The Shipper (2020)

A Moral Lesson Disguised as A Nonsensical Comedy

Throughout the first half of the show I did not take this drama seriously which is probably why I’m so shocked by the past two episodes. There was always this darkness looming in the background but the tone and cinematography of the series always made me ignore it. Why would anyone take this nonsensical series full of weird characters and dialogue seriously? By the fifth episode I just gave up on trying to wrap my head around the plot; I would just sit back and enjoy myself.

All things considered I did enjoy myself. I really enjoyed the humor, most of the characters, OST, and cinematography. That’s why I’m simply not going to give it a low rating because i was unsatisfied with the final episode.

The series is about two high school students, Pan and Soda, who writes BL fiction about their Ship. The Ship consists of Way who is the resident bad boy with a record but is balanced out by Kim. Kim is the ‘perfect’ top student at school but as the episodes progress we find out that he’s not as ‘perfect’ as every one thinks. That’s not to say that he’s this horrible person but he’s human. Like every other character he makes mistakes and is flawed. Another important character is Kim’s younger brother (and is crushing on Pan) Khet.

Without going too much into the plot Kim and Pan switches bodies after a near fatal accident. The problem is that only Pan wakes up in Kim’s body but he doesn’t. The twelve episodes follow Pan as she struggles to keep the secret hidden and find her way back to her original body. Throughout this journey she, and the audience, are taught lessons. We are taught how toxic shipping real life people can be, you can’t judge anyone by its cover, people can make mistakes without becoming a villain, life is short, etc. There was so many moral lessons that were hidden behind the comedy and I have to give them kudos for it. I feel like a lot of the lessons were relevant but I can understand why a huge proportion of the audience will be upset by the ending.

I don’t want to go over ever little plot point but I do want to address a few things. Keep these in mind if you ever decide to watch it because the way it’s framed (the synopsis/first few episodes/poster) you could be mislead. Not all of these things I’m going to address is bad but I believe still should be mentioned. Obviously there is going to be plenty of spoilers mentioned so if you don’t want to see them refrain from reading below.

The most important thing to remember is that this is NOT a BL. The series wants you to believe that the main characters are Kim and Way but they are just the supporting cast. Pan and Khet are actually the main characters. There is nothing wrong with that but it’s understandable why people would be upset about the back and forth. I pretty much assumed Pan and Soda was just reading too much into their relationship and that the big lesson we would learn is that ‘we shouldn’t push feelings on people’ but...I was wrong. Kim and Way has genuine feelings for each other. Even when Pan is in Kim’s body the drama makes that fact known. It was so refreshing even if I feel like these two characters go the short end of the stick.

There are also incest undertones. I repeat there are incest undertones that happened way too frequently. It’s obvious that things would get weird when your crush is in your brothers body but I feel like the series went too far. I blame this on First and Ohm’s amazing chemistry though. Actually, every character on this show can be shipped together hence the title. If these types of plot lines makes you uncomfortable than you might want to avoid the show. It might be Pan’s soul but it’s still Kim’s body. That’s something that was kind of addressed in the show but pushed aside too: free will and consent. Either way all these characters will need to undergo lots of therapy because the events that take place in this show can scar you for life.

I’m trying to not list every bad aspect of the show because it was enjoyable but the reason it won’t get a higher reason is because of the ending and incest undertones. I just feel really let down. Should I, though? Feel let down? Is it my fault for never taking it seriously or is it just poor writing? There was such a sudden shift in the last two episodes that I feel whiplashed.

So...is this drama worth it? Maybe. I’m not sure. I do want to say that my complaints solely are because of the plot. The cast did a fantastic job and they deserve praise. Especially First (Kim) and Prigkhing (Pan) but all the cast did a phenomenal job. It’s not easy for First to play two distinct character, one of them he even has the mannerisms and nonverbal cues that Prigkhing has as Pan. The cast is a big factor on why I never gave this series up and why it still has a special place in my heart despite how messy the plot is. The OST and cinematography deserves a special mention too. Basically I feel like this stellar cast went to waste. If the writing wouldn’t of been so inconsistent and the ending so jarring I would give it a higher rating but because there is no chance of a second season (which means the characters with unresolved endings will stay unresolved) I can only give it a 6.5.

