Love Sea (2024)

Sky x Prapai: Island Paradise Edition

So far, I haven’t really vibed with any of Mame’s shows, so I went into this with pretty low expectations. Turns out that was a good thing because she sure never disappoints on romanticising problematic behaviour, and writing characters whose only personality trait is trauma. Though this wasn’t as bad as some of her other shows (cough TharnType cough cough), it sure had its fair share of problems.

Let’s start with the acting, shall we? The highlight was definitely Fort. He’s got so much natural charisma that he carried this whole thing on his shoulders. Personally, I prefer him as Mut a lot more than as Prapai. The role of the cheeky, simple island boy suited him much better than that of rich businessman, and his acting has definitely improved since Love In The Air. His emotional delivery has gotten stronger which I appreciated a lot. It wasn’t an Oscar worthy performance just yet, but I think he’s on a great way of getting better and better.
Peat’s acting was a lot weaker. He was fine with the whole acting like a tsundere, but his skills definitely aren’t strong enough to carry emotionally intense moments. I don’t know why he keeps getting put into these trauma-heavy roles when he can’t even squeeze a single tear out. Because of his lacklustre emotional delivery, heavy/intense scenes fall incredibly flat. I also had a hard time telling Rak apart from Sky. Part of that is not his fault, because he basically had to play the same role twice. However, I feel like more skilled actors would still be able to portray two similar characters differently. I’ll give Peat some credit though, because he too has improved since Love In The Air. He’s still overacting sometimes, but it’s not to the same cringe extent it was then. We’ll see where his journey goes from here. I just hope he’ll get to play a different character for his next project.
As for the side characters, Chanya was pretty solid as Vie. Aya as Mook was doing way too much. She overacted to the point of her character almost being unbearable to watch. The child actress who played the role of Meena deserves a special mention. She did very well.

In terms of chemistry, Fort and Peat are definitely one of the stronger ships. It was the saving grace of Love In The Air, and it’s the same here, being what ended up carrying me through the show. The chemistry between the GL side couple was pretty solid too. Not enough to set a house on fire, but at least better than many other GL ships we’ve seen so far.

The character writing was on the more consistent end, but sadly, they were consistently awful and/or insufferable. Apart from Mut. I actually really liked him — at least I did when he was still living on the island. He’s basically the Moana of BL, and I was here for it. Him loving the ocean, being a helpful part of the community, being environmentally aware, and being content with the simple life he’s living was a breath of fresh air. I also appreciated how he had a sad backstory, but that wasn’t the main focus of the character. It was a real shame that he ever left the island, because as soon as he set foot in Bangkok, he felt like a completely different guy. From that moment on, he basically didn’t have a personality anymore, instead only acting as Rak’s personal caretaker/maid/stay-at-home-hubby/sex doll. The story stopped giving a damn about who he is, and centred itself around Rak only. It was incredibly frustrating to watch, because it’s rare that I actually feel like a BL character is unique these days.
Rak on the other hand is your stereotypical BL boy who doesn’t believe in / is afraid of love. He’s as tsundere as they come, but not in a cute way, just in a very annoying way. The guy often comes across as a privileged jerk, which didn’t help. Mut is better than me, because I wouldn’t have put up with that princess attitude for even a day. Rak is a famous writer, but we hardly ever get to see how that impacts his life. He’s also a toddler in a grown man’s body who wouldn’t be able to function without Mut and his secretary, and who throws hissy fits. First, he’s as hot and cold as Sky from Love In The Air. Then he becomes a whiny, pouty baby who is characterised by nothing more than having trauma, also like Sky. He’s basically just Sky 2.0 with a slightly different shade of trauma, and a worse attitude.
Mook was incredibly irritating to watch — in part because she’s super whiny, in part because of the over-the-top acting performance. I did feel sorry for her though, because everyone basically treated her like a doormat to walk over, or like a slave to boss around. It was actually hard to watch sometimes. Vie didn’t have much of a personality other than being famous and manipulative. The girl lied to Mook about her grandmother being dead, just to get her to do whatever she wants. I think that tells you enough about what a delight she is to watch.

