Moonlight Chicken (2023)

Noteworthy Acting

Moonlight Chicken is an eight-episode drama that includes some incredible actors doing the most amazing acting. Gemini and Fourth, being new actors at the time, did a great job pulling off the teenage angst and problems that so many go through. Earth and Mix know each other so well already that they played these characters with ease. Khaotung, First, and Mark were shining examples of how actors should play roles.

I want to especially praise a few of the actors, although all of them did a wonderful job. Khaotung did a fantastic job portraying the grief of Gaipa losing his mother right after having his heart broken. I wonder if his scenes didn't cause some real tears while filming. First is such a versatile actor, and he impresses me more with every drama. Mark, however, really stood out to me for the first time, although I've seen him act before. He pulled off different types of scenes without making them cringey. Mark's character Leng was comic relief at times and serious at other times. While he played a smaller role within this drama, his role was very important in preventing the show from taking itself too seriously. At the same time, Leng was also dealing with his own personal drama that many will be able to relate to, and I personally was proud of the character's growth and maturity within the situation. I doubt that many other actors could have portrayed the complexity of this character as well as Mark did.

My favorite character, however, was Wen. I think that Mix's ability to emote love, care, affection, pain, confusion, determination, etc. makes Wen a truly lovable character. Adding his skills with, in my opinion, his beautiful eyes and outstanding visuals, Mix is the one that I came back for with each episode release. There is true affection between him and Earth already, but he made Wen a beacon of light in a serious drama.

I wasn't sure if I would like this when the trailers first came out, but by the end of the drama I was 100% invested.

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Beautiful take on the complexity of relationships

This was so lovely and heartfelt, wow. P’Aof once again proving that he’s the best in the industry.
This was so well-paced and rich in its depth of characters. It’s not a light watch but it isn’t heavy either. It is well-balanced between the more dramatic main couple and the light first-love of the secondary. The atmosphere is great, I love that the diner scenes are always a bit dreamy.

This is a character focused drama. The plot revolves almost entirely around the feelings and motivations of the characters. I knew this was going to be well-written when, the first scene after Wen returned home, the camera pans over to two cell phone chargers instead of one. Implying that he’s living with someone but he just slept with someone else. Like they didn’t say anything but left just enough information for the viewer to put that together.
I thought for sure it was going to revolve around cheating but it actually turned into a more complicated topic around stringing people a long and the cruelty of it.

Relationships overall were thought out in a very realistic way. I’m glad they didn’t cop out and reveal that Jim’s dead lover wasn’t actually cheating. Instead, his lover was really cheating and had been their entire relationship, and it was that lack of closure that really held Jim back in the present. That’s just so human and so true.

I usually don’t like side-pairings very much but I really loved Heart and Li Ming. They kind of stole the show to be totally honest. I am once again amazed by these young actors’ acting chops. Gemini’s standout moment was his fight with his parents. It felt real and raw. Wow.

One negative, Earth’s casting as Jim. I love Earth but he’s definitely too young for this role lol. Like, everyone’s going around calling him Uncle and he’s talking about how he’s middle aged…..???? Earth you’re not even 30 looool. It didn’t bother me too much but it did kind of take me out of the scene whenever his age is mentioned.

Overall though, I would highly recommend this show.

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Just Amazing!!!!

I went in with average expectations, seeing how MDL had high reviews but the drama did not had many people watching it. I hardly write reviews for shows, but yet here I am trying to login just so I can I write a review for this show. It is really amazing what a good script can do with a limited number of episodes of just 8 and with limited screen time.

I had somewhat good expectations for the drama as I have previously seen the show Bad Buddy which P'Aof also directed. His direction is just so amazing, credits to the scriptwriter, lighting crew, direction, amazing casts and quality acting. It amazes me how much the characters grew within the show and the romance between all the characters felt so raw and so real, unlike anything I've watched in all the BL dramas I have tried watching. The only other BL I finished was Bad Buddy. Honestly, I have previously tried watching ATOATS but just couldn't complete it as I still found some of the acting cringey. But this time felt different, I could really feel that all actors grew as actors and the acting really improved a lot.

