Lovely Writer (2021)

A BL That Subverts Expectations

So I won't lie. The first episode of this series I was like... this is okay? However, by the fourth episode I knew this was a special show. Full of subverting expectations, really important lessons, such sweet moments it made my face hurt. A heavy emphasis on consent in this which we STAN. It's got a lot of really really amazing stuff in it. Though I think episodes 11 and 12 kind of took it down in rating for me. But we'll get into that more.

So lets start with how much I love the love scenesssss lol. There was so much skinship in this and passionate kissing that I lost track. Like the intro song says at the beginning "I wanna kiss you!"They weren't lying lol. I think also the director wanted to poke fun at other series lacking on that aspect in their shows? Or showing subpar kissing? That's what it felt like anyway. Kao as Nubsib was gorgeous and the best you can get in a man literally. He did such a good job playing the ideal role and yes I got sucked in. I've loved him since UWMA and I shall continue to love him in anything he does! Up as Gene was really good too. Though his character frustrated me later on, the acting was great. Gene is such a mess sometimes and awkward, Up did a really good show portraying that appropriately. Then put these 2 together and you have some of the most solid chemistry I've ever seen in LGBTQ content let alone BL content.

The story doesn't really start going until Nubsib actually moves in and they start "practicing' for material in Gene's book and Sib's acting role. That stuff was hilarious and a great gateway into exploration between them. That entire scene with Gene being drunk off his a** and Sib rescuing him from the bar was stellar. Not only in acting, but in representation of consent dude! So important to show that even if Gene appears to really want Nubsib in that moment, he cannot consent if he's that drunk ya'll and Sib knows that and respects it. I freaking loved that scene. Moving onto Sib and Gene having a history. I thought it was fine, though the child actors don't look the ages they are meant to portray. Which confused me, but it was well done. Gene didn't have to get so angry, but I get Nubsib was technically lying to him about stuff. However, trying to understand goes a longgggg way.

Fast Forward to them FINALLY getting together. Which was...lit lol. The interaction with coming out to the family was something else! So proud of Gene and his brother for sticking up to the dad. Acceptance from the family is what matters most. You don't need it but it's so important. So I for the most part was okay with how it was represented. Though Nubsib's family talk I'm conflicted about. It wasn't very "accepting" to me since the dad clearly cares more about reputation than his son or else he wouldn't of brought that up. Also wtf does his son being in a gay relationship have to do with reputation? Its annoying and I wanted so badly to be in that room and set him straight. Damn right you can't stop him from being an adult and living his life stupid. It works out in the end but that kinda irked me.

Before we get to the slight downfall of this series, I wanted to talk about side stuff. Aoey's character was interesting to say the least. I'll talk about his demise at the end, but his character was so interesting and I wanted to see more of his backstory danggit! Hin I didn't care for at all. He was annoying at the beginning, gets slightly better because he has less screen time and just doesn't do much. Tum and Tiffy were cute, however I don't understand why Tiffy straight up assumed he was gay? Wtf was that about? That was some stereotyping if I've ever seen it and she of all people should know better! She's a bada** girl who doesn't give a crap about labels and she's gonna do that? Unless I missed something. Didn't vibe, but together they were okay.

Time to move on, to the dreaded 11th episode f*** up. First thought. They couldn't chill secretly until the end of the series shooting!? Gene had to end it!? I get he thinks doing it for Nubsib's career or whatever. But what a load of crap. You know that's not what he wants! Why have this show make fun of cliches and then do one that sucks this late into it!? So hear me out and let me elaborate. Legally Sib's company CANNOT under any circumstances force their actors to do anything in their personal relationships. Unless it's part of a contract, which its made clear its not they will catch a lawsuit! Nubsib and Gene are not slaves to the system. So that entire boardroom scene was nonsensical. Look at this from an outsider perspective too. It reeks of homophobia without the context of it being for a BL show. So that wouldn't fly either! Then followed up with Gene wimping out again got me aggravated to say the least. This show should've not done the obvious thing and had them fight it together. Because a breakup is cliche at this point. You can't dictate who people date and Tum's sister is the biggest b**** ever. By then Aeoy was cancelled too because he escalated the situation by garnering sympathy from fans during the livestream. Really bad move dude. Very reminiscent of a real-life situation that happened between 2 BL actors...if you know you know.