As for the romance, this is also just felt like Sky x Prapai 2.0, because everything’s only about Rak, and Mut’s only job is to baby him, and help him through his trauma. However, it didn’t start that way. I actually thought the beginning of their story was a decent idea. A writer being sent to live on an island for a while, where he meets a simply guy who makes him believe in love for the first time sounds like a fun premise. Sadly, that’s just like three episodes of the show. The rest of it feels like a completely different series.

The romance was incredibly rushed, making it feel very insta-lovey — which isn’t great when the point of one of the characters is that they are afraid of love. Rak opened up and connected to Mut way too quickly. And Mut was ready to leave the life he loves behind for a guy he met like yesterday. I mean, Rak stayed on that island for two weeks, then Mut is willing to give up his entire life to follow him to Bangkok (without saying goodbye to anyone or even a suitcase in hand). Maybe it would’ve been a bit more believable if Rak treated him well during his time on the island, but he was being an entitled douche for most of the time…
I think the whole story would’ve been a lot better if it just focused on their time on the island. It’s called Love Sea after all, not Love Bangkok. If Rak was sent there to finish his novel and had stayed for a few months, things would’ve made a lot more sense. That way, they could’ve bonded slowly but surely, fitting the character of Rak a lot better. In my opinion, at least 6 episodes should’ve been spent on that island, and only a few remaining ones in Bangkok. Rak could’ve brought his assistant and his best friend along, so their story could’ve played out too. Or Vie could’ve had a shoot on that same island, being the reason Rak went there in the first place. There definitely was a way to make this work.

The above mentioned problematicness of it all comes with the whole money aspect of Rak and Mut’s relationship. It made me feel incredibly iffy and uncomfortable. It all felt very Fifty Shades Of Grey minus the BDSM but with the added element of cash. It all starts with Rak asking Mut how much he needs to pay for them to have sex. That alone was icky enough, but it only got worse when he basically bought the guy to go back to Bangkok with him. In Bangkok, they then made this incredibly inhumane contract which basically makes Mut Rak’s slave, having to do whatever Rak wants him to in exchange for money. That he could just kick him out whenever he feels like their good time is over. Yikes. I know Mut seems comfortable with the whole money thing, mainly because he never cares about the money since he’s clearly head over heels for Rak. However, it just rubbed me the wrong way. Especially since it is often mentioned how Rak is this fair-skinned, older, famous guy while Mut is a younger, darker skinned Southerner who’s making a living by completing tasks for others. That just made things worse because it definitely has very problematic implications. I mean, just imagine that Mut was a woman instead, or a black man. Yeah, yikes… The fact that Mut was often referred to as Rak’s "dog“ only made things weirder.

The romance between Mook and Vie is no less problematic. I absolutely hate how their arc romanticises manipulation. For the most part, Vie treats Mook like a slave, often by outright lying to her just to have an excuse for her to come over. She makes her do all these things she clearly doesn’t want to do, and that she’s not obligated to do because she works for Rak, not Vie. Vie lied about her grandmother being dead and never felt remorse for it, instead it’s treated as this comedic thing. She also made the poor girl drive 90 minutes just to deliver something unnecessary. The list goes on. It felt like such a weird and uncomfortable power dynamic. At one point, there was a storyline introduced about Vie practically forcing Mook to be her fake girlfriend, in order to squash rumours of her sleeping her way to the top. That would’ve been a lot more interesting to make the main focus of their romance, but it just got dropped, vanishing into thin air before it even really started. In the end, their arc never got any resolution which was a big disappointment. All in all, they definitely didn’t make me root for them, which is a shame because I was excited to see another GL couple.