Also special shoutout to Fourth and Gemini, now I understand why so many people are screaming about them and their chemistry and their only 18 omg. What was I even doing when I was 18. Their chemistry and acting and story and everything is just so heartwarming, I always feel like screaming seeing them interact. I am so gonna go watch MSP now.

P.S//: Is it just me or does Fourth who plays Li Ming's character look so much like a younger version of P'Mile. ?
Love Fourth's smile, so cute and his acting is just amazing.

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Very good series that dealt with adult characters and issues. Now a days it’s hard to find a bl with older characters so I’m glad this one was made. I also like how the problems the characters dealt with like poverty, painful past, self identity, letting go of a loving relationship that is now dead is hard, moving on, etc it felt realistic and made the characters more relatable. Jim can be a hard one to understand but Earth is good in this role and Jim’s character has great character development by the end of the series. I think Wen is the best character Mix has played up to now. He’s so complicated but underneath it all has a good heart and learns his lesson of letting the past go to. Heart and Li Ming provide the sweet first love story and prove how awesomeFourth and Gemini are as actors. They básically steal the shoe a few times. I also loved the Earth and Fourth scenes they had great chemistry. Fourth once again proving how good he is when he went toe to toe with Earth in emotional charged scenes. Khao and First are awesome in the little screen time they get and P’Aof never misses a beat with his story telling, never disappoints. He sure knows what he does.
Overall 9.5 and highly recommended

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BL Series with that tries to tackle how adulting works

At start, I did not watch any trailer for Moonlight Chicken, that is why when seeing the first episode with the diner and the streets I immediately feel this is going to be different from all the other series I have watched so far. And it is true. If usually we get series focusing on middle to upper class environments, whether it is highschool/university/workplace, this series gave us a glimpse of how different it is for the middle to lower class. The tone color, furniture, and even the places where they shoot feels to me like I am seeing another side of Thailand that I have never seen before. It is a very great choice considering the story will be focusing on a Chinese chicken rice seller.

For the story, it also felt like a fresh breath of air because it includes the struggle of being an adult (working, paying your bills, taking care of family, trying to find romance) and the struggle of youth trying to take the path less taken (wanted to work instead of continuing studies). Great job for all the actors trying to bring the story to life.

Now let me get the easiest and most lovable pair out right away: Li Ming and Heart. I love them. I love how they interact. I love how it differs when they were in MSP (although there is still that same chin-stroking gesture). The only thing that could make their story better is if it shows how Heart helps to make Li Ming a better person too, since all we can see is how Li Ming helps Heart to be happier after not being able to go out after his accident.

Next pair(s) are the main couple Jim and Wen and Alan and Gaipa. What I thought is a simple story about Wen trying to flirt with Jim while Gaipa is also interested in Jim turns out to be more complicated when it was revealed that Jim had a boyfriend that he thought is cheating on him in the past and that Wen is living with someone else in his condo that might implies he is cheating with Jim. While we all know that Jim ultimately ended up with Wen, their story about wanting to be with someone that they like are still kept in a good way with no unneeded drama. They are not afraid to try and get what they want, no beating around the bush (except Jim because of his past baggage). But I do wish there are other catalyst that enable Alan and Gaipa to meet than what actually happens in the series.

There are also other great supporting characters in this series such as Gaipa's mom who I thought is the best and supportive parent here, Saleng and Praew who I wish had more screen time and tells the story about how they try to prepared a baby when they did not plan for it, and Li Ming's mom who tries to reconnect with her son.

Lastly for the music, the opening song caught me off guard since I did not watch the trailer and never in my wildest dream thought they would use chinese song for this movie. Ending song is perfect as well to be the companion when watching this series. They both will be added to my spotify if available.

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Maybe with all the star cast, my expectations were a little high

I watched The eclipse, 1000 stars, my school president so was super excited to see all 6 leads in one series and started watching only because of them but except Li Ming and hearts storyline nothing was noteworthy considering the plot.

