Love Sick (2014)

I've watched plenty of BL drama's from Korean, to Japanese and now Thai. I've got to say out of the plenty of show's I've watched, I've never watched one like this one. This one really opens up your heart, it sucks you in and you can relate to their reality than you could with most tv shows. This one pulls at your heartstrings and you'll fall in love with them along the way. There's a moment in the show -(any moment)- that resonates with you you won't be able to forget it.  It'll stick with you. If you like shows with good chemistry, awkward acting, relate-able heart felt moments, and pretty funny, then this is definitely something you should consider sitting down to watch or like me binge watch it over and over.

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This is not your average boys' love drama. It becomes more than that. Yes, it does revolve around the main gay couple, but it does offer more conflict than that. There are outside forces and many other things that make this series unique. The plot may sound goofy at first but once you get to the second episode, you are hooked on the story. The series also ventures into other storylines such as one of the main character's sister and her trouble with fitting in. It has a lot of comic relief and will make you laugh and cry. If you are new to Thai dramas or just Asian dramas in general, I highly recommend that you start here.

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Truly Remarkable!! The one that started it all!!

The fact that this is my first review says a lot. I have a lot of BL series as my favs but I never went to the extent of writing a review for any. I am writing for this because I know like me there will be many people who will be confused as to whether watch this series or not. Here's why you should :
Pros :
I have to say that this series completely exceeded my expectations!! I have been a BL fan since beginning of this year and I have watched almost all the series multiple times...however, I did not ever feel like watching Love Sick or its sequel because it never appealed to me ...first of all it was old and then I thought it would be a normal high school love story and also the 36 episodes didn't help...but having no BL left to watch I thought of giving it a try and boy was I glad that I did coz I was blown away...I finished watching s1 and 2 in 3 days (48 episodes) which says a lot about how addictive it was..this series is sooo much better than a lot of BLs which have come out recently ...the story is quite realistic and very well written and deals with teenage issues and angst, the feelings of first love etc. very well...the scenes between the main couple Phun and Noh are the highlight of this show and are pure gold..Captain and White even though at that time were new actors, have amazing chemistry...not once did any scene between them feel awkward or forced..it really looked like 2 boys who are completely in love with each other...their scenes made me swoon and giggle like a teenage girl and only a very few BL couples have been able to do that to me...Noh's character was very well written and developed throughout the series and Captain as an actor brought a charm which made the character so endearing to everyone!! Apart from the love track, the friendships portrayed in the show are beautiful and the interactions between Noh and his friends are friendship goals!! And the music... both the OST and the background score was one of the best I have heard in BLs..

Cons :
I don't have any major complaints with the series but the parts with Phun and Nohs girlfriends does sometimes become a bit tedious to watch and puts a stop in an otherwise fluent pacing !! Also, other than Yuri and Pang, all other female characters in the show are either straight up evil or annoying...don't get me wrong they are entertaining but they don't add much to the plot. And Boy do I hate Jeed..she gets on my nerves..I don't know whether it was intentional on the writers part to make such an annoying character..the acting sometimes is a bit awkward but then the chemistry makes up for everything!!

Overall : To think that this was practically the first BL to come and paved the path for future...Its indeed come in my top BLs of all time and I will definitely watch it again!! Kudos to LoveSick!!

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Not as good as others say it is

I’ll say what I like about the bl first before I start getting into what I dislike ab it just bc lol

First off, I really liked the scenes that just Noh and Phun shared as well as this bl being a bit of a slow burner. I really hate when the main couple gets together right in the middle of the series, because it ends up feeling rushed and honestly gets boring, but Love Sick took its time with the relationship development between the main couple which I do really appreciate. I do also know that this bl really started the making of Thai bls, which I completely respect and I am proud of the series for accomplishing that.

