“Lovely Writer” seems like a good way for me to peek into the world of Thai BL dramas and novels. I am not sure how much truth is in this drama, but if it’s exaggerated for the sake of entertainment, the truth doesn’t seem too far behind.

Is the drama’s intention to poke fun at the industry or to show us what it’s like? Either way, it’s an interesting topic and the main reason why I choose to watch it. I had a lot of fun watching the first few episodes when the drama was focusing on casting and filming some of the scenes. I actually would have loved to see more behind-the-scenes of the BL drama industry. Instead, I think we got more about the pressure of selling sex in novels.

This is a pretty good-looking cast, just like ‘Bad Engineers’, the BL drama in “Lovely Writer”. Kao N. who plays Nubsib is definitely good-looking. I also found Tum and Mhok quite attractive. Aoey might be a handsome guy but his character makes him very unattractive. I find Gene to be ok looking.

But when it comes to acting, it’s just so-so and inconsistent. It’s not the worst I’ve seen in a BL drama, but definitely not the best. The cast is still quite young and inexperienced, and most of them only had a few dramas under their belt. I think out of the group, Up might be the most consistent and he plays the introverted and awkward Gene pretty well.. Kao (Nubsib) had a rocky start but got better towards the latter half of the drama.

I also find the pacing of the drama very slow. There are some episodes I have to watch at 1.25x speed because it takes forever for the cast to spit out a sentence or it spends too much time using slow-motion to have the characters look around or contemplate. I also don’t think we need to watch Aoey cry for 5-10 minutes on multiple occasions, which led to my dislike of the character even more. I was waiting for the romance to develop faster, so that I can see more of their relationship challenges navigating the entertainment industry as a couple. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until towards the end of the drama.

Overall, I do enjoy the romance between Gene and Sib and their backstory (though a little unrealistic). I think their contrasting personalities make for a fun watch. They really didn’t do much and are very domesticated. I think that’s also part of their charm and I do like their scenes together at home. They have great chemistry and have very believable and nice kisses (not forced, not overly R-rated, but just right for the moment). The concept of the reconciliation is nice, but I don’t think it’s executed well and is too short. On the other hand, I dislike the romance between the two managers. I think they are fillers and don’t add anything to the drama at all. If you cut out their romance, nothing will be affected.

Overall, I had a great time watching this due to the subject matter. I am not sure how this drama was received in Thailand during its airing. I wish BL fans can separate real life actors vs characters in a drama. These aggressive fans shipping is really toxic.


Other Random Observations:
1. My first Thai drama seeing two meals of Korean food (BBQ and home-cooked tteokbokki) and a Japanese tea ceremony.
2. Everyone is so rich. Such nice apartments and big houses.
3. I can never get used to the aggressive product placements in Thai BL dramas - drinks, facial masks, cosmetics, breath freshener, dental hygiene products, sunscreen, etc.
4. I am not liking the weird fairytale endings. They might be fun, but they are fillers to me.


Completed: 11/6/2022