Moonlight Chicken (2023)

Heart and Liming stole the whole series for me.

This series is a rough gem. The plotline is interesting, the cast is a top notch and the way everything has been portrayed from the storylines to the individual characters themselves absolutely worth watching. It's a realistic mess with a whole lot of feelings invested. None of the characters here are flawless. They have their own flaws and their own problems to deal with. At a first glance, it might look all dreamy and heart eyes but it's more than that. It's complicated and at the same time swoon worthy.

Starting with Heart and Liming because for me they are the best part of this series. They have my heart. They are so heart warming and so healing. I am in love with their love and I love both of them so much. Their small small moments, their subtle touches, their sign language interactions and even their eye locks damnnn I live to see their scenes. In fact if comfort was a person then it would be them. They stole the whole series for me.

Moving on to Jim and Wen, hands down to the acting of Earth and Mix. Their chemistry is no joke mahn. Their story is a total opposite of Heart and Liming's story. It's filled with tension, raw desires and not to forget angst. Both of them are individuals that are in a way broken and have so much to show and say but they can't fully express it and I honestly feel them. (P.S: Earth doesn't look like a 40 year old in any way but okay I am gonna look over that.)

And about Alan. Damnn First nailed it. The complexity of the relationship between Alan and Wen. My god it's too much to handle. I can't even figure out anymore who's at fault and more so I can't see Alan cry. It breaks my heart when he is sad but then when he is being sarcastic, I can't help but roll my eyes. Gaipa too he is a cinnamon roll . He is such a sweetie. Also Leng and Praew, this two are so cute together. Not to forget Gaipa's mum, she is so supportive and so likable. And I didn't really like what they did with her in the end. Also this series did feel like highlights.. like you know it's just parts of something and there's more to see. I don't know I just felt like it could have been better, ended better. But overall I would still give it a 10. Credits to Heart and Liming.

Also, a shoutout to the ost "Tommorrow". It had me weeping when I heard it in episode 4. Ford sang it with so much innocence and emotions plus hats off to the editing team. The song blended so well with all those scenes and that doubled the impact the song had on me. The actual mv in Gmmtv records is good too.

Highly highly recommended!!

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Could Use A Few More Chickens

This was an overall well done drama that was unfortunately too short to realize its full potential. The material was great, but eight episodes wasn't long enough to fully develop some of the issues presented or to fully develop the relationships and characters. Even so, I did enjoy this drama for the most part, it has some great messages and it does tackle some tough issues with tact.

I liked the concept for the story, how a one night stand could turn into something more. The way Wen helped Jim in so many ways, not just with working at the diner, but also with helping him find closure with his past relationship and heal and move on, was well done. I admired Wen's perseverance and that while he continued to pursue Jim even when Jim had indicated he was not looking for a relationship, he did so relatively tactfully, never pushing too hard, but still making it clear that he was interested and that he thought they could work things out. However, things turned complicated, which was exactly what Jim feared, when Wen's ex-boyfriend who he was still living with, Alan, showed up and threw a wrench in things. Despite their break up, he is still possessive of Wen and hopes that they can patch things up and get back together. Wen, however, is ready to move on, and he is faced with having to do just that and more firmly sever his ties with Alan as he tries to establish a relationship with Jim. And Alan, for his part, is left trying to move on as well and come to terms with the fact that his and Wen's relationship is truly over. Meanwhile, Jim's nephew who he has raised, is a senior in high school and is still trying to figure himself out amidst the limitations of not being the scholarly type and being poor. Jim can be overbearing with him and Li Ming feels trapped and isolated until he meets Heart, a deaf young man his own age and they slowly become friends which then turns romantic. The relationship is a healing one for both as Li Ming finds someone who understands and cares for him exactly as he is and Heart finds someone who treats him as a normal person and actually puts out the effort to communicate with him. They serve as each other's escape in many ways and I loved their relationship in all its facets.

With so many BLs these days sticking to high school or college settings, it was refreshing that this one stepped outside those bounds. I think that opened up a lot more doors for it to tackle issues that it couldn't otherwise. However, because it was confined to only eight episodes and it did try to tackle multiple issues, it wasn't necessarily able to dive into them as deeply as one might have liked. The economy and cost of living were both subjects that were brought up multiple times. Leng, one of Jim's friends and employees, and his girlfriend Praew find themselves unexpectedly expecting, so unplanned pregnancy, the cost of raising a child, and even abortion are touched on, if only briefly. By creating a deaf character, the deaf community was given representation and it was done well. The various ways of parenting is also touched on, how there's not one right way to parent and parents are always learning, even from their children. Relationships serve as a major focus, examining how some relationships simply peter out after a while, unrequited love, and, particularly, moving on from past relationships and how, while it may be painful, we can hope that there's something and someone better out there for us in the future. I enjoyed every part of it, again the only detractor is that I wanted more time to explore those topics.

Probably the biggest downfall of this drama, and I know I've seen others commenting on this, is the miscasting of Earth. Earth is a damn good actor, there is no denying that, but in no way does he, as a 29 year old young man, look anywhere close to 40. I know he's a couple years older than Mix, Khaotung and First but he really doesn't look it, and in the drama, there's presumed to be something like at least a ten year age difference between their characters. Earth is one of those people who looks younger than they really are, but this seemed outside the range of probability to me. Papang, in contrast, who played Jim's former lover, Beam, is only a year older than Earth, but he looks older. I could more easily believe he was in his mid-30's. There's also looking at him next to Lookwa who plays his sister. She's a beautiful woman, don't misunderstand me, and looks fantastic at 42, but they don't look like they are close in age at all. I understand that Earth and Mix are a popular pairing, but if they wanted them paired together, it would have made more sense to change Jim's age to something closer to Earth's actual age. As it was, Jim's age was hammered home so often you couldn't forget it, and there were some scenes that were supposed to be more emotional that just didn't work as well as they might have with a more age appropriate actor.

