Manner of Death (2020)

Novateur dans les BL Thais, mais loin d'être parfait

J'ai du mal à comprendre pourquoi ce drama a obtenu une note aussi élevée (du moins au moment où je rédige ce commentaire, car le dernier épisode a été diffusé il y a quelques heures, donc les critiques seront peut-être plus nuancées avec le temps). Quoi qu'il en soit objectivement, si on le compare à d'autres dramas thaïlandais classiques, il n'atteint pas leur niveau. A mon avis, ce qui justifie un enthousiasme aussi grand de la part du public à l'heure où j'écris ces lignes, c'est surtout la nouveauté que Manner Of Death apporte dans le paysage des BL Thaï. On a l'habitude de productions traditionnellement centrées sur des intrigues simplistes en milieu universitaire et remplies de clichés, hormis quelques exceptions : par exemple He's coming to me, ou encore A Tale of Thousand Stars, prouvent que les choses sont en train de changer et pour ça je le reconnais, Manner of Death mérite qu'on lui donne une chance.

Alors c'est vrai, c'est novateur par rapport aux productions passées. Je suis d'accord, c'est enfin un BL Thaï adulte, qui se déroule dans le monde professionnel, nous offre une intrigue pleine de mystères, avec des meurtres, de l'action, et bien sûr une belle romance en prime entre nos deux héros. Et certes, avec Manner Of Death ils ont pris un risque, mais n'oublions pas que leurs voisins à commencer par les Taïwanais, ont déjà innové dans le genre BL adulte / action / polar, notamment avec History3: Trapped. Les Coréens ont commencé également à produire des BL plus adultes, avec le récent "To My Star"... Bref, je ne vais pas faire une longue liste comparative mais en gros, tout ça pour dire que le risque n'était pas si grand que ça au final, et que le public est demandeur de toute façon. Ils avaient donc tout intérêt à ne pas se laisser distancer. Manner of Death était donc une bonne idée, mais ça n'empêche pas qu'il était loin d'être parfait.

Attention, j'ai bien aimé l'histoire. Tous les lundis soirs, j'étais au rendez-vous pour voir l'épisode de la semaine, et j'attendais avec impatience le prochain. Il est même tout à fait possible que d'ici quelques mois, je ressente l'envie de me faire un marathon et que je me retape les 14 épisodes d'affilée. Mais ce qui me pose principalement problème dans ce genre de dramas, et que je retrouve souvent dans les productions thaïlandaises, c'est d'une part le jeu d'acteur, et d'autre part le fouillis et les longueurs du scénario.

Commençons par le sujet qui fâche : tout le monde parle sans arrêt de l'alchimie entre deux acteurs dès lors qu'ils sont capables de produire des dialogues romantiques et des bisous à peu près corrects ("oooh, there's so much chemistry !"). "Chemistry" par-ci, "chemistry" par-là... Désolée, mais c'est un peu le minimum syndical, et si deux acteurs payés pour jouer dans une romance (qu'elle soit hétéro ou BL) sont incapables de faire passer un peu d'émotion et d'attirance l'un envers l'autre, c'est qu'ils jouent mal, point barre. Et le problème avec les dramas Thaï en général, et c'est encore plus flagrant dans les BL, c'est que les acteurs surjouent (il n'y a qu'à comparer avec la spontanéité et le naturel des voisins taïwanais, on n'est pas du tout sur le même registre). J'aime bien Max et Tul que j'ai eu le plaisir de découvrir dans Together with Me, mais ça ne veut pas dire qu'ils jouent bien. Ils sont corrects, pour ne pas dire passables. Et non, je ne vois pas de "chemistry" entre eux. Je ne cache pas que je guettais leurs moments d'intimité, comme toute fan de BL qui se respecte, mais concernant l'aspect romance j'ai eu beaucoup plus de papillons dans le ventre devant 10 minutes de la 1ère saison de We Best Love même quand ils se tournaient le dos, que devant les 14 épisodes de Manner Of Death (en parlant de WBL d'ailleurs, c'est bien la première fois que j'ai VRAIMENT constaté une alchimie entre les acteurs... pour toutes les autres productions, on repassera.... Et pour enfoncer le clou, c'est quand même un comble de penser que l'acteur secondaire qui joue le flic est le seul à crever l'écran ! ). Alors bien sûr, c'est un truc qu'on n'a pas le droit de dire, parce que les fans du couple MaxTul nous tombent sur le paletot dès lors qu'on n'aime pas leur façon de jouer, mais je m'en fous parce que mon but en rédigeant une critique n'est pas d'obtenir des likes, c'est d'être sincère avec mon ressenti. J'ai trouvé que Max en faisait trop dans le genre "je plisse les yeux parce que je suis un mec trop intense et mystérieux" mais à aucun moment il ne m'a fait sentir que son personnage pouvait être véritablement dangereux, quant à Tul, parfois ses réactions étaient disproportionnées, d'autres fois on avait l'impression qu'il était constipé et qu'il était forcé d'endosser un rôle d'adulte qu'il maîtrisait mal. Ça ne change rien à leur capital sympathie, je continue à les apprécier et c'est certain que je regarderai d'autres BL s'ils sont dedans, surtout que tous deux sont quand même jolis garçons, c'est indéniable. Simplement, je sais que ce n'est pas pour leur jeu d'acteurs que je visionnerai.