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The last episode.

I was skeptical to watch this series solely because I watched the teaser at the beginning of the year and I didn't really like it. But then it started airing and about 8 episodes in I started to watch. At first i really enjoyed watching it, there were some weird things, but then other things started to make me uncomfortable, but I kept pushing because I really missed seeing Ohm and it wasn't THAT bad. It honestly got really good and by episode 9 I was defending the series to my friend who didn't watch it. But then....

The last episode happened.
I think I blame everything on this episode because this is the episode I decided I would not let anything that made me uncomfortable before in the series slide, and that's because there's only so much one can turn a blind eye on. This episode really disappointed me.

From the start we have a really heartwarming scene in which FINALLY Pan comes clean to Way about everything and for a moment Kim (yes the real Kim) can have a (long overdue) conversation with Way. At this point I was really happy because I've been wanting Way and Kim to confess to each other and see them be happy together eventually and this scene finally felt like a step towards that.

Kim's death was really unnecessary in my eyes. I think it could have been handled differently or if GMMTV really wanted to add something unexpected for the shock value, I think they could've done something different and something not as obsolete and harmful as it is the tragedy element in every other lgbtq+ type media. I think with Kim dying, they took away a lot of the good things the series had going for it. For example the scene at the beginning of the episode, it was truly heartwarming, but with Kim really dying in the end, I feel like it takes something special from the scene, yes it makes the scene more sad and hard to watch if you already know what happens, but that sad feeling shouldn't be a replacement for the genuine emotions of love and affection that they shared. Way and Kim deserved to be happy together after going through SO MUCH to realize the depth of their own feelings and then confessing said feelings to each other.

Now that whole Khett and Kim kiss thing... I really don't think was necessary either. It made things weird, because yes, even though it's not REALLY Kim in his body, it's still an avoidable situation. All Pan needed was a kiss from a person who loved her, my first thought when I heard this, was that Soda should do it, because further demonstrates how much affection Pan and Soda have for each other. Even if it's just platonic, love is love.

Although seeing OffGun made me happy and seeing Ohm dance in the credits made me smile I don't think these two things are enough to save the rest of the episode. Kudos to fluke for making me love Way so much and feel what Way was feeling all throughout the series, I think he did a really good job of conveying Way's feelings and inner turmoil, the last episode was really hard to watch because every time I saw Way I burst out ugly crying (heaving and all). I'm giving this a 3/10 and I'm being GENEROUS. I'm only giving a rating this high for Ohm (who I blame for getting me into this mess), Jennie, First and Fluke.

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One of The Best BL Series Ever

This isn't your typical BL series. [Almost] no fan service, great plot, a lot of life lessons. You'll find it's beauty if you don't have such beliefs about the plot. Just enjoy the series and learn the lessons.
I wrote about beliefs because some people seem to have such beliefs-that one of the gay characters was died because of hate towards gay people. I don't think so. A story is just a story, whether the characters are dead or alive. I don't see any part hinting hate towards gay. This is just a BL-themed story, with a lot of life lessons.
The acting is great, I just thought that some scenes can be carried out a little bit better. This series is one of my favorite series when it comes to the acting, along with "Love Theory" and "The Effect". If you know those series, well, the acting in this series is as good as those series, I think.
The music is good, they executed the bgm properly... This is definitely not a cheap series. The artwork, the music, the acting, the plot, etc... They're great.
Rewatch value? Hmm, I'm not the type of person who rewatch a series-not even a movie. But if I'm the kind of person who rewatch my favorite series, I think I will gladly recommend this series to my friends and watch them together.
Overall, this is a great series for the ones who love life lessons through entertainment and don't expect a happy ending. The ending is kinda bittersweet, and I don't mind it. We see a lot of bittersweet "stories" in real life anyway.

