Battle of the Writers (2024)

good, not great but didn’t regret watching

Before watching this drama, although I never like to read reviews and make up my mind for myself, I did see mixed reviews and ratings without reading them too much. It was my first Tutor and Yim BL after seeing them in Cutie Pie and Naughty Babe (I tried to watch Middleman’s Love but… I just couldn’t…). I genuinely liked this drama! Although the writing was a bit hit and miss sometimes and the storyline was a little confusing, I did enjoy it and I’m in awe by Tutor. Although I was a bit confused at first, when I understood it, my favourite thing about the drama has to be when the 5 writers are all sat together around the table, looking adorable in their pyjamas, animal outfits and their hairs styled cutely. I loved the fact they’re actually just chatting in their chat room but it shows them as sat around the table talking.
I wish the story had a bit more of a rhythm, maybe a bit more leading up to Shan and Oab-aun’s relationship, but I felt like it rushed too much into it and suddenly they were in love and didn’t develop much from then. However, Tutor… TUTOR!! He genuinely distracted me from the episodes a few times, that man is extremely beautiful. And the kissing scenes with him and Yim, I felt like they both put their heart and souls into those kissing scenes, they were amazing! (Tutor ain’t got those lips for nothing! 🤭) Especially Episode 7! The amount of squeals that I did, I couldn’t. Overall, this drama was good! I felt like the writing could be a little better but I definitely don’t regret watching it and I would recommend it.

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Despite it's flaws it was an enjoyable watch!

This also had a fun Same-sex Marriage has been passed moment where i had to pause and look it up and it was true!!!! Congrats!!!!!! Now i am just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up ;)
If you are just looking for a fun watch and nothing to serious this is for you!
A short summery - When a writer is accused of plagiarism he finds the write after a series of mishaps and the two become friends even moving in with each other and fall in love while working on a new book with their friends.
As a writer myself i was excited for this drama but due to the main couples last drama i was hesitant to watch it. But in my search for new completed BL series this one came to mind and i thought i would try it out and am glad i did. This is by no means the best bl but it was fun and though there was a bit of cringe and a lot of the couples are rushed (WE NEED Pie and Ozone to have a drama, i was obsessed. I adore the cold guy who is wife/husband obsessed lol) Not to mention one just randomly got married without much setup!
It was however beautiful looking and cinematic, i loved the pov shots during confessions. It reminds me a lot of the recent rise in vertical Chinese mini dramas with the mix of the modern story and historical one.
The story though a little clunky and but still had me giggling like a school girl for the romance. As an avid reader who loves to gossip about books i so badly wanted to bust in there and gossip about the book with them and the readers lol
Now for some complaints, the broached a lot of topics in this show and i am happy to see it but wish they had gone further. As a writer myself there where a lot of flaws in the story and characters if you cant stand stuff like that this may not be for you but i truly enjoyed its wackiness that i have come to love from thai dramas, lol i mean who comes up with this stuff lol getting high off mushrooms! I would ban him from cooking!
But all in all a fair drama i think you should watch one weekend when you have nothing better to do!

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funny Fever dream without plot but not a rewatchable Drama

I guess everyone had different expectations here. Even though Tutor and Yim don’t have the most intense chemistry, I was still looking forward to their new drama after their previous works. I especially hoped the historical part in the Danmei style, which the authors approached as a BL project, would play a more significant role. At first, it seemed like the story would help the writers break through writer’s block with a fun project between friends and fellow authors. Then, out of nowhere, we were hit with a ‘We've known each other forever,’ ‘Back when I almost went blind due to an accident’ storyline. Just as the audience was left completely confused — and probably the directors realized from the reviews that the plot wasn’t making sense —Suddenly, the show shifted to 10-minute-long NC scenes that didn’t match the previous energy at all and felt disconnected from the characters, resembling soft p*rn more than anything.

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I loved all the romance!

I binged watched this series, once all the eps were out. I often get more out of them when I do this.

it was such a pleasure to see Yim in particular NOT playing a silly, goofy character.
they both looked spectacular and Tutor looks stunning in EVERYTHING he wears! (and doesn't wear)

all the actors did a good job. Marc was super hawt too, and honestly, about every body in this is good looking.

spoilers :

the story is about 5 writers who as a break from the everyday, decided to write a BL together. Each of them write in a different genre, so it takes some effort to bring the story they are writing together in a cohesive way. (much of which we miss)
At the same time, they are struggling to write their weekly web stories and meet their deadlines too.
oh, and there is an online chat group of the 5 writers, where they discuss the story (and other stuff) while dressed as their spirit animals. Too funny!