Le scénario en lui-même était intriguant, intéressant et comme je l'ai dit plus haut, même si ce n'était pas si novateur que ça comparé à de nombreux lakhorns, en tout cas dans le genre BL ça l'était. Et je suis consciente que ce type de production est obligé de compter sur un faible budget, donc on ne peut pas leur en tenir rigueur, et c'est pour cette raison que je donne une assez bonne note, parce qu'ils ont réussi à nous pondre un truc pas trop mal avec peu de moyens. N'empêche que l'histoire était un peu fouillis, il y avait des longueurs inutiles, et ce qui m'a fâchée : ils ont quelque peu arrangé l'identité du meurtrier présent dans le livre et c'est un parti pris qui n'est pas forcément dû au hasard, ce qui nous donne quelque chose d'un peu problématique si on réfléchit 2 minutes à ce que ça implique politiquement. Je n'irai pas plus loin sur ce sujet, on parle d'un polar donc ça serait spoiler que d'en dire trop, mais l'image que ça renvoie, à un moment où il est peut-être temps de changer les choses, me déplaît et pose question sur leurs intentions. Pour finir, certaines décisions des héros (et même des flics) qui sont censés mener leur enquête, ou bien des détails auxquels ils omettent de penser, manquent parfois sérieusement de logique et ce n'est pas pour rien que d'autres productions (c'est par exemple le cas sur des séries policières françaises, pour les autres je ne m'avancerai pas) font appel à un expert détaché de la vraie police pour les conseiller sur le scénario. Cela mis à part, je reste satisfaite que l'on nous ait offert un drama policier et adulte, dont la trame et les rebondissements maintiennent l'intérêt jusqu'à la fin, et de toute façon dès qu'il s'agit d'un BL je suis preneuse.

En conclusion j'ai passé un bon moment, l'intrigue était sympathique, elle avait le mérite de nous présenter un scénario qui change un peu du lot et n'est pas uniquement centré sur l'histoire d'amour, avec un contexte assez fouillé qui donne de l'épaisseur au tout, et les moments d'action et de suspense nous poussent à continuer. Et fait à noter, ils ont eu le courage d'aborder des sujets plus graves comme les abus sexuels (on s'en doute dès le début, ce n'est pas comme si je spoilais), ce qu'on ne voit pas souvent dans les lakhorns étiquetés "romance". Cette série vaut donc le coup qu'on s'y intéresse, ne serait-ce que pour les encourager à poursuivre dans cette voie, mais on reste loin du chef d’œuvre en matière de dramas.

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Un petit BL qui change du contexte habituel =)

« Manner of Death » est un drama qui a beaucoup fait parlé de lui dans le monde du BL. Pourquoi ? Sans doute car nous quittons les bancs de l’école et vivons une histoire plus mature mais également car la romance n’est pas le centre de ce drama puisque l’enquête ainsi que la corruption (bon j’avoue les deux sont liés x’D !) font partie intégrante de l’histoire.

Courte introduction à ce drama : « Manner of Death » prend place dans une petite ville où tout le monde se connait. Cependant, les secrets sont légions et compromettent l’équilibre instauré… (Oui, nous sommes d’accord, l’équilibre de cette ville est des plus malsain ^^’)
Nous commençons l’histoire sur l’arrivée de Bun dans cette ville qu’il a quittée plusieurs années avant. Le voilà devenu légiste et avec un cadavre sur les bras dés sont arrivées ! (Les réjouissances commencent =D) Lors d’une soirée, il rencontre Tan qui prendra beaucoup de place dans sa vie et dans l’enquête.

