KinnPorsche (2022)

Un très bon effort qui rebat les cartes du BL

J’ai hésité à écrire un commentaire sur KinnPorsche, parce qu'au vu de la notoriété et de l’hystérie autour de cette série, d’ici à ce que je termine de le rédiger il y aura au moins 1302 critiques sur ce site et mon avis n’apportera pas forcément de nouveauté, si ce n’est de nuancer les 1298 notes «10» légèrement exagérées, et les quatre notes «3» des gros déçus du fan-club «Ils ont changé des trucs par rapport au bouquin». Mais vu que les trois quarts seront en anglais, on ne sait jamais, peut-être que certains seront assez flemmards pour se contenter du mien, donc allons-y gaiement. Et puis c’est KinnPorsche, quoi. Une série hyper attendue depuis l’année dernière, si ce n’est LA plus attendue dans le monde des BL. Forcément, tous ceux qui ont bossé dessus n’avaient pas le droit de se planter, et c’est dans doute une des raisons expliquant pourquoi KinnPorsche représente un sacré tournant dans cette industrie du boy’s love qui, si elle constituait surtout une niche dans le vaste monde des dramas principalement dominé par les Coréens et les Chinois, permettra à coup sûr à la Thaïlande de sortir du lot et de gagner plein de thunes (et avec un peu de chance les Chinois comprendront qu’ils risquent de louper le coche avec leur censure homophobe et ils arrêteront d’être cons, qui sait ? On peut toujours rêver).

Je précise que je n’ai pas lu l’histoire. Mais le sujet m’a suffisamment intéressée quand on a commencé à en parler, pour aller voir les commentaires sur des forums et sur Youtube concernant le roman initial. Donc le premier point positif, c’est qu’ils semblent avoir fait un formidable travail d’adaptation, en utilisant une matière de base complètement toxique, ainsi que des héros super antipathiques et problématiques, pour transformer tout ça en scénario relativement acceptable avec des protagonistes attachants et nuancés (à la base Kinn est un sale con maniaque du contrôle qui ne connaît pas la notion de consentement, quant à Porsche c'est un neuneu TSTL comme ils disent en anglais, c'est à dire "too stupid to live") donc on va dire qu'ils se sont montrés bien avisés en retravaillant les personnages. C’est sans doute dû à la volonté de marquer le coup face à une audience internationale, devenue plus exigeante depuis MeeToo, dans tous les cas si ça peut changer les mentalités et amorcer la disparition progressive des romances malsaines à l’avenir, c’est toujours bon à prendre. Ensuite, nous avons des acteurs adultes, qui jouent dans une histoire mature, et comme je l’ai précisé sur «Dear Doctor, I'm coming for Soul» la différence est vraiment flagrante, enfin la plupart du temps. De manière générale le jeu des Thaïs est un peu craignos même dans les lakhorns plus traditionnels que je continue à mater pour je ne sais quelle raison, ils passent leur temps à piailler ou à chialer dans des scènes loonnnngues quand ce ne sont pas des hésitations à n’en plus finir histoire de faire durer les épisodes et de nous faire larmoyer devant notre écran, au cas où on n’aurait pas compris que c’était un moment poignant et crucial (qui produit l’effet contraire du coup, c’est ballot...). Donc pour un BL censé avoir moins de budget, ils s’en sortent quand même très bien. Les moments d’émotion sont relativement crédibles, on ne grimace pas d’un air gêné (sauf à un ou deux moments censés être drôles mais d’un goût un peu douteux, mais bon ça ne dure que quelques secondes).

Le mélange romance, action & mystère fonctionne bien, ponctué de moments plus light ou doudous pour relâcher un peu la pression. Les dialogues sont bons et jamais ridicules (du moins je n'en ai pas remarqué), les acteurs sont presque tous canons et c’est un régal pour les yeux. Quant aux scènes intimes (ou scènes pas intimes mais émouvantes) c’est une réussite, elles sont belles et bien jouées, les acteurs sont à l’aise et ça sonne vrai. Mention spéciale à la musique qui rend bien l’ambiance des scènes. Car si la BO (variée et sympa, au passage) est plutôt tendre et romantique quand il s’agit du couple principal formé par Kinn et Porsche, en revanche elle l’est beaucoup moins quand il s’agit de Vegas et Pete, et c'est bien pensé sur ce coup-là. En effet la musique lors de leur moment d’intimité met un peu mal à l’aise, et je salue le fait qu’ils aient su montrer la complexité de leur relation, qu’ils nous présentent bien comme toxique sans bêtement romancer une situation qui est abusive au départ. Donc oui, il y a bien de l’abus, même concernant les premières scènes d’amour entre Kinn et Porsche d’ailleurs, or ce n’est jamais montré comme acceptable, mais plutôt comme un mauvais départ qu’il faudra régler pour avancer sainement dans la relation, et ça c’est bien. Il y a pas mal de rebondissements qui servent à la fois à maintenir notre intérêt jusqu’à la fin, et permettre le développement desdites relations entre les personnages. Les couples se construisent de manière naturelle et logique, ce n’est pas simple dès le début et l’aspect psychologique n’est pas laissé de côté. Alors la troisième romance entre les deux frères respectifs du 1er couple est un peu tirée par les cheveux, mais tant qu’il y a des histoires d’amour un minimum développées je ne crache pas dessus, d’autant qu’ils viennent de confirmer une deuxième saison qui permettra probablement de conclure comme il faut cette 3ème histoire. J’aurais quand même apprécié un bisou avec Jeff Satur, parce que c’est Jeff Satur et si j'avais 15 ans de moins il ne dormirait pas dans la baignoire, mais il paraît que son partenaire n’était pas aussi à l’aise, donc bon... Vivement la suite, on verra bien.