Immediately I was like Nubsib better cancel his contract with these people. I would've on the spot, however if he doesn't after he's nuts. These people are unethical and how disrespectful you have to be to try and decide for an actor of yours how important his relationship is to him. With his partner RIGHT THERE!!! Holy crap I wanted to throw that woman out the window! It's not for his benefit girl, its for yours don't lie. The reporters too, why do you feel the right to dig into someone's private life like that? Though realistic I suppose, that's none of your business and disgusting. I live for the scene of Nubsib hugging Aoey though out of nowhere and being like "see? I can act too" oof that was a win.

Past all that nonsense. We get to more nonsense lmao. The show becomes the butterfly effect for a hot minute, with Gene living through his memories again. It seemed like they were gonna have him live in the past unhealthily for material and I was like really? That's what we're doing!? Then out of literally NOWHERE Nubsib shows up at the house and kisses him like THAT. All is forgiven? WHAT!? I appreciate the cuteness and that skinship scene with Gene afterwards had me in a flutter. But me and my friend watching this thought it had to be a dream because of how outlandish it was. But nope! It actually was happening! No resolution or talk about it. No redemption of Gene bailing out after lying. No big stick it to the man scene of them coming out as a real couple to crappy stans. NOTHING. What a disappointment. I guess at least Tum said screw you to his sister and made his own management company. That was nice. I can also say Aoey's ending was surprisingly dark though and I'm 50/50 about it. He's left with noone, Tiffy abandons him and his love interest moves on. All he has is gifts from fans and their support online. I feel like he even ate a flower from the bouquet at one point (fact check me) because he's lost it completely and is finding validation from consumption. Dark stuff and idk how I feel about it. I appreciate the thought process behind it, but I think he deserved redemption too. Maybe in another season? I doubt it heavily but damn.

As lackluster as those last 2 eps were. The role-playing genderbend recreations of Snow White, Cinderella and Romeo & Juliet were funny and cute! I didn't need to see another lover die on top of Kao via a gunshot wound, but those scenes were cute. We get a wink fourth-wall-break at the end that was clever, which ends with a kiss of course. The ending meta thing with the author of the books we didn't need and it was hella confusing. This series overall was still fantastic! Idk what it is though with series failing during the last few eps. We need to figure out how to fix that guys! Watch this though, you won't be overall disappointed with the results!

Lire davantage

A pretty decent BL for the Thai industry!

May 14, 2021

Lovely Writer is definitely a strong drama. Although, I did have some troubles with the plot and the execution. It was still a good series regardless. First of all, I JUST LOVE HOW THEY EXPLORE CONSENT AND THREW SHADES to the industry. With the number of shows I have watched, consent is so rare to see and it's so sad. Often the ML is always pushing themselves to their partners and that makes me want to drop a series.

I really love Gene and Nubsib's chemistry and they were hot. Like certain scenes got me running laps. I was a bit uncomfortable with the age gap during their childhood scene. But yeah, I guess it was just me...

Anyway, there are certain parts where I was shocked. Like damn, the plot twist was very shocking.

Now onto my rant:
If I am being honest, the plot was a bit messy and draggy and predictable. I really love the idea and concept but I think the execution was just a literal pain. AND as for a show, I thought that was gonna break the BL stereotype, I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED that they followed the typical route for episode 11. As for the music, I was a bit irritated cause some of the choices did not fit in with the scene. It was more of a nuisance if you know what I mean. Also, how can the series turn into the very thing it was calling out in the beginning. Like the first half was about calling out the BL industry and then suddenly in the second part, it starts following the cliche plots???!!!!!

Also, WTF WAS EP 10-12 I LITERALLY SKIMMED THROUGH IT CAUSE I WAS BORED AS HELL. THOSE EPISODES WERE A LITERAL 5/10. HONESTLY, IT COULD HAVE ENDED ON THE FIRST HALF OF EP 9 AND I WOULD BE TOTALLY OKAY WITH IT.

ALSO YALL WILL LOVE TIFFY AND TUM. Their sidestory was so cute and they were my motivation to continue the series. Even though they had least amount of screen time. I love them so much. If it weren’t for them, I would probably dropped this series at this point. Cause I was just literally dissatisfied with everything....

Anyway, make sure to watch this series as it's still pretty darn good!! I hope my rant didn't ruin it for you heheheh

Lire davantage

Give it a try, you won't regret it.