Jim and Wen's relationship was another issue. The first episode is great. The chemistry and tension between the two is electric and then suddenly, it's just gone and while there are still flickers of it throughout the rest of the drama, it's not quite as strong as that first impression. Wen's feelings for Jim remain clear throughout the drama while Jim's feelings are much harder to decipher. There are moments where it's evident he does feel the same way, but it wasn't always consistent and their relationship felt stagnant at times. Even when things were supposed to be changing between them, I didn't always feel it.

I really enjoyed all the side characters, particularly Alan and Gaipa. Khaotung is such a good actor, I wanted more of Gaipa just so he could showcase his skills more, but also he was so sweet, I just liked his character and I wanted to get to know him a bit more. And Alan, aside from the fact that First is also a fantastic actor, was such an interesting character, I wanted to know more about him and his history with Wen. I felt like there was a lot more to unpack there.

But the highlight couple for me was Li Ming and Heart. Having just seen My School President, I enjoyed seeing them in such different roles. Li Ming is a somewhat similar character to Gun, but much heavier on the teenage angst. But it's not in a bad way. You can feel the frustration Li Ming has with his life and circumstances, and it's justified. Fourth did such a good job with bringing Li Ming to life and bringing such nuance to the character. Heart, being deaf, was a much different character for Gemini to portray. I was so impressed with his ability to emote without speaking a single word and he was utterly believable in the role. He and Fourth have such great chemistry. The build up of Li Ming's and Heart's relationship is so well done and feels very natural.

In general, the romance is not why I enjoyed this drama. Jim and Wen's romance lacked some consistency and while Li Ming and Heart were the highlight couple for me out of those present, what I actually loved about this drama was the chicken rice family that they created. The way the characters all came together for each other to take care of each other and build each other up was so heartwarming. They may not have been related by blood, but that didn't matter, they did what needed to be done even if that cost them personally. And I liked seeing how Wen was welcomed into their family, really without much question, he was just accepted. So if you take it from that angle, rather than a romantic one, it is a very wholesome story. And for me, personally, that is better than any romance.

The production was overall pretty strong. I really liked the sets, particularly the chicken rice shop was just so aesthetically pleasing to me. It made me wish I could go there and visit that place. The lighting was an issue at times. There were a number of late night conversations and sometimes the lighting was too dim and it made it harder to make out faces and expressions. However, one scene that I absolutely loved was the one of Jim and Wen at the beach at twilight. The way it was shot with their silhouettes was beautiful. I do wish they'd translated the sign language as a fair amount of it got missed. There were times when Li Ming would essentially repeat what Heart had said, but a lot of the time I was just left guessing.

This is a drama worth watching at least once. It's short so what do you have to lose? I don't as it's one that I'll come back to which is a bit disappointing because I think it could have been absolutely phenomenal with some tweaking of the story and the cast. And I think this drama really does highlight how important casting truly is. I don't think the miscasting of Earth broke the drama, but it did affect it and its ability to pack an emotional punch. I hope in the future they focus more on delivering a solid story with an appropriate cast than keeping particular pairings together.

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A Storytelling Masterpiece!

I highly recommend this show if you would like to experience the following:
• A grounded portrayal of the lower-income class
• An accurate depiction of generation gaps
• A glimpse into the struggles faced by deaf individuals

This show delivers with:
• Fantastic chemistry and dynamic between the cast
• Intertwining plot structure and character arcs
• Meaningful reminders about the best and worst parts of life

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SPOILER BELOW
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What I love:
1. Li Ming's journey and Fourth's portrayal of him. In the beginning, Li Ming is depicted as an unintended victim of a rigid school system, unhappy with the paths other people imposed on him, and unsure about a romantic relationship. However, through a positive mindset about his future and working hard to better himself and help Heart and his family, he finds the answers to the questions troubling him. Fourth is fantastic in this role. Be it a scene with or without dialogue, he kills it. Considering this is his first significant role in a series, I am in awe. My favorite scene of Li Ming is in episode 3 where Fourth has to act without any dialog and portray the suffocation he feels while his friends are talking in a classroom. So good!

2. This series deals with the passage of time smartly. Not all significant character and relationship developments are shown in eight episodes, and viewers are encouraged to imagine and assume the progression. It is tricky to get this format working, especially in a series with time gaps in and between episodes. But with excellent writing and direction, this series manages to deliver. A notable example is how fast Jim and Wen's relationship seems to progress; we are watching them speed-running through eight episodes which can be watched in a day, but in fact, they took at least six months with plenty of interactions off-screen to build their relationship. The two plot sequences are defined, while what's in between is left for viewers to fill in and visualize.

3. “Show, don’t tell.” Related to the point above, some major plot developments are prepared as pleasant surprises for the viewers. One great example is in episode 7 where Heart’s parents could communicate with Heart in sign language. None of the characters in that scene was surprised, but I am sure the audiences are. It shows that within the gap between episode 6 and 7, Heart’s parents have learnt from their mistakes, and choose to prioritize and understand their son more. These are some of strongest scenes in this series. Kudos to the actress who acts as Heart's mom; almost all her scenes are all emotional and intense, and she delivers consistently with such finesse.