it can be confusing though, because you suddenly see the actors in a new place/content/world/character, and sometimes the chapter before doesn't exactly match up to the next chapter, from the prior episode. Especially if the chapter is from their personal web story, and not the team one. (which happens with out much notice. lol)
The Wuxia parts are so pretty (part of mostly Obun's imagination and the story he's writing, but the same style is used for the group story too.)

but once you understand that those chapters don't have much to do with the actual storyline, it's fine. :))
so don't stress too much trying to understand them.
Just treat them like someone walked into your room and read you a chapter out of book you aren't reading, while you are watching a show. and they keep coming back to share another chapter with you. :)) and because you love them, you just let them ramble on while your show is paused. :)

there are some random 'drama' moments. They don't last long, so don't worry too much about them. (very low stress, low anxiety show)

everyone of the 5 writers will get some sort of partner. You may think that it's strange when it happens, but I think they were just trying to not leave anyone out. shrug

there are plenty of nice kisses, and some pretty darn good spice scenes too. very tastefully done.

after ep 7 there are tons of lovey dovey romance moments, which filled my heart and made me laugh many many times.

as for the rewatch value, I LOVED all the romance, so for me I will definitely revisit it in the future.

many people seem to be bashing this series.
But I loved it. hope you find it entertaining, and enjoy the eye candy!

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Good Premise

Super cute story when they are together. I loved the cast and the story idea is pretty great. I also love Domundi. They almost always fall a tad bit short. Idk what it is. It's something that if they'd change just a tad, they would be unstoppable/dominating all others in the industry.
I would say they play it too careful, but they don't.
Maybe it's how some of the charaters act too childish? Idk

I think it has a lot to do with how they are directed to act. They don't feel like real people. It feels like they start to over think how they are acting. If that makes sense. It kind of takes you out of the series.

Well at least we can see more of Yim's acting skills than him always doing roles that are timid, or whatever you want to call it.

It would be interesting to see if it was YimTutor instead of TutorYim. I wonder how the dynamics would change.

I really enjoyed Tutor and Yim's acting when they are their fantasy selves. I wish they could do more roles like that. I don't really think any of them are bad actors, they are all kind of stiff and too careful when they act.

Again, they showed us with the fantasy scene that they can act in a different way, so I really hope they can do more of that. Fantasy or not.

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Lost Potential and reason for headache!!!

This Drama started well I was invested fro first few episodes , but was struggling to finish till the end later. Some parts were really great like supportive friends group, chemistry between couples (there are 5-6 on how you count), supportive parents, some good quotes from writers. Well the list of things can be improved is much more long -
1. too many unnecessary characters and subplots
2. Editor was probably absent while they were making this series. many times I couldn't make a head or tail of what's happening so the headaches!!
3. Slow pacing of story , some non con photography

In short , its a one time watch if you like the actors as they did well on the part given to them , but guys please don't hate me if you get serious headache!!

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Genuinely Surprised....definitely worth the watch...

This ended up much longer than I planned, I am sorry for that. I don't normally write a review on the shows I watch. No matter how good or bad it was. But after reading all the negative comments and even some negative comments in reviews, I decided to sit down and watch it. I'm someone who has a hard time focusing, and Thai dramas (any Asian drama really) give me the chance to fall into another world and ignore the real life around me for a bit. It brings me back to calmer state of mind. From episode 1 to episode 12 I couldn't walk away. Feel free to skip to Paragraph 4 which begins my actual review. And please remember, this is MY opinion, I don't expect many to agree with it.

I can understand where people are coming from with the negative comments about this show. Yes, there was some cringy and just plain cheesy dialogue, yes, there were parts that didn't make any sense, I do tend to find myself asking "why?" and "wtf?" multiple times while watching any Asian drama.

I've learned over my few years of watching Thai dramas as well as any Asian drama. What I as an American see as cringy, cheesy, inappropriate, embarrassing, and just plan horrendous writing, not all Asians do. Our ways of life are different. So naturally we have things that Asians may find embarrassing, inappropriate, cheesy, and cringy as well.
I've learned to watch Thai dramas with a different mindset than I do American tv (on the rare occasion I watch it). Therefore, though I find myself covering my eyes, feeling embarrassed and just laughing at the ridiculousness of certain things, I've accepted it's just a part of THEIR culture and writing.

We also have to remember, this is Domundi. Not GMMTV, not Change 2561, Not Idol Factory, Not Me Mind Y.
So why compare them? Naturally what's written, directed, and produced, IS going to be different. Domundi delivered what is considered their...style? genre? Everyone says Tutor and Yim get Zee and NuNew's scrapes or the scripts they didn't want. But even Zee and NuNew's series are of the same quality. I find myself cringy at certain dialogues and scenes with them. Same for any Thai drama I've watched. Thai writers are different to what we're used to, so why bash so much?