Il y a quand même quelques points négatifs. Que je n’aurais pas relevés s’il s’agissait d’un autre BL, parce qu’on ne peut pas être trop exigeant dans cette industrie encore frémissante, mais vu que la série était chaque dimanche en super tendance Twitter, forcément la comparaison avec d’autres séries connues ne leur fait pas toujours honneur. D’abord le budget moindre, qui peut se sentir dans certaines scènes, par exemple des explosions loin d’être impressionnantes, ou bien le son pas toujours au top (voix qui résonnent, etc.). Ce n'est pas grave, mais cela peut laisser croire à un amateurisme qui a le défaut de mettre en évidence quelques erreurs (par quel prodige ont-ils réussi à ôter leurs chemises pour se baigner torses nus alors qu'ils sont reliés par des menottes ???) ou moments WTF (Kinn qui repousse son garde du corps pour lui éviter d’être touché par l'ennemi... le plaçant pile dans la ligne de tir d’un 2ème garde du corps !!!). Sur le plan technique, de manière générale puisque ça ne vaut pas seulement pour les BL, les Thaïs ont encore pas mal de progrès à faire pour être au niveau de leurs voisins. Une règle simple veut que lorsqu’un acteur se déplace de gauche à droite par exemple, le plan suivant garde la même logique et le même angle de vue afin que le cerveau du spectateur ne soit pas perdu en traitant les données spatiales, provoquant une sorte de rupture. Idem, ce que j’appellerais des «ruptures de plan» parce que je ne suis pas spécialiste en cinématographie, où l’on voit d’abord des persos en plan rapproché qui se serrent dans les bras, puis dans le plan suivant en vue éloignée l’un des acteurs a encore sa main dans sa poche. Des détails, certes, mais s’ils veulent inonder le marché international et en faire une spécialité, ils devront absolument améliorer ces points-là pour qu’on les prenne au sérieux. Ensuite, certains acteurs ont parfois tendance à l’exagération. D’accord, Tankhun est un personnage génial et attachant et tout et tout, mais il faut reconnaître qu’il en fait parfois un peu trop et que ça manque de réalisme. Un autre petit regret également, concernant le décès de certains personnages : il arrive que l'on s'attache à certains d'entre eux, certes on se doute qu'il y aura quelques pertes dans l'histoire vu que ce ne sont pas des enfants de chœur, mais j'aurais apprécié qu'on leur consacre un peu plus de temps que se contenter de crier leur nom sur le moment en mode "zut !" et puis pouf, on n'en entend plus parler... Enfin, le sujet principal restant une romance, on va dire que l’aspect «mafia» est moins développé et que ça pêche un peu de ce côté-là. On nous présente l'un des personnages comme un cerveau hyper manipulateur, mais ses magouilles tombent vite à l’eau et ça manque quelque peu de crédibilité, du coup il paraît moins «intense» que le scénario voulait nous faire croire, voire même un peu pitoyable à certains moments. Ça n’enlève rien à son jeu d’acteur qui est bon, mais ça retire quand même une dose de charisme à son personnage et c’est dommage. J’en profite au passage pour mentionner un dernier point négatif, cette fois non lié à la série elle-même mais au contexte dans lequel elle est sortie. Je parle de la guerre qui s'est produite entre les fans du couple KinnPorsche et ceux de VegasPete, ces derniers voyant les épisodes défiler semaine après semaine avec une impatience grandissante tant ils craignaient de ne pas voir leur romance démarrer suffisamment tôt pour être traitée correctement, tandis que les premiers ne manquaient pas de leur rappeler ironiquement que l’histoire s’appelait «KinnPorsche» et pas «VegasPete». D’un côté je peux comprendre les deux parties, quand on adore une histoire on craint tous que son adaptation la trahisse, mais cela m’a fait réfléchir sur le fait qu'avoir lu un roman avant de voir son adaptation à l’écran n’a pas toujours de bons côtés (en même temps je me félicite de ne pas m’être farci ce qui semble être une grosse bouse toxique, sinon je doute que j’aurais apprécié la série, ou même que j’aurai eu envie de la voir). En bref, ce genre de conflit sur les réseaux a certes contribué à la popularité de KinnPorsche, mais il risque aussi de décrédibiliser l’audience des BL et de faire du tort par ricochet à cette industrie alors qu’elle est en plein développement et là, c'est juste pas le moment.