There are things I appreciated about the show though, so let me end on a positive note:
- The scenery of the island was absolutely beautiful. What a shame we had to leave it behind so soon.
- Whoever did the styling on this deserves a raise. It was immaculate, especially with Rak. But really, there wasn’t an outfit out of place in this whole show. Bravo!
- The relationship Mut and Rak’s niece formed was adorable. I did not like the part where a 13 year-old girl calls her uncle "sexy“ though. That was… a choice…
- I really appreciated how the bad guy of the story, Rak’s dad, wasn’t actually the moustache twirling supervillain I expected him to be. The take-away being that he’s just a pathetic loser, not a murderer, was great.
- There wasn’t as much miscommunication and stupid conflicts in this. When Rak’s dad forced him to break up with Mut, Mut didn’t believe it for a second. I was worried we’d dive into a whole silly conflict about him believing that Rak doesn’t want him in his life anymore. But no, he had enough emotional intelligence to be aware of Rak actually liking him. More of that in other BLs please.


This series isn't as poorly written as some other BLs I've reviewed, but because I find the romances to be problematic, it still gets a low rating. I guess this might be my favorite Mame series, mainly because it doesn’t have sexual assault in it. The bar is really low, I know. But it definitely wasn’t an enjoyable watch either, and if it weren’t for Fort, I would’ve just dropped this after it became the Rak show. I wouldn’t recommend you watch this, and I certainly won’t ever rewatch it either, but I’d choose it over TharnType any day. There’s a good story in there somewhere, and for the first three episodes I did appreciate how it felt like something different than your usual BL. Sadly, it all fell apart somewhere on that journey back to Bangkok which is a real shame. If someone else wants to give me the Moana, child of the island, story of my dreams, I’d appreciate that greatly.

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Sea of Wasted Potential with Weak Story and Fragmented Chemistry!

I had expectations from this drama but was ultimately disappointed! We had 10 episodes and such a weak narrative throughout!
When they were on the beach , it at least provided the visual appeal and was at least enough to keep me engaged in the story but as soon the story shifted to the city , it went downhill !
It felt one dimensional and boring!
Nothing substantial happened and the things that did happen didn't contribute to a positive development nor seemed necessary.

Coming to acting, Fort as Mut carried the whole show single handedly. His acting has improved and felt natural but in the case of Peat , the whole cold ML role was very unconvincing often coming off as overreaction.
Yes , the chemistry between them was there and was good but was very fragmented and inconsistent.
The tantrum that Rak threw in the last episode shows he literally had no to zero character development. And his sudden epiphany in the last 10 minutes felt rushed and unnatural. It might be impressive if the realisation came a few episodes earlier to make it more sincere.

And the other GL couple, they felt too forced. Vivi's treatment of Khaimuk didn't look like playful teasing to me. Treating the one you like as a slave and troubling them is not funny in my books! We are not in kindergarten where we tease the one we love to get their attention!

Even the friendship between all the characters felt utterly superficial, and I felt no emotional connection whatsoever!

Overall , I see only a sea of wasted potential with a weak story , underdeveloped characters with  fragmented chemistry!

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Well...That Was... At Least They Are FortPeat--- hihi?

Am I the only one who wanted to put a potato sack over that assistant girls head for all that overreacting in the earlier episodes? Yeah, no? okaii.

And listen to this: Tongrak is so traumatized with his mother falling in love with a gigolo that he doesn’t even believe in love, so of course, his solution is to… *check notes** get himself a live-in gigolo. Child! Like?

Also, what the hell was up with Rak's sperm donor? No really, Rak's dad is a rubbish person. Mfer walked into the scene looking like he collects coupons and went: 'I want you to break up with my son because I want to be a good father to him.' HUH??? His whole motivation for being a bum went like this.

RAK’S BUM ASS DAD: Yes, I’m a sucky father and husband. But I want to make it up to my son and be there for him. So even though you make him happy, I want you to break up with him, so he can be miserable.
ME: Ah, so, we taking nonsense orders now. Alright. *drives to a church* Pastor, I’ll have the beef burger with cement, please.
RAK’S BUM ASS DAD: You make no sense.
ME: No you make no sense you bum ass sperm donor.