If you've made it this far, I appreciate it, I will now share my actually review of the show.
In my own personal opinion, this is absolutely by far Tutor and Yim's BEST performance. I love Tutor and Yim, they are amazing together and have amazing chemistry. I personally didn't like The Middleman's Love. Something just didn't seem right with them playing those parts. Don't get me wrong, it was obvious they showed up and put in the work to bring the characters to life. It was obvious those characters just weren't for them and that's exactly it. They were not the original pair for those roles. It's no ones fault, life happens. And I can appreciate the director giving Tutor and Yim the chance and opportunity to Lead.
I can say I had moments during my viewing of Battle of the Writers, that I did try to picture a different pair playing Shan and Ob-aun, and I just couldn't. It didn't matter how ridiculous the line may have been. It didn't matter how cringy worthy the situation, Tutor and Yim gave their best. They showed the world they are ready and capable of more serious stories. I still cannot get over Tutors ability to speak with his eyes. He reminds me of V from BTS with his ability to use his eyes to capture one's attention. Yim did incredible, I don't know how to describe it, though his character showed moments of immaturity, he didn't full on whine like many characters do. He was able to get his emotions and feelings across with just a look. His eyes are his windows. He expressed his emotions in a way that made me feel what he was feeling.

And oh lordy, I wasn't too sure what the plan was for the NC scenes, but can I just say Tutor and Yim DELIVERED!!! There was no shyness. There was no hesitation. They. Went. For. It. I had moments where I felt like maybe I was intruding. This series shows these years they have spent together have been filled with building trust and comfort. They have cultivated their chemistry to bring an amazing performance. I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Lastly, can I just share my appreciation and excitement over seeing Mark with a partner? I have never cared if he was paired with a woman or a man, but anything I've seen him in he's either single, or he's in a relationship, but the other party is never shown. I just want to hug him and tell him he is loved and appreciated so much. So, seeing him interacting and having a relationship on screen just tickles me so much. I love Mark, I don't know what it is, but from the first time I saw him on screen, he's become my major bias. He did excellent work in this drama. That man's bedroom eyes are something else too.

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TutorYim dramas always have something special and charm

I will come back and edit this review later after watching more of the series. So far, acting is great, story is interesting with fun elements revolving around writing bl novels. The leads have great chemistry and their costumes and makeup are all lovely.

TutorYim dramas always feel unique, they have the softness and cuteness and also the sexiness to carry the drama along even if its not the best story. The production team need to start giving them top class scripts and projects because they are just so good together.

OMG the NC SCENES! They are very well done, I applaud the actors for performing such intimate scenes with a whole film crew in the room.

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What can be said of Battle of the writers!

Battle of the Writers is a very entertaining novel with funny moments and artistic scenes. I was surprised by the premise, and who doesn’t love a bit of forgotten childhood love? Plus, the chat room — which usually isn’t my favorite thing — I adored in this case because of how they talk in such a flat, neutral way, mimicking the detached tone that often comes through when chatting on devices.

I don’t understand the comments saying the wuxia storyline is confusing. It’s clear that the story unfolds as the male leads (MLs) fall in love and discover truths about themselves (like how one of the MLs was blind for a time, which is why he wore bandages). If you don’t understand the story, you can only blame yourself for not having the ability to interpret what you’re seeing.

While the looks and poses can be a bit uncomfortable, this is something associated with the Thai drama style, which has always been that way. They are a bit theatrical and tend to leave suspenseful moments between scenes to give the viewer time to understand what they’re seeing. As I said, it’s not unusual in this kind of drama. If you’re not used to it (and don’t want to get used to it), please spare yourself the annoyance.

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What were they thinking?

This drama is the most convoluted show/ drama I have ever attempted to watch. The story is not cohesive, the episodes do not flow from one to the other, the story is a mash -up of unrealistic, non-relatable, disjointed stuff. The explanation for this is actually in the story in episode 3 where the 5, yes 5 MLs are sitting around a table discussing writing a novel. They through up a bunch of ideas based on what they feel is their specialty and walla they have a successful story and not a word has been written. This has be how this train wreck came about. The best thing is the sets. From one scene to the next you can see that this was not fleshed out. I have to wonder how the actors could get through this. It had to hard for them. I found nothing good bout it despite the fact that I went back to the beginning to watch it because I truly believe that I somehow had missed something which was why I could not quite grasp the concept, but I know now that is simply not the case. It could have been much better if it had been more straight forward, the supposed scaring scene when delivering the food in its entirety should not have been in there at ALL. Just a waste and not the least bit humorous. The electricity going out as it did. This was too contrived ,

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