Call It What You Want (2021)

A Thai BL that wasn't problematic?

Michael's acting was phenomenal. He really portrayed Bas's character so well. The others were also good. Michael's acting just felt particularly real, so the others didn't stand out as much in comparison. Bas's story was simply heartbreaking. I felt awful for him. Tee was a despicable man. He broke Bas and deeply traumatized him. It made me want to cry. It must have been hard for him to keep it all to himself.

I really hoped to see more of Bas and Marco together. I assume there is going to be another season, though, for two reasons. First, the way it ended insinuated things weren't over. Second, there were scenes in the trailers for the series that didn't show up in the actual series. Scenes where Bas and Marco were more than friends. In this series, they didn't really bond until the final episode. So, they, of course, weren't at a point where they would be making out. I look forward to seeing more of them. They have such amazing potential.

I honestly didn't care that much about James. He was fine, I guess. I liked when he put those ignorant employees in their place, though. I mean, he straight-up fired one of them for being homophobic, as he should. Ait didn't bother me much, but he was a little annoying at times. Like in the final episode. He seriously thought being jealous of James and Marco when Bas was pouring his heart out was appropriate. That felt off to me. Also, he asked James whether he actually loved him. I don't think you should have to ask that. That seems like you have such little trust in your partner. He should stop doubting James all the time. James never showed any indication of having an interest in anyone else than Ait.

So, about the plot. I love the idea of "exposing" the BL industry, and they definitely took a much more serious approach than Lovely Writer. It was almost a bit too heavy for me, but it was probably also realistic. Either way, there is for sure so much shit going on behind the scenes. Not in all instances, but some, and it's so sad to think about. We need to remember BL actors are also people, so we should treat them as such. No forcing them to go on insane diets, no forcing them to get surgery, no robbing them of their freedom. Basically, let them have their basic human rights. Also, no fanservice unless they're completely comfortable with it. Let's not get too invested in relationships that most likely aren't real. It can be very damaging.

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Very good short series... just don't let the car scenes irk you.

A great season one. My only gripe with this series are the car scenes. Everything else was better.

The storyline is consistent, albeit sometimes a bit rushed due to episode constraint, the character's stories are realistically portrayed. I love that the series not only focuses on the love story of James and Ait but also took time to explore Bas's. His story has so many layers of conflicts that season 1 was not able to completely unwrap and his story line is the one I'll be looking forward to see in season 2.

The actors acting are also great. I don't know if they are newbies in the industry, but the way they showed their characters is gripping and captivating. I think the director also has a hand on it.

As for the ending, yes it is a bit anti-climactic, which is expected as this one is marketed as adapted from real life experience.

Will write an in-dept review after re-watching it from the beginning.

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