I think one of the most well written characters of the show, in the sense that we could relate to him and understand him and his actions well. He was so sincere with his feeling for Chon and even helped Ton realize about his feeling which was so much better than the jealousy plot *slaps forehead*. He stood up for chon, protected and him and cared for his happiness. Na deserves all the happiness there is <3<3<3.
Pang was such a good friend, being there for Chon, whenever he needed help or a shoulder. Being a confidant, cheerleader and guardian for chon.
Chon's mom, she currently is on top of all the mom's I loved in BL shows. She was so mature. She understood her son, gave him some kickass advice. She corrected him when he was wrong (when Chon kissed Ton without his consent). And consoled him when he was sad. She even fought for his relationship and respect. She is a SUPER MOM and I stan her......<3<3. One issue she was involved was the whole baby thing in the last episode....I'm gonna pretend that didn't happen cause I'll get the urge to slam my head against the wall again.....BAAMMMM.

Ton and Chon moments - Ton and Chon's cute moments once they started dating was very very cute and satisfying to watch. Ton caring for Chon was tooooo cuteeeeeee....<3<3. Ton's confessing on the foot bridge in the sea was very romantic...<3<3

Actors - I personally think the actors did a wonderful job. From the Protagonists, side characters to Amp *rolls eyes*(can't help it I just hate her). I love the cast, the casting team did an amazing job all the actors fit their characters well. Since, it was a comedy a little overacting was expected and it was delivered perfectly by the actors. Honestly the actors deserved a better script.

Comedy - The comedy in the show was bang on, I laughed a lot throughout the show, especially in the earlier episodes.....The comedy made the the show bearable. I absolutely enjoyed the dialogues and timing of the comedy.

So, finally overall it was a hmmmmmmmm ok kinda show, it had some fun part and some sucky part.
Will I rewatch the show, probably not.
Do I recommend the show, Yes, for the cute moments between Ton and Chon, comedy and the side characters. It had the potential to be a gem, but alas.......

*catching breath* Sorry that I rambled on for too long ToT.......If u read till the end...Thank you so much for reading :-) Do share your opinions.
Lots of Love......Byeeeee.......

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Episode 9

The story was really good for the first 8 episodes but then shit hit the fan really hard at episode 9 when it began taking short cuts while holding onto a string of what made the series great.

Thon kissing Amp was a terrible decision since it was cheating. And I honestly liked how Thon was trying everything to apologize, and it was going amazing with Chon pointing out his hypermasculine bullshit. But then it went downhill when Thon was talking about having always like Chon and then being taken back over the anchor tattoo.

Like no!!!!!

I personally wouldn't have Chon never forgive Thon. If the kiss meant something, HELL YEAH! But it didn't. The real problem was how Thon was raised by his homophobic sexist father.

If the writers had mixed in the plot of the parents figuring out and Thon still apologizing, it could've set up a great story of Thon truly realizing his errors, fighting for his love by improving himself through like listing all the things he's done in the past, add what he now knows is correct, and display his understanding before Chon. And his friends could've helped him along the way by setting up camps at Chon's backyard, watch hypermasculine movies out there, have Thon making food for Chon to eat upstairs.

Also Nam could've addressed about how being cheated on was like for her, how it was different compared to Chon's because those men never bothered to show true change, but Thon was trying his absolute best. Its difficult to trust again, and Chon didnt need to all the way at first. Just give a little opportunity for Thon to prove himself.

Something like this.

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Mixed Emotions

I just finished watching the last episode. When the trailer of this series came out I was so excited to watch it because it kinda gave the impression that it's a cute-sweet-romantic vibe plus the fact that I love and adore all the actors in this series. Now don't get me wrong, I still think that it is a cute-sweet-romantic vibe, it's just lacking something. I felt it was rushed to the point that the episodes were not seamless at all. Let me get down to why I rated this series as such.

STORY: So I rated this 7/10. I think the storyline was promising. Only if there weren't that many awkward cuts. It wasn't seamless. It's like grabbing bits and pieces from different storylines and putting them all together just to create a series. It would have been nice if they had a clear definition between a homophobe and someone who's not sure of his/her sexuality. It was my impression that Tonhon was a homophobe but in actuality, he wasn't. It just came out like he was. There were a lot of twists in this series some of which were in the last episode.