Now I’ll get into what I dislike about love sick lol

The main thing that really frustrated me with this bl is the amount of couples that are in it. Because of the amount of couples that were in it, the main couple I’d say only got maybe 15 mins of screen time each episode which isn’t a good thing at all considering they’re the main couple lmao. It got to the point where I found myself skipping through any scene that didn’t have either Noh or Phun in it because all the other scenes had little to no impact on the main plotline, so there was literally no point in watching it.
The second thing that bothered me was the acting, mostly on Captain’s part (actor for Noh). Maybe it could’ve been the writing for the character, but I didn’t really find his performance believable during the intimate scenes. The other actors too weren’t the best and I understand that for 95% cast this was their first ever role, but nonetheless it still bugged me. I’d have to say White (actor for Phun) had the best performance out of the whole cast, his acting felt really believable and it made me feel genuine sympathy and care for his character.
The last and final thing that annoyed me was the logic behind Noh not telling Pang that he doesn’t wanna be in a romantic relationship with her. I completely understand Phun not wanting to tell his girlfriend that he likes someone else since yknow that’s his girlfriend, but I don’t understand why Noh just cant tell Pang. It’s been a long time since I last watched this, so correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t remember Noh really caring for Pang’s feelings to the point where he wouldn’t want to tell her he likes someone else. I get that they’re young and stupid or whatever but there’s still no logic, at least to me, as to why he wouldn’t just tell her.

Anyways that about it lol, I was kinda disappointed when I first watch it bc of the amount of reviews hyping up the series but I think the reason why people love this series so much is because for majority of them it was their first bl which I completely get lol but if this bl were released this year it would not get this much hype lmao. Anyways watch it if you want to, it rlly isn’t that bad but just know that if you do watch it ignore the first like 20 mins it has no relevance to the story lmao

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This was sooo slow and very frustrating. The pacing meandered so much, and when it got to really poignant scenes I felt like the pacing just made them seem longer than need be. Don't get me wrong some of the characters stories were interesting, but somethings I'm not conversant in is Thai culture.
The constant backing down from characters to save face is getting super tiring and this happens so much, especially in this drama. Like with the gay group of boys on the cheer squad, I mean they worked to get on the squad then they turn around and are like maybe we should side with the bigot. Ok it wasn't like that, they were afraid of being made fun of, which is legit, but how you gonna have unapologetically queer characters be afraid to cheer? Again I get it, the point I'm attempting to make is that characters need consistency.

This is set in highschool so characters think their choices are concrete and they can't change them. Something else the logic is just so flawed...oh you have a girlfriend and where two guys so it won't work?? I can understand, but if this isn't a thing about coming out, why are you worried about being seem with another guy?

I'm rambling, this so was just...tiring. I found myself fast forwarding and was still very aware of the story

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It barely takes any time to fall in love, so why it is a complete torture when it's time we need to say goodbye.- Episode 09h

There are times in life that we are set on the good path. Well, no problem, all your plans in life are smooth sailing. But, how if one day, all the things you think of as right became just the option?

We can teach emotionally to choose who we want but can not prevent when and where it will happen.

This series just make a good life lesson: Trust yourself and do what makes you happier. Even if it's not right in the eyes of others, but if that makes you happy, as long as you're not hurt by others, do it. At the end of the day, you're still there, you're still going to be affected by your decision.

The actors / actresses are between 14-25 of age. Almost all of the casts are new on the show business but not obviously the result of this series. They did a great job on portraying their characters especially the lead actors. They might look stupid on screen but it's just because they played your character given to them. Your twists and turns of events, just perfect blend.

Season 2, here I come!. Kudos!

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The first 2 eps are like 90% introducing the characters (there are srsly like 26 characters) and their dynamics together. I slowly discovered that most of the side characters don't matter that much and I never really cared about their stories (though I never felt bored or annoyed OTP wasn't getting that screen time), but I did spend the whole first 2 episodes just pausing on someone's face and going 'wait, who is this?'

It did a very good job of getting that authentic high school feel. Many shows set in school kinda feel like a caricature of a real school, but this feels really believable.

Once I learned the main characters, and got used to the horror of white socks/black shoes and just how much thigh you see when the boys sit down in those tiny blue shorts, I really, really loved it. ALL the feels. Minimal angst, and what's there seemed mild (though maybe that's just compared to TharnType which I had recently finished) the acting of the main couple was very good and had a subtlety and intimacy that I look for in an emotional show. Yes there is some awkwardness, but that is part of being a teen and discovering who you are and it did not feel out of place here.

