A great poster maketh a series. Nah, just like first impressions – it may leave you with something positive but can it be sustained? In the case of Thai Boys Love series, let’s have a look at twelve (12) choice-cut titles:
21 Days Theory | On Cloud Nine | 180 Degrees | Love in the Air | My Secret Love | The Eclipse | Coffee Melody | My Only 12% | Check Out | Oh My Sunshine Night | What If | Vice Versa
These Thai BL Series are in various states of completion and will be judged based on acting, storyline, and technicalities being: (1) Very Promising; (2) Promising; (3) Maybe worth a shot?; (4) Not interesting enough, and (5) Avoid at all costs!
180-Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (Aug to Oct 2022)
Rebellious Wang (Pond Ponlawit) falls for an older guy – his mom’s close acquaintance. Things get complicated when events from the past haunt them, forcing each to make difficult decisions.
Great performances, intriguing plot, technically superior, with anticipated romantic/love scenes from male leads.
Verdict: Very promising. This Thai BL series is o
GagaOOLala has Ep 1 on subscription.
Love In The Air (Aug to Nov 2022)
Two pairs of friends, two love affairs. Rain and Sky find themselves in trouble, and end up meeting Phayu (Boss Chaikamon is a major attraction!) and Prapai (Fort Thitipong), who proposed to keep them safe, but at what cost?
Exciting stuff, intense confrontation, BL pairs that clicked – plenty of eye candy (and plenty of deliciously sexy content?)
Verdict: Very promising. Not my cup of tea. I’d rather focus on More than Words and Takara kun to Amagi kun, both from Japan.
iQIYI (with subscription) Ep1 here.
My Secret Love (May to Aug 2022)
Good boy Kim (Earth Teerapat) enters into pretend boyfriend mode with Mek (Fluk Chatchawan) to protect University’s reputation as a result of Mek’s prank. Can both sustain their act of pretense?
Engaging and well-acted (with few, minor slips), notable on-screen chemistry, technically competent.
Verdict: Worth a watch, it’s a done series anyway. [Ended 20 Aug 2022]
A catch-up marathon can start here.
On Cloud Nine (Aug to Sept 2022)
The age-old discussion on destiny! Two young men Tiew (Meen Nattakrit) and Mork (Rossi Nonthakorn) made promises, yet one seems destined not to fulfill his.
Excellent technicalities (breathtaking cinematography of the Thai countryside – quite cinematic!) Yet, lacks the substance, with clumsy over-the-top acting that lessens the impact. It could have been such a promising series!
Verdict: Not interesting enough.
You can watch it here if you like.
My Only 12% (Aug to Nov 2022)
The tale of Cake (Santa Pongsapak) and Seeiw (Earth Katsamonnat) goes beyond mere friendship, as Seeiw sees it differently. After a short separation, things changed – but can Seeiw hold on to the notion that he has a 12% chance Cake will love him back?
A tear-jerker with loads of sentimentality. For all those gay boys who never find the love of their lives, this is your revenge! Technically superior, with a memorable soundtrack and decent acting.
Verdict: Promising.
iQIYI (with subscription) – Ep1 here.
Coffee Melody (July to Sept 2022)
Popular composer Duean Yi (Benz Panupun) struggles to find inspiration in writing a song. Until he met Plengrak (Pavel Naret), a handsome barista who seemed to have all the qualities to look for a boyfriend. But is he interested?
Seems to have all the right ingredients – an interesting story, and notable characters, yet something is a bit amiss.
Verdict: Maybe, worth consideration, unless you find something more interesting (like a newly released Korean BL, perhaps?)
Viki has the show here.
The Eclipse (Aug to Oct 2022)
With a Gestapo-like mindset, a select group of students led by Akk (First Kanaphan) is tasked to discipline rebels and troublemakers. Enter newcomer Ayan (Khaotung Thanawat) who always challenges the status quo. Sparks flew, and Akk-Ayan dynamics go into overdrive.
GMM’s 3rd (or 2nd) attempt for a supernatural-thriller-BL looks suspenseful. Yet, too many characters can dilute the show’s potency.
Verdict: Promising. (First Kanaphan is a major star attraction!) I stopped at Ep3. I don’t know where this series is going.
Ep1 starts here.
21 Days Theory (Aug 2022)
Two handsome kids – X (Bever Patsapon) and Q (Tee Khunakorn) – enter a dare to snare a girl. The loser will fulfill the winner’s wish (whatever that is!).
Light, sweet, and fluffy, this short series will end today (Aug 28). A welcome change from the adult-themed BL series, with plenty of comedic and sweet moments. A bit cliche on the side. This Thai BL Series is worth it.