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What I wish were different:
1. The sound editing could be better in some scenes, notably the closure scene between Alan and Wen, also any beach scenes. There are squeaky sounds in the background when Alan and Wen are speaking in the restaurant, and as someone who focuses on facial expressions and reads subtitles, these distractions make it hard for me to immerse myself in such a critical scene. Though, the sound editing in episode 7 is fantastic. The backing sounds in some intense scenes are beautifully arranged and delivered.

2. Not all scenes are equally memorable, which is expected, but some are forgettable and can be replaced to better support the plot progression. Alan should have been introduced earlier in the series to flesh out the backstories between Alan and Wen.

3. As great as Earth's acting is, his portrayal of a 40-year-old man haunted by his past and selling chicken rice can be improved. His performances shine through as a parental figure for Li Ming and during flashbacks related to his previous relationship. However, when it comes to the daily portrayal of a chicken rice seller troubled by raising a teenager and trying to make ends meet, I find he lacks the signs of wear and tear surviving emotional and physical grinds.

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Best Episode -- Episode 4!
If I were to pick the best episode, I would be torn between episodes 4 and 8. I feel episode 8 is excellent in wrapping up the story and giving everyone the new beginning they deserve.

But for me, episode 4 takes the cake. Similar to the message it tries to convey about how happiness and despair come hand-in-hand in life, this episode has an outstanding balance of emotions.

My favorite scene probably in the entire series is when they celebrate Jim's birthday. Happiness is simple, and this scene exudes that.

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Takeaways:

There are important life messages that the producer and writers are trying to convey through this series.

Both Jim's and Wen's story arcs highlighted that our past could haunt us for the longest time without us knowing, so it's important to understand when to let go. On the other hand, both Jim's and Li Ming's story arcs try to remind us about generation gaps, that age is just a number at a certain point, and everyone can learn from each other regardless of age to become a better version of themselves.

Of course, all these are easier to say than do in real life, but they are good reminders nonetheless.

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At first, I was curious how P'Aof would be able to direct this series given the ensemble cast; Earth, Mix, First, Khaotung, also now Gemini and Fourth can lead an entire series just within their couple. And the fact that this series can balance them beautifully speaks about how great the director and his team are.

Kudos to P'Aof and his team for this masterpiece of storytelling!

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Beautiful, yet something is missing.

This is a beautifully shot series, with a color palette of contrasting but complimentary colors, which I took as a metaphor for the main characters - burnt orange and silver blue. Other people took these to represent chicken and midnight, but when you say it out loud if comes off a bit prosaic.

The story is also well-written, with complex characters who actually have arcs (with one exception), which is a welcome change.

But there is something missing, and it's the main couple, who are miscast in this role. This is the problem with eternal ships. The magic is usually in their initial outing for which they were specifically cast and well-suited. When you just drop them in another story, the fit is usually not as good, and that's the case here. I don't buy into the "Earth is stiff" narrative - he's excellent and his acting is subtle and masculine - stoic and repressed with emotions displayed with subtlety. I think that's much harder than shouting and crying, but I recognize that's what BL audiences want and like.

But the problem is that Earth and Mix do not contrast in this at all. they are of similar age and disposition - laid back and reserved. Jim is supposed to be entering middle age - on what planet I don't know. I'm entering middle age (reality check: I'm there. F@#$.) and I'm blessed with my mother's good skin, but even at 40 I didn't have Earth's porcelain skin and zero body fat. It's ridiculous and takes you out of the story. He was 27 when this was filmed. Come on. An excellent fit for the role would have been Nike from 180 Degrees. Earth and Mix just don't have any chemistry in this. Their interaction was appropriate in the first couple of episodes - it's clear Jim was badly burned in a past relationship, and the final revelation of what happened is brilliant writing - unexpected and yet explained everything perfectly. But this wasn't a corrective to the stagnation and dullness of their relationship - and surprising lack of chemisty. Mix isn't bad at adoring stares, yet the fire is missing from his glances - it feels like acting. Contrast that with Fourth (covered below).

Average lifespan in Thailand: 77. Average lifespan of BL mothers: 35. It used to be 34, but this one made it all the way to 49 so she pulled up the average. Enough already. It wasn't necessary to the plot and it's getting to be a beyond tiresome cliche. There are two sources of drama in BL - jealousy, and dead parents. Let's move on, shall we? Also, what is it about Thai crowds that prevents them from doing anything helpful in a crisis? Are you trying to tell me nobody thought to call an ambulence? Come on.

Again we live in a homophobia-free universe - normally this isn't an issue for me in BL, which is escapist fantasy. But this strives toward realism, and there's no chance Heart's parents would have been OK with it, which is the one mar in the otherwise perfect side storyline.

So far this sounds like I hate the series, but there is an extremely powerful countervailing positive - the secondary couple, played by Fourth and Gemini (from My School President, although this was filmed first). These two are the exception to the shipping rule I posited above - I could watch them together for the rest of my life and die happy.

Fourth is so good that there is never once a false note from him. He is in every repsects a teenager, moody and alienated, rebelling against authority (in the form og his uncle Jim), and experiencing first love with the deaf and lonely boy Heart. This story is so beautiful and perfect that I don't think I spent any of of their entire story not at least on the verge of tears. Everything about their performances conveys their attraction to each other and their growing emotional tie - the way they lean into each other, the way they find ways to touch each other, the innocent yet heated glances - it's so f@#$ing perfect that it hurts. It's been so long for me, yet I was right back to that age, feeling it all again. Just absolute magic.