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Don't read reviews, justwatch it

There are only a couple of things you need to know.

1. This is not a BL (not really at least)
2. You will laugh a lot if you watch it
3. The last two episodes are incredibly moving, I cried and I don't cry easily
4. It is a brilliantly written, acted, produced drama, the cast is brilliant across the board

5. Just watch it and form your own opinion.

If you watch it you will be treated to a thought provoking story with incredibly likeable main cast members, they all get their moments to shine, a great storyline, that never feels rushed yet also never gets boring or bogged down and you will laugh and you will cry. Is there anything more you can ask of any drama?

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This show is so UNDERRATED

Just finished watching the last episode and actually I never wrote any reviews before, but i think i have to write one for this series!

At first, I thought this series would be BL series with comedy and light story but turns out it's more than that!! The story not focuses on BL relationship though (if that's what you're looking for) but trust me guys it's a lot better and you won't be disappointed! It taught me a lot of life lessons and of course all the actor is good looking too so you can enjoy the show better hehe. The ending is totally not like what i expected before but it's still okay! It's not bad, but if you want a perfect happy ending then this one not gonna make you satisfied.

First's act on this series is superb! He can perfectly act as if Pan's in his body and make me believe that there's a girl inside of him for real. His act on emotional scene made me cry a lot too? and don't forget his iconic "EEHHH???"???? Good job First!!

Ohm's act on this series is good too + he's totally an eye candy in this series, i can't stop looking at him, he's so cuteee? I totally fell for him after this series.

Other casts act is pretty good too even though some was still awkward but it's not too cringey or anything (except the teacher).

The director and writer doing a good job with this series? Definitely gonna rewatch this in the future.

P.S I hope there's season 2!!

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Getting Better With Each New Episode...

Watched the trailer a few weeks back and it didn't really interest me because it was not an actual BL, but rather a fake one with the body-switching plot. After seeing the bad reviews for the first episode, it only confirmed that not watching this series was okay. However, seeing all the positive reviews after the second episode and the raves for Ohm, who is the best BL actor at the moment (in my opinion) and my favourite BL actor (due to the stunning He's Coming To Me), I decided to give it a try.

Not bad at all. It's pretty ridiculous, but actually pretty interesting too so far. You wonder how the story will play out. It reminds me a bit of Your Name with its gender/body swapping storyline. I do find the character of Pan really annoying though, but maybe she'll grow on me. And I wonder what purpose the body-swapping will serve in the end? Will it allow Pan to really get to know Way and fall in love with him? Will it give her the opportunity to discover feelings for Khet? Does Khet know that Kim is actually Pan? I think he does and will use it as an opportunity to get close to her. Will the body-swapping end sometime? Will the God of Death know how to switch back the bodies? Does she actually know but pretend to not know to give Pan the opportunity to find love for herself? The God of Death does know everything about Kim (his classmates, etc), so shouldn't she know how to switch back bodies?

On a side note, I really like the cinematography. Very bright and colourful! And the high production value! Why can't a BL get this level of production value? Hopefully, with the huge success of 2gether and the explosion of the BL genre, GMMTV and other studios will put more money into BL productions.

On a different side note, Ohm is so attractive! He really ages like fine wine! Ugh! I hope that he will have more screen time in future episodes. Apparently, he was paired with Prigkhing before (in Blacklist) too. Hopefully, that pairing won't be permanent and he will get a BL pair in the future! He deserves all the fame and success of other established GMMTV BL couples!

Disappointed with Episode 3 after the fantastic episode 2. Felt like the episode dragged as nothing really happened until the end where Way's image was redeemed in Pan's eyes and a girlfriend for Kim was introduced. Ohm needs more screen time to be honest also.