Pour conclure, j’ai vraiment trouvé cette série sympathique, le scénario passionnant et adulte, les rebondissements sont fréquents et maintiennent l'intérêt, et les romances se construisent de manière assez crédible, avec de belles scènes intimes qui placent la barre très haut pour les BL à venir. C’est bien une des premières fois d’ailleurs où l’on a au moins deux scènes de sexe dans lesquelles les persos vont jusqu’à l’orgasme, du moins dans une production qui n’est pas classée comme érotique : d’ordinaire ils se tripotent 30 secondes puis on les voit couchés l’un à côté de l’autre pour nous faire comprendre qu’ils ont fini leurs galipettes. Enfin, les acteurs s’en sortent très bien et l’implication de l’équipe se sent autant au visionnage que dans leurs événements promotionnels, leur alchimie est palpable, certains moments d’émotion réussissent à nous tirer quelques larmes et le mélange romance/action fonctionne vachement bien. Et la première saison nous offre une conclusion relativement satisfaisante. En bref, il y avait l’avant-KinnPorsche, désormais il y aura l’après-KinnPorsche. Un tournant dans l’industrie du BL qui ne peut que nous réjouir.

PS : Si quelqu'un peut m'expliquer pourquoi ils ont rajouté "La Forte" dans le titre, je lui en serai reconnaissante, parce que pour moi ça ne veut strictement rien dire...

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Disappointment <\3

I swear I can’t be the only one who was disappointed with this bl, like please tell me someone out there agrees with me when I say that storyline with Vegas and Pete was completely unnecessary

So essentially, I really loved everything about this bl except the story. The acting, cinematography, and music was all fenomenal and you can really tell the amount of effort and how high of a budget was put into this bl which I really do appreciate, it’s just that for me the story went down hill after the end of episode 7.

I really fell in love with the first 6 episodes of the series, it felt so refreshing and I could really see the great potential of the series. Episode 7 was good as well, except for the ending which felt extremely out of placed and like it was forced into the episode when it really didn’t need to be there. From there, the episodes started getting worse and worse. Like they really had to throw in the ex boyfriend arc lmfao that whole arc just felt like filler, but I mean it was still bearable for me so I still continued watching

I started growing disappointed in Kinnporsche when that whole Vegas and Pete torture chamber thing was going on which honestly disgusted me, and it angers me even more that when Pete had a very good opportunity to escape after Vegas’ pet died and he gave it up to go comfort him. Literally the same person who whipped him, stripped him and abused him for a whole week, and he still decided to help him because he felt bad. Bro name one mentally stable person who would give up the opportunity from escaping from his abuser to go comfort them after their pet died. It’s not even like the show tries painting the picture that their relationship is not okay, it honestly feels like fetishizing. And in case you continue to argue that there was artistic reasoning behind their relationship or smth like that, the creators of the book and show have been called out for grooming the actors while filming so obviously it’s not too far fetched to say that they were romanticizing the Stockholm syndrome sort of relationship Vegas and Pete had

I haven’t watched the last 2 episodes and I don’t plan to, so I can’t say anything abt the ending but tbh I rlly doubt it was actually good with the way episodes 8-12 were, but like you never know lol. This is really up to personal taste, and maybe it didn’t help that I’m not a huge fan of mafia bls mostly because I don’t rlly like the action genre that much, but still I loved HIStory 3 trapped (highly recommended if you haven’t watched it) and this bl still managed to disappoint me. I gotta give it to this series tho Porsche has gotta be one of the best characters I’ve ever seen in the bl universe so like maybe it wasn’t all that bad lmao

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first one!

I just wanted to write a review, so don't mind the scores yet. I have been waiting for KinnPorsche to air, and it's finally out. The first episode is so good and already told us a lot about Porsche's personality, a bit more than Kinn's for now since Porsche is the central protagonist. I also liked the changes the directors made, it suited the story well. The fight scenes were amazing, the cinematography is beautiful and the main leads are doing a great job (not to mention the budget ?? shocked). I read most part of the novel and I'm looking forward to the amazing chemistry I know they will deliver throughout the series. I have been following the cast's social medias since the beginning, so I already know some of the actors' skills. It was worth the wait, I can see they worked a lot for this. Sending my support for the cast and crew, I hope we all have fun with the rest of the episodes!

edit: I was hoping they would cut AT LEAST the s.a scene between Kinn and Porsche, because, honestly, it's pointless when you realize the dynamic they deliver has so much potential to be something light compared to other pairings in the show. However, I'll salve this take of mine for my review regarding the entire show!

edit 2: I finished the series but i don't have even one bit of energy to write my thoughts... Just know that I don't like plots with sexual assault between a potential couple, kinda ruined it for me. However, it's clear that Kinn and Porsche care for each other very much, so I admit I find them really cute in general. I'm all for Porsche and Porchay's happiness!! Kisses for Tankhun as well, lovely guy <3

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Current favourite BL

Where exactly do I begin? Looking at some of the negative reviews makes me wonder whether we are watching the same series. But then again I can appreciate that we all have different preferences.
Honestly, before Kinnporsche came out I was quite frankly tired of watching thai BL series. I kept seeing the same storyline being recycled over and over with the same dull high school setting. If you are someone who enjoys those conventional love stories then Kinnporsche likely won't be suitable for you.
I think a lot of people don't quite understand that this BL series is not your ordinary BL series, it's a mafia-inspired BL series. It's not your typical love story and it isn't meant to be an ideal representative of what love should look like. If you want to watch a series like that then I would recommend Bad Buddy series.

