A Parody of Thai BLs
I am writing this review right after watching the one episode because I am looking at so much negativity the series is receiving for calling out toxic Thai-BL culture.
The show is a parody of the Thai-BLs that takes on some of the issues that are so common in the Thai-BL industry with a cohesive, strong storyline while being as friendly as one can be to the toxic Thai-BL fanbase. Despite tackling some of the pervasive issues, the show is light and fun to watch. In a sense, they make you laugh and think simultaneously. Some of the problems the series tackles are:
- the romanticization of disregard for consent and sexual assault
- the casting preference to heterosexual to benefit from the fan-events
- using straight-passing-gay actors as token LGBTQ actor to claim they are an LGBTQ ally
- shipping actors and harassing them about if it’s real
- predominately being written by people who have little to no understanding of the gay relationship
- the pornography-inspired intimate scenes between two men.
At the same time, the series does not have unbelievable healthy characters that would have made the series more like a documentary. Instead, it has Gene who has trouble setting his boundaries, and Aey who pretends to like Nubsib to gain popularity. I will revisit this review based on how they deal with these characters and their unhealthy traits. The show is a farce, especially when it comes to the background music that seems to annoy some viewers who can otherwise appreciate the parody. But for now, I recommend that you give this show an honest try.
The show is a parody of the Thai-BLs that takes on some of the issues that are so common in the Thai-BL industry with a cohesive, strong storyline while being as friendly as one can be to the toxic Thai-BL fanbase. Despite tackling some of the pervasive issues, the show is light and fun to watch. In a sense, they make you laugh and think simultaneously. Some of the problems the series tackles are:
- the romanticization of disregard for consent and sexual assault
- the casting preference to heterosexual to benefit from the fan-events
- using straight-passing-gay actors as token LGBTQ actor to claim they are an LGBTQ ally
- shipping actors and harassing them about if it’s real
- predominately being written by people who have little to no understanding of the gay relationship
- the pornography-inspired intimate scenes between two men.
At the same time, the series does not have unbelievable healthy characters that would have made the series more like a documentary. Instead, it has Gene who has trouble setting his boundaries, and Aey who pretends to like Nubsib to gain popularity. I will revisit this review based on how they deal with these characters and their unhealthy traits. The show is a farce, especially when it comes to the background music that seems to annoy some viewers who can otherwise appreciate the parody. But for now, I recommend that you give this show an honest try.
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