Episode 4 was good. Not as good as Episode 2, but better than Episode 3 for sure. It was nice being the brotherly relationships between Kim and Khet develop, though Khet should know that Kim is actually Pan from all the clues and eavesdropping on the bathroom conversation. It's like he forgot about that. Anyways, I enjoyed the Ohm content in this week's episode. Hopefully, he will continue to have more screen time. On a side note, this series doesn't seem like a BL so far, which I am fine with as long as the story is good. However, the series was marketed as a BL though, so that's kinda low for GMMTV.

Episode 5 was meh. This series is losing steam fast as nothing in the episode amounted to anything, other than the end where it is revealed that Way has always liked Kim. On a side note, I'm not sure why the teacher has copies of all these exams and even copies of national exams. She should only have copies of her own exams for the classes that she teaches, unless she is like the vice-principal or principal, which she isn't. Anyways, it is nice to see that The Shipper is actually a BL (not just marketed as a BL). I am interested in seeing where the story goes from here though I am a bit bored of the body-switching plot. Can they just switch back and Way confess his feelings for Kim?

Episode 6 was quite good! The suspense has been amped up as Khet realizes that he has feelings for P'Kim and P'Kim confesses that he is actually Pan. I am actually quite excited for the next episode and to see where this new revelation takes the characters and their stories!

Episode 7 was also quite good as the story progresses and the possibilities of different ships sails. Loved the ending where Pan goes back to her real body and can't wait to see where the story takes us!

Episode 8 was meh. Even though Pan returned to her body, the story barely made any progress and the series opted for storylines that don't make sense like Off trying to injure Way with a knife or Phingphing asking Off to injure Kim.

Episode 9 was also quite uneventful, other than the ending where Way confesses his feelings for Kim. Finally, some actual BL content! Hopefully, Pan can stop being annoying and selfish & get the eff out of Kim's body so that we can have an actual BL relationship in the series. Like she had the audacity to tell Khet to step aside so that she can pursue a relationship with Way when she is literally in Kim's body. Ugh. On a side note, about the preview for the next episode, why would telling Way that Kim cheats do anything? Way gets in trouble a lot and he was in a gang. Why would be give a f*ck if Kim cheats?

Episode 10 was okay, but can Pan get the f*ck out of Kim's body? Yesh! I'm so annoyed with her trying to manipulate Kim and Way's relationship, something that she shouldn't even be doing in the first place. Like who does she think she is thinking that Way is too good for Kim and that Kim doesn't deserve Way. Ugh. Who gives a sh*t if Kim cheats? A LOT of people cheat. I'm sure that even people in medical school cheat. And the exams are all memorization anyways. They're a game. Not a true measure of intelligence or potential. I truly hope that in the next episode, that Pan and Kim will go back to their bodies. I'm so tired of Pan being in Kim's body. I just want Kim and Way to be together.

Episode 11! WTF! What a shocking, depressing twist. I was not expecting Kim's soul to die at all, especially since this series is so shiny, happy and colorful! What a slap in the face! I care really care less about Pan. Why couldn't Pan trade her life for Kim? The body-switching is already quite far-fetched. I doubt that sacrificing one life for another is impossible in this world. And there's only one episode left! :'( Doesn't seem like there'll be a happy ending for Way and Kim...

Episode 12 (the final episode) was kinda meh. It was nice to see Kim and Way have an actual farewell, but still annoyed that Kim died. I did not like how we were queer-baited when this series was clearly not a BL at all. Very miffed about that. The series did end with a cliffhanger though when a voice called out to Kim, who was in heaven, that there was a proposal for him (to possibly inhabit another body maybe or to reincarnate). Will there be a sequel? I do truly hope for one so that Kim and Way can actually end up together.

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It’s not entirely a BL but a worthy watch

I’ve watched many a BL at this point and this is the first series I’ve felt compelled to write a review about. Not that it is supreme BL, it’s not even entirely a BL at that, but there is a heavy misconception about the series that has dissuaded most (even me at first) from watching it.