I am in love with everything about this series from the comedic elements to the drama, action and intense romance. The actors have done an outstanding job bringing the characters to life and the cinematography is amazing as well. I'm intrigued by all of the couples and I find myself watching previous episodes over and over until the next episode is aired on Saturday.
So would I recommend this series? Absolutely. You have to be aware though that it is for mature viewers so the love scenes are very intense. It also admittedly has some pretty toxic scenes that I'm glad are mostly resolved later on. It's witty, passionate, daring and captivating. I'm in love with this series and cannot recommend it enough.
I can't not mention Jeff and his incredible singing talent 'Why don't you stay' is one of my favourite OSTs ever. When the last episode airs I will be back to give my final thoughts but for now, this series has become one of my favorites.

+ Wow. What an incredible series. All the couples had great storylines. We had KimChay with their bitter-sweet romance, KinnPorsche with their passionate romance and VegasPete with their intense romance. I miss this series and can't wait for the second season. Such a well-written series ♡

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Pretty decent BL

Overall, it was a pretty good show. It really gets you on your feet, wanting more each time you finish an episode. I found the show pretty enjoyable on a Saturday night. The show does contain a lot of triggering materials, so make sure you read those so you don't have any surprises (?) when watching.

The plot was pretty messy to put it into simple words. Always having plot twists, LOL. I found the plot twist pretty fun and exciting since I'm pretty into those kinds of shows. The plot could have been better. I haven't read the novel, so I'm not exactly sure how the real story goes, but in the show I feel like some of the characters could have been more "close" to each other in like a friendship way. I want to see them interact and grow with each other more. The plot didn't really seem to go anywhere except for people just fighting all the time. Also, the ending was not really the best. It felt incomplete. I really do hope for a season 2 to clear up some misunderstandings and give more information to viewers.

With the cast and acting they did great! I really liked the cast. They did a great job portraying the characters. But the acting could have been a little better. Like with the stunts they could have been a little more realistic in a way (?)They did do great on the fighting scenes that was fun to watch. But overall it was really good acting. I would maybe say one of the best acting I've seen in a BL.

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Kinn and Porsche made me cry

10 points for KinnPorsche. I love the way their relationship developed, hardships made them love and understand each other more and more. If you give Kinn a gun and tell him to kill Porsche, he'd better kill himself. One more thing that made their relationship so intense is the acting of the main actors. They did so so so well, their chemistry is so great.

Kinn is a great boss. He values his people, he is willing to take all burdens for his brothers, he even sacrifies himself just to protect his beloved one. He has to handle so many things, he almost lost himself. Then Porsche came and became his sunshine.

I've been seeing many fukin haters tryin to drag this series and the main couple down by distortion. If you really wanna fully understand the whole story, watch it and read the analysis of every episode. A simple eye blink, or hand gestures have underlying meanings. There are lots of valuable hidden messages in KinnPorsche's scenes. KinnPorsche got worldwide regconition and there're reasons for that :)

The main actors nailed it, there actin is so real. I have nothing to say about the side couple vegaspete, but i see many of their stans are doing stupid and disgusting things again :) blaming the main couple for having so much time on screen while this series is named KinnPorsche, distorting and talking bad about the main couple relationship, trying to hype their favs by dragging others down. This is the situation in the fandom as vegaspete stans never stop picking fight and distorting.

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would’ve been a 10 but..

I loved almost everything of it, it was so spectacular and beautiful.
I thought this was overrated until I watched it, I think this is a must watch for all bl lovers (I wanted to watch it since 2022 but I watched to many other things that I forgot) and i’m pretty sad that I watched it only now.
I enjoyed all of the acting except Gun’s (Ex), when he had act sad, idk if the thing was supposed to show him pretending or the acting was bad, but I like him more when he’s doing the villain part.
Anyways, the story was great, very intriguing and interesting and I enjoyed mostly all of the couples, all except Vegas and Pete, let me tell you why: as if you know if you watched the series, Vegas was a complete jerk, he kidnapped Pete, made him a literal animal treating him like one and maybe even worse than how people treat animals, tortured him and Pete still wanted him, they had sex and Pete was there for him when he was sad, didn’t have to courage to shoot him or didn’t even want to run away when he clearly had the possibility to, crying together with him after Vegas’ hedgehog died. I mean, poor animal, but he almost killed you multiple times.
At the end, he resigned and ran to Vegas to get together with him and be a couple, this made me so mad..
I found the last episode a little confusing because as a non-fluent english speaker who had to watch it with english subtitles, but it’s a problem of mine.
I absolutely loved Thankhun, he made everything a little funnier and enjoyable, more than it already was, he was hilarious.
Big’s dead (I suppose he was dead since he was last seen and mentioned in episode 10), made me so sad, he was one of my favorite characters and the way he protected Porsche from getting shot made me cry (╥﹏╥)
Let’s not talk about Tawan, he made me soooo nervous, I got scared when he first appeared in the series because I thought it was Porsche that was going crazy, but at the end it wasn’t. He is the perfect description of a bastard to me, why would you even come back just to ruin things??!!
That’s it, a summary of my review is that, it’s a very good series except for one couple, intriguing, interesting and fun to watch!

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Promising Start Meets a Messy End

(Before I write this review, I just want to give a disclaimer saying that I'm obsessed with this show despite the title, and I like MileApo both as a pair and as individuals. This is my first BL and first Thai drama overall, so I'm not very familiar with the tropes.

