Khun Chaai (2022)

Vous reprendrez bien un peu de champis ?

Précision essentielle à tous ceux qui regarderaient ce drama pour la romance gay : cette histoire n'est pas une série BL et n'est donc pas formatée comme telle. C'est un lakhorn pur et dur, avec tout le cahier des charges qui va avec : antagonistes grimaçants qu'on identifie comme des vilains au bout d'une seconde et demie d'apparition à l'écran, des acteurs qui surjouent à fond et dont tous les sentiments apparaissent sur leurs visages au lieu de la jouer profil bas en mode "Nan c'est pas moi j'ai rien fait", des magouilles et des complots à gogo, des serviteurs qui surprennent toujours des conversations qu'il faut pas, des scènes d'action dans à peu près tous les épisodes, des conflits familiaux et des rebondissements incessants, plein de bons sentiments et bien sûr la sympathique romance entre le héros et son crush. Et bien que l'histoire coche tous les codes des lakhorns traditionnels, bah c'est tellement bien orchestré et sans temps morts que ça fonctionne à fond.

Et puis y'a les champis. Au départ, je m'attendais à une intrigue sur des conflits de pouvoir entre les 5 clans de commerçants, mâtinée de romance interdite, et je me retrouve avec une histoire de famille aux allures de "Qui a tué Harry ?" d'Alfred Hitchcock. Tout le drama tourne autour du fameux "secret" (l'homosexualité de l'héritier) que certains personnages tentent de découvrir tandis que d'autres cherchent à le cacher à tout prix, vu que ça s'est mal fini pour le dernier qui est sorti du placard. Du coup on a un maître chanteur assassiné à la poudre d'orchidée qui, mélangée à certains insectes et transformée en jolies paillettes, produit des champignons mortels. Et puis le cadavre est noyé, enterré, volé, il disparaît ou refait surface sans laisser une seconde de répit à ses assassins, qui ne parviennent jamais à se débarrasser complètement des traces. Parce que oui, la poudre de champignons est une arme originale et bien pratique, mais qui n'en fait qu'à sa tête, même quand on l'utilise comme aphrodisiaque et qu'elle produit pile le résultat qu'on voulait éviter. Du coup, il se passe toujours quelque chose, on ne s'ennuie jamais, et même si je ne suis pas sûre que c'était l'effet recherché, le drama parvient à être assez marrant. Un vrai plaisir coupable comme on les aime, avec des acteurs qui se donnent à fond dans leur rôle. Leur jeu est peut-être exagéré, l'intrigue a la naïveté habituelle des lakhorns avec ses rebondissements téléphonés et son lot d'heureuses coïncidences qui permettent aux persos de s'en sortir dans la plupart des situations, mais c'est tellement enthousiaste que ça parvient (presque toujours) à éviter le ridicule.

Bien sûr, vu qu'il se passe plein de trucs autour du fameux secret et que ça bouffe les 3/4 des épisodes, on peut regretter que les 2 couples ne bénéficient pas de davantage de temps d'écran. La romance principale entre notre doux et gentil héritier & le bad boy badass des bas quartiers est vraiment sympathique, celle entre le frère & la fiancée du héros est mignonne comme tout, on aurait franchement apprécié de les voir plus souvent échanger des papouilles. Mais bon, c'est un lakhorn, faut pas trop choquer l'audience et quand on y pense, aborder pour la première fois une histoire tout public avec comme paire principale un couple gay, ça exigeait retenue et sobriété au moins sur cet aspect-là. Ce qu'ils sont parvenus à gérer en nous occupant le reste du temps avec les magouilles visant à cacher ou découvrir le secret de Tian - d'où ces damnées paillettes de champignons qui finissent toujours sur la tronche ou dans le gosier de quelqu'un.