People feel cheated that the male lead dies and doesn’t actually end up with the guy. Regardless of that fact, they do establish that Way and Kim did actually have feelings and love one another. I was shocked that such a light-hearted series had such a sad ending and I honestly cried the entire last episode, but I think the message was very charming and worth the tears.

The message of this series is self-worth and love and I truly think it’s targeted at shippers and BL lovers who obsessed with ships. We know these people because any series that have even a BL side plot, you’ll see comments of those who skip the rest of the series just to watch the BL parts of the episodes. “I’m only here for OffGun” etc.

I encourage those interested in this series to watch it and watch it entirely, it is a very good story with an excellent cast. Although it is not entirely a BL, there is something very endearing about the BL plot that it has. It’s hetero ships, and friendships, are also just as endearing and important.

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Cute and fluffy with some spice

I'm kind of all over the place with my thoughts on this series, but right now it's a solid 8. I was originally skeptical to watch this because I don't really like the idea of a body swap, but it actually turned out to be really cute and funny. They thew in some spice and it took a couple of unexpected turns, but overall not bad. I didn't expect too much (there wasn't that much hype) so I was really surprised!

STORY:
I didn't love the story (yes because of the whole body-swap thing) BUT the characters were amazing. The characters each had different personalities and realistic character flaws that really hit my emotions. There were so many twists and turns that I was kept on edge.

ACTING:
Probably the best part of the show. First, Ohm, and Fluke did an amazing job with these characters and I am honestly such a fan of Ohm now. These guys, and the rest of the cast, had me in tears so often. I work with actors all the time (I work in theatre and the arts, so I'm around actors A LOT) and most of the time I just straight up see past everything and take actors as, well, actors... and not characters (it totally kills some tv shows and movies for me) but I got so into the story and acting that I wasn't looking at ohm or fluke as an actor but as the actual character and it just had me hooked on the show.

MUSIC;
The OST was beautiful. y'all can disagree all you want but they knew when to play the sad music and when to play the happy music and I was in tears.

ENDING:
Definitely bittersweet and, again, unexpected. I like how it ended, though it just made the show feel kind of...extra? I don't really know how to put it but there's a whole moral lesson that went along with it, but the ending had me questioning the whole point of everything that had happened before. Overall, I like it and was happy with how it ended.

OVERALL, It's good. Ignore the fact that its lowkey not a bl, (but it some ways it was so don't let that throw you off), and if your cool with the hets then you'll be. It's funny, unexpected, and generally just a fluffy series.

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Great acting, BL click bait

Summary: Fluke, First and Ohm's acting was on point, the story ended up being BL click bait. Watch only if you don't mind a bad, sad ending.
Review in a little more detail: I was watching The Shipper from the beginning almost hoping against hope and against my better judgement. It seemed like they were trying to reel in the BL audience (and thus hold hostage my love for BLs) without actually delivering a BL story. But I kept watching because of First's acting, followed by Fluke's and Ohm's. The story too, in the first few episodes seemed to be a good metaphor, as the lead came to know the perils of being a shipper and got a reality shock. Beginning of ending spolier.

But all the learning and cute in the world can't justify a sad ending. P'Kim (First's character and part of the only BL couple of WayKim) died for no good reason that I could see, except a come out of the blue plot of 'living for today' which as a theme only made its appearance in the last 5 min of the series. Stupid, pointlessly angsty, and, as far as I'm concerned, total BL click bait.

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Tragedy of nonsens.

Well, I was looking for some Thai series to watch. The best way to change your mind. And I was really hiped by the athosphere, i found characters really charismatics. There was a way to do something very nice. But it didn't meet my excpectations.

First, overall story has no logic. It was supposed to be a body swap but why only one did it ? "Kim soul was lost"... So we were legitimately expecting him to come back at some point. But no, it will never happen, so all this time we were sent in a wrong track.