This series shows a realistic side of life. Financial problems, relationship problems, unintended pregnancy ( which I felt was not emphasised) , disability, unrequited love . But, nothing left an impression on me. Jim having the responsibility to support his nephew financially and still held up in his past unable to open up his heart for anyone new. Wen who has a promising future but unable to cut ties with his ex and finds new love interest. Both when seperately viewed sounds interesting but together there was no magic, poor execution of their story development . Kaipa just felt pitiful and I dare not touch my handsome First ( just happy to see him in a series. Those spectacles enhanced his good looks and not to mention he does justice to every role he plays . I am just bewitched by him )
The only good thing about this (besides First :P ) are our cute and sweet Li Ming and heart , these 2 never bore me. Their story is quite unique and the implementation is impressive. Their acting felt so real especially Fourth , felt like he was living his role

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Great idea, but a bit too flat on the chicken chest

I like the duo Pirapat & Sahaphap. I actually like all the artists from GMMTV and their series. In Moonlight Chicken the characters are well developed with one exception, the acting is good in all of them. The story is very interesting, the cinematographer does an excellent job (beautiful night shots and he was able to capture a good vibe of the local atmosphere).

So why do I give this average rating?
The story is really good and the idea could even be enough for a top prime time series. But it is a bit thinly implemented. I wonder if it was due to the Corona pandemic? Was the budget very low? The story lacks a lot of depth.

Loss, fear of a partnership, illness, death, physical disability are addressed here and very very well connected. But unfortunately not deep enough. If someone tells me that there were only 8 episodes, then I answer, each of these goes an hour. Movies go between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Why do you make it there, but not in a miniseries? I think the script is just too flatly written.


There are minimal flaws.
- Dear and good-natured Jim, everyone loves him and he has an open ear for everyone - but just not for his nephew. That's a little too contrived for me.
- Jim has a fear of relationships, which reason comes much too late onto daylight. Late also means, is why there is no conversion process. You can’t spend many hours of being a huge wall and form one minute to the other you drop down the wall.
- Jim works in a hot country, in an even hotter kitchen. At the same time, he always looks like he just came from a wellness farm. (No need to exaggerate, but every now and then I thought, doesn't he has to smell like chicken in this scene?
- Wen is scurrying around with his ex-lover. The ex is still stuck on Wen, who feels stalked by the ex, but of course hardly reacts appropriately. Hint: move out and good is.
- Li Ming (Nattawat, who played wonderfully and believably, by the way) was tricked by Heart, but falls in love with him too quickly. There was no romance involved. That should have been love-on-the-first-sight, then in the process the bottle broke and he could have protected Hearth. Hero and lover, we all dream of one of those.
- Heart became deaf due to an illness a few years ago. In that situation, he could have spoken relatively well. It doesn't always sound perfect then, but they can speak. Heart speaks 3 words at the end of the season. Yes, it was a moving moment, but then the story is not right.
- Heart's parents overprotect him. This due to his deafness. Hello? Yes. That's a very big break in a young man's life. But then locking him up at home is definitely disproportionate, against the law, and what's the point? It serves the story somewhat, but it wasn't important. This could have been rearranged just slightly, then it would be more rounded in itself.
- Kaipa's love for Jim should have been shown much earlier, too, then it would have been more coherent.
- After the miniseries, I will never eat chicken rice again. I'll be sick of it for years from watching it. And here's some real advice, too. The food may taste good. But it really didn't look good. There are cookshops on the streets meanwhile further. I found it blandly decorated. I bet there was someone cooking who has no idea about food design. You decorate differently for the camera. The food then looks so delicious that you gain weight from watching it. With this mini series I had lost many many kilos of weight ;)

- For me, the singer and actress Narinthorn Na Bangchang was a real asset. Wonderfully played. Thank you.
- Above mentioned Nattawat played very well for my taste.
Saleng (Pakin Kunaanuwit), who has a lot of fun in his life. The very liberal heterosexual is an asset in the miniseries.
- I found Heart's (Norawit Titicharoenrak) performance unconvincing. I felt like there wasn't much happening in him. He didn't speak and that's why it wasn't a supporting role, but hey... I'm talking about facial expressions or gestures. Especially when you have to take detours in your communication, body language is hugely important. That didn't come into its own here. The coach who rehearses the characters with the actors really needs to be tutored. Or something was wrong with the stage direction.