Alors dans le fond, que dire sur ce drama ?
• Un intrigue bien menée avec le suspense maintenu tout du long. (Je n’avais pas vu venir la tournure des évènements ^^)
• Nous nous retrouvons encore dans une ville corrompue où les puissants ont les pleins pouvoirs… (Situation récurrente dans les drama, donc rien de bien innovant…)
• La relation amoureuse entre Bun & Tan est à mon sens assez malsaine au début… Pourquoi ? Car ils commencent sur des bases de méfiance… Et ils continuent à s’enfoncer dans des semi-vérités. Cependant, au fur & à mesure que l’histoire avance, ils se découvrent réellement et peuvent donc avoir une relation plus saine… (D’ailleurs, je dois avouer ne pas comprendre comment on peut commencer une relation en se méfiant de la personne avec qui on vit…)
Cette relation est parfois tendue, douce mais également gag… (Je m’explique ! Bun a souvent des réactions des plus « timorées » qui ne collent pas vraiment au contexte ^^)

Je me dois tout de même de relever un point qui m’a dérangé tout le long de mon visionnage… Comment est-ce possible de faire des scènes d’autopsies aussi mauvaise ? =O Et depuis quand un légiste est également médecin généraliste et chirurgien ? Je pense qu’ils n’ont pas pris en compte le nombre d’années pour chaque spécialisation x’D !

Pour finir mon avis, je parlerai du fait que ce drama m’a parfois fait penser au drama coréen « The Village : Achiara’s Secret » de par l’ambiance du « village » où tout le monde se connait… Et la présence d’innombrables secrets qui pourraient remettre en cause le statut de chacun.

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L'acteur qui tire son épingle du jeu n'est pas celui qu'on pense ...

Evidemment, comme beaucoup, j’attendais le duo MaxTul.
Evidemment.
Mais, pas que.
Le résumé était alléchant et pour une fois, on avait affaire à des adultes, nom de Zeus. Car bon, ras-la-couette des ingénieurs, des lunes et des étoiles de tous crins, voire des shorts bleu de France, hideux et des appareils dentaires haut et bas. (toujours eu peur qu’en cas d’orage, il y ait des électrocutions en masse).
Donc, nous avons une histoire prometteuse et ma foi, rondement menée ; on passera avec bienveillance sur les quelques couacs du scénario, où j’ai eu envie de secouer tout ce beau monde, tellement leurs actions me semblaient énormes (par exemple, tourner le dos à un type qui vient de t’attaquer et que tu as mis temporairement KO, par exemple, tout le monde comprendra que, non, faut pas le faire… sauf Tan)
Le médecin légiste qui sait TOUT faire, amusant aussi (ou alors en Thaïlande, ils ont un cursus spécial ?)
Et puis, une réflexion en passant : mais où sont les parents de tous ces gamins (Nam, par exemple)? On n’en voit pas un seul tout au long des épisodes, à croire qu’ils sont tous émancipés.
Sinon, vraiment, le suspense était bien présent et les acteurs tenaient leur place, à des degrés variés.
Les deux acteurs principaux n’ont pas réalisé une performance de folie, mais ils étaient crédibles.
Et puis tellement choupinous.
Concernant l’alchimie, je suis assez d’accord avec Fan2Dramas : j’ai vu mieux. Le truc c’est qu’il s’agit de Max et Tul et que tant de fans sont persuadés qu’ils sont un vrai couple que forcément, « what a chemestry ».
Bah non ; déjà, ils ne sont pas un vrai couple (désolée de casser l’ambiance, vraiment) et puis ma foi, au-delà de l’alchimie je vois plutôt une très bonne entente entre deux potes qui se connaissent très bien et qui se font confiance.
Et ça, c’est déjà énorme.
En revanche, la déclaration d'amour de Tan à Bun, à la fin, est magnifique. J'en aurais voulu une aussi belle.
Mention spéciale pour Sorawit et That, qui ont éclairé ce drama, que j’ai savouré, après une traversée du désert. Je le reverrai avec plaisir.
Pour en revenir au titre de ma critique, l’acteur qui en a jeté, à mes yeux, est celui qui interprète l’inspecteur M.
Quel talent !!! lol
C’est un comble, le personnage secondaire a largement pris le pas sur les deux main leads.
Je ne reviendrai pas sur ce port d’uniforme impeccable et sur ce visage parfait . Je veux bien avoir de l’alchimie avec lui, moi.
La femme est faible, c’est bien connu.

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Manner of Love...

Je viens de finir ce lakorn et j'ai retrouvé avec beaucoup de plaisir le couple d'acteur TulXMax qui m'avait déjà énormément plu dans Together With Me.
J'aimerais vous parler un peu de cette production et de mon ressenti.

L'histoire :

Enfin, on sort des schémas des BL scolaires ! Ouf ! Ça fait plaisir et c'est pas souvent. Ce n'est pas que je n'aime pas ce type de BL mais, au bout d'un moment, j'ai l'impression que je connais mieux les locaux de l'université d'ingénierie que les vrais étudiants thaïlandais. Et puis, ils faut l'avouer, se confronter à une histoire un peu plus mature avec d'autres enjeux que les traditionnels problèmes entre le rival de l'un ou l'ancien crush de l'autre ben, pour moi, ça donne un peu plus envie de plonger dans le canapé et d'appuyer sur la touche play.
On a ici droit à un vrai polar enquête / action avec moult rebondissements mais avec des moments très tendres quand ils sont centrés sur la romance (voire même assez chaud parfois ^^ ) et quelques ressorts comiques pour détendre l'atmosphère qui, sans ça, serait bien plus dure à supporter car le lakorn traite de sujets graves et sombres.

