'This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans' is a series set in a famous restaurant in Bangkok, owned by chef Oab, which seeks to entertain and also take the viewer on a journey full of love, friendship, self-discovery, acceptance, rivalry between competitors of a cooking contest and rich aroma of sautéed basil.
It is a story in the tone of a romantic comedy that unfolds through the eyes of Plawan, a young man eager to find his place in the world, influencer in financial trouble and model lover of pad kaprao, a typical Thai dish, which, for one high sum of money, he must fulfill the secret mission of infiltrating the competitors of a cooking contest to become the successor of the restaurant owner, a serious and severe-looking chef, with great culinary skills, who will make the protagonist go crazy with love when he smells the aroma of sautéed basil that permeates his clothes and his body.
On his journey, Plawan will discover his first love, while exposing himself to harsh criticism from the chef for not having culinary skills, and tries to pretend to be the person he is not to fulfill a hidden agenda: win the contest and then give the restaurant to Methas (Benz Atthanin Thaninpanuvivat), a rich businessman who dreams of destroying the premises and turning the place into a shopping center area.
Meeting the chef will shake up the life of this young man who discovers, among plates, pans, stoves and a basil patch on the restaurant's roof, a melting pot of unique and diverse characters, who will become part of his chosen family.
For its part, the rigid and perfect world of the perfectionist Oab, a strict chef and not prone to banality and nonsense, is turned upside down from the moment Plawan bursts into his life. This is how you will also find out your true sexual preferences.
This is a solid project, since on the one hand there is the web novel "No Beans and Love Me More", by Ninepinta, which I think tells a beautiful love story, and on the other hand there is the direction of Nui Suttasit, a great director who has participated in several LGBT+ projects, such as the famous anthology 'Club Friday', since his debut behind the camera in 2012, precisely with the film of the same name.
In 'This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans', Nui Suttasit preserves several of the distinctive features of her authorial work, while constructing a story worthy of her legacy. The series resembles other works in the career of prolific creators, while presenting echoes of their previous filmography.
Perhaps the most pronounced similarity is with 'Bangkok Love Stories 2: Innocence', his most popular and well-known series in the West, due to the dramatic structure and the movement towards a fantasy and dream world starring homosexual or presumably heterosexual characters who discover their true nature. sexuality.
However, the reverberations are not limited to this, and the director's usual concerns are added to the series' discourse, such as self-discovery, acceptance, coming out, multiple partners, friendship, family, best friend relationships, love triangles, work environment, workplace romance, heir male protagonists, social networks, cooking, multiple courses of food, the clash between tradition and modernity, usually from the adaptation of novels, another distinctive feature of his work.
All added to the unmistakable sound of the soundtrack composed by Chachamon Thunyaon, and which includes titles such as "Stop", "You Fill My Heart" and "Let Me Say".
The director, who throughout his career has had very diverse characters, in the case of the series wanted to approach it with respect and a gender perspective, with a lot of love and without caricaturing. Knowing that each work has part of its creator, and that it is a famous novel that he would adapt, he foresaw at all times needing the series to appeal to a large audience, which is why it is filmed in an attractive way and with a lot of music and excellent photography to show an attractive story for the characters.
The screenwriters have extensive experience in the BL universe, writing scripts that would later be brought to the screen. 'Pit Babe' is one of the series written by Kanokphan Ornrattanasakul ('Catch Me Baby', 'Dead Friend Forever – DFF''); Issaraporn Kuntisuk (Dead Friend Forever – DFF', 'Be My Favorite'), and Fleur Irene Insot, who now join forces again not only to design the characters, build conflicts and a dramatic progression of the series 'This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans', but also to return to the public some of the members of that 2023 drama starring Pavel Naret Promphaopun and Pooh Krittin Kitjaruwannakul.
The way of playing with the nostalgia and tenderness of first love is a success in the narrative line that is created, showing adequate doses of realism and viscerality. The director is correct in the construction of the script and complies with what was planned, an element that could end up attracting the public after viewing it.