Recommendation.
Are you a fan of GMMTV? Then you need to watch this miniseries too.
Is this your first GMMTV or BL series? Then better don't.
Then you better watch A Tale of Thousand Stars!

I wish you a lot of fun!

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If you want to watch "boys love" purely for romance, don't watch Moonlight Chicken!

It's not exactly a BL. Wait, hear me!

It is a boys love story, but their relationship it's just part of it, if you want to watch "boys love" purely for romance, don't watch Moonlight Chicken! When I said this, looks like I didn't like it, but it's the opposite. I love it.

Moonlight Chicken discusses social classes, directly. While this is not new in BLs, MLC has a way to discuss it that is very interesting, they do NOT romanticize being poor (thank God), but they don't make it like all the low classes life is sadness, and while they actually have a happy ending, it's realistic! Real life has happy and sad moments. And it's okay, is beautiful. The way that the series talks about being gay in Thailand is interesting too, bcs it's sensitive like everything in MLC.

The way that MLC talks about disabilities, with Heart (Gemini) being deaf is beautiful too, they were VERY respectful, they don't make Heart just a deaf person, he is a person, and he has a disability, and that's it. His thing with Li Ming (Fourth) it's SOMETHING, but I will talk about my favorite character later.

About Wen (Mix) and Jim (Earth), I love their development because it's, again, realistic. They have struggles and things to clear out before thinking about having something together.

But Li Ming it's definitely my favorite character, in the first moment he looks like a rebel teenager, typical, but he is actually suffering, struggling with his own things and problems. His relationship with his uncle Jim and his mom tells a lot about his manners too. He was also feeling so lonely if you think about it. And the way that his friendship (and later, more) develops with Heart is beautiful because he actually listens to Heart, who nobody in his life cares and he's so lonely. They are two very lonely people, and I'm glad that they found each other.

All the actors did a really GOOD job, everyone was amazing. The cast was PERFECT.

AND DAMN, the photography, it's incredible, the way that the lights talk about their feelings (theory of colors we love you) it's so ?$?!?4. MCL e ITSAY are the most beautiful BLs that exist, in these terms (but ITSAY wins).

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I love this but Heart and Li Ming take all the credit for it.

The series is very well produced and I love Aof as the director (as asual). I have loved everything Mix and Earth had done together before this, but this time their character's were kinda meh. To begin with, I didn't like Earth's character at all. He was terrible and unreasonable all the time and the only thing he would say the whole series was "I'm so old" and let's not forget how he managed to be HOMOPHOBIC with Li Ming LOL. Actually I liked Mix's part, I just don't understand why he was so into Uncle Jim. Gemini and Fourth did EVERYTHING. They were flawless. They're story was fantastic, they're acting was impecable. Everything about them was absolutely perfect, I love them so much :(

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Chemistry was so OFF

There is A LOT to unpack here.

Wen was straight up giving F me eyes the entire show. OOOOO, he better calm down. The entire time we all saw and felt how Wen was feeling. He played his role so well! So it's a shame that the lead couple had next to no chemistry. It was one sided the entire time, even in the small moments Jim showed some wiggle room, or straight up affection. It all felt fake.

Judging this as a BL on the main couple, I'd say this is a 5 rating, and only because HALF the leads were giving it hard. So instead I judged this one as a slice of life drama with a dash of BL romance thrown in. So it gets 7.

I really enjoyed the little drama we had with Alan, Jim, and Wen. It felt like real life, messy, painful, and emotional.

I enjoyed the side characters stories because it made the Chicken restaurant and neighborhood feel so homey.

Li Ming and Heart were EVERYTHING. EVERY.THING!!! They were the sweetest and the best story ever! I could have watched them as the main leads FOREVER. Every moment they had was just heartwarming and perfect.