Directors: Khom Kongkiat Khomsiri, Pepzi Banchorn Vorasataree and Pond Krisda Witthayakhajorndet

Cast (as mentioned):
Mile Phakphum Romsaitong; Kinn Theerapanyakul
Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat; “Porsche” Pachara Kittasawasd
Bible Wichapas Sumettikul; Vegas Theerapanyakul
Build Jakapan Puttha; Pete
Jeff Satur; Kim Theerapanyakul
Barcode Tinnasit Isarapongporn; “Chay” Porchay Kittasawasd
Tong Thanayut Thakoonauttaya; Tankhun Theerapanyakul
Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon; Arm
Job Yosatorn Konglikit; Pol
Notd Nutthasid Panyangarm; Big
Perth Nakhun Sreaigh; Ken
Kob Songsit Rungnopakunsi; Korn Theerapanyakul (Kinn, Tankhun and Kim’s dad)
Ex Piya Vimuktayon; Kan Theerapanyakul (Vegas’s Dad)



I got to know this drama through a classmate of mine, and on a vacation I randomly checked it out and saw videos of it on YouTube, Shorts and fan edits of them, and I fell in love with Mile Phakphum and Apo Nattawin's amazing chemistry there. However, another classmate warned me by saying that this show is "horrible" and told me not to watch it; hence, I changed my plan to watch 2gether first, then KinnPorsche.

However, I was way too curious about this drama, and I kept seeing spoilers all the time, all thanks to the YouTube algorithm; hence, I decided to just watch it. Even though "Messy End" is part of the title, I'll say without regret that I enjoyed this drama a lot, but that doesn't mean that I won't point out things I didn't like about it.

Before commenting on the strong acting here, this review will be incomplete without mentioning the amazing cinematography. Almost every scene is beautiful, and I would feel tempted to screenshot every scene if I didn't watch it pirated. I know that the team worked very hard here, but still, I'll have to pay iQIYI for watching it, which I couldn't do. Dailymotion still saved me. This drama is definitely expensive! I loved the production here, from the locations to the cars (yep, a bit of an emphasis here) to the costumes, everything is on point! There is definitely symbolism in every outfit the characters wear, but for this, you need to see an interesting Tumblr post on it because I'm not an expert in fashion nor am I interested in it. I just mentioned it after seeing that post, which I will link after this review.

The performances exhibited by the actors, especially Mile, Apo, and Bible, were commendable. My praise goes to these three actors for putting their all into their performances. Mile and Bible, as first-time actors, portrayed such complicated characters to near-perfection, and it didn't even seem that it was their debut. Mile nailed it as Kinn, having the right amount of charisma and acting prowess in his cold, confident, and badass persona and also being equally convincing as a romantic softie with the same kind of prowess (I have to admit that soft Kinn hits different).

Bible really made me hate Vegas at the start, but I gradually grew to like him. He also shows a good range in his performance, from being a cunning, sadistic, and manipulative bastard to showing more of his caring and a more complex side as someone who experienced parental abuse and is always wanting to make his father proud of him. I heard that in the book Vegas was 10x worse and this was a more "healthier" version, but still, I wish he was a bit more humanised. (Although I think that Vegas isn't the best-written character.)

Apo showed that his previous acting experience did not go to waste, and he does an excellent job acting with his eyes. His transition from being a jovial bartender to a serious and confident person in the end is commendable. He shined in episode 5, expressing confusion, vulnerability and frustration to near-perfection, and it was totally worth it for someone who is allegedly the most experienced out of the cast. Apo was very good at doing action scenes, since his prior training in martial arts came in handy.

Build performed very well as Pete, from an adorable bodyguard to having a more darker side shown to him; however, he wasn't as good with the intimate scenes and doesn't have so much sexual chemistry with Bible, but more emotional (someone on Reddit said that, and I agree with it). He is better at doing comedic scenes and excels at showing a lot of vulnerability.

Kob was understated as Korn Theerapanyakul, a cunning and manipulative mafia boss who, in my interpretation, sees Kinn as a pawn in the game. Ex as Kan Theerapanyakul was okay; it just didn't have so much impact (I really despised Kan till the end, though).

Bas and Job as Arm and Pol, respectively, bring comic relief; Nodt performed well as Big; Perth as Ken didn't make much of an impact.

But the one who stole the show is Tong Thanayut as Tankhun! He was amazing and memorable throughout the series. This actor provides the most comedic relief with a lot of sass. He makes me laugh and smile whenever he is on screen! From his “grief” and anger at the deaths of his fishes Elizabeth and Sebastian, his excitement when Kinn confesses his love for Porsche, everything, I really enjoyed seeing him and Tong acted amazingly in it.

Jeff Satur's character Kim was an interesting one, but he didn't make much of an impression on screen. This is my first time seeing Jeff act, so I don't know how he is as an actor, but I see him more as a musician than an actor.

Barcode was adorable as Porchay (Chay) in the first half of the series. He charmed me with the innocence of his character and his heartbreak as well (that's where it went downhill, according to me).

I watched it for these three characters: Kinn, Porsche, and Tankhun! I love these three, especially seeing Mile and Apo sizzle on screen, and they have a really versatile chemistry (warning: obvious biases because I love them a lot). People may emphasise their NC scenes, but they also need to see that they shine in their action, comedic, romantic, and cute scenes as well. From episode 6 onward, I started loving them even more! Because Kinn wasn't the cold mafia boss everyone sees, he showed his childlike innocence there, especially when both of them were constantly arguing. And I live for their date in episode 8! (No word pun intended.)