Khaotung puts in his best performance ever in this as chicken salesman Gaipa, whose relationship with his mother is lovely and wholly authentic. Mark Pakin puts in a wonderful performance as the rakish and sexy Saleng (the legs on this boy...) and Jack Kittisak is memorable as the unspeakably sexy Gong, Wen's friend.

So do I recommend this? Without hesitation. Jim & Wen are a 6, but Li Ming and Heart are a 15. If this had been their story, I would have rated this a hard 10 - but unfortunately, it's not their story.

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It felt like the highlights of a greater story.

You know what? I want to watch either the show they teased in the trailer one year ago, because what we’ve got was just completely different material, or what we’ve got here, but in a longer format.

I’ll start with the biggest flaw I saw, to get it over with. Earth was miscast. To everyone who honestly thinks Earth fits the role - drop me the name of your country, I gotta go and find myself a 40 but looking 20 daddy. Don’t know what kind of fountain of youth your government is selling for you to think he is believable “about to be” middle aged man, but I want some of it.

And please don’t start with: some people look younger than their age. Sure, but this is literally not the case in this story. Not once was it part of the discussion how he looks good for his age. I mean, the fact that Wen even asked Jim if Li Ming was his son suggests, Jim is supposed to look his age. He just looked way too much like a peer next to Mix and Khaotung.

Because of that, many scenes that were more hard hitting and emotional, felt simply not sincere. He is the main character, so if I cannot connect to him, the whole show starts to fall apart. This is what happens when profiting from a popular and established pairing is more important than proper casting. Pro tip to directors - if you are not willing to cast age appropriate actors, do not try to make shows with big age gaps between characters or about characters who are in their late 30’ and 40’. (Putting this casting into perspective - the actor playing Heart’s father is 45).

That said, I’m not gonna act as if it will for sure ruin the watching experience for everyone - it will not. It’s just something that I personally cannot ignore, especially since the character’s age was brought up over and over again in conversations.

Putting Jim aside, I actually enjoyed a lot of other characters and their interactions. Wen and Li Ming were truly adorable, with this older/younger brother dynamic, and Wen did a good job being the bridge between the uncle and the teen. He made them both understand each other better.

I also found Wen’s and Alan’s relationship fascinating and wish we would see more of it. It seemed like they made almost every possible mistake to end up in this situation, and trying to fix it right away would be an impossible task.

Heart and Li Ming were obviously fans’ favorites. Did I like them? Yes. Do I feel like their interactions were too similar to My School President and it was a bit like watching the same characters just in a different context? Also yes.

Honestly speaking, Alan was my favorite character and one that I was most curious about. It should also be illegal to give Khaotung such a tiny role taking into consideration his talent. I find it a bit funny how, in my view, two most talented actors in the show were sidelined like that.

While I enjoyed Earth and Mix in their other projects, I did not quite like them here. The main couple was for me the weakest aspect of the whole show. I enjoyed the characters far more with other people, compared to watching them interact with each other.

Giving credit where credit is due, Moonlight Chicken tries to tackle more serious issues and steps away from the typical high school romance. It does not follow the “one relationship for the life” idea, showing the past relationships of the main characters. It gives us a deaf community representation in a tactful manner. It shows that at times putting more effort will not save the relationship, and the most healthy way is to just end it and leave. It shows various types of parents-kids relationships, and how there are no right and wrong universal answers, it all depends on the circumstances.

While I appreciate the writer and director bringing all these important issues to the table, I also feel like they were more of an appetizer than a whole meal. It’s undeniable that they did not have enough time to truly dive deep into any of these topics, so at the end it felt more like highlights of a greater story. Personally, I prefer my slice of life character driven shows in a slower pace, that gives me time to digest everything that is happening on the screen.

The quality of the production fluctuated quite a bit. Some scenes were a true perfection and there was not a detail that had to be changed to improve them. But then some scenes had such sloppy lighting I actually laughed. What I loved for sure though were the set designs. Aesthetically pleasing, but not over the top that it looked unnatural. You saw it and you believed - yes, someone lives/works here.

Overall, it has many great messages, many great lines. Could have been one of the best BLs if the production was a bit more daring, but also selective in terms of the story and the casting.

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Realistic yet comforting. Beautifully told.

Initially watching the trailer, I thought this series is going to be all hell, drama, angst, and pain. But I couldn't be more wrong.
The whole series was just 8-ep short. If anything I wish it were longer, at least give us 12 eps :( And yet within those 8ep, Moonlight Chicken told complete, satisfying, and beautiful stories about its cast.
However, my favorite thing about the series is how well its conflicts were paced. Yes, this series touched on many difficult situations and the reality of life, many problems and dramas, and yet it did well in pacing the aftermath and resolution to comfort these problems. I've watched way too many shows where a small moment of jealousy or misunderstanding got dragged through countless eps and dramatized to become the main conflict of the series. It is not the case in MLC.
Moreover, each character in the series was made with a nice amount of depth and dimensions. They have their stories, flaws, and personality. All well fleshed-out in my opinion.
So to sum up, I think MLC is like a comforting spot amidst your busy life. You watch them struggle and you watch them heal. It is a very beautiful and meaningful show, please watch it!