Quick Review:
Listen, this drama was a dumpster fire. It didn’t even know what it wanted to be. It want from being a sugar baby au, tags: (#islandlife #authorswriting #shortsrealshort #showerseks #crazydads #mentionedgigolos) to annoying cousins revenge plotline, to wanna be gangster dads, to bracelet selling island dwellers, literally pick a struggle. And the sad truth is, after all that, the story-line still felt flat to me. Though, except for wondering what will became of the gl couples, there wasn't any loose ends, cuz the writers had Rak's mother become the ex-machina. Not only did she take care of the dad problem, but also the cousin, all off-screen, and suddenly everything was rainbows.

Half the cast were so one dimensional. The cousin(literally what did she want? her whole thing was to remind us Rak's mom likes gigolos, okay, and?), the bum arse dad who showed up only to be a bum arse, and the actress friend who apparently likes whinny overreacting girls. The only characters I felt carried and kept my attention was that little girl, Meena (great actor, played her role really well), and Mahasamut. Fort have improved in his acting since LITA. Of course Peat to some degree as well, though a few cringy scenes. Hopefully they’d will improve even more in their next drama.

And were we supposed to feel sorry for Rak in the finale? cuz my arse was just annoyed. Literally, when they got together I was like, yaay?... sure, happy ending. Cuz, after everything Mut did, he still didn't want to commit to a serious relationship? Sure he had problems to work through, but after everything, even being the one to mend you and your mother's relationship, he still didn't want to admit his feelings, acting like a spoiled kid. His behaviour in the finale made me wanna throw tiny rocks at him. He did eventually realize his feelings, but at that point I’d already checked out, so instead of being sad and crying when they got together, I checked how much time was left.

That being said, Rak's fashion sense was cool, his short shorts were on point, and I love how he saw Mut and went, 'I went it, I get it. You like my island boy toy, geez thanks, just got him.' But his constant 'I don't love you' act annoyed the hell out of me.

Up until Mahasamut beat up Rak's bum arse dad, I was half/half on his character, liked him cuz he had no shame, and he was honest. After the beat-up he became my fav character. Imo, him mostly, and the chemistry he had with Rak was the saving grace of this sinking ship. Still can't believe he got that tattoo and ruined his beautiful neck, child, if you wanna forget someone get a hobby, don't ruin your skin.

Also the two female side couples went nowhere, and did we need to know the actress friend spoke french? It was so random, and a waste of screen time, cuz it had no follow up whatsoever. And that assistant girl. Do people really find whinny people adorable and cute? Because like, every time she showed up, I wanted to put a bag over her head, which is unfortunate, cuz the actress was so beautiful, but the role she was given to act was just unfortunate.

And I'm still not sure what that cousin girl who threw water in her own face wanted? Whenever she was on screen talking about whatever I was like, okay sure, whoever you are. What the hell did she want from Rak and why was she so angry her auntie likes gigolos? Did I miss the explanation?

Anyway, I remember all of us being in shock in that unholy shower episode, and counting wrappers, the tl was fun that day. Although there wasn't much going on here, and things felt flat to me, if you are a FortPeat fan, you'll sure enjoy this drama a lot, cuz their chemistry is still very great. So I'll recommend it. If not for anything, watch for the chemistry and Rak's fashion.

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comedy missing the point...

While I can get Tongrak & Mahasamut story, I don't get the GL part... Is it me or don't you court someone you like with annoying requests and silly excuses? This irked me the most.