Les personnages :

Le couple TulXMax qui incarne le couple de héros principaux BanXTan à une affinité de fou ! Ces deux là, juste quand ils se regardent, ils pourraient faire fondre le permafrost en plein hiver tellement c'est chaud entre eux.
Après, mon objectivité vole loin de moi car on parle ici d'un de mes chouchou dans l'industrie des lakorn thaï avec l'acteur Max. Non, mais, regardez le ! Il a un visage, un sourire, et des yeux ! Mais ces yeux ! Ça doit être illégal de transpirer la sensualité comme ça !

Dans l'ensemble, le jeu d'acteur est bon et l'action de la série n'en est que meilleure. La performance ici de Tul m'a paru un peut moindre que dans Together With Me mais, avec le temps, il rattrape ses petits défauts et ça roule.
Les personnages des « gentils » savent tous se rendre attachants et même si la romance n'est développée que pour le couple principal, on voit quand même des petits rapprochements entre d'autres couples possibles, malheureusement on rentre ici dans un clichés propres au BL : tous les hommes sont gays, enfin tous ceux auxquels on s'intéresse dans la série du moins.

La réalisation :

L'enquête et l'action sont bien menées, il y a des twists qui surprennent, des suppositions, des complots des pièges... Bref, pas le temps de s'ennuyer. Les scènes de combat sont assez réalistes mais les personnages qui se font tabasser ou qui prennent une balle vont trop rapidement mieux ou ne conservent pas de marques au delà de 12h de temps donc, sur ce point, la réalité fout le camp.

Ensuite, il y a des ficelles ou résolutions qui sont un peu grosses et là, attention, partie SPOIL vous êtes prévenus !
Tout d'abord, au début quand on retrouve le corps de Jane sur la scène de crime et que la police conclut très vite à un suicide,

ATTENTION SPOIL
elle est ASSISE ! D'où tu t'assois après t'être pendu ?! Et on le voie avec la vidéo du meurtre à la fin, le corps de Jane et bien mis en position assise APRÈS sa mort.
messieurs les policiers faudrait revoir vos cours sur la capacité d'action d'un cadavre...
FIN DU SPOIL

Il y a aussi le moment où le couple principal est avec l'ami informaticien du professeur Tan.

ATTENTION SPOIL
Ils sont encerclés par la police, l'informaticien balance les vidéos sur le net, et les policiers, EN PLEINE INTERVENTION, regardent leurs portables !
FIN DU SPOIL

Juste, non, dans la réalité c'est impossible que ça se passe comme ça et même d'un point de vue fictionnel, c'est particulièrement capillotracté (= tiré par les cheveux, si vous préférez). Là, ma suspension d'incrédulité m'a remercié pour toutes ces années, m'a fait un petit signe de la main et m'a quitté pour vivre d'autres aventures plus vraisemblables tout de même parce qu'il ne faut pas pousser.

Bilan :

Pour résumer, malgré quelques fausses notes, cette série m'a beaucoup plu surtout pour avoir le plaisir et l'avantage de retrouver ce couple d'acteur qui joue si bien (surtout Max !) et cette histoire qui sort des sentiers battus du milieu scolaire donne une grande bouffée d'air frais au BL traditionnels.

Maintenant, à vous de vous faire votre avis.

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EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS SHOW

I wrote this review crying, I never in a thousand years when I started MoD think it would make me cry but after watching episode 13, I was wrecked, I just could not stop crying. Like that episode hit so good, so I just decided to start my review now.

INTRODUCTION
I will start by saying, I came to Manner of Death for MaxTul and I stayed for the great series, I genuinely did not have high expectations for the series going in [I mean we all know Thailand for its great variety of genre of BL series outside schoolboy love, lol]. I was not going to write my review of MoD until it was done, but after what I felt in episode 13, I just felt the urge to pen this review down.