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Lessons on Life, Love, and Letting Go

Moonlight Chicken is, arguably, the best BL series to come out of Thailand. If, that is, we regard it as BL at all. This series defies expectations associated with dramas from the BL genre many times over, while never quite betraying its roots as a BL drama. For a genre associated with same-sex romance, BL series seldom explore what being gay means to the characters, whereas that is the calling card for series in the LGBTQ genres. Rather than claim a confused sexual identity or espouse some version of “I don’t see gender,” Moonlight’s characters and themes are unapologetically gay. Where the typical BL series peddles an idealized courtship fantasy between virginal men aspiring to a meaningful first love (that will, obviously, last forever), this series focuses on men trying to recover from failed past relationships. The lead characters are neither virgins nor under the illusion that love will be permanent. Instead of two characters overcoming obstacles as they move toward something, this series centers on characters struggling in different ways to let go of their past. The shards of their broken prior romances comprise the obstacles to be overcome before they can contemplate moving on to someone new. Many of the support characters must also learn to let go of some event or person from their own past. These personal demons anchor their present and future. Moonlight Chicken is an extended rumination on the pain of letting go, rather than the straightforward courtship story many viewers might have expected. As a consequence its themes, characters, and plot obstacles will resonate to an audience both older and more conversant with life’s hiccups than the audience that consumes BL solely for the vicarious thrill of (re-)experiencing the bloom of first love. The fantasy elements of BL romances usually revolve around situations designed to infuse reliable doses of serotonin in the brains of viewers. Grounded in the rigors and mundanity of adulting, Moonlight Chicken eschews the fanciful for realism. Anyone who has been burned by love, struggled to make ends meet, or invested time in pursuing someone who is emotionally unavailable will relate to these characters.

At the center of Moonlight Chicken stand Wen and Jim, played by Mix and Earth respectively. The series marks the actors’ third pairing as the showpiece couple of a GMMTV BL series, after A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) and Cupid’s Last Wish (2022). Wen and Jim showcase the actors’ emotional range better than their prior pairings, where the nature of the roles trapped those characters in a single lane. Here, Wen and Jim each have some emotional trauma to process—leftovers of events that unfolded before the two met—so that the actors have some real work to do. Before Wen and Jim can embark on a relationship themselves, each man must confront the emotional baggage he has carried from the past. Wen has recently left a relationship with Alan, who cannot understand why their relationship failed. Jim lost his lover twice. Once when he discovered that the man had a fiancée and a second time when an accident claimed the man’s life before he could choose which course to follow. In the five years since those events, Jim has never trusted another with his heart. That high wall effectively froze out Gaipa, whose mother runs the chicken stall that supplies the product for Jim’s restaurant. Rounding out the principal cast are a pair of high schoolers, whose incipient friendship blossoms into an incipient romance. Their tale provides a more traditional BL side story, to temper the angst of the main characters.

Steering the whole shebang was Aof, scriptwriter and director. His prior works often have moments where a semblance of queer authenticity crept into the BL proceedings. This go around, the studio allowed him free reign to represent an overtly gay sensibility. Another difference between Moonlight and most other BL series is that four characters—Wen, Jim, Alan, and Gaipa—are all out gay men, well-adjusted to and self-accepting of that identity. For these characters, being gay structures not just personal identity but also dynamics between themselves and their families, friends, co-workers, and lovers. It positions where they believe they fit within society, and what opportunities society offers and forecloses on that basis. Too often BL series believe having two men hop into a bathtub together suffices as a basis for “gay.” Moonlight Chicken understands the difference between gay-as-entertainment and commentary about gayness. In the later episodes, the series even gets a little preachy in its advocacy for accepting same-sex attraction as a perfectly ordinary type of human possibility.

The authentic queer sensibility emerges in the opening scenes of episode 1. A drunken Wen has patronized Jim’s late-night diner, only to pass out in a stupor. The type of person to take responsibility for the well-being of everyone around him, Jim stays with Wen until a friend can arrive to claim him. Because “plot requirements,” the friend never arrives. Instead, the two end up in bed that very night, after a carefully negotiated agreement that their sex was to be a no-strings attached one-night stand. They do not even know each other’s name. That sort of negotiation is quite common among gay men in real life but quite rare in BL. While exceptions exist, the standard BL character is shocked—absolutely stunned!—at the suggestion that two virile men could even contemplate a physical relationship outside of a genuine love. As everyone knows, sexual relationships cannot be consummated until after all the dramatic plot obstacles delaying courtship have been removed. Such thinking reflects the “good girl” standard, that very patriarchal prescriptive model of behavior that regulates the sexuality of single women. (Remember, BL originated as a genre written by women for women. That the sexual comportment of men sleeping with men in BL would resemble the expectations society foists onto women is unsurprising.) Moonlight Chicken favors the descriptive model—portraying how people actually behave in lieu of adhering to some moral standard. Even more than featuring four out gay men, that simple “no strings attached” negotiation helps make this GMMTV series the most authentically gay series ever to emerge from Thailand. That kind of queer authenticity, blended with the theme of letting go makes Moonlight Chicken a compelling drama.

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realistic and well done

Overall: if the premise/summary isn't your thing, I encourage you to watch at least thru episode 4 because this story is like an onion with layers. 8 episodes total about 45 minutes each, 2 aired per week on GMMTV's YouTube Channel (also Disney+Hotstar in some countries).