On the spice meter this gets a 1, the first episode had lots of chemistry and lead up to the spice in a way that a little went a long way. But then the chemistry disappeared never to be seen again.

Alan really got the short end of the stick here and I felt so bad for him! Not only did he get his heartbroken after 5 years but Wen dragged it out by living together. And when he got into a serious accident Wen acted as if it was burdensome to help him. After 5 years and you care that little? Alan had every right to feel heartbroken and awful. Nobody should stay if they don't love them but have some more grace. And that last episode was total BS, 5 years of a relationship and he joins them for dinner? No thank you. But it was cute that everyone did eat together.

Overall I really enjoyed some parts and other parts it was just okay.

I have to admit I am not a huge fan of Earth. I don't know what it is about him but I don't think he suits BL's well. To be fair I've only seen his small bits in Love By Chance and this one but there is just something that bugs me about him. Now I really want to watch another Mix Earth show to see if it's just my bad for choosing the show where he is written as a stale character. I'll be back to report my findings. TO be fair the first and very end of hte last episode gave me a LITTLE hope.

Ending it with everyone eating together was so cute and gave the overall feel of the entire show.

BUT NOW what do I watch? Do I watch First & Khaotung actually get together in Eclipse? Do I try another Earth Mix to see if there IS chemistry? Or do I watch more perfection of Gemini & Fourth?!? Decisions, decisions!

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Li Ming and Heart were my favs omg-

so I'm only 6 mins in and this is already some of the best cinematography I've ever seen in my life. like this is insane. also can we talk about the stacked cast? this is actually insane. okay so i kinda forgot to update this every ep bc i binged the crap outta it but yea-

so ima do this character by character bc its necessary.
let's start with jim and wan. while not my fav couple in this series I still liked the growth the characters had and how they learned to heal through each other even though they had a few disputes they were able to sort it out and find a home in each other as wan said he longed for. earth mix did a really good job portraying them and I loved their chem as always.

heart and li ming were my fav couple bc omg they're adorable and they def stole the show. fourth did amazing with portraying li ming and his struggles to find himself (which is is really relatable and realistic) while also figuring out love. the way he brought heart back to life and showed him that he can still live a normal life and that he is a normal person is amazing. I also loved that li ming openly expressed his feelings and how he felt that it was unfair (which it was) for jim to push his own faults onto him and not letting him live his life. now onto heart, who I think really helped li ming find himself while heart was learning how to live again. gemini did really well especially since roles like the one he has in this series are hard to emotionally and physically portray, especially as he is a younger actor compared to the rest of the cast which has significantly more experience then gemfourth.

I also really liked how mark's character leng worked into the plot and showed the struggles of someone who is expecting an unplanned child while not being able to financially support them.

now I can't finish without mentioning the amazing firstkhao who were scene stealers for me this entire show. the amount of emotion they can portray is insaneeee. also they really understand their characters well and become immersed in their roles which can be really taxing and deserves tons of recognition. the way first can express feelings through his voice is crazy like the amount of pain I feel throughout his scenes with wen was so impressive. and Alan's character isn't one that is easy to express because there's so many layers of conflicting emotions going on there. and of course khaotung. the way this man can never cease to make me start bawling when he starts crying shows you how good he is at acting. every scene he does is impeccable and the emotions he portrays in his eyes truly embody each of his characters. like the amount of sheer talent and star quality is insane. also after having watched the behind and having seen everyone start crying during Khao's scene where he sings at gaipa's mother's funeral shows just how amazing he is. Even earthmix mentioned after that he was so good that everyone just felt the emotion so deeply. get these two more dramas bc good lord we need more. I would watch every single one bc thats just how good they are. and ik some people were upset that gaipa and alan didn't have a finished story but this was their side series for this year.

also i just need to say that the cinematography in this was so well done. probably one of if not the best I've ever seen in a bl and def ranks among the top of dramas in general. the use of colors is genius and really sets the mood for each scene. and the ost was really good too, with the background music fitting well and not out of place which can tend to ruin the mood in bls. anyways this is my take on this series and now ima sleep haha.

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