Quant aux personnages secondaires, ils sont tous sympathiques même ceux qu'on aurait bien envie d'étrangler (sauf le maître chanteur qui est un gros trouduc mais bon, même si la morale le réprouve, on ne va pas faire semblant que sa mort nous désole) et bien que bon nombre de leurs choix soient répréhensibles et empirent la situation au lieu de l'arranger, leurs motivations sont toujours explicables dans l'histoire, de ce fait elles produisent des rebondissements logiques assez bien fichus. Je me répète, mais on ne s'ennuie jamais, et c'est plutôt rare dans un lakhorn. Les femmes sont souvent à l'honneur, aussi caricaturales soient-elles, elles se battent pour les valeurs dans lesquelles elles croient, et la mère du héros est finalement assez badass dans son genre (il faut la voir balancer des paillettes en costume de ninja pour comprendre ce qu'est le vrai amour maternel, elle me ferait presque oublier qu'elle finit bouffée par les crocodiles dans Nakark Kaew, une "vieille" production de 2018 où le héros était déjà interprété par le même acteur principal). Et je ne peux pas conclure ce paragraphe sans une mention spéciale à la seconde épouse grimaçante à souhait, dont le rouge à lèvres criard passe subitement au rose pâle pour bien nous faire comprendre qu'elle est devenue gentille. C'est un lakhorn, on vous dit.

Bref, tout ça pour dire qu'on avait tous les éléments pour se taper un véritable navet aux recettes éculées, et qu'on nous offre à la place une intrigue efficace et rythmée, deux romances aussi mignonnes qu'agréables, des méchants sympathiques aux exagérations assumées, des rebondissements à foison, une superbe bromance entre le héros et son frère, et tout plein de bons sentiments et de messages de tolérance qui font un bien fou - sans oublier la morale, sinon ça ne serait pas un vrai drama thaï. J'ai l'air de me moquer, mais j'ai passé un super moment devant ce lakhorn qui m'a réconciliée avec le genre, et que j'ai regardé avec beaucoup de tendresse. Y'a même de fortes chances que je le revisionne d'ici quelques mois. En conclusion, un divertissement génial qui m'aura bien fait marrer, et qu'importe si c'est parfois malgré lui. Sans doute la faute aux champis.

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this is one of the best lakorn i've watched. at first i thought it'll focus on romance but after watching it's not just about romance and i'm not disappointed at all. Tian and Jiu should get more scenes together though. since there are so many characters maybe that's why tian and jiu don't have a lot of scenes together. I would rewatch again when i have time. the OST sung by nunew is so nice. there's also a chinese version as well. overall i do like this lakorn since the plot buildup was interesting. other than that i do not like the fake blood they were using because it dont look like blood lol. looks like siracha to me.

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one of the best m/m couples of all time, watch this!!!

Overall: it's important to know that this is a Thai lakorn i.e. soap opera. So there is a lot of family drama, exaggerated acting and a bunch of content warnings. It has one of the best m/m couples with amazing chemistry and my main complaint is we didn't get more screen time with them. I could write essays on several of the main characters because they had reasons for what they did even if I didn't agree with their actions. Watched on One31's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXopbKxiivxpBd7rbwDldPMmtdoclonyk updated 2024: Jam & Film were leads again in "Laws of Attraction" however, they stated that they would not be romantic leads together again

Content Warnings: multiple murders, attempted murder, homophobia, slaps/beaten up/violence, blood, corporal punishment, manipulation, drugging, kidnapping, self harm, suicidal ideation, unwanted outing, and there is a maaajjjjor content warning towards the beginning of episode 1 that is a spoiler and I listed it in the comments

What I Liked
- the half brothers' relationship is my favorite fictional sibling relationship of all time (10/10)
- the m/m couple is one of my all time favorite m/m couples, they have amazing chemistry (10/10)
- there is some really great communication and misunderstandings don't drag on forever
- one of the only times where a character (Jiu) makes a promise and works extremely hard to keep that promise
- the women have major agency, I didn't always agree with their actions but they got sh*t done
- Pin could have been a stereotypical passive female character but was not, and I really enjoyed her character
- the martial arts/fighting scenes were fun to watch
- clear on when the series takes place (starts in 1931 and then a 12 year time jump so 1943); also enjoyed the historical setting
- understandable actions for most of the villains
- Tian dad's character arc