Content Warnings: manhandling, homophobia, death, grief

What I Liked
- Li Ming and Heart were the cutest cinnamon rolls
- Wen was direct and communicated what he wants
- felt realistic which matches the setting/story (i.e. the actors faces have visible sweat and aren't airbrushed/filtered to oblivion)
- touched on power/class differences, poverty, marriage inequality/legal inequality
- step parent shown to be caring and supportive
- Gaipa's mom
- hints about future plot elements
- realistic response with Li Ming and his mom
- avoided a cliche plot point towards the end, characters had good communication
- production value* (music, cinematography - that long take/no cut shot at the beginning of episode 1 part 1 was cool)

Room For Improvement
- several scenes were a little too dim* and the camera is too shaky sometimes
- not a fan of some of the music choices, at one point there was an accordion
- how Uncle Jim himself and other characters talk about him being old when the actor Earth is 28 (and most definitely does not look old)
- each episode appears to skip a month however because we don't see montages or dates it doesn't always feel like that much time has passed
- wish it had been Gaipa that initiated things after the time jump
- I understand them not subtitling what Heart was saying in the beginning to show how Li Ming didn't understand but it was frustrating when they continued to not subtitle everything he was saying later on
- it was not Jim's place to tell the mom about Li Ming, it should have been Li Ming's choice
- I don't agree that "deaf people are the loneliest people" which is a line a character said
- good that actual consequences were shown for drunk driving
- the series title "Moonlight Chicken"

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Character flaws are what made the series so amazing

I absolutely love this series! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but things did look kind of messy from the trailer and I am always down for that. The story is much more than just being a BL story, it feels very real and like something that could truly happen in the real life. All of the characters have their own flaws, but I feel like that makes them seem so human, so real.

The OST is beautiful as well. For obvious reasons, Tomorrow sang by Ford was the song that got to me the most. It sounds so soft, so beautiful, but the amount of emotions behind it is incredible. It’s also very uplifting if you listen to the lyrics closely. It really fits the storyline. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I also really liked the lightning of the series. Most of the time, it was very warm and I feel like it really suited the story and the characters.

Jim & Wen: I always love a good age gap story. I don’t know why, but I find them really interesting to watch if they are done well. And the story between Jim and Wen is done incredibly well. We cannot deny the chemistry between Earth and Mix, who were amazing in the roles. Their situationship kind of starts as a one night stand, but Wen is not down for that. They both have a lot of things they need to deal with relating to their past, things that definitely come to play an important role as their relationship progresses. Jim is someone who is very guarded, and it takes quite a bit for him to let someone in. Wen on the other hand is a lot more open and ready to dive head first into things, he is very honest and vocal about what he wants. I love how this was portrayed through the series, even if saying this is just due to their age is an easy way out. It’s due to their experiences, not due to their age.

Li Ming & Heart: I fell in love with Gemini in Fourth in My School President, so I was really looking forward to seeing more of them in this one. Heart’s story is heartbreaking, especially knowing that he has been deaf for years and his parents just didn’t bother to learn to communicate with him. Li Ming has faced his own struggles as well and his relationship with his uncle is not always the best. I couldn’t help but smile every time there was an interaction between Li Ming and Heart! The two were so adorable together, it was so heartwarming to see Li Ming doing his best to communicate with Heart in sign language! Also, representation matters! Having a deaf character, showing the deaf community, etc. is really a great way to represent people with certain disabilities. And the fact that there was sometimes no translation for the sign language was something I really liked, I was still able to get an idea of what is going on through the replies, expressions, etc. I am not sure if this was done on purpose or not though.

Gaipa & Alan: seeing Khao and First on the list of characters, we all knew they will end up paired together at some point, even if the trailer showed their characters enamored with Jim and Wen. Gaipa is a character that you cannot help but love, he is such a pure and loving person, always ready to help those around him. Alan, on the other hand, is a character that you want to hate but can’t. His “relationship” with Wen is extremely messy, he is hurting really badly. At one point, I felt more sympathy for him than I did for Wen. Both Khao and First did an amazing job with showing their characters emotions through little movements and face expressions.

The ending was exactly what I wanted. It fit well with the way the story progressed. I really enjoyed, including all for the character growth we saw through the series. My only complaint is that it was too short! Even if the series events were taking place over several months, it didn’t seem choppy or like we were missing anything important.

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A missed opportunity

I have been contemplating for some time whether to write a review about this, but I was struggling to get my thoughts together as I was left feeling quite disappointed by the end of this series. It held quite a lot of promise, and the premise of the show was good when it was first introduced. It also had an overall good cast with talented actors, and incorporated mature themes about real life and real life situations.

Did it deliver? Only partially. I'm going against the grain here I know - I've seen a lot of reviews give it a 10. Come on guys a 10? The perfect series? Is any series perfect? Please be realistic in your reviews. As the famous philosopher Socrates said: “Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults.”

I don't know about you, but I personally ignore any review that gives a series a 10.

Anyway, let's start with some positives.

1) Acting. This was probably its strongest point, although at times it was a bit hit and miss and there were a couple of miscasts.
2) Production. The production was good with decent locations, settings etc.
3) Messaging. I think some of the messages and points it conveyed were valid and important.

So why do I think it only partially delivered. My issue is with the writing and story. It was too overengineered. Too many undeveloped arcs, events that took up time but did not add to the outcome, situations that were unrealistic etc. I found myself wondering what this series was about. A love triangle? Being poor? Homophobia? Working class people? Inequality? Growing old? Cheating? Relationships? Growing up? Teen angst? Coming of age? Sadness and loss? Unrequited love? Disability? It's almost like they tried to fit all of it in and it fell flat.