To me, this is one of the best BL series of all time. From the story, acting, directing, theme, and message, everything is great. The relationship portrayed here is healthy and full of CONSENT. It is entertaining and educative, without being patronising. Give it a try and it will give you something more than just entertainment. It's a bit slow at the beginning but it's totally worth it. Especially if you finish til the end, there will be amazing surprises for you. Don't forget to watch behind the scenes too. The director gives insight on the making process and about the message they try to convey.

Lire davantage

obsession

Okay, this is going to be one of my less objective reviews, just because it is subjectively one of my favorite boy love series EVER. One I came into this series not expecting to like it but I enjoyed Kao in UWMA so I was willing to go through it for him. However, I ended up loving the series, Up, and all the other casts. Everyone in the series is wonderful at acting. KaoUp are truly perfect at playing the parts of their characters. Up and his character Gene don't even look the same to me, is how in character he was able to get. And as a 26 year old man Kao was able to properly portraying a 20 year old.

One thing I absolutely HATE in series is when drama drags on and on and on and is CONSTANT. However, Lovely Writer did an amazing job at handling each of its issues QUICKLY and in HEALTHY ways. Other series can't relate. Nubsib and Gene were amazing characters and honestly I enjoyed their storyline so so so so much.

My problem comes with side characters and their storylines. They seemed deadset on making Aey a villain and unredeemable (even though he's still very redeemable imo) and dragged on making him suffer for no reason??? Mhok really didn't need to be in the series ??? (maybe it was chap's schedule with y-destiny was a bit conflicting but idk) Tiffy and Tum were cute at first, but then it got weird with her questioning his sexuality and becoming really mean to him for no reason?? I HATE nubsib's parents. Gene's parents are on thin ice. I LOVED the brothers though and would have liked more of them and Hin throughout the series. Bua annoyed me and I didn't really enjoy any scene she was in. ALSO NUBSIB DESERVED MORE SCREENTIME. Truly I get it was Gene pov mostly, but random side characters had more screentime from their points of view than one half of our main lead.

Gene and Aey were my initial favorites in the series, and I still love both of them. But after finishing the series and being able to analyze Nubsib I have fallen for him. Anyways the cast is full of talented pretty tall bitches. Stan lwts.

Lire davantage

very different from the rest

This show was just refreshing to watch, the storyline was interesting, the actors were on point and it makes you reflect as the chapters progress. Entertainment industry sucks, and artists are very much affected by it, so this series is meant to make you see the industry from another perspective, and not just as a fan. Also, Gene's father history really added spice to the show, makes you realise the hardships of being a non-heterosexual couple in real life and how society's prejudices can change someone's mentality notably. It was also a good reality check.

In brief, i loved this show and it's definitely a must-watch !

Lire davantage

Watch it, it's SO worth it!

This just became my favorite BL Drama that I've seen and I'm gonna try to put in to words as to why:

TLDR: The series breaks of out the BL mold in it's own way, criticizes the toxicity of BL fan culture, it's cute and fun and smart and meaningful. The characters have believable chemistry and genuinely like each other, and work through their relationship. They break every toxic BL stereotype while also being every positive and cute stereotype, the best of everything.

***

In BL Dramas there are certain tropes and plots that we are all familiar with and love, it is its own small "BL bubble". When you start a new series there are things that are almost always included; they're engineers, they hate eacher at first, bed-sharing, stolen glances, dramatic plottwist that almost tears them apart, misunderstandings, kinda cheap settings, predictable plot etc etc etc. And we love to see it, it's fun and entartaining and cute.

And then there's Tale of Thousand Stars and I Told Sunset About You that both break out of that mold and do so beautifully, they feel more real in a way. ITSAY with it's outstanding settings and scenography, and TOTS with it's deep dual plot about self-love and self-growth.

Lovely Writer manages to exist inside the "BL bubble" while also being deep and meaningful and beautiful. Without spoiling anything major I can say this:

It's beautifully filmed, the settings and scenography are top notch. The story is interesting and cute. The main pairing's chemistry feels realistic. There's next to no cringy moments or characters which was quite refreshing, and those who were a bit cringy did it tastefully and in my opinion for the sake of the plot. Their friends are likable and supportive and not just there as background characters. The main pairing actually like each other and they talk and are open and face their problems together, they support each other.

The show is also very self-aware! It really is a critique of the BL Drama world and its fans/fujoshis which was really interesting to see!

They break every toxic BL stereotype while also being every positive and cute stereotype, the best of everything.