To unofficially start the review, I feel a lot of people [most of whom I believe do not have a background in law and criminal investigations] came to this with weird expectations, I guess while I came with no expectations from the show. So, I am going to be writing this review with the years I have spent as a law student and the head of my university moot court and mock trial, which I have led several criminal mock, but also as a fan of great storytelling, please note I am not saying this series was the perfect series on legality and investigations because I don't know what the law is like in their country and how they separate jurisdiction in crimes in Thailand, but the under thought was appreciated for some parts of legality. I would also like to note that the purpose of this story/series is not to be an action intense, passion-driven story, it is meant to be more of a criminal investigation, a murder mystery. Seeing as it is a murder mystery thriller, it sets up the tone a lot for what the series has to offer, which I believe was beautifully met, I love that they didn't make the show about insane crime plots, but more of a slow revelation of people involved in a heinous crime (which about 90% of the time in real life cases, that is what happens, I mean I have had a lecturer who has a guy convicted for murder just because he didn't want his wife to know he cheated (his mistress was his alibi), so most times crimes aren't what a lot of shows paint them out to be) or this girl who knew he boyfriend was involved in a series of crimes but kept quiet because she "loved" him and I was like, where look at where that landed you. An example is KinnPorsche the series is a pure action series, which is totally different from MoD, just because both pertain to ‘mafia’, does not mean the elements of the series would be similar, they are two quite different genres of series, can't expect the same level of action


GENERAL REVIEW
Alright, so for my general review, I would say that Manner of Death was a refreshing breath to the BL industry when I first heard about it, because while I love my fluffy cute boys, but as someone that is older, I would love to believe that people fall in love outside school too. I was already pretty excited for a non-school Thai BL and by the first episode I was super excited, as a criminal prosecutor because I saw the attention to detail in certain aspects of the series, like the mentioning of the 5 manners of death, that was the first indication to me that they knew where they were going with their series and that there was a vision [this is one of the first things we are taught under murder and homicide in criminal law and how to differentiate each one for charging purposes], so it was refreshing to see detail in that sense, as well as the amount of detail paid to medical terms, autopsy, etc. Yes, they had a lot of sloppy parts, there were parts that were so convenient, but in a general overview, I loved how they handled a lot of things.

I was happy with the level of intrigue they left us with after each episode like they gave us tiny crumbs of information which keeps you want to know more by next week and there was a form of intricacy with the amount of intention paid towards the mystery. Seeing the motivating factors of each character, being ultra-suspicious of every character because everyone was basically a suspect until we started getting towards episodes 6 and 7, when they started to be clarified on so much more of the story, even when we thought we knew definitively who the killer was, by the time we got to episode 13 and we got the full back story, I was left so gut-wrenched, not just by the shock of who the killer was, I mean I had my suspicion about the character as a whole, but the entire story behind it, like I was hurt so much I didn’t know when I started crying and that's because it kinda brought me back to some dark places, it just hit differently for me.

I loved the series for so many things, they always made me laugh and roll over with laughter with how suspicious Bun was of Tan like Tan could breathe and Bun would look at him like ‘you breathe suspiciously’, I mean Tan’s phone literally rang and he gave Tan a side-eye in the earlier episode, it was always funny. What made me cackle was Bun warning Sorawit against That like he was literally playing housewife with one of the prime suspects as of when we knew nothing. Or after the shooting, when Tan and Bun were together with Inspector M and being all lovey-dovey and inspector m smirked like, ‘these kids really about to act like I am not right here.’


STORY – 9.5
I loved the story in this, it follows Dr. Bun as he tries to uncover the mysteries of Viangpha Mork, the town he grew up in, which makes him learn, everything is not what it seems. I mean every revelation comes like a gut punch. He is helped by a dark and somewhat mysterious man [tan], whom he comes to fall in love with. The story is a story of mystery, suspense, betrayal, and manipulation. I absolutely loved it. I do not want to give out more than this here.
The story had a lot of moral lessons for me like
1. Everything is not always what it seems to be and even when we think we know someone, a lot of the time we really do not.
2. Most people go through their pain quietly like Jane and Natty and by the time we get the courage to speak out, it might be too late.
3. It spoke on the problems of trafficking and rape that is ever so prevalent in the society and that sometimes it goes to the very top of the society, those who are meant to tackle it
4. That love can make us do a lot of things, like a lot of things.

I loved the story overall


CHARACTERS – 9
I love the characters, while they were core characters that make up the entire story, I love how they tried their best to give each character a little bit of something, they did not always succeed but it was great though, I love that they had 3D characters, no caricatures of characters though I wish they did more with some characters.