Bearing in mind that only 8 episodes were filmed (albeit some more than 1h long so it's more like 10 based on a normal series), there's only so much you can fit in and I think the story went way overboard with stuff which ended up distracting me as a viewer. Examples:

1. The property development project. Time was spent on this as if it was integral to the storyline and outcome but nothing came out of it. In the end Jim just walked away.
2. Jim's search for a title deed to get a loan. Didn't come to anything in the end. Again, he just walked away.
3. All the deaths and accidents, like Gaipa's mum dying and Alan getting into an accident needing therapy, and Jim's ex-bf's death in a fiery boat accident (this one was absolutely ridiculous).
4. Saleng getting his girlfriend pregnant and somehow making it Jim's problem.
5. Wen taking up a job at the restaurant (even though he's a full time architect?).
...and my biggest issue...
6. Time spent on Heart / Li Ming's relationship. Almost half the time is spent on their relationship. This series is (was?) supposed to revolve around adult relationships and situations, and the hardships they face, yet the majority of the time is spent on Heart / Li Ming hanging out. Don’t get me wrong, the characters were well acted and portrayed by Fourth and Gemini, and I am a fan of both, but the amount of airtime their relationship received overtook much of the rest of the story. It would have been better to "introduce them" and give them a separate spinoff series.

There were other things that just did not make sense or were factually incorrect. Here's a few:

1) Jim's attempt to get a loan. I know I already mentioned this but what was it for? If your landlord is selling the property to a developer to tear it down, and your lease is up, what do you need a loan for?

2) Wen working for the developer/architect didn't seem to bother Jim. "Oh don't worry love, I know you and your employer are trying to destroy mine and other's livelihood, but I'll shag you anyway. As long as we don't complicate things". Wouldn't you say Wen's involvement in the project is a wee bit of a complication...?

3) Gaipa's mum's life insurance . His mum had a precondition so she wouldn't be able to get insurance in the first place. And why was her insurance important? Comments at the funeral: "I know his mum has died but he's set for life now!". Wow. Really? Or was it all so the writers had a reason to introduce Alan to Gaipa? Gaipa obviously couldn't just visit the bank to open a savings account and bump into him.

4) Li Ming's move to the US. Come on, some lady with dodgy English hands you a form to sign and you're off to the US? All this after reading a pamphlet? There is no chance in hell he would be allowed anywhere near the US.

It's lazy writing. Character development at times is all over the place. We go from nice guy, to douche bag, to selfish. Too many things distracting the viewer. A common thread is missing.

They should have picked a story to focus on and developed it properly. In my view that should have been the love triangle between Alan, Wen and Jim and possibly Gaipa as well - along with the business/property developer. Episode 5 (and parts of 4) with the breakdown of Alan and Wen's relationship is very good. First is excellent in it and and so is Mix. It felt like it had taken inspiration from Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece film "scenes from a marriage" (brilliant film by the way, you should watch it). I actually thought it was finally starting to get better but unfortunately past episode 5 it just went downhill again. Alan just dipped in and out - this time with crutches, Wen and Jim had long walks at the beach while Heart and Li Ming were drinking more boba tea.

Stick to simple and effective, with the focus on the relationships between the people, the feelings, the emotion and the dialogue. This would be my idea:

- Alan and Wen have been together but their relationship is starting to get shaky. Alan doesn't understand why Wen is being distant. They have a fight, Wen goes out stumbles upon the chicken shop, gets drunk and has a one night stand with the owner. Alan finds out and drama starts.
- Wen grows more distant and goes back to pursuing Jim, who doesn't want the drama as he has better things to worry about, such as a failing business, a developer trying to tear down the property and a sulky teenager. Gaipa also has a business with his mum nearby, and is equally worried about the future due to the proposed development. He has fancied Jim for some time, but Jim is not responsive.
-Wen is involved in the project threatening the businesses. Jim finds out and more drama ensues. Gaipa is also mad. Wen is torn between his career, his love for Jim, the impact his company has on Jim's business and on top of that he still struggles with Alan.
- Wen and Alan have another massive argument and Wen leaves again and goes to stay with a friend. Alan thinks he's gone to Jim so he goes to face him and they end up fighting. Alan and Wen finally break up. Wen approaches Jim again and something begins. Wen begins to re-evaluates his career choice.
- Meanwhile Gaipa wants to help save his mum's business from the developers (and in the process save other local businesses too), so he rallies the locals including Jim to preserve the historic location and starts a campaign to make it a historical tourist destination.
- He goes to the bank to see if he can maybe get a business loan and perhaps be able buy the property himself where he meets Alan. He approaches the local council to see if the buildings can be listed as historical so it can't be bought and redeveloped.
- Alan likes him and his passion, loyalty, and is starting to fall for him etc. He gets involved in the campaign and gets closer and closer to Gaipa and their relationship blooms. Wen and Jim also enter the campaign with the locals.
- The campaign is finally successful and the area and property is eventually listed as historical with funds assigned from the council and government to restore it and making it a destination. Businesses are saved.
- Wen and Jim get together and so does Alan and Gaipa. In time mutual respect develops between all of them. Li Ming grows up and goes to University with Heart.

There you go.

And finally, in the above I would have made Jim/Alan/Wen/Gaipa around the same age, i.e. late 20s early 30s. Poor Earth was terribly miscast as a 40 year old man and, through no fault of his own, has received a lot of criticism for his portrayal.

This review ended up being longer than I expected. Apologies for that. But it's my two cents anyway. On to the next series...

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A short but not necessarily fast paced romance

Different narratives resonate with different people and Moonlight Chicken has quite a distinct flavour. It is a dose of realism. It tries to pack a mighty punch in these eight hour episodes which span a period of around six months. It tackles many issues that a person could face in today's Thai economy through the lives of the people at a chicken rice diner. Does it work though?

Jim, known as Uncle Jim to most, runs a semi-popular rice diner at chinatown in Pattaya city. It's the moon festival and on this fateful night, Jim meets Wen who has drunk and passed out at his shop. Out of a sense a responsibility, he decides to take Wen home and ends up having a one night stand with him. The next day however all it seems is that Jim want to pretend it never happened.