ACTING/CAST: Rated this 10/10. I loved all the actors in this series. I've seen them in different BL series that I have watched. I'm glad that Khaotung was given the main lead role. I first saw his acting in 2gether and I really thought that he deserved a main role so when I saw the trailer I was so excited for him. Pod's acting in Dark Blue Kiss was far better than in this series. The jealousy kind-a-thing doesn't work for him in this episode because it came out as though he's a homophobe, when in fact he was just jealous. My favorite BL couple Mike and Toptap are still adorable. I wish that they would have their own BL series. Their acting is very much at par being the supportive, naughty, mischievous kind of friend.

MUSIC: I love the OST that's why I rated it 10/10.

REWATCH VALUE: I was at a loss for this one but I rated it 5 because I think for some people it'll be rewatchable. We all have different opinions, different personalities, and different likes. For my taste though, I'd probably rewatch it when I'm bored or if I want to see Mike and Toptap's cuteness again. So it's 50/50.

OVERALL: I'd give this series 8/10 because there were lessons learned. Lessons intended not specifically just for the BL community but for all of us. Learning that whether you were just dared to do it or forced to do it. Cheating is still cheating. If you are in a relationship don't put yourself in a situation where you may be labeled as a cheater even if you had no intentions of doing so. Apologize, don't makeup excuses even if you were forced to do something. Man up to it and just apologize. We make our own choices. Regardless of the situation, know and understand that you made a mistake and apologize, it's not hard to do. As parents, we can't force our children to become who they're not. Parents should be their guide, yes, but it doesn't necessarily mean that parents are always right. Nowadays, producing an heir can be done in so many ways. Why are there some people who are so adamant about it?

This series has a lot of good things and a lot of not so good things as well. It could have been executed nicely. The story could have been refined even more. Overall, with the cast that this series had, the storyline could have been better.

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Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'm not sure that it means that it was good, either.

Things I loved: Na and Miriam.

Miriam was a joy and lit up the screen every single time she was in a scene. She made me laugh a lot. This is the second thing I've seen Jan in and the second thing she's been a highlight of.

And Na was hands down my favorite character in the entire drama. He stole the show from his very first scene. I have to say that I have not given Neo enough credit even though I have seen him in several things by this point. But after watching this I am a fan. Na was a general blast and also an unexpected sweetheart, and I shipped him with Chon to an insane degree. Now I want a Khaotung/Neo pair up because their chemistry is very good and I think it would be fun. Maybe they can have angry makeouts in Only Friends? As a treat to me specifically.

Things I liked: Chon, Prang, Ai & Ni, Chon's mom

This was a fairly decent friend group. I liked that Ai and Ni understood and stuck by Ton even when he didn't especially deserve it, and I love how fierce Chon's mom was in defending her son, and how little she cared that he was gay. Petition to keep casting Khao in roles where he has a great relationship with his mom, please.

One thing I was a fan of was that Chon had a spine in him. So often when you get these pining romances the piner lets themselves be pushed around for love, and it always annoys me. I like that Chon didn't let himself get walked all over. Good.

Although…to be honest, I felt like both Ton and Chon were kind of nothing characters. Oh, both actors did what they could with what they were given (I have never seen Pod in anything else, but Khaotung I know is excellent so I blame neither of them for this), but they just…weren't given all that much. Despite the story being about them, I honestly felt that characters like Miriam and Na got way more development. Hell, even Ton's sis and her hubby got more than I felt Chon and Ton had. It was especially annoying in Ton's case, because there was a lot to work with there and I do think, based on what I was given, that the actor could have handled a more nuanced character. I feel like the main problem with this drama is that it didn't know how to walk the line between comedic an serious, and a lot of potentially good story was lost in the process.

Things I did not like at all: the attempted SA plot and the way that it happened and then was never brought up again (and also the way that Amp was somehow made out to be worse than the dude who actually tried to SA Chon, like he gets a free pass on that because oh hey, she really is a homophobe after all. No, sorry, both of them were vile) and the whole dad and babies thing. I also kind of hated that the second dad gets his way he's suddenly all remorse and solicitude.

