Moonlight Chicken (2023)

A refreshing look at relationships and the realities of life with adult couples rather than students

NO-SPOILER REVIEW

Pros
- The story is a great and realistic representation of relationships, family, and the realities of life for adults. It's so great to not only have stories about students with school-level low stakes. This series shows you that everything isn't always sunshine and rainbows but people still have the strength to live their lives and find love.
- The acting is superb. The entire cast is very talented and this makes it easy to full immerse yourself in the story.
- The pacing is just right and keeps you interested from start to finish.
- The variety of couples keeps things fresh and interesting.
- There's great representation of the deaf community.

Cons
- There were a couple moments where it felt like some drama was introduced for the sake of having drama. Those couple moments felt a little bit forced and unrealistic.

Overall
- A wonderful series that represents the adult world in a realistic way. A must watch if you're bored of school-aged dramas.

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The trailer made me tought wrong haha

Moonlight chicken has so many beautiful places scenes and the aesthetic is so pretty!
The trailer made me tought that this series would be full of betraying, fighting and sad moments! It wasnt...but I still love this series! I cant tell you how beautiful Moonlight chicken is if u dont gonna watch it so please go to youtube or where ever u like to watch gmmtv series and watch it.
Acting was perfect and I love that gmmtv has finally started making series where some people act blind or deaf!
Thats all I wanna say so if u read this thanks for readind my review of Moonlight chicken!

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The most beautiful Moonlight

Before I watch I already know that we are dealing with gold in the most pure form, the actors already prove how good they are and I know no one in GMM can touch them. In the whole series I feel like the song "Moonlight" by ariana was turning alive and transfigurate in a series. Seriously, you need to hear this songs is so related with this series. The story is amazing and how they create this was close to perfect, the soundtrack match so much, If they pay Ariana and put her song I can say this is perfect, but in general the soundtrack was good too. Not only the main role but the lead role too make a incredible job. I feel so full and happy that I don't know if I will rewatch but I really want more, I don't follow the live of the actors like a devoted fan but being honest they looks good, the personality are good, the personality too and all of them give so much in the acting that if GMM give then a trash role they can do a good job too, well if the "villain" conquest you easily and the end was so good, makes me smile so much.

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Never seen anything like it befor in Thai BL

I must say I'm still in awe because of the series, I just finished it, and it left me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because I watched a show that will have a special place in my heart, and sad because it is already over.
If you're looking for a mature story that not only revolves around love between two people but also encompasses their daily life, struggles, accomplishments and failures, then this is the show for you. We have a portrayal of at least three different generations, different social status and ways to love or how to show that love. We are shown the beginning and end of relationships, what it means to grow up and to learn from one's mistakes and how to say sorry. It also puts you in the shoes of people who struggle because of the pandemic and its following economic crisis, which makes it even more realistic.
As I am part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I must say that I am beyond joyful with the grand portrayal of our members. It is shown through small details, gestures, and conversations that make me feel like I could sit down with some characters, and we would click automatically because we went through the same struggles or had the same hurtful thoughts.
Everyone involved in this masterpiece did a fantastic job. Every actor delivered their characters perfectly, so believable that I was glued to the screen and never once felt awkward. It was truly a pleasure watching this show. I cannot recommend it enough. I hope there will be more content like this in the future.

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A series with a little bit of something for everyone.

This was absolutely beautiful. Words cannot describe how this series makes me feel. The realism, the characters, the music: everything was just done so perfectly. No character is perfect, but they all learn and grow together.

Every single character had their own traits that made them interesting and engaging. JimWen’s quiet and mundane relationship was so poetic yet messy, and I’m a sucker for their type of relationship (I’m also a massive sucker for EarthMix, they’re my favourite pairing). It was so refreshing to see such a mature storyline. HeartLiMing were adorable and stole my heart. Li Ming made me feel so seen, I relate to him so much. AlanGaipa had me kicking and squealing!

I can understand someone not enjoying this show due the lack of plot and flawed characters… It is a show that is definitely aimed towards more mature viewers, which can make JimWen’s story off putting for younger people but it was absolutely perfect to me and I highly recommend!

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I can’t move on

To begin, i’m a big fan of EarthMix, i’m always falling for their alchemy, their acting and just.. them.

I had big expectations since A Tale Of Thousand Stars is one of my favorite bls and really meaningful to me and oh dear, i wasn’t disappointed at all.

Moonlight Chicken is not a drama that can make you dream with stars in your eyes, instead it tells you how reality can be, how sometimes you can’t find the solution you wanted to your problems, it teaches you a lot.
I enjoyed every seconds of it, all the characters had something to say, a lesson to teach. The acting was incredible for good sake, some scenes between Fourth and Earth were breathtaking. The production, the settings, they were all good and well thought. Everything was perfectly balanced, it’s the first time I can’t find a real flaw to something I watched.