The characters in general are very one-dimensional, there isn't much of a development. Also all the drama elements felt a bit forced and cliché. Tongrak's buying sex-service is not a good point but it's life. The only thing which was clear from the beginning for me was that Mahasamut did not really do it for the money. He was interested in Tongrak from the get-go. But there's where the story almost ends. At least I understand why Tongrak acts as he does shunning is feelings but be overwhelmed by them anyways. This leads also into excessive sex-scenes due to Tongraks "buying" Mahasamut. While japanese BLs show mostly too few (with some exceptions), Thai BLs choose stories where there are a lot and this fan-service is appreciated as I can see from most reviews and rating here. In the end Tongraks overcomes his fear of love but it took too long of a time for me.

Tongrak's niece was the highlight of the show giving it a bit of flavour uncommon to most BLs. I don't find it surprising a 13 year old girl said that uncles new man is sexy, that should not surprise anyone, that's also normal nowadays.

I would have purged the script of all the silly comedic scenes, have either skipped the GL or altered it into something mature, to have a contrast to the dark outlook from the BL. Then this show could have been done in 6 or 8 episodes. Why did the producers choose to have a dark story for the MLs and to contrast them with mostly silly comedy for the GL? For me It breaks the flow and since episode 1 everyone should have to understood there is something wrong with Tongraks. But maybe the writers wanted to be close to the source material or they thought that this is the way to go, I don't know. For me it was the wrong way.

Production quality was high with beautiful shots of the island which were too few imho. The ML did a good job overall especially Peat, the GL were good in serious scenes. Due to the handling of the story, this is a subpar show. Good chemestry does not save a bad BL, sensual sex-scenes don't either. It's sad that people don't invest time to think about the story and understand what's wrong with it.

But as the ratings show, sex sells, so it's again a sad day for Thai BLs with declining quality plots, writing and execution. This year seems to be a new low for Thai BLs with a lot of crap shows and a lot of medicore shows. As long as people like such shows, they will produce such shows and the quality will diminish further.

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good chemistry (watch suggestions)

Overall: gorgeous visuals and good chemistry but the plot wasn't for me. This was based on a book "Love Sea" written by MAME which I haven't read and I reviewed the series on its own merits. 10 episodes about 50 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/love-sea-episode-1-214nh5b3jss?lang=en_us There is an extra scene after the initial credits in episodes and at the very end of the last episode. Me Mind Y also produced: Wedding Plan, Love In The Air, Don't Say No & TharnType.

Content Warnings: past child abuse and intimate partner violence, blood, manhandling, trauma/mental health struggles, colorism, non con touching turned consensual, punch, coercion

Watch Suggestions (focuses on the main couple and cuts out a lot of villains/angst)
- watch episodes 1-3
- watch episode 4, 13:45-20, 43:30-47, 52:30 to the end
- watch episode 5, could skip 23:30-46:25 which was some of the GL and an annoying character
- watch episode 6, beginning to 15:20, 19:20-24, 49:15-end
- watch episode 7, beginning to 13, cameo at 36 min and 39-43
- start episode 8 at 8, brief hug at 17, watch 28:50-31:12, 35-45:30, 58 to the end
- start episode 9 at 15:20
- watch episode 10, beginning to 10 and then to skip a lot of moping angst start at 1hr4min and watch until the end (extra scene at the very end)

What I Liked
- scuba diving intro/scenery
- visuals
- supportive brother/wingman and Vie was also supportive
- chemistry/intimate scenes
- sweet moments
- indicated condom usage
- a public service announcement about the importance of coral reefs
- good that Tongrak stands up for Mahasamut in episode 5
- easter egg of the Love Sea book
- cameo in episode 7
- child actor did a good job
- Mahasamut was intelligent, had pretty solid communication but also had self-respect

Room For Improvement
- had a bit of whiplash/reactions in first episodes
- comedy sound effects like a baby crying detracted from the comedy
- an evil character got punched but then there was the 'we'll contact the police if he does terrible stuff again' nonsense
- 'because the writer said so stuff' i.e. Vie's "plan", a character acted unrealistically whiny

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A Sea of Dissapointment

Not quite sure what happened, but going from strong start without any real story to weak ending with an actual story seems outlandish.