Bun, our main protagonist, I love Bun because he represents a lot, friendship, love, and confusion. Bun was a bit of representation of how naïve we can be sometimes, and through him, we get to view it and understand that everything is not always what it appears to be, his friend Pued was not the good man he grew up with, Rung that was like a sister to him was a twisted person. His growth on the show was interesting to watch. He kind of kickstarts everything with his pursuit for truth. He teaches us to fight for what we believe in and what is right, even at those hard moments. In the grand scheme of things, I actually don’t think he was the most important character [in my opinion]

Tan, as a character, Tan was a bit more complicated than Bun, a victim of circumstance. Rejected by his own father and eldest brother, yet still loving them in a way [when he said he could not let Por die despite everything]. He represents conflict, conflict on thoughts, conflict of emotions. Bun and Tan worked together to reveal the story to us, while a lot of us came for MaxTul, which means we technically came for BunTan, which they delivered to us, good acting, smut, and fluff. They gave us the mystery and gave us the love feels. The characters who ended up standing out to me the most were Jane, Rung, and Pued [that is at the ending]

Rung, Jane, and Pued as characters show us how we can be so wrong about people just from outward appearances. They also make us understand, that there is this idea, that family are the people who care for you the most or have your back the most and these characters show us the errors in this reasoning. They show us how easily a person can be manipulated, they show us how twisted and cruel family can be, they show us how weak those who are meant to love us and protect us can be. I feel the greatest moral story of the series lies with this set of characters.

I love Inspector M as well, he represents this inner struggle we have with ourselves sometimes, between taking the right path and the easy path.

Of course, we have evil and disgusting characters like the Congressman, Police Chief, and Judge, which shows us how often people in power misuse the trust placed in them, even if it is not through sex rings and trafficking, stealing, embezzling and so much more… gosh I hated them.

Sorawit and That, they kind of just plotted characters, gave us cute scenes, they really didn’t add or take away anything from the series, so I don’t mind them. Oat too as well, he is cute.

I think overall, the core 5 or 6 characters showed a little bit of depth, that they were thought out to some extents and to make us understand that humans are complex 3 dimensional people, we dong just fit into a one for all box... Though I wish they did more with side characters sometimes but it's fine


ACTING - 9
Gosh, episode 13 was a masterpiece in acting and emotions, you know when I started MoD, I felt a little bit misplaced about the acting, the men felt like overall better actors but shit, episode 13 changed my mind heavily.
I mean they had acting misses do not get me wrong, examples are when nam was drugged and she was back with sorawit and she was able to regain coordination or it appeared so despite being drugged. Also, there were some acting misses in terms of pain and stuff, but the thing is that in moments when it mattered, THEY ALWAYS DELIVER [you can quote me on that]
Like, I walked away from episode 13, which was the most important episode in my view, with pain in my heart, the sequence was executed so well I could not stop crying, it was just so much. MaxTul as well were also great in their parts, but I have to say, episode 13 kinda took the cake for me in acting, which hurt me in ways I did not know I could be hurt, memories of things to be forgotten.

Though like I said there were some acting misses but I don't think it was prevalent in this show.


MISSES
Now, MoD was a great show, it had thought put into it but there were just some few misses, some which I have already noted

But episode 11, 12 and 13 had some plot issues that were kinda weird, like how Por was conveniently at the school. The phone with the video was in the exact place they were (though it makes sense seeing as Pued had taken refugee there for a while, but it was just a little convenient)

They had very great storytelling, although their pacing was a little off, what I mean, is how fast somethings happened or how slow it happened

Sometimes like there were some fluffy parts of Tan and Bun that were just kinda unnecessary to the overall plot, [but hey, who am I to complain, after all, MAXTUL for life]. Sometimes the way patients recover from shootings or beatings in life seconds was kinda funny like characters had super-regenerative cells in this show like I do not know how Tan survived like he was beaten numerously, shot, kidnapped, and somehow, he could still walk, lol.

I mean in the grand scheme of things; I understand why the judge allowed them to bring everything to him so he could monitor anyone getting to close to the truth and I think because it is a small town everyone knows everyone but I think it was just weird how everyone could just turn up at the judge's office for a favor or how they took evidence on them at the police station. But like I said earlier, I don't know how the legality in their place works, so it might make sense for a small town to have that.

I mean MoD had misses, but I don't think any of the misses was so fatal it made the show unenjoyable, but I just thought to note them

Production – 8
Well, the production was kinda weird at first, I thought like there was just low lighting, but as we moved forward, I got to understand that was meant to the feeling that was created, it was meant to be a foggy town and the low lighting was to add to the chill vibe of the murder mystery. The Pacing was generally okay, so I do not seriously have any issues with them, I just wished they didn’t waste as much time on some things or some things that didn’t seem so out of the blue.

REWATCH VALUE - 10
I would absolutely rewatch this a thousand times, but episode 13 has me scarred, so I do not know, anytime I think of it, I cry… But I do not think that would stop me from watching it because the series overall is great.

OST - ?????
They do not have an outstanding OST in MoD,
well point of correction they don't have an ost at all in MoD. Which was an interesting choice, I don't know how music would have changed the show but I think it was a safe choice, better no Music and the show came out great or they inserted music and potentially ruined key moments.