I'd see all of their scenes repeatedly and never get bored of them. I also love how Kinn is willing to take responsibility for what he did wrong to Porsche, as shown in the climax of episode 6, where he said sorry to him for "that night" (episode 4), where Kinn technically raped him since Porsche was drugged and wasn't fully consenting to it, as well as telling Porsche that he is willing to erase all the things he did him wrong, as well as letting him go so that Porsche could fulfill his dream of having his own bar and to go back to his brother (till circumstances brought them back). He constantly apologised to Porsche in episode 12, where Porsche got to know how he actually got hired, even going out to his house to live with him. At the end of episode 7, Kinn genuinely felt guilty for calling Porsche a whore, and before he went further, there was a gesture in which Kinn nodded his head to Porsche, hence asking his consent before going further (source: Reddit/Tumblr, and I watched this scene many times.) This proves that his apology in episode 6 wasn't empty; he actually learned a lesson from what he did to Porsche in episode 4, and he was honest in saying that he would erase whatever he did wrong to him. That "small" gesture proves that. I also love that Kinn is willing to wholeheartedly trust Porsche and shed his persona, since his ex Tawan (god I hated him!) betrayed him.

Also, Porsche was obviously confused about his feelings for Kinn after "that night", since throughout his life he never had any sexual activity with a man or had feelings for a man either. He was disturbed and furious at what Kinn did in the aftermath of "that night," and deservedly so (though I don't exactly blame Kinn for that). But in my interpretation, after their time in the forest handcuffed together, he realised that the one who punished him and did terrible things to him wasn't the real him at all; that same Kinn was always smiling endlessly around Porsche and was also willing to share his piece of fish with him. The moment he saw Kinn's excitement at catching fish for the first time in one go, it made him fall for him all the more. That mafia-boss aura is gone, and Porsche got to see this side of his for the first time.

Someone wrote this on the YouTube comment section, and I'm paraphrasing it here: as someone who never had a parental figure and had to be a parent to a younger sibling, having someone so caring and loving to him is a huge deal, and hence he felt attached to Kinn, and this was the time where he didn't have to bear the burden of being the older one anymore. We also need to keep in mind that Porsche had to take an informal loan and had to face a lot of pressure from the mafia gang he took a loan from, seeing his uncle getting physically assaulted by them, and hated them a lot, hence his lack of seriousness about his job in the initial days that really cost him.

And in episode 8, I love how dedicated Porsche was on their first date together. Although he thought that he "sucked", this was definitely memorable for Kinn, and he wasn't shocked or angry at seeing the contacts of Kinn's past sex partners (to be fair, Porsche was engaged in sexual activities with a lot of women before Kinn). Alright, that's it—racing about them! They did go a bit downhill in the ending episode (not spoiling it any further), but their amazing chemistry is what prevented me from dropping this drama (and Tankhun ofc).

And TANKHUN! MY MAN! I really loved his character throughout the series. I love how hilarious, over-the-top, sassy, and caring he is! His past as someone who got kidnapped as a child isn't a joke, but what I love about him is that despite his "crazy" personality, he is not shown as a "retard". Instead, he is a very intelligent person and a realist, too. It's just that he is underestimated because of his behaviour and personality. *Spoiler Alert* There was a scene in the last episode where Vegas, having his foot on a lying Porsche, was "about" to shoot him, then Tankhun and Arm saved them with a toy car that contained explosives that would explode as programmed. I think the toy car symbolises Tankhun's worth because it is seen as a child's toy; they may be underestimated at first impression, but they are actually not how they seem to be.

Another positive thing about this drama is the bond between Porsche and Chay. The scenes of Porsche and Chay in episode 5 nearly made me tear up, after all Porsche went through. Imagine seeing your older brother, who is the only guardian for you, after such a long time, and being with him. I love how Porsche is willing to work his entire ass off just for Chay. Before Kinn, Chay was the only one Porsche truly had love and affection for. He meant everything for him, and the reason he decided to take his job as a bodyguard was to provide for Chay. It's understandable why he never told him about his job, but Chay never had any hard feelings for Porsche, even when he got kidnapped and got to know Porsche's job, because Porsche is all he has, and hence he wouldn't know what to do if Porsche dies. He knows that the environment Porsche is in is very dangerous, the reason being that he himself knows the amount of pressure and doorknocking they both have to experience after the informal loan. I wish it had delved deeper, but then again, this is a 14-episode drama. And I wish there was a scene in which Porsche confronts him for throwing his resume.

KimChay are my second favourite pair, but I just enjoyed watching them among the angst in the first half. Chay was too innocent, and I liked Kim's reaction to Chay's shrine filled with his pictures (I'd die of embarrassment if anyone saw my shrine). Thankfully, I don't have one. However, their story was very underdeveloped, and Kim's feelings for Chay weren't explored enough. I wish Chay thought of his brother before throwing his resume in the trash bin! But I preferred the innocent Chay more than the sassy side of him. Barcode portrayed the innocent side of Chay very well, but he needed to improve in case he had to act sassy, but I think that's the point of his character. Jeff suited the cold and mysterious side of Kim well, and he performed decently, but I couldn't feel much for him. His character isn't explored enough, but that's okay. I really liked his fight scenes, though. However, although this is a plot armour, I'm more than glad Kim saved him when Chay's "friend" was about to feed him some drugs. In short, KimChay was only written for fluff in the first half, then got a bit angsty in the end.