I don't understand because, this started out with as many NC scenes as there were panoramic views of the beach, scenes of them eating and drinking and diving into the ocean.. “what's the story there” was my thought as I watched the first three episodes and would you know it, I was hooked. There was essentially nothing going on, just a whole load of chemistry carrying it through but I wasn't complaining. Great scenery, good banter, it had summer romance written all over it.

Then why is that the minute some real story started to creep up, it felt like the writers just threw up their hands and went “we'll just have Mahasamut sit around and look good, while Tongrak  does the same, and maybe add a dash of drama every now and then that will end up having no real impact on the viewers or the characters themselves?”
Episode after episode of scenes that added no real depth to the story, and all of a sudden, a couple of episodes where a very heavy backstory is unraveled all at once, only to be resolved all at once and much too weakly.

The major thing they had to unpack though, the very basis of the complex relationship between the leads, they conveniently left that up to the finale until it felt like a lame attempt to create the drama that never came in the previous episodes just so they would have a reason to separate. What should have been an intense and complicated arc based on traumatic experiences Tongrak has gone through his entire life was reduced to something of a childish outburst and was, of course, resolved much too quickly and weakly.

So many characters who were, to put it quite bluntly, useless. Their sole purpose was to either come onto the screen to irritate us and the leads, I mean Tongrak's cousin? What did she do other than cause drama?
Or some characters like Palm, Mahasamut's brother were reduced to comedic reliefs when I would have much rather watched a character like him as opposed to Rak's cousin.
A villian who's scenes actually made for good character development for Tongrak, which was then immediately subjected to whiplash by everything else that followed.

That list would be incomplete without Vie and Mook though, because why? Just why-
As characters, they added the bare minimum, but as love interests? Why? Their pairing is one of the worst I've ever seen, in terms of romantic connection, friendship, just as two human beings, the equation between the two of them annoyed and appalled me endlessly. Just.. why-

For all they didn't really manage to do well, the series got one thing right. Not the series, Fort and Peat got it right. They had chemistry in spades and laid it all out on the table. This could have been pulled off perfectly with just Fort and Peat, just saying, because every scene that didn't involve them, didn't really have my attention.
And I guess they got two things right, only halfway on the second one though: the scenery. Just beautiful. The island setting really did elevate the experience.

It's a shame though because when nothing was really going on, they reeled me in, and suddenly they had way too much going on without anything really happening, giving us something over - dramatic yet boring. It ended weakly despite starting strong, and it's a whole lot of wasted potential.

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Poor writing, not so good acting but entertaining for the chemistry and seaside background

It is clearly a MAME project: the scenario is pretty weak in handling the trauma arcs of the characters, there are some hot moments and cheesy lines, the actors chemistry is rather convincing and despite all the flaws, it is entertaining overall. The best part of the drama is the introduction on the island, when the characters are having sexy time and banter nearby the sea. Once the plot move to the city, the family drama is really not addressed properly, making the story less compelling.

The characterization of the main protagonists is rather poor. It is working when their dynamics is light and on the fluffy side with a dog vs. cat energy that I always enjoy. But unfortunately, the way the main characters handle their internal turmoil and blockage when the story is getting more heavy does not make a lot of sense. I particularly found the evolution of Tongrak badly paced. Out of the two main leads, Mahasamut was clearly the best character. I was also not onboard with the secondary couple: I did not feel the chemistry between the actresses but I must admit that the script does not help them...Given the ending, it felt like a loss of time for the viewer to have so many screentime for their storyline.

Similarly to my predilection in terms of characters, I preferred Fort's acting to Peat's performance. I enjoyed more Fort's golden retriever energy than the closed off / childish character side of Peat's character. Though they have good chemistry, both need to work and improve their game when they play more angsty scenes. The way Peat portrayed trauma was quite unconvincing and Fort felt a bit too light for the heavy moments.