They rely heavily on instruments, which worked out for them in. I do love the introduction to the episodes when they are showing the characters. I think they did an overall good job with their use of sound for effect.

As a series in whole, I definitely loved this, I look forward to a season 2 and I hope they fix a couple of issues here and there but I am ranking it among my top BL series ever and that is going up against Gaya sa Pelikula, UWMA, and many more

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COMMENDABLE JOB

Are you curious why I wrote "commendable job" in the title? It's because the writer and director of this MoD actually need some applause for making this unique Thai BL.

I am so so so happy that finally Thai BL makers are coming out of their comfort zone and trying out genres which are way beyond of their league. Crime thriller is absolutely not what their area of interest.

To be very honest, I found many flaws but I think it's worth looking them away for they've come out of their box probably for the first time. In fact, they've done a pretty good job in direction, screenwriting and screenplay, which I thought they might not work out.

It was a pretty good story with plots, twists and turns placed at their rightful places. Few things felt absurd but can be totally ignored. They didn't research about the forensic stuffs properly which they could have done by consulting experts of the respective fields. And the thing about the police station organisation didn't feel right either.

But anyways, I was intrigued by the ending and tbe way the main culprit was revealed.

It was overally a good watch. I hope they keep making such Thai BLs.

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A BL where the BL is overshadowed by, you know, an actual story

Manner of Death is presently something of a unicorn: it’s a BL drama where the BL aspects are incidental to a primary story rather than driving the plot themselves. Hopefully, that’s a sign that same-sex relationships are shedding the novelty factor that called the genre into existence in the first place. In the future, perhaps Asian dramas can incorporate same-sex relationships into other storylines just as in real life the people engaging in same-sex relationships have other things going on. Things like jobs and crazy family dynamics, for example. In this case, Manner of Death incorporates those rather standard tropes from non-BL (melo)dramatic television premises into a murder mystery detective story that grows in complexity as the series proceeds. Along the way, the two leads fall for another. After all, it is still a BL—and a BL that features the legendary BL pairing MaxTul, here in their fourth series pairing as a couple.

As anyone conversant with the history of (US) television has already discerned from the title, the main plot of Manner of Death centers on a medical examiner who will get drawn into tracking down the killers of murder victims for whom he performed autopsies. Like his TV predecessors from Quincy, Crossing Jordan, and Bones, Dr. Bunnakit (Tul Pakorn Thanasrivanitchai) will occasionally go up against unhelpful relatives of the victim, police officers who refuse to believe murders took place, and obvious initial suspects who turn out to be a good guy. Or, because we are in BL world, he turns out to be a good guy to date. In what surely must qualify as a fresh take on the enemies-to-lovers trope, the most obvious suspect for the murder in Episode 1 is not only dashingly handsome but also manifests a surprising interest in the good doctor. Soon Dr. Bun and Tan (Max Nattapol Diloknawarit) agree to become partners—and that partnership isn’t limited to crime-solving.

Since the core story is a whodunnit, I will forego the usual plot synopsis. Suffice it to say that our two heroes face increasingly dangerous scenarios as they persist in trying to solve a crime that powerful figures in this rural town want to disappear without a full investigation. Towards the end this story becomes overly complicated, macabre, and dark. But don’t let that detract from the fun. Manner of Death offers two-fold pleasures for diligent viewers. First, trying to figure out who is behind the escalating series of crimes (side characters in this series have a limited life expectancy!) and also why. Second, watching one of the more hallowed couplings in the BL realm dig into new roles and fall in love with each other all over again. Er, I mean their characters fall in love with each other. Because I, like ,totally, understand Max and Tul are just actors. And that just because they are convincing and delightful as a couple it doesn't mean they themselves are a couple. Dammit.

Enjoy this pairing because all signs are that one or both of the actors will move on from acting to pursue interests outside the industry. To the detriment of BL storytelling, because Max and Tul have an ease with one another that elevates the productions they perform in. Their chemistry as scene partners is undeniable. That alone makes Manner of Death worthy of sampling.

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Brilliant!

Plot line is 10 out 10 and not just for a BL drama. This is a great drama that has a romance sub-plot and the romance is a BL. The story is interesting, well written and keeps you on your toes. And the romance is developed seamlessly and incorporated well into the story without it being the main focus. Max and Tul have an amazing on screen chemistry as always and this time around they really get to show us their great acting skills as well.
I mean, I like this so much I created an account just to write my very fist review on here for this drama - because it so good and so worth the effort.
Honestly for anyone who likes murder/mysteries - this is fantastic. I don't really and still loved it! If you have an issue with character death and generally this type of visual in a TV setting, then I would not recommend as we have a lot of violence in the main plot line.

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I will cherish MaxTul till the end of life.