The last thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was Ton kissing Amp as some sort of proof that he's still a man or something? What? Not only was it completely inconsiderate of Chon and his feelings (and good on Chon for directly calling him out on that part because what the hell, my dude?), it's also completely nonsensical. I get that it all tied back to Ton's ideas of what makes a man and the way he was raised by daddy-o, but again, the show did nothing with it. It felt like in the end it was just there to cause some drama and give Ton a reason for his big "I've loved you all along" confession, and honestly there are other ways we could have gotten there. As it was it just made Ton look like a meathead who would go around cheating whenever someone challenged his precious manhood with no regard for what it might do to his relationship.

I can't say I regret watching it, but I can see why so many people really don't love this show, ha. For me it was middling, and the problems outweigh the good points, so I probably will never find myself with the urge to rewatch. I am not what I would call a connoisseur of the best BL - I have been known to adore trash and I make no apologies for it - but this one just didn't manage to hit enough correct notes for me to remember it with fondness, nor enough bad ones to make me mad enough to remember it for that reason.

In summation, this is a show that exists, and I'll probably forget it in an hour or two.

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Character opinions

Most of the characters were bland, especially Amp.
(Don’t get me wrong, the acting and cast were amazing, it’s just how the characters were portrayed.)
(This is just my opinion.)

Ton:
During the scenes where Na is “hitting” on chon, they try to make it as look as if Ton is jealous, and just wants to push Na away from Chon. But really, Ton just sounds angry, like he isn’t fond the the queer people.
He isn’t willing to learn, he sounds and acts very narcissistic and kinda brainless. from what I’ve seen in his character, the way he says homophobic things, assumes, etc.
The last episodes he FINALLY realizes he likes men, wow. WHAT A SHOCKER. it’s like only portrayed in that span of minutes he finally realizes he likes Chon, isn’t that annoying? Like of course, we all knew Ton like pd Chon, but Ton didn’t realize until the LAST episode. Which is like WTH???

Chon:
he’s okay, I liked his character in the first few episodes until he got a little annoying.
The way he kinda forced Ton into his sexuality is… ehhhh… ya’ know..
Overall, he started off good, but kind of eh at the end, he isn’t bad, but he’s aight.

Nai & Ai:
Don’t even get me started on these two, the fact that they have been standing there, listening and watching Ton say these homophobic things, not saying anything to stop him.
They literally don’t do crap when their friend (keep in mind, CLOSE friend,) are saying all these homophobic things.
Therefore, toxic.

Amp:
She sucks and no one can rlly tell me other wise,
Very bland, she’s like almost all girl antagonist.

Na: he’s the only character I liked, honestly. Although at first impression he was overconfident, may self centered, etc. and of course, he was planning on flirting/hitting on Chon. but as we go along with Na, he isn’t a bad person he even encouraged Ton.

Miriam:
I’m so sorry, but I honestly forgot about her character, I mean she definitely game some plot, but personally for me she was forgettable. And don’t even get me started with that end twist, not cool.
Overall, she’s a mediocre character, i eh-like her.


Overall, most of the characters were sucky. The plots, plot twist, story etc were handled poorly.
Would not recommend at all.
I literally got bored after 4 episodes. I can’t believe I powered through all 10 episodes.

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The things that should have been addressed... but were instead ignored (no hate, just my opinion)

I loved the story between these two, but some things needed to be addressed, such as; One, the fact that Ton was so homophobic and his Dad only accepting him if he promised what he promised in episode 10. Second, Chonlatee almost getting raped in the bathroom and no one talking about it or even comforting him (because he's a man which in this situation gender shouldn't matter) and Chonlatee's character accepted it so well... But he literally would have been raped if Ton hadn't gotten there in time. I feel as though in reality Chonlatee should've been more shocked, more overwhelmed or fazed by the fact that he would be taken advantage of... instead it was used to propel the story into Chonlatee and Ton's relationship. I loved the actors, the story itself was beautiful, but there are a lot of things that should have been talked about or at least mentioned once after it happening.