Plus, it's terribly frustrating to never see the real Kim interract. Why don't make them BOTH experience the bodyswap and eventually make the "one has to die" ? Everybody would have cut his crap HIMSELF and would have say goodbye, could've been great. I have nothing against sad ends if it's justified, well brought. Or, at least, it's my opinion, but maybe they should've declare him dead since the begining : there it would've been a real assumed choice.

And, finally, what was the moral ? For HIStory3: Make Our Days Count, even if i didn't really like how they did (all of a sudden, like this... If you skip some scenes like me you didn't even understand that someone is ded), at least there was a moral, it was in the title. But here, what did it brought to the plot ? Overall, I did not really understand what they wanted to do, what was their project with this series. It reminded me some crappy Chinese BL drama where they were forced to do bad endings, so first episodes are normal and bad news come from nowhere at the end, making the overall WTF and totally absurd. Like "wtf did i just watch ? Was it the same series ?"

So, finally, it was kinda a waste because i found the acting really great, really convincing. But it doesn't make up for all this.

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this is not a bl, but it may be better than that

this is the story about pan, who after an accidents, ends up in kim's body. this drama is about her learning about kim's life through his eyes, while trying to go back to her body. that's it, she is the protagonist. I see a lot of people confused (myself included) about the lack of gay romance? but I don't think that is a reason for you to drop it.

note: I will refer to the main character, pan, as a her, even though she spends most of the time trapped in kim's (a male) body.

I wouldn't consider romance the main theme of this drama. for the most part, it is a comedy, with an overall innocent vibe and a hint of supernatural. the characters are around 15-17 years old? so I would say that's the target audience, but it's pretty enjoyable for everyone.

this series actually reminds me a lot of a shoujo anime, especially on how the ending song is very telling on how the story evolves. the first one is a very cutesy fun song, I actually really love it and it goes perfectly with the credits screen animation and the cartoon-like edition and mood. the second one is more like what we're used to see in dramas, kind of a romantic but melancholic feeling I would say? this is one of the few dramas that has made me put that much attention to the music.

I want to highlight ohm pawat's character here. he starts as a side character, but as the story progresses, you realize he's kind of the mediator between the characters, and has a very touching plot of his own. that is if you decide to block from your mind the part about him being in love with his brother? i know i did, i almost forgot about it until everyone else brough it up. i wanted to think about it more like "the beauty inside"-ish, where he can see the real person behind the appearance... buit still thats his brother body wtf. that aside, i think ohm's performance is the stand out.

lastly, I think it's important to point a few problematic things that may cause discomfort for some people:
(spoiler/tw: sexualization of underage kids)

around episode five, we discover that one of the characters is having an affair with a professor. they play it out like it's a joke or that said character is being "manipulative", but let me remind you that these characters are all under age. apparently, there were complains about it, because starting from ep.6 they include a disclaimer addressing it.
another thing is that on ep.3 we see a scene on the boys' locker room, where they all share an intimate video of a classmate, taken in secret (they make that very clear) and of course shared without consent. this is portrayed as a funny skit on how the boys behave different from the girls. again, they're all 15 years old.

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Good Enough

" The shipper " was a really messy drama. It blended genres, characters, moods, and relationships in a crazy blend of fun and tragedy.

The first part was more comic, with some mystery when it came to Kim and his real life. The whole 'shipper' plotline was fun to watch as well and it was a nice touch. The plot was slowly built as well. However, it was obvious from the start that the whole thing was too complicated. Each episode messed things up and kind of erased everything that had happened in the past episodes. Episode 11 almost made me drop the drama, but they soon fixed things up, fortunately. The ending was bitter sweet, but that act, in the end, was cute. Also, it was left to be assumed that there might be a second season... (?)

Now, for the characters, some of them were annoying (like that girlfriend), even Kim was a bit endearing at times. But, overall, the couples had chemistry and they were interesting.

As for the cinematography, the creators did a good job with the comedy element, without overdoing it with the over the top scenes. The OST was cute too.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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