The soundtrack was great as well. Slot Machine makes us jump, groove, and shout the lyrics to Phiang Waichai and Free Fall (the English version of Phiang Waichai, though). Jeff and Aek Season 5 soothes us and makes us teary-eyed with their beautiful voices and compositions with Ka Ter/Why Don't You Stay and Contradict, respectively. Barcode reminds us of our first high school crush in "This song is called 'You'", which his character wrote for Kim when he was told to write a love song. My favourites were WDYS and Contradict.

Now, coming to the negatives: The first thing is VegasPete (and I might be biassed here). Now I know that the fans of VegasPete will have pitchforks at me, but this is my honest opinion: I didn't like them, and that is because of the toxicity. I know that Kinn did shit to Porsche, but what he did doesn't compare to what Vegas did to Pete, who tortured him for pleasure till he nearly died, constantly dehumanised him (that dog bowl scene), and electrocuted his "thing" a lot. I understand where he comes from, but this doesn't justify what he does to Pete. This drama doesn't justify it as well, but their story was way too rushed. They were surely very compelling, but I would've enjoyed them more if their story wasn't sold as a romantic one but rather as a Stockholm/Lima Syndrome one. Fans like them a lot because they were both willing to see the good in each other despite all this, but I would be more convinced if Vegas was more humanised from the beginning than what is shown in the series and if it was made clear from the start that Vegas experiences abuse every single day and has a trauma bonding with his dad. Speaking of which, VegasPete revolves around the trauma bond (so do Kinn and Porsche to some extent). But Vegas really needs help. I liked their bit in the end, though, with Macau. (And I just forgot to add that the BGM in their NC scene was quite creepy; maybe discussing their personalities and the state of their relationship? (And they used a romantic theme in Kinn and Porsche’s dubcon scene.)

Another negative is that it was weak in direction, especially when Pete went to spy on Vegas alone. Knowing who Vegas is, Kinn should've sent more bodyguards to accompany him, and Kinn forgetting about Pete. Plus, Pete and Porsche are roommates, so Porsche should've shown some concern. How did he know that Pete was "on vacation"? Also, how come Arm and Pol aren't concerned when he hasn't come for a long time? Well, their characters are pretty minor, so I'll give it a pass, plus Tankhun was there. But Porsche being gullible to Vegas despite being warned multiple times that Vegas is the enemy annoyed me a lot, and that it wasn't explored enough about Vegas nearly raping him while Porsche was drugged in episode 4. Thankfully, Porsche learned his lesson after seeing Vegas being a snake through his own eyes. Also, why did Porsche, despite being a former bartender, just drink without thinking when he should've known not to even touch a glass given by someone without seeing for himself what is mixed in it (YT comments and Redditors said it)? Keep this in mind: these are just nitpicks, and it didn't stop me from enjoying the show. I just wrote it for the sake of the review, but I can't deny that the ending was a mess when this cousin thing happened between Kinn and Porsche, which was so stupid! Also, Porsche's mother turned out to be alive. Yeah, Korn is cunning and all that, but why should they connect everything between Kinn and Porsche? This was so unnecessary! It would've been much better if Porsche remained an orphan and that there was no such "connection" between them.

In conclusion, this series is a good entertainer and is pretty compelling. But as the title says, the first half showed a lot of promise, but in the end it became a huge mess.

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Don't expect too much

Well, I watched Ep 9, and I'm now dropping this. I will tell you why: The writing is abysmal. You can FEEL this is based on a trashy fanfic that's only popular because of the hotness, the toxicity, the tension etc. I didn't read the novel, but it seems to me they are doing a better job in the series and are trying hard not to make it too stupid and too cliche. Unfortunately, they failed. Let me go into detail: the characters.
Kinn: His real persona seems to be a nice guy, who doesn't really want to be in the mafia. When he was out in the woods, he felt great, and didn't want to return. We got to see a very child-like, fun and adventurous side of him. So what now? What does he do? Is he planning for the future? Is he trying to escape his family? Is he trying to lead the family business in another direction? Is he doing anything? Yes, he is "acting" as the cold/bad mafia boss he is supposed to be. He rules by fear without being very convincing. What else is he up to? His love life is apparantly very important, but also pretty messy. That's what he is doing. Thinking about love, and who he can trust.
Porsche: Apparantly he is a nice guy too. He was working as a bartender. We got a sappy story with his uncle gambling away the money. You would think the family is poor, but their house says differently. Now he works for the mafia. He has to kill people. Gruesome! Does it bother him? Yes, a little bit and for a short time. What is he up to now? His love life. I would expect him to think about the future, to have nightmares, to wonder in what kind of mess he finds himself and what bad things will happen next, but nope. He is busy dancing in his underwear and flirting with the mafia boss. Guys, come on!
Then Vegas/Pete: Everyone on the internet is gasping if Vegas appears on the screen. Yeah, great. I'm getting wet too. Not really. What makes this character special? What? He seems to have sadistic tendencies. Is he smart? A mastermind who pulls the strings in the background? Nope. If his manipulative games are working, then only because everyone around him is dumb. And Pete? Well, he is the comic relief of the show. Great pair!
Then our 3rd beloved couple: Kim (the next as*hole) and Porchay. Well ... Kim plays guitar. You know, because it's not a BL without a guitar player or a soccer player. Enough said.
I don't want to go deeper into all this mess: Like making EVERYONE gay and most of them behaving like a f*ggot. You would expect gay guys in the mafia being more hardcore. Tankhun is too silly, and gets too much screen time. The character is not believable. Kinn's friends neither.
If you go for such a story: make it dark, make it intense, make it believable, play ugly mindgames, make me scream and clench my teeth from excitement! But no. Lets drink and dance and have some sex, while showing occasionally some torture and blood, before skipping to some sappy dialogue where Kinn's or Porsche's friends gives some deep love advice as if there is nothing more important than having a sincere love life, while being in the mafia. And if there is some time left, make everything more gay and more stupid.
Come on! That's all you have got? Sad enough.
I will still give it a 7, because of the good performance and charms of the actors. They somehow manage to breath some life into those boring and brain dead characters. The filming (especially the love scenes) is pretty good, and overall you can see the effort and how hard the team worked. Just fire those stupid writers or hire some good ones. With such actors, such a production team, you could aim for the sky. Instead they give us a silly rom-com with mafia background without exploring it much further. Just do it for god's sake! Be brave! Be edgy! Be revolutionary. Nope. Play it safe. Show us some sex, so people will keep watching and talking about it. No offense to the sex scenes. They are without a doubt the highlight of this brainless series.

