No wonder they are the happiest Thai actors today. It cannot be any other way: after two series forming a ship that attracts millions of viewers, Thitipong Sangngey and Wasuthorn Chaijindar (FortPeat, as they are known) finally star in a series, the one they always dreamed of, and the one we have waited for BL lovers in general and followers of these two actors in particular.
Yes, we already saw him lead the cast of 'Love in The Air' (2022), but there they were the secondary couple, while in 'Wedding Plan' (2023) they played roles of little weight in the story and little presentation on screen. On both occasions they left us wanting more.
The opportunity to show off their acting skills, their beautiful faces and physical attributes comes from Ne Neti Suwanjinda, the director who has always chosen them to put them in front of the camera since the entertainment industry, very intelligently and correctly, paired them, to tell us the love story between Tongrak, a writer looking for inspiration for his most recent novel, and Mahasamut, a resident of an island in the south of Thailand who was tasked with taking care of the visitor.
In the first two episodes of the series (those that have been viewed for this review), the protagonists will find themselves trapped in a stormy, fiery and sensual relationship full of sex and endless days and nights, where love will set the course of their lives new lives while both fight to achieve their respective dreams.
'Love Sea' is a new-adult dramatic and romantic series with an aspirational LGBTIQ+ theme narrated in a dynamic, vibrant way and with a realistic treatment of the most current youth conflicts, all accompanied by beautiful and cheerful music and exquisite cinematography.
Based on the novel of the same name by prolific BL MAME screenwriter and director Orawan Vichayawannakul, whom Net called on now as on other occasions, the series tells the spectacular and improbable story of Tongrak (played by Peat) and Mut (role assumed by Fort), two young dreamers with nothing in common, whose destinies cross unexpectedly.
Tongrak has it all, a good financial position and enjoys success after publishing several novels, some of them brought to television as BL series. But despite this, he lives in a state of constant frustration caused by several unresolved problems in his life and by currently suffering from writer's block. Furthermore, he does not believe in love, considering that it only lives in the imagination.
The journey of Peat's character is the most interesting one made, since in his contact with Mut we can see his reproach for being ashamed of his past and the wounds of his soul that have yet to heal. Thus, the creation of Tongrak and its motivations are very interesting and gain the public's favor.
For his part, Mut is a humble young man, who carries the trauma caused by having been expelled from home by his father at the age of 15 and, despite having to resort to pretending about himself to others in order to make his way in life and get a roof over his head and a plate of food, he has become a leader of the locals and the force behind the local people.
Each one, in their own way, faces an existential crisis that can lead them to failure, to lose what they have achieved so far, so they have no choice but to join forces and embark on the same path that will lead them to know each other better and perhaps...
United by destiny, when their lives intersect, they embark on a transformative journey together that represents both an escape from their complicated presents and traumatic pasts and a search for love, happiness and their place in the world. These are questions that almost all of us have experienced, or on which almost all of us have reflected, at some point in our lives. Especially in our twenties, which is the age that Mut and Tongrak are around, and the time when doubts about our present and our future are most crowded.
For her part, MAME cannot hide her happiness. Although at first his style left us with some red flags, such as 'Love By Chance' or 'TharnType', today he seems to have found his voice by giving an evolution to his stories to keep fans of the genre happy, especially with that HOT touch that all BL fans love.
The ForthPeak junction, a visual and spiritual gift for so many viewers around the world, would give good returns to the creators of the series, especially through a drama that has its main strength in the clarity with which this story is conceived on paper, the pulse with which the direction channels them through the setting on screen, and the way the two actors defend it, in characters with characterological richness and infinite nuances that only they know how to add in their assumption.
One of the great things about 'Love Sea', and one that the production team cared a lot about, was showing the paradisiacal environment and the natural settings that serve as the setting for the erotic-existential journey of two young people in love and that provide truth and essence, because if there is a place that wins by a landslide, it is that southern Thai island, the meeting place of the protagonists and where their romance takes place. Having been able to record in that place is one of the great achievements of the drama, since it is integrated in an outstanding way into its DNA.
'Love Sea' effectively combines the conventions of the romantic genre and a fresh visuality by placing the narrative heroes in a natural and paradisiacal environment, which also takes center stage, to which is added the bill of the presentation and farewell, and the curtains of Transition.
So far, the performance of actresses and actors has been, in general, high, and the combination of young figures with other already established ones was among the most successful. It was especially appreciated to once again enjoy Forth Kashane Pichetsopon, Ja Phachara Suansri, Boss Chaikamon Sermsongwittaya, Noeul Nuttarat Tangwai, An Oliver Poupart, Jinjuta Rujirakumthonchai Liu, Ivy Phattaree Tassananakajit and Chanya Amarit Duval. Kevin Tray will provide his voice as Conner.
The best thing about the MAME-Net binomial's staging lies in its way of capturing the love and physical contact between Mut and Tongrak, materialized in the hugs, kisses and sex they share in different situations: at the bottom of the ocean , on board a moving yacht or during their sexual encounters both on the sand of the beach and in the resort room, where the eyes, lips, hands... the entire body of one travels over the body of the other and vice versa. The latent desire between them is subtly filmed through gestures and glances, which communicate everything that is not expressed verbally. But how much is there left to express when in one way or another everything has been said... or almost everything?
The direction knows how to give credibility to the sex scenes and the dialogues exhibit enough youthful nihilism and naturally.
Fort and Peat consolidate themselves as a ship with great aspirations to continue being one of the most anticipated by the public, and as two actors with attitudes in abundance after 'Wedding Plan' or especially 'Love in the Air'. Their respective Mut and Tongrak work from the beginning because of their talent and also because their characters' status as people called to surpass themselves gives them the strength to stand out dramatically.