In terms of production, there were some nice seaside background. Those were nice and relaxing to watch, with the soothing noises of the waves from the sea in multiples scenes. The production was more standard in the city environment, suitable enough for the storytelling but nothing really special. Soundtrack could have been better as well.

I would not recommend this to people unless you are a fan of MAME work. It has for sure entertaining value and the two males leads have a good chemistry. However, the script is really poor in the way it pictures trauma and how the characters evolve through the relationship. There are a lot of artificial barriers to their love and therefore the series felt lacking because of the writing. It is even worse regarding the secondary couple arc.

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Another good bl series from me mind y

Our boys are back and we love to see them. Peat does an excellent job as Tongrak. The cheeky bastard and the snooty diva! The dark skin against the fair skin! The push and pull of immediate intense attraction! Isn't it great when one of your favorite couples come back with even more chemistry and charisma than before ?

The first episode was everything! Peat is oh so desirable and Fort looks good enough to eat. Connor knew what he was doing when he sent Mahasamut those pictures of a sleeping Tongrak. I can bet Mahasamut fell for him right then. Tongrak didn't take long to fall for him either. It's obvious that he is fighting his attraction for the annoying but irresistible Mahasamut with all he has. It's a losing battle already and he hasn't even been on the island for 2 days ? Mahasamut comforting a crying Tongrak took me back to the last episode of LITA. Don't we love a protective king ?

PS. Fort here reminded me so much of the young Shahrukh Khan (superstar of Indian films). The same cocky attitude that hides a romantic heart. The same cheeky grin and wayward hair. The same warm gaze. My boy is a star! ?

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Started strong but fell short

So, I honestly wasn’t a fan of Fort & Peat in “Love in the air” but I wanted to give them another shot with this series. The first two episodes started out strong with the sass and the steamy scenes but after that it just got annoying. The constant throwing of money in Mut’s face and the constant whining and gloominess of Tongrak just drove me crazy. I hated the plot scenes involving the dad and the cousin, just thought they were silly. The dad’s acting was also terrible. Disappointing. Also where was the ending for the lesbians??? just left us hanging there