Don't spoil the ending before watching all the episodes, trust me! It's a happy ending but I think it'll hit so much harder and be so much cuter if you get to know the characters first. I loved the ending it was so fun and so cute, and so so so worth it!!!

Lire davantage

The Best Thai BL this spring 2021

omg I want to say so much about this series. its so damn good. being a bl fan for quite many years watching many bls from many countries, I have never felt so involved & connected with a bl from Thailand, at an emotional level, like I did with LW. The matters they subtly yet skilfully touched upon are so important and often neglected. The praiseworthy highlights for me were,

1. Consent, they really perfectly showed the concept of a valid consent in ep.4

2. No to drunk sex

3. Calling out how (generally assumed) feminine traits of men are considered as gay in society

4. That coming out as gay is not a social obligation & people shouldn't jump at labelling someone's sexuality.

5. Toxic shipping/fans invading artists' privacy

6. Kind of calling out unnecessary portrayal/addition of NC scenes in bl dramas/novels for commercial purposes

7. Nubsib always being courteous and asking permission during intimacy with Gene (when they were not yet bfs & even after being official, that guy always make Gene comfortable)

6. The mutual trust between #SibGene

7. The fears and shocks of their parents and how we still need the older generation to accept their kids for who they are, so I didn't mind how (relatively quickly) they all agreed to their relationship. It may seem a bit fast but in a 12 ep drama this is to be expected. Also ig we needed that sort of positivity too, as it's basically a romcom.

8. Love how they showed the inability of some fans/fan culture in bl fandoms as well as other fandoms in general, that they can't distinguish between reality and fantasy, and how it ends up hurting the artists and ruining their personal life/relationships(alot of the times).

9. The real issues that exist with talent companies/TV stations/productions. The way they can be too demanding from the artists.


Furthermore, the kisses are so so real and beautiful, they both are so pro at this, I must say. There are also soft face/hands kisses too which adds alot to the romance & softness. Overall for me, after MaxTul, KaoUp are the best at doing kissing scenes now. No wonder the OST is about kissing too haha. The casting is super perfect. I was familiar with Kao's work before but Up really grabbed my attention as Gene. He played an introvert writer so well, it is so believable, his micro expressions & body language for the awkwardness he feels at times, tho the character is very different from his real self yet he nailed it. Bruce, the actor who played Aey, he did a good job as well, since the character was layered & complicated and not at all easy to play.

[Also one thing I strongly felt, so wanted to get it off my chest is that Aey doing that livestream was also a diss to a specific livestream that happened in the past by an actor. (It may be just me, & I may be totally wrong but it was pretty much the same pattern, the whole crying & all)].

I guess I have written alot here, in the honest conclusion, the series is definitely worth watching and re-watching. And I guess for beginners as well who are reluctant to get into Thai BLs, this is the one series for ya'll!!

Lire davantage

A BL That Serves Tea

Never thought a fluffy, cutesie BL could actually talk about things that matter. I was genuinely surprised by this. The story was on point imo and the leads were also topnotch (damn, Kao). Another thing I really liked was how similar young and old Nubsib was, especially how they called Gene's name, so adorable.

If I would nitpick, the breakup thing was an unnecessary drama (although I understand that's part of the story ofc). The last episode was also kind of a let down compared to the previous ones. But overall I think it still managed to stand out and is definitely one of the best (for me) or at least one of the good ones. I really hope this would be watched by a lot of BL fans, especially the toxic ones who doesn't know how to separate actors' public & private lives, as it not only entertains but also serves a lesson when it comes to these issues.

Lire davantage

Does really well in what it sets out to do

Things i liked
1. Calling out thai bl industry(how it panders to straight females and the consequences)
2. Acting of all cast
3. Chemistry between Gene and Nubsib( Hightlight of the show for most people, both actors are very comfortable with each other and it shows.. no cringe and very sweet/hot moments)
4. Consent, consent and consent! Its sexy people!(a particular common trope situation in bl turns out differently and beautifully..personally my favorite episode.. wont tell which one since i dont want to spoil but you will know ;)
5. Interesting premise
6. Gene is so cutee... I honestly get Nubsib here
7. Very cinematic..especially towards the end
8. Personally, I really liked the comedy aspect, did not feel it was much at all.
9. Even though Nubsib is very mature.. there are scenes when you do feel his age.. makes for an interesting dynamic and the choices he makes