I could talk about it for hours and go deep in details but I will stop here by saying : Moonlight Chicken is a must see, you can’t be disappointed.

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Realistic, Love Heart & Li ming, watched series mainly for them

I had fewer expectations from the series because I find Earth Mix acting to be lacking in whatever I have watched from them. The main reason I watched the series is because I loved Gemini Fourth chemistry & acting in My School President.

I loved the overall story of the series and i liked the job done by the director and hence the good rating & review.
Acting side I loved almost everyone's acting except for the Main Leads. Gemini & Fourth as expected nailed it.

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A fitting tribute to the reality of adult pressures, relationships, and dreams

I truly fell in love with this drama. It possessed a depth and quality that really felt true to life. Serious and emotional, I was swept away in the emotions of these characters. These people. I laughed when they laughed. I giggled when they blushed. I cried when they cried. You could tell it was written by an LGBTQ+ man, writing for the full array of his audience.

Through this story, we got a taste of what it means to be human. How we're all flawed, trying to navigate new and changing relationships in whatever way we think is best. And we're going to make mistakes. Because hindsight is 20/20. Love, whether it be between lovers, family, or friends, is messy. It's filled with joy and pain, all the best intentions that do more harm than good, and questions that may never get the desired closure. And this was a great tribute to that fact.

But the drama also drives home the power of potential. In love. In dreams. In life. That everyone is the same deep down, just trying to make it through life with what they have - both with privileges and burdens. But everyone's journey is inherently unique and independently decided.
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"I chose to sell chicken rice because it's a simple dish. It's consisted of four components: chicken, rice, broth, and sauce... It might only have 4 units, but yet everyone's definition of 'delicious' differs. That's what makes this simple dish stand out. I see people eat chicken rice every day and they all enjoy their chicken rice in their own way."
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On to more specific details, I really loved the commentary about disability and ableism when it came to Heart's storyline. Both in the large scale (being just as capable of living life as hearing individuals) and smaller scales (preferring international films because Thai films never come with subtitles).

Also, the portrayal of Thai culture was brilliantly done. Each episode takes place in a different month as we progress through the year and Thai festivities. By doing so, it presented viewers with a certain degree of Thai pride, showed the passage of time in the story, and in my opinion, really helped establish a fitting pacing for the story (something GMMTV tends to have trouble with).

The story also presented a fresh look at income disparity. Wen is not wealthy. He's still very much having to work his butt off to get by, finding ways to save money in his daily activities, and trying to work his way up the corporate ladder. But, we are still shown that his has more privilege than the residents and workers of the Moonlight Chicken diner. That there are things that he simply can't grasp to the full scale at which they experience. A scale at which he can't resolve, just watch and comfort. We got to see the disillusionment of society that comes with living so low-income, believing things are at a standstill and will never change. The fear associated with being the man at the bottom, easy to stomp out and take advantage of, perceivably without the power to change anything. Without the power to change anything or even to take up more space. The habits you take up in order to distract yourself, or to faintly indulge hope for change. The same habits that struck close to home.

So even while I'm learning about a culture away from home, the portrayal of life still managed to be so wide-reaching that it fed back into the above-mentioned messages. But unlike other GMMTV social commentary dramas, such as "Not Me" or "The Eclipse" (both of which I did love), these messages weren't as explicitly stated to audiences. They fell into the narrative organically with the right amount of emphasize (and quotability) that drove the message home, but without pushing you out of your immersion with the drama.


On a more non-story note, I loved the aesthetic quality of the series. It was full of screen-shot worthy moments and really set the tone. You knew immediately that this wasn't your standard Thai BL. I wasn't particularly fond of the opening theme song, but i loved the rest of the soundtrack. In fact, Ford Arun's "Tomorrow" is playing on a loop while I'm writing this. The PPL was very apparent, but as it was mostly centered around a cat, I found myself not minding it at all. In essence, the cuteness on the screen made up for the abruptness in my eyes.

The drama was immensely different than first presented to us in the pilot and final trailers. The main difference is perhaps the one that I can't mention here because of spoilers, but I ultimately liked this "deception" as it really calls the audience out on seeing everything in black-and-white before they have all the information. The other one, I didn't mind as well, but I know others definitely did: this drama is not spicy. It's just not. There's considerable tension, but it only really comes to a head in that first episode.

I found myself not into Earth's performance here. Not because of age, like so many others have pointed out (but yes, it seemed like the script kept mentioning Jim's age in order to keep reminding us since he did not have the look or give off the vibe that the character was apparently supposed to have), but rather because he didn't draw me in. There's reserved (like what the character is supposed to be), and then there's awkward. And Earth seemed to fluctuate between those two on a regular basis. I wasn't convinced that the character was feeling all the emotions he supposedly was. It wasn't there in his eyes, body language, or demeanor. I mean, the scenes still went off well, but I suspect it was in large part due to the more emotive actors on the screen with him. I was really hoping to see more from him in this drama, as he seemed to have been doing much better at emoting with his eyes and expressions in "Cupid's Last Wish."