Like how goddamn stupid it was for Ton to do what he did in episode 9 (you'll see) and was shocked when Chon didn't believe the excuse he gave. I know it was only 10 episodes so they didn't have much space for too much detail and I loved the show, I expecially loved Ton and Chonlatee together. Episode 10 kinda bullshitted, though, with what Ton agreed to (despite being so young) and that Chonlatee was ready to go along with it (I understand that it was the only way for them to be together, but c'mon, I would have liked a conversation about it at least) with more space and more detail the story would be over the top, but I think the actors and humor saved it. The scenery was nice, as well. Please don't come for me, I'm not judging you for watching this show or wanting to watch it because it is a good show and very funny, if you like humor and cute moments along with a shirtless Pod (the actor of Ton) then go for it and enjoy it. This is my opinion and you may not agree which is okay, please just watch if you really want to. Make up your own mind about this show or just decide not to watch it, stuff happens. Bye!

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I laughed with gusto many times. How to perceive this series must be in the person himself (he must understand Asia) to distinguish the subtlety of the playback here, which is brought here in a spicy form deliberately sometimes to the point of pie creation and complements the overall comic, from some other Asian productions, where naivety, the snobbery or the twistedness is too much for non-Asian viewers. Those who don't get it will condemn the series unnecessarily, but that's their business, not mine. The main thing is that everything has not slipped into a set of "western" sitcoms, when the viewer is "forced" to laugh at every stupid thing in the form of constantly imposed "laughing viewers". Here, the viewer is left with room to consider how to react. This excellent Thai part just ended in January 2021 and I can only write that it was a really nice experience.
Both main characters here are very original. A frail and youthful looking Chonlatee and a sporty type Tonhon with a chest tattoo (which has a meaning in the story - Navigator vs. Ocean). In addition to light entertainment, deeper thoughts also appear in the series, e.g. in one of the late episodes, Chonlatee's mother Nam literally flashes in an argument: "...BETTER TO BE HATED FOR WHAT YOU ARE THAN TO BE LOVED FOR WHAT YOU ARE NOT... .” and I also appreciate the overall message, the attitude towards men who like men, which certainly has an impact on the audience.
The two other gay characters Ai and Nhai (Ni) are also excellent, and the girls Miriam and Pang also contributed to the good fun. There are quite a few fans of these series here at GT, and I definitely recommend this piece to them.

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must watch

even tho it has bad reviews i think it was underrated many people where not able to understand it. it's just your normal childhood friends to lovers series. but much better because there where lots of other aspects the second lead couple was also good and much better then many series i have watched of that year. then it's up to you but in my view you should give it a try

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The funniest BL I have ever seen

OMG. Like what in the world? I just saw the second episode and I almost peed my pants.
Thanawat is the funniest actor I have ever seen in a BL and only the look on his face will make me laugh out loud.
I have to say that I started this series for Pod / Ton and I am not disspointed, altough I read some bad comments. But is not the actor to criticize for his part, just the writer. But I like a lot his character. I believe almost every gay guy is in denial at first. It is not an easy choice to reveal your feelings for same sex and to openlly get criticized for...being gay. In our society, unfortunattly, the LGBTQ+ comunity has a bad image and the traditional family seems more normal in people's eyes.
I will give this series till now (2 episodes) a big 10 and I will be surelly blown away later. Pod is a great actor and we will surelly see this later in the next episodes.
But for Thanawat .... Is there a 10*****? This guy is brilliant.
P.S. There was a scene with the arrogant guy that I played it on repeat 10 times or more and couldn't stopped laughing.
Probablly this is the first series that I can't wait to see what happens next and I saw almost every BL that exists.

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Don't waste your time on this

Typical homophobe guy ending up with another guy plot. Even though it's cliche I still considered this because there are lots of homosexual people out there who try to act like phobes in order to blend in to the society. It was still no less annoying. This is the basic plot for the main characters Tonhon and Choatee. But what was more annoying than this is, the character Miriam.

Ai and Ni as in the second couple are boyfriends and they hired this Miriam girl in order to pretend both Ai and Ni's girlfriend so that their homophobic friend as in Ton who lives with them at the same house doesn't get suspicious of their relationship. Seriously what was this? I get that they are friends but do you really need to be friends with someone who won't accept your sexuality? To go this extend? No, you don't need them.
And the awkwardness between the Ai and Ni character my Lord GMMTV reslly needs to stop casting them together. Even though they did more than one project together they are still awkward.

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