Room For Improvement
- the m/m romance needed waaayyy more screen time (they get only about 5 to 15 minutes per episode out of 1hr+)
- the initial drama dragged on too long, I was hoping for more plot twists and drama to pop up, it really improved at episode 7
- the exaggerated acting from some of the characters was not my thing, it got better towards the end
- the screaming from multiple characters
- lower budget, like with that cgi and the magical glitter
- unrealistic (talking during the major content warning, how a wild animal would behave), I didn't really deduct that much for unrealistic stuff because it's kind of part of the soap opera genre

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THE ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE BL WITH THE PLOT WE ALL WERE SECRETLY DREAMING OF

Let's start with the fact that I highly recommend to watch this drama to all BL fans because it's a gem of 2022 and probably the best BL of this year (sorry, KinnPorsche, I like you so much but this drama turned out even better). I wasn't going to watch Khun Chai because I thought it was a soapy opera without BL plot but just with the gay story (yeah, BL series and gay story are completely different). But I was curious about Film Thanapat who is a famous and popular actor and who had never played in BL before. So I started to watch and fell in love until the last episode!!! I can't explain how badly I waited for each episode, like a crazy! Let me explain why this series is such a masterpiece:
The plot. The most important thing in every series is the story itself! This plot is super interesting and intriguing; there were no boring episodes, none of boring minutes! Characters are well - written, unique and developed. The love story between Tian and Jiu is the story we haven't get for a long time in BL. Enough slow-burn, drama, sweet moments.. It looks like real love! Healthy love between two non-school boys, not students, it's so rare to have two grown up characters (even though they are about 21 y.o according to the plot). But this love is wonderful. It is risky, sweet, dangerous but still the purest love I've ever seen. We didn't have historical BLs before and this one is the first so we can see about forbidden relationships of two men in 1940, BUT it's not a tragedic tragedy! This is love which can stand any problems and survive. There is a great combination of the love story and plot. Jam and Film now is one of my favourite couples, their chemistry is out of the charts!! For me it's definitely the unique series and I added it to my favourites (which are only 6-7 among 100+ BLs I've watched) Just watch and enjoy the great love story!

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One of The Best

This is one of the best BL in 2022 and the back years.
Of course i love story, the acting and the sound tracks.
This change my mode in watching school themes BL.
Im not into BL with non school theme, but this I'm really into it. Worth of watching, more than Disney or Fairytale.
The drama is so touching, and very painful when the couple are in pain.
I also love the bromance of Tian and Yang.

Congrats to the cast
Very worth watching and recommended.

Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it and will missed the cast. Hope to see them in new BL Projects

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ONE OF THE MUST WATCH LAKORN BL!

Honestly, I’m really surprised that this series exceeded beyond my expectations like, all the characters, music and the story are almost perfect. You will never get bored to watching the lengthy episodes (tbh, even the 1 hour and 5-15 minutes is still insufficient for me and also the number of episodes, they should’ve add more) and you will madly await for more episodes every week 😭.
I love how each characters had a visible character development and the LOVE STORY OF JIU AND TIAN IS SO 😭✨💜 (can’t be expressed by words alone).
Honestly the funny part of this that almost every episode had the BLUE LIGHT BEETLE POISON. 😆
But for over all, the series is CLASSIC and OUTSTANDING. ✨🎉💜👏🏽
WAITING FOR SEASON 2/ PROJECT FOR JAM AND FILM 😭🙏🏽✨💜

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A well written story that is well excuted!