Also, I find it rather ironic that, considering the message about Heart preferring international movies because of the lack of subtitles, we didn't have subtitles for the sign language. You can largely get it through context, especially as other characters will often respond verbally along with their sign. But in the latter episodes, as we get more prolonged use of sign language without spoken language, the absence of subtitles was extremely evident.

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Something different coming out of GMMTV

Many series that come out of GMMTV fall into the same tropes, conflicts, and story-telling, so I found Moonlight Chicken to be really refreshing.

To start off I really loved the setting. I was happy to see a story featuring the struggles of low income families. This show highlighted Thai culture and current events. I enjoyed the emphasis on family relationships. The dynamic between Gaipa and his mother was so precious, along with the development between Jim, Li Ming, and Jam. I also loved Leng and Praew. Overall the characters were diverse and interesting.

When it comes to relationships, I absolutely loved Heart and Li Ming. Fourth and Gemini did really well in their respective roles, and I was happy to have a Deaf character. They put lots of attention towards Deaf culture, and though it wasn’t perfect, it was 1000x better than most of the stuff I’ve seen. Fourth played the perfect moody teenager while also keeping the sweetness of youth. Heart was also interesting, and their relationship definitely was the perfect coupling to go with the rest of the story.

I thought Earth and Mix did really well with their roles. This show has shown how much they have both grown as actors. I could tell what they were thinking just through their expressions and actions, though this is also due to having a solid script and good director.
I don’t have many complaints with the casting for Jim. Despite Earth not being able to pull off being any older than 35, he was able to communicate the character well. Maybe Jim has just applied daily sunscreen since a young age. Wen was the perfect foil for Jim, and I liked how Wen was able to be the bridge between Jim and Li Ming.
Wen and Jim’s relationship didn’t strike me as anything special, and the pacing of their relationship felt a beat off. I think that Wen really carried the interest in their relationship, and Jim was a little on the boring side. I hardly care because their chemistry was through the roof.

There are some aspects that I feel could have been improved. After watching the trailer, I was fully expecting a cheating story and relationships full of adult problems. Though personally I don’t care that this plot was likely cut out to appeal to a larger audience, my main problem with it was that it sidelined First and Khaotung’s characters. Khaotung’s character suffered lesser consequences from this, and I absolutely loved him as Gaipa. I liked Alan, but I was a little underwhelmed at times. He had good moments towards the end of the series, but he was brought in too late.
The pacing was slightly off as some tensions were resolved too early, and some conflicts were brought in too late.

The production was better than your average GMMTV series, and I appreciated how they put effort into making the show look good and have an atmosphere. I thought the first episode was lovely, but the quality started to falter at times throughout the rest of the series. Some scenes looked amazing, but some were too dark. I thought the soundtrack was much better than usual, and far less repetitive than some other shows. Now GMMTV has a tendency to have really crappy mics and sound-mixing (looking at you The Eclipse..). This show was better than usual, but not perfect. Also I wish they had subtitles for the signing.

Overall a good watch, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

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Not a BL; Thai best slice of life gay series

Before you start watching Moonlight Chicken, I would recommend you to not watch this series as a companion while you do something else: be it eating, chores, dishes, or working. This could be counted as a short/mini one with total only 8 episodes, so the pace is a bit fast, and not everything is pictured in actual scenes. You have to take a proper look on the background to understand the time, you need to listen to every dialogues to catch up of things that didn't show between scenes to connect the dots. Doing this might make you overthink and overanalyze, but believe me, that would be much better than questioning everything as every frame and every lines are too beautiful and important to be missed.

I would not count Moonlight Chicken as a BL, but this series is an actual realistic matured gay drama. A very human drama.
This series brings us a real struggle of life: connection between family, insecurities, grief, coming of age, society, acceptance and how to let go.

I personally love at how this series show how hard your surrounding to accept you being gay; unlike other BL series where people would ignore it is a same-sex relationships and treat it the same way like hetero couples. Reality doesn't like that. I also love, really really love at how this series portray the generation gap between Jim and Wen through their talk: of how they see how the society would treat them, gay community.

You would also find everyone here are here for a reason. BL series tend to have everyone in the story like boys for the sake of fan-service despite how unrealistic it is to have everyone around you are gay (the famous BL logic), yet here, all the characters are just happened to be there to complete the story.

This series is also very subtle with everything.
Like what I mentioned above, not everything is pictured in actual scenes. And yet, everthing hold much more meanings behind it. There are lines that actually implied of other things and if you remember the lines the said character mentioned couple episodes ago, it is all would had more meaning—deeper meaning. This subtleness is my favorite, because somehow show how Asia this is.

Everything in this series is perfect, but if I need to list things GMMTV could improve, it is their sound/voice recording. There are some parts where the sound is annoying, even so I still find them acceptable since all other components that make this story is beyond my expectations.

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