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No wonder they are the happiest Thai actors today. It cannot be any other way: after two series forming a ship that attracts millions of viewers, Thitipong Sangngey and Wasuthorn Chaijindar (FortPeat, as they are known) finally star in a series, the one they always dreamed of, and the one we have waited for BL lovers in general and followers of these two actors in particular.
Yes, we already saw him lead the cast of 'Love in The Air' (2022), but there they were the secondary couple, while in 'Wedding Plan' (2023) they played roles of little weight in the story and little presentation on screen. On both occasions they left us wanting more.
The opportunity to show off their acting skills, their beautiful faces and physical attributes comes from Ne Neti Suwanjinda, the director who has always chosen them to put them in front of the camera since the entertainment industry, very intelligently and correctly, paired them, to tell us the love story between Tongrak, a writer looking for inspiration for his most recent novel, and Mahasamut, a resident of an island in the south of Thailand who was tasked with taking care of the visitor.
In the first two episodes of the series (those that have been viewed for this review), the protagonists will find themselves trapped in a stormy, fiery and sensual relationship full of sex and endless days and nights, where love will set the course of their lives new lives while both fight to achieve their respective dreams.
'Love Sea' is a new-adult dramatic and romantic series with an aspirational LGBTIQ+ theme narrated in a dynamic, vibrant way and with a realistic treatment of the most current youth conflicts, all accompanied by beautiful and cheerful music and exquisite cinematography.
Based on the novel of the same name by prolific BL MAME screenwriter and director Orawan Vichayawannakul, whom Net called on now as on other occasions, the series tells the spectacular and improbable story of Tongrak (played by Peat) and Mut (role assumed by Fort), two young dreamers with nothing in common, whose destinies cross unexpectedly.
Tongrak has it all, a good financial position and enjoys success after publishing several novels, some of them brought to television as BL series. But despite this, he lives in a state of constant frustration caused by several unresolved problems in his life and by currently suffering from writer's block. Furthermore, he does not believe in love, considering that it only lives in the imagination.
The journey of Peat's character is the most interesting one made, since in his contact with Mut we can see his reproach for being ashamed of his past and the wounds of his soul that have yet to heal. Thus, the creation of Tongrak and its motivations are very interesting and gain the public's favor.
For his part, Mut is a humble young man, who carries the trauma caused by having been expelled from home by his father at the age of 15 and, despite having to resort to pretending about himself to others in order to make his way in life and get a roof over his head and a plate of food, he has become a leader of the locals and the force behind the local people.
Each one, in their own way, faces an existential crisis that can lead them to failure, to lose what they have achieved so far, so they have no choice but to join forces and embark on the same path that will lead them to know each other better and perhaps...
United by destiny, when their lives intersect, they embark on a transformative journey together that represents both an escape from their complicated presents and traumatic pasts and a search for love, happiness and their place in the world. These are questions that almost all of us have experienced, or on which almost all of us have reflected, at some point in our lives. Especially in our twenties, which is the age that Mut and Tongrak are around, and the time when doubts about our present and our future are most crowded.
For her part, MAME cannot hide her happiness. Although at first his style left us with some red flags, such as 'Love By Chance' or 'TharnType', today he seems to have found his voice by giving an evolution to his stories to keep fans of the genre happy, especially with that HOT touch that all BL fans love.
The ForthPeak junction, a visual and spiritual gift for so many viewers around the world, would give good returns to the creators of the series, especially through a drama that has its main strength in the clarity with which this story is conceived on paper, the pulse with which the direction channels them through the setting on screen, and the way the two actors defend it, in characters with characterological richness and infinite nuances that only they know how to add in their assumption.
One of the great things about 'Love Sea', and one that the production team cared a lot about, was showing the paradisiacal environment and the natural settings that serve as the setting for the erotic-existential journey of two young people in love and that provide truth and essence, because if there is a place that wins by a landslide, it is that southern Thai island, the meeting place of the protagonists and where their romance takes place. Having been able to record in that place is one of the great achievements of the drama, since it is integrated in an outstanding way into its DNA.
'Love Sea' effectively combines the conventions of the romantic genre and a fresh visuality by placing the narrative heroes in a natural and paradisiacal environment, which also takes center stage, to which is added the bill of the presentation and farewell, and the curtains of Transition.
So far, the performance of actresses and actors has been, in general, high, and the combination of young figures with other already established ones was among the most successful. It was especially appreciated to once again enjoy Forth Kashane Pichetsopon, Ja Phachara Suansri, Boss Chaikamon Sermsongwittaya, Noeul Nuttarat Tangwai, An Oliver Poupart, Jinjuta Rujirakumthonchai Liu, Ivy Phattaree Tassananakajit and Chanya Amarit Duval. Kevin Tray will provide his voice as Conner.
The best thing about the MAME-Net binomial's staging lies in its way of capturing the love and physical contact between Mut and Tongrak, materialized in the hugs, kisses and sex they share in different situations: at the bottom of the ocean , on board a moving yacht or during their sexual encounters both on the sand of the beach and in the resort room, where the eyes, lips, hands... the entire body of one travels over the body of the other and vice versa. The latent desire between them is subtly filmed through gestures and glances, which communicate everything that is not expressed verbally. But how much is there left to express when in one way or another everything has been said... or almost everything?
The direction knows how to give credibility to the sex scenes and the dialogues exhibit enough youthful nihilism and naturally.
Fort and Peat consolidate themselves as a ship with great aspirations to continue being one of the most anticipated by the public, and as two actors with attitudes in abundance after 'Wedding Plan' or especially 'Love in the Air'. Their respective Mut and Tongrak work from the beginning because of their talent and also because their characters' status as people called to surpass themselves gives them the strength to stand out dramatically.

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