EDIT: I watched until Ep 13, though I skipped many parts. I'm shocked, really, and I will lower my rating. The VegasPete story was soooo strange. Is this BDSM? No. What is it then? It was cruel, and then it was cheesy, and everything happened too fast. I'm baffled how bad this relationship was presented. Meanwhile KinnPorsche became also such a cheesy couple with lots of scenes nobody needed. This went downhill BADLY. Stupid people, shallow emotions, unnecessary violence and sex scenes that don't do anything for the story. But you know, 50 Shades Of Grey was apparantly also popular. I'm out here. Bad. Really bad.

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Definitely Could Have Been Better

Edited 12 June 2022 after episode 10.

Story. 6/10
The plot progressed more quickly this time. A new story arc has been developed, and some resolutions have been reached. The romance is still in the foreground.

Despite the chess analogies, I still find the plot weak and unconvincing. The protagonists are not particularly smart, and the villain is manipulative and cunning. Even if he really is just average, he just happens to be dealing with naive, gullible and stupid characters, making him look brilliant in comparison.

***********************

The plot is plausible within the universe of the series, in this case, the mafia universe. My expectations of dark themes, violence, morally questionable standards, greed, lust for power, control and money, and illegal and heinous dealings were met, albeit as a backdrop to the more important romance.

Characters. 8/10

The main characters are multi-layered, and have their own hopes, desires, weaknesses and aspirations. They are multi-layered and motivated. The main actors played their roles well. The characterisation of some of the minor characters could be better. But that does not detract from the enjoyment of the series.

Storyline: 6/10

The comedic parts are a bit too much for me. But maybe that's progress (an improvement in standards) for a Thai series BL. Still, I personally think the "in-your-face" comedy does not fit this theme. I would have preferred a satirical treatment like in Joy of Life or Inglorious Basterds.

Dialogues 7/10

The dialogues are a step above the Thai BL standard. I wish they had put the same attention to detail and care into the dialogues as they did with the cinematography. Then it would have been an even more enjoyable experience. The dialogues between the leads are almost always a hit with subliminal subtext. The rest is mostly a miss.

Cinematography: 10/10

There is a consistent visual language enhanced by lighting and wardrobe. This has been done deliberately and thoughtfully as if each image tells its own story. The result is beautiful and poetic.

Fandom meta-enthusiasts will go into raptures and gain absolutely delightful insights into these scenes, the meanings behind the photographic compositions, the use of colours and lines and even the use of costumes. Every detail is part of the whole story.

This is only possible because the staging was very consistent in its thoughtfulness.

Editing and effects 8/10

The production likes to use 2 different types of transitions between the storylines.

Butterfly cut: The butterfly cut brings a scene to an abrupt end, usually at its climax. It creates the greatest possible contrast with the following scene: from ominous to harmonious, from euphoric to depressed, from complete darkness to glaring brightness or from loud to quiet. This can be a little irritating and to some it seems bipolar. Personally, it does not bother me.

Cross cuts are the cuts between alternating storylines of a parallel montage. Normally, this shows simultaneous events in two different storylines, giving the audience the illusion of real-time action and making the viewing experience more exciting and intense. The production uses this style very cleverly.

Staging 8/10

The main theme, the romance, is well-staged. The fight scenes and the stunts are well choreographed. As I mentioned earlier, the comedic scenes could use more work. The potential was there.

Unique 10/10

The series is unique, innovative and groundbreaking in terms of cinematography in its genre. There is no other BL series like it. There is something unique about the series, the cinematic shots are poetic, and the acting performances are phenomenal, especially those of the lead actors. The dedication and hard work of all the actors, staff and production lifts the series to unparalleled heights and deserves a special place in our hearts.

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