What i didn't like:(a bit spoilery in point 3 since my issue is with the story)
1. I do feel there were issues with editing.. some moments of silence really seemed to go on for too long, especially during tense moments and you just could not understand why characters are just standing there making the situation worse..
2. Tum's bathroom scene.... just whyyyyyy
3.a)Nubsib does not seem to have any other motivations in life other than being with Gene... as desirable as he is.. i would have preferred to see more of this character aspirations.. best direction would be that he actually fell in love with acting during the course of the show.. absence of this leads to my next point..
b)Their main conflict at the end does seem very manufactured... there really should be little to no stakes here for them.. if Nubsib actually liked his career.. i would feel the pain but with the story shown..meh...seems unnecessary... he has made his stance clear many times.. i dont even understand Gene's point of view.. and the resolution is also confusing..so not much emotional payoff when they do get through it eventually as tender as that moment was...

Would I recommend this:Definitely!100%... Despite issues mentioned, i reay loved this show and would rewatch..very memorable couple.. upbeat story, good message about consent.. boundaries.. the love story of a cute bunny and the sneaky wolf really does leave you with a big smile ?

Lire davantage

Realistic

Looking for something with high sexual content? LEAVE! Looking for cute fluffiness? WELCOME! Looking for something that tackles real life issues? LOOK NO FURTHER!
I've LOVED Kao since UWMA so it was only natural I watch his new series and I gotta say...it was well worth waiting weekly! Obviously, there's gonna be a few bits in the storyline that can be considered "basic" but I promise it's all worth it. I'd recommend to a new BL fan in a heartbeat! There's visuals all around and the kissing scenes are ON POINT! I can definitely sense good chemistry between everyone. The dark side of being an actor (especially in BL) comes to light here and in all the worst ways. Cyberbullying at it's finest and the things it can do to everyone involved shows it's ugly face and it gets pretty emotional but once again, WORTH THE WATCH!
Enjoy...

Lire davantage

Excellent buildup, terrible ending

Let me preface this by saying that Lovely Writer is one of the best series I’ve seen. It has its flaws and inconsistencies, but all can be forgiven thanks to the magnetism of its two leads, and the progression of their cat-and-mouse game.

So you can imagine my disappointment when they gave us THAT ending. I’ve been trying to figure out what I hate about it, and there’s a lot, and I can go scene by scene explaining how they could’ve made it better.

SPOILERS AHEAD

But ultimately, I think it’s because the whole final episode was a disservice to the show’s characters. The last major decisions happened at the end of episode 11, where it all fell apart. We can think of episode 12 as simply the aftermath of all those terrible decisions.

While we see Gene and Nubsib actually end up together, it wasn’t because of their own decisions. Rather, it was due to a jump forward to a time when they were no longer newsworthy. It was business-as-usual after the time-jump.

My problem with that is that it invalidates everything that led up to it. There were no stakes. It was just a wait-it-out scenario that happens in real life, not in a finale episode of a fictional story.

In every story, character development and growth is important. Lovely Writer did not give any of its characters that privilege. Everything and everyone remained the same.

Gene, per usual, remained a pushover and just accepted the situation, no matter how it’s gonna hurt him. Nubsib, in his refusal to compromise, remained a childish character and seemingly did not learn anything from the experience.

This makes their reunion underwhelming and devoid of emotion — and it actually played out underwhelming and devoid of emotion. It was just the next logical step to neatly tie up loose ends.

But did it stop there? No. They had to include a series of imaginary ending scenarios, which I think were not there to serve as a nod-and-wink, but a cry for help that they actually had no idea how to end the story.

From the time-jump onwards, it all felt like betrayal after betrayal as they were peeling off the layers one by one. It was as if they were telling us that all our emotional investment was stupid and unnecessary, and it was, after all, just a novel that is adapted into a series.

Lire davantage

It's ok sweet story

It started really good. I thought it was going to be a lot more different. Eventually it fell down to the same tropes.
I was expecting something like going against the industry and being in an open relationship, or don't know, something else.
They keep reinforcing the same stereotypes. Top/bottom, bottoming hurts. I know it's for girls, but you can at least depict real stuff. Bottoming doesn't hurt.
The end is happy but it's crap. Instead of fighting they just wait it out, and what for? There are no logical reasons, Nubsib wasn't bound by any contract. Then the Aoey dude, wasted scenes, no redemption at all.
I'd say watch it, I did like the acting, Gene and Nub felt real, but I think the story didn't do them justice.

Lire davantage