A one of a kind story that is well written. Everyone did a great job. They were able to give justice to their characters. I was able to appreciate the series eventhough the release of the subtitles were sometimes delayed for days.... that is how effective their portrayal in each character. I can simply connect to the story by just looking at their emotions. How the characters interact with each other and so on. The chemistry of the lead pairs, Tian-Jiu & Yang-Ying is so natural that will take you to a certain level of romantic excitement. Hope to see more of lead couples in the future projects. Lastly, I love the OST! ❤️

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BADDEST HEART LINE

This is an exquisite drama that is the first and more realistic in it's context, it has got a very wonderfu and powerfull chemistry between the main leads that is Tian and his brother Yang as well as his better half Jiu however I must say that some characters might be shallow but the plot and the execution is remarkable much as I still find Zhang's reason for committing suicide in the first place absurd and stupid and there's the annoying fact that Yang has a mother who is totally ungifted and dense and she's pretty good at stirring trouble for everyone that she doesn't benefit from. But really the bromance beats me as the blood brothers Tian and Yang have that affection that just beats any other that I have known in any drama before it makes me jealously wish things were the same with my brother and Jiu is probably the best character that you'll admire for being quiet and a bit dumb when it comes to things like love, I respect Tian who understands the weight of that uneasy burden of being the first born and I appreciate that about him while his Mother Madam Li even if she can go overboard at times and is extreme, she portrays the very best struggles, pains, fears and strife of motherhood which is what made me on a whole scale refer to this drama as the most realistic youthful bl drama that I have ever seen. I can't also forget the remarkable length of the episodes that makes you explore the whole story in detail and I like the fact that the pacing is perfect to the point that the story doesn't feel rushed, compressed or summarised. All in all, To Sir with love makes me understand what the true picture of coming out is and doesn't portray it as a garden of butterflies and rainbows as most dramas do but rather it gives you the hardships, rejections, sacrifices, betrayals and regrets which form the most true composition of life, for 2022 having been the worst year of my life, To Sir, With Love has emerged as one of the good things that have given it a good close and is one of my best bl series I have watched for this whole year.

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*cue dramatic violin and drums intro*

Ahh, soap operas... who doesn’t love them once in a while? This is my very first Thai Lakorn which, I confess, I only watched for queer romance in a historical setting (with a bonus NOT tragic ending). As soap operas go, this is one of the most bearable ones - no temporary amnesia, love triangles or 100 episodes worth of meandering plot. That is not to say it’s without the signature genre traits: there’s an overabundance of scheming family members and misunderstandings and crying and repetitive conversations but it’s worth it for the gorgeous love story and the unfading bond between two brothers.

When Thailand is offering a gay romance and a soap opera all in one, it would seem a moot point to hope for fleshed-out female characters, right? WRONG. I was pleasantly surprised that women not only dominate the cast (the only men of importance are the three leads) but they are overall, besides glitter and romance, the best part of the drama. The actresses are by far the better performers, each given at least a couple scenes to really shine; the women are different and complex, and every single one is given more depth by the end. Rightfully, it seems that all the budget went into their costumes, while the city this takes place in was relegated to the same three (3) streets. I cannot tell how accurate the dresses were to the time period but they were certainly beautiful and eye-catching.

I only have a few other things to say to convince you to watch this: glitter poison fights, a straight romance that is as adorable as it is watchable, Tian's secret, scissors, women murdering men.

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I loved it, but not as a BL.

This is a true lakorn with scenery chewing performances, especially from the mother characters.

It is a Thai tellenovella + Gone With the Wind but gay.

I loved it: A glorious central brother relationship (the best, made me cry), het romances, class divide + gay *gasp* main romance, the campy drama of it all. Arranged marriage, rebellion, cut sleeves, dramatic death with curses and regrets, beautiful if inaccurate costumes, secrets unraveling, cover ups, sparkle murder, sex herbs, coils within coils including snakes and death by glitter (is anything gayer on this earth?). It’s a WILD ride.

It’s not BL. It’s not a romance, it’s a family drama Thorn Birds style but it does end happy for our gay boys.

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