Jim is portrayed as a man who is nearly in his forties. He is not a closeted gay man but his previous relationship has burnt him and he still grapples with his past. Wen is an art director is in his early thirties. His youthful charm and shamelessness in pursuing Jim is a sharp contrast to Jim’s stoic behavior. We soon learn that it's not just Jim who has baggage, Wen has an ex whom he cannot cut off.

Then there's the budding romance of Li Ming (Fourth), Jim’s nephew who lives with him, and Heart, the boy of an influential, rich Thai officer. Heart is Li Ming's opposite in more ways than one, already a slightly introverted individual, Heart is further repressed by the fact that he is deaf. His disability makes him lonely, a loneliness in which he has doesn't have the support of his parents, and Li Ming is a sudden brightness in his life. Gemini and Fourth bring all their adorable sweetness here.

While Jim, Wen and their love quadrilateral represent a more complex, or rather dumb but extremely fraught relationship, Heart and Li Ming are simple. “I like it when I am with you.” They bring the liveliness of young love to the screen. Another couple is Saleng (Mark) and his girlfriend Praew (View) who get themselves into a mess. Through them a very important topic is discussed: unwanted pregnancy and the brunt of raising a baby in this economy (with a small talk on abortion).

The series is directed by my favorite director, P'Aof. While Moonlight Chicken is thematically very different from Bad Buddy, there is still P'Aof’s charm. His charm to portray a story naturally and to bring out the best in the actors. While I do appreciate that the side characters add a lot of goodness to the story, I feel that it was at the cost of the main romance.

The struggles of Jim with his past and Wen with his present were intriguing, but after episode 3 their relationship development became completely stagnant. The story does not resort to using cheap jealousy to keep it spicy, which I thought would be a big issue. The main couple shone the least here. I never really felt Jim reciprocate Wen’s feelings. It is attributed to the fact that Wen is younger and his personality is livelier whereas Jim (at his alleged age of "nearly 40" I hope i look as good at 40 as he does!) but I did not feel a significant shift in their relationship even when there was supposedly a huge shift in their relationship.

Perhaps it is the casting choice which held them back. While Mix did quite well, and Earth does do better than before, I just could not feel their acting. Whatever tension was there in episode 1 is effectively lost by episode 2 (this might seem harsh but it's true, at least for me). I needed Jim to want Wen more than he needs to breathe (okay, maybe that's a bit too much), but all he does is keep pushing him away and wow I honestly cannot imagine sticking around for an emotionally unavailable man for that long, Wen. I, as an audience, failed to see what Wen and Jim saw in each other.

Do not mistake this for a "fast paced romance" because this is absolutely not one, despite the one night stand it started out with. The only reason why I rate it as highly as I have (7/10) is because I love them as a family, all of them including Jim and Wen. They are a huge wholesome family and that is >>>>> 100 times than Jim and Wen's romance. But this may be more of a personal gripe.

Moonlight Chicken does touch on a lot of issues and not just "first world problems" as in most bls and it is mostly successful at doing justice to its characters. A point I found quite significant is when issues are raised, there are quite a few discussions on money, because lets not pretend, money is an important deciding factor in our lives. However in this Moonlight Chicken is not relentless, it does allow our characters to achieve happiness too.

In terms of production value, this is a very aesthetic show. With charming shots it explores the vibrancy of Pattaya’s beaches and temples and festivals. It offers a brief but colourful look into Thai culture. Each episode roughly spans over a month and there is a certain link to the festival being celebrated in each episode that may be a little hard for viewers to follow (at least for me :). The sound quality was okay, the background music doesn't take over the speech, then again it's P'Aof, we really don't need to worry about the production. I wish they had made a different decision about translating Heart though. I understand they wanted to portray the struggle of understanding a deaf-mute man, but even in the final episode there are so many things Heart says which were left unsaid :(

My final takeaway is that I wish Jim and Wen as characters had been more dynamic, they fell rather flat in comparison to the others. Re-watch value? Not that high. Only for Heart and Li Ming! If you are wondering whether to watch this, I'd suggest giving it a go because from what I've already seen, most viewers have very different opinions on this because Moonlight Chicken hits a different tone with different people. And it's short too :) 7/10

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this drama is not just a bl, its so much more.

every character of this drama has some type of pain and trauma that P’Aof showed beautiful through each character one at a time.

saleng, (please leave there are spoilers ahead, youve been warned) both his parents pasted away. alankaipa are both heartbroken and lost someone very dear to them in different ways. jim lost his loved one/got cheated on. heart became deaf and his parents are ashamed of him. wen fell out of love. limings parents left him and the fighting with his uncle and the falling outs.

P’Aof directed this beautifully in every way possible.
the cinematography and colors in the whole drama tells a story you might not catch the first time, but you can still feel it.

the cool and warm tones. in hearts house and alan/wens apartment. you can feel the sadness and pain with the blueish cool tone colors and the warms tones around jims house, you always are on edge because of the reds and orange warm tone colors.

its not just about the fire needing to be rekindled, but when the waiter asked won said “no, we’re done here” when wen and alan were having dinner to settle things, meaning so many ways to so many people, which you can take it any way.

and the sticky-notes around hearts desk, showing that hes boxed in and isnt allowed out. thats his world. through those paper with words.

at the end of ep7 i completely forgot i was watching a bl, the pain the characters takes the viewers through can also be shared, where we can relate very well too.

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