I am crying and writing this, Words cannot express how beautiful and thrilling, this series is. One of the bold Bl series. the ending is so beautiful, I will cherish MaxTul till the end of life. MaxTul is one of the powerful BL couple. Till my last breath, I will always stan them. The ending is just too beautiful, I just want to cry. Without saying anything, Tul's eyes can express a thousands emotions. I love the scenery is this drama. I wish the production to be little more better. I wish I could have read the novel, the story in the novel is more deep than the drama.

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The Best Thai BL of 2020!

In my opinion, this was the best Thai BL of 2020. Why?
Story:
1. The leads are working adults.
2. No high school students or university students.
3. No struggles with sexuality.
4. Not an angsty teen melodrama.
5. Action scenes and adult content, such as human trafficking.
6. No community homophobia for having a male teacher in a gay relationship.
Yes, there were flaws. The medical procedure portrayals were weak, even to a layperson such as myself. When people were injured, they fully recovered within 5 minutes.

Max and Tul have chemistry and since they have kissed hundreds of times, their love scenes were not awkward. They did a great job as the heroes, and Max as a somewhat gray character. The support cast were great, especially since the age range of the cast was pretty wide. The older actors were the strongest, especially the villains, even though Mint could be a little scream queenish as Rungtiva. I would love to see a spin-off between Sarawat M x Dr. Oat and/or That x Sorawit.

Manner of Death kept surprising me and the story line kept me interested. The plot touched on problems such as drugs, sexual abuse, human trafficking, systemic corruption, abuse of power, and murder. It was nice to see working professionals falling in love and not denying their love. None of their friends questioned their relationship and even helped them out.

The shooting locations were breathtaking. It was the perfect setting for this series. I now want to visit the locations because they were so beautiful.

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It was okay. Could've been better.

Manner of Death is a story that takes place in Viangpha Mork, a small town where everyone is weird and creepy and goes around trying to kill each other. The End.

Okay, not exactly, but close. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS:

THE WHODUNIT ASPECT. I love a good whodunit. This was the best part of the show for me.

"TWILIGHT ZONE" VIBE. The way this was filmed and directed had a kind of "Twilight Zone" feel that compelled me to keep watching.

SORAWIT. The only character I actually liked.

THE KILLER. I almost never guess the killer right in a whodunit, but I suspected Rung the whole time. So I was happy.

CONS:

MAX/TUL SEX SCENES. Yeah, I know, I know. They're the hottest BL couple out there, famous for their sex scenes. I was the biggest fan of Together With Me and probably the only fan of TWM The Next Chapter. It's the reason that I (and probably most of us) watched Manner of Death. But the sex scenes seemed really misplaced in this drama, let alone that both their characters were weird as hell. For me, the series would have been far better without the sex scenes.

CHARACTERS. Were we actually supposed to like ANYONE in this series? As mentioned earlier, Sorawit was the only likeable character for me... I guess Dr. Oat as well. Everyone else -- including Dr. Bun and Tan -- went around with guns and weapons and behaving like criminals.

STORY. Por was the head of the mafia, tried to kill both his brothers, and then we're supposed to like him at the end. That was a total creep, but then he became Sorawit's boyfriend so I guess we like him after all. Inspector M was pretty much an ass for the whole series, but then he became an ally of the main couple and looked to be dating Dr. Oat at the end, so I guess we like him. In other words, the characters were kind of... bizarre. If I ever visited that town, I'd turn around and run like hell!

ENDING. So Tan stages fake killers to hunt Bun and himself down in the woods, scaring Dr. Bun out of his mind, only to propose marriage with lovey-dovey notes? Wow, how romantic. Happy Valentine's Day. I want a divorce.

This was one of those series that I only watched to the end because I'd already started it and was invested in it. I doubt I'll rewatch... if I want to get my Max/Tul fix, I'll watch TWM.

P. S. Max/Tul with the Hansel and Gretel references were just so dumb. "We're like Hansel and Gretel!" Umm... no, you're not.

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So Close!

I appreciate the attempt at adding suspense, drama and thriller elements into this because it feels more like a show and not just a BL. However, the writing in this was not it for the most part lol. Especially with the medical part of it. That's so inaccurate and from what I understand the author of the book is a medical professional? So why not consult with them on the accuracy? Or hire someone from a medical field to come onto set and help? Total missed opportunity. The chemistry between the leads is top tier but what else is new with MaxTul. The mystery actually didn't have me fully grasped at first but they kept adding more and more to keep it interesting enough. It got hella confusing sometimes with the names and lack of character screen time to attach those names to people, but overall it wrapped up alright. With more care added into the accuracy and more time to really flesh out some of the characters, this could've been up there on my list! It didn't get there, but I would say watch it if you want something different and Max & Tul always are fun to watch.

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