The cast is made up of talented actors and actresses, several of them already with experience playing LGBT+ characters.
Pon Thanapon Aiemkumchai stars in the series as Plawan, one of the actors who already have experience in productions of this theme and genre. The actor made his acting debut playing Bay, the main character of the BL series 'The Moment', in 2020, which was followed by its second part: 'The Moment Since'. He would then participate in the two seasons of 'Gen Y', in 'Make a Wish', and in the drama 'Pit Babe', in 2023.
There, his character, Jeff, explores his sexuality alongside Alan, the owner of the race track and sports car repair shop, a character played by Sailub Hemmawich Kwanamphaiphan, an actor who in 'This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans' assumes the role of Oab. This actor is natural in front of the camera, which creates a hypnotic effect on the viewer. Furthermore, he knows how to perfectly use the intensity of expressiveness, which makes him one of the best performances in Thai drama.
Thanapon Aiemkumchai draws a protagonist in whom an interesting emotional web is woven once he discovers his sexuality. His role in the series is fundamental, since the greatest dramatic burden falls on him. In this way, the actor takes advantage of non-verbal expressiveness, showing the chiaroscuros that run through the nature of his character.
In addition, he has that sordid touch for having agreed to compete in a contest for money, knowing in advance that Oab expels from the event anyone committed to whom he wishes to use the restaurant grounds for something so foreign to his dreams. This gives his character some edges, which are highlighted and developed in the script.
In a way, his character can remember other performances he has given throughout his career, which is why it gives a remarkable result.
In the midst of their personal experiences, Auto (Lee Asre Watthanayakul), Pansib (Tiger Tanawat Hudchaleelaha), and Kluea (Aon Kasama Khamtanit), the other three finalist competitors, experience the friendship and love of the protagonists. The youthful cast offers freshness and vitality to the series.
Nubnueng (Michael Kiettisak Vatanavitsakul), Oab's friend, will always be at his side with the most accurate advice, while Khaosuay (Belle Jiratchaya Kittavornsakul), the chef's ex-girlfriend, will return from abroad and test the budding romance between Plawan and Oab.
Separate paragraph for two attractive actors with great potential: Garfield Pantach Kankham, who takes on the role of JJ, a young physiotherapist friend of Plawan, and Benz Atthanin Thaninpanuvivat, the actor who plays Methas. Both will make up a beautiful couple in the process of being built when the first has to go to treat a sprained ankle suffered by the rich businessman. Both are ready to become a ship that stars in numerous BL series.
Garfield, who in 'Pit Babe' takes on the role of Kenta, is remembered for his debut as a protagonist in the 2017 series 'D'Cup', also with an LGBT+ theme, as well as his role as Top in 'Dew the Movie', from 2019, a feature film in which he plays Lew's boyfriend. Fans of this actor remember him for his work in the acclaimed series 'I Promised You the Moon'.
For his part, Benz Atthanin Thaninpanuvivat, who played Kim in 'Pit Babe', is followed by a large audience after his leading role as Praram (Pralak) in the BL drama 'En of Love: This Is Love Story' , from 2020, without forgetting that his acting debut takes place in another series of this genre, 'Theory of Love', the popular audiovisual of 2019, starring Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat and Off Jumpol Adulkittiporn.
Ingenious, elegant, the series shows great care in each scene, allowing us to easily forget some of its inevitable clichés.
The technical realization follows the patterns of the BL genre series, but from a dynamic that has no intention of innovating, but rather of offering a visually attractive product. The photographic direction does not make any mistakes and there is creativity and visual quality in this section. The artistic direction stands out for its successes.
Another audiovisual parameter that stands out is the use of color. A sensitivity can be seen in the choice of the visual palette and what it conveys to the public. On the other hand, the editing of the series follows a conventional system, supported by flashbacks, which has a remarkable finish.
In summary, 'This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans' is a series that starts from an interesting base with potential, and gains in intensity as the episodes go by and delves deeper into the narrative construction of its story.