Verdict: Worth a watch with only 4 episodes. You can start Ep 1 here.
Oh My Sunshine Night (Jul to Oct 2022)
Rich kid Khim (Fluke Natouch) encounters new arrival Sun (Ohm Thitiwat) – he who loves guitar but was born with a heart ailment. Friendship was formed and may turn into something more intimate, except that, outside forces aim to ruin the delicate balance between love and friendship.
The Fluke-Ohm love team has passed the test of time. If you’re into this couple, then you’ll enjoy their latest romantic interaction. If not, maybe you can try.
Verdict: Promising
Check Out (July to Aug 2022)
Daonuea (Best Vittawin) broke up with his first love, went on a vacation, and met Nine (Chahub Marut) – someone worth taking a chance. Goes back to where he came from but later on knows not what to do.
Convoluted and tripe, this is a perfect example of what a Thai BL Series should not be.
Verdict: Avoid at all costs.
What If (Aug to Sept 2022)
All about Peach (Peach Phiravich) and Smart (Smart Wattana) who are close friends and neighbors. Growing into manhood, they went into separate ways. Yet, Smart decided to express what he really feels for Peach. Is it too late?
Amateurish, with tentative acting that borders on predictability.
Verdict: Not interesting enough.
WeTV (VIP) has the show here.
Vice Versa (July to Oct 2022)
A few time slips, a port key, friendship, and romance. Such are the ingredients for an interesting plot featuring Talay (Sea Tawinan) and Puen (Jimmy Jitaraphol, from the Bad Buddy series fame).
Any BL series that requires special effects can be a risky gamble. Fairly good acting performances and the usual competent technicalities. However, I don’t see the leads as star material.
Verdict: Promising Predictable and a bit boring.
A catch-up marathon (Ep 1) starts here.
These are twelve Thai BL series you can immerse yourself in today and in the next 2 months or so. I suggest you watch 180 Degrees immediately.
The list is not all-inclusive, if I missed a couple of Thai Boys Love series, please comment below!
Recommended: The Best 25 Anime BL and why you need to watch them all!
An old-timer BL fan way back in 2007. I started out loving BL after watching the Takumi-kun series from Japan, went on collecting BL manga, and watched old BL anime such as Junjou Romantica and the likes. Love of Siam allow me to transition into Thai, while Amphetamine gave me glimpses of Taiwanese BL magic. I love to write reviews and I’m one of the administrators of Psycho Weird.
Rich Paschall
Check Out is like a train wreck. You know it is bad but it is hard to turn away. I feel sorry for the actors of this disorganized mess. After Episode zero, a prequel, stop watching. I made it through 8.
Vice Versa was OK, not great. It had a few clever moments, but the story began to feel like we weren’t getting anywhere, or back to the right universe should I say? Since I thought that the moment we discovered that Tess and Tun (Ohm and Nanon) became friends and worked to together in the end was the highlight of the final episode, it does not speak well for the series. And that cameo moment lasted mere seconds.
The Eclipse seems like it it could have told everything we have seen so far in a couple of episodes. OK, the school has strict rules and there are a few rebellious students. The relationship between Akk and Ayan has not gone anywhere in 8 episodes. Will Kan ever kiss Thua? Will Wat become a fim student? At least I figured out it is AJ and not JJ in a supporting role. I think First could lead a good series, but they have not allowed his character to grow so far.
Asian Popsicle
Thanks! Yes, I also think that First deserves another shot at being a leading character. He has the acting chops and I hope they come up with something that is reasonable enough as a character. I mean, so much demand for BL series that there is hardly any quality audit of the book/manga/anime or whatever source. I think they owe the fans like us to come up with something on the level of Bad Buddy, Tale of a Thousand Stars and others, even if they lower the standards a bit. What matters is they took the time. Money will come in much faster if you go for quality.
Vice Versa, I could not come into my ‘senses’ LOL I want to see OhmNanon and now you gave me the right episode to watch them.
Rich Paschall
They are only on very briefly in 12 but I think you will find a bit bigger part for Nanon in 10. I hate to be a spoiler but one of the guys returns long before the other. That sets up an appearance by Ohm in a different universe in the following episode (11?). It is so great to see that their situation (you recall Pakorn hated Tess at the beginning) improved because of the lives of the other two in their places. I would have been unhappy if Tess and Pakorn were not friends in the end.
Asian Popsicle
Noted! Again, thank you for the info.
Rich Paschall
Their parts are small, but if you are an OhmNanon fan, you definitely will want to see them together again.
Asian Popsicle
I definitely will watch it!