The production value is kinda all over the place, particularly the sound, but it was not unexpected from what I've seen of older Thai shows.

Also the 1st ep should maybe have a seizure warning for flashing lights.

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First of all, I loved the plot. It wasn't usual plot where both r innocent not knowing that they can love each other blah blah blah. Most I loved about plot was the ending name if I say why it may be a spoiler but whatever. How it ended made you just drop all hopes you had about this show, but that's why it made it so spicy and great.
Most may want bl action and there was, well sometime. It made you quespionage whatever the guy that asked for help in exchange for money did it bcs of his sister or for his own gain. The story progressed nicely having here and there rivals, and side story's that were as interesting as the main one. Acting wasn't as great as I expected but it can slide, since it was a great series. 

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Meh...

So I watched this because I heard so many great things about it & how it was one of the first BL shows but it's basically a bromance were they kiss a couple times. They could have left so much out because I spent half of it wondering why I should care about this scene & again found one of the side stories way more interesting. I ended up playing the same game I did with KinnPorsche were I waited for it to get better because so many people raved about it but I just didn't see it. It's another series were the only thing I liked about it was Sammy Coates was in it & even for it being her first series she was amazing!

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A primeira série BL tailandesa fez história

Eu realmente amo essa série, e não me canso de assisti-la. Apesar dela ter inúmeros problemas no roteiro, problemas que são romantizados, é preciso situar a série historicamente e lembrar que ela é de 2014, inclusive é a primeira série com protagonismo BL da Tailândia, com um elenco extremamente jovem, e num contexto socio cultural muito diferente do nosso aqui no ocidente, digo isso pois muita gente no fandom procura cabelo em ovo na busca de motivos para militar!

A história, de uma forma geral, conta a história de dois adolescentes que se apaixonam: Noh e Phum. Noh tem um problema sério na contabilidade de seu clube escolar, pelo qual ele é apaixonado, e só quem pode resolver esse problema é o presidente estudantil, Phum, que para ajudá-lo acaba sugerindo que eles finjam ser namorados para que sua irmã mais nova (e fujoshi) possa ficar ao lado dele e peça ao pai para cancelar o tal casamento arranjado. Detalhe: os dois tem namoradas. Eles começam a perceber os sentimentos um pelo outro já no 3º ep, e o desenvolvimento da relação é bem construído, não tem muita encheção de linguiça e a cada ep os acontecimentos são interessantes. Existem várias histórias paralelas acontecendo, mas elas se interligam e não interferem no plot principal, achei isso excelente também.

Vamos às polêmicas:

1º Acho meio que sem noção que Pang, a irmã do Phum, bem mais jovem que ele, ser a única pessoa a quem o pai dá ouvidos para resolver assuntos sérios, sinceramente, poderiam ter encontrado uma outra desculpa para juntar os meninos. Também achei absurdo que em 2014 se estivesse discutindo um casamento arranjado entre famílias ricas, como se os filhos fossem mercadoria.
2º Plot de traição. Desde o primeiro momento, mesmo quando deveria ser fingimento, não foi levado em consideração que as namoradas estavam sendo traídas. Quando o relacionamento se tornou real, a responsabilidade afetiva foi com Deus, inclusive, até mesmo na cena em que Phum fala que não pode deixar Aim pois já dormiu com ela, fica claro que esse é o único motivo, pois os sentimentos dele já pertencem a Noh, e mesmo combinando de terminarem tudo ali, depois essa promessa é quebrada. As namoradas são as maiores cornas da história do BL.
3º O relacionamento visivelmente tóxico de Taengmo e Moan, onde ela acaba se submetendo a suportar um relacionamento onde não é respeitada e onde Moan não quer nada além de viver na bagaceira.
4º História de Jeed, que é um exemplo clássico da oprimida que se torna opressora. Ela apesar de pobre, consegue entrar numa escola de ricos, e como foi humilhada no início, faz de tudo para ser invejável. Quando consegue um namorado do colégio Friday, acha que tirou na loteria, mas ao descobrir que ele é pobre o trata como lixo, mesmo ela também sendo pobre.
5º Fandom tóxico de BL. É minha gente, Pang e suas amigas eram fãs de BL bem tóxicas, daquelas que se descobrem que o ídolo é próximo de alguma mulher, nem esperam pra saber se é parente, amiga ou namorada, já passam à odiá-la sem motivo nenhum. Não consigo ter certeza se esse plot foi colocado como forma de crítica, afinal ficou claro que Pang se interessou pelo ídolo e era correspondida, mas o importante é que o assunto foi mostrado. Também foi mostrado que o ship ChayPop fazia fanservice para agradar as fãs, mas fica claro que eles são apenas amigos, também não sei se foram inseridos na série para gerar uma reflexão ou para endossar o plot das fujoshi tóxicas que vão pagar com a língua, mas o fato é que eles representaram bem a ilusão das fãs.
6ª O uso de gays afeminados como estereótipos e alívio cômico. Embora a série mostre a luta que foi travada para que elas, apesar do preconceito pudessem atingir seus objetivos de serem líderes de torcida, ainda não considero a abordagem ideal.

Em relação aos aspectos técnicos, quero falar primeiro da atuação, que em muitos momentos deixou a desejar. Mas são todos adolescentes, a grande maioria em seu primeiro trabalho, e pra ser bem honesta, até meados de 2017, a atuação não era o foco principal das séries BL tailandesas... (que bom que isso mudou). Independente disso, o elenco tinha muita química, todos combinavam com seus papéis, e o casal principal tinha a tabela periódica inteirinha. A filmografia não é a melhor que já vi, a fotografia também é arcaica, mas a ost é uma das melhores da história, isso pra mim é indiscutível! Inclusive, a música Shake pra mim foi imortalizada, e já fez parte de mais duas séries (Reminders e Love by chance).

Eu passo pano para o final aberto, já que a série terminou informando sobre a segunda temporada, mas eu não teria problemas em rever essa série toda semana, tanto é o amor que sinto por ela. Quem ainda não viu, guarde um pouco do tempo para assistir a esse clássico!

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A little late to the game, but I just finished Season 1 of this series (for those in the U.S., it's available on Netflix). Overall, I'd say this is a good drama, notwithstanding the fact that it deals with themes we see repeatedly in the LGBT genre. Here, we primarily follow high school students Phun and Noh as they work through their sexualities and feelings for one another, a journey that takes up most of Season 1. Both actors portrayed their characters and their struggles well. Although the kiss scene sucked (don't watch this for that), it is through portraying the small, subtle details where these boys shined. Be it the exchange of soft looks, holding one another in private, or reaching for the other's hand during times of confusion and turmoil, these small actions conveyed the passion and yearning that Phun and Noh had for one another. They made the story all the more beautiful and tender.

Regarding other characters, I liked the group of guys that made up Noh's gang, and it was fun to see them interacting with one another. They gave off natural 16-year-old-boy vibes without the immaturity of Make It Right. I also really liked Earn, and hope to see more of him in Season 2. Though not given much screen time, he stood out to me because of his virtue and confidence. When the all-male school hosted cheerleader tryouts, he steadfastly supported the ladyboys and more effeminate students who worked so hard to make the spots. Time and again, he stood up to the more conservative students and culture who pushed back, proving himself to be a good person and ally.

The main female characters leave me feeling mixed. I hated Yuri, Noh's girlfriend, and I groaned every time her whiny voice filled the screen. I didn't mind Aim, Phun's girlfriend; she didn't have many parts and didn't really play the villain, though I'm expecting this to change in Season 2. And sweet Pang, Phun's sister. She is me, right down to the BL addiction and Viewfinder manga.

Aside from Phun and Noh, there are a couple of other non-BL couples that honestly, aren't really worth mentioning. Both couples had potentially interesting story lines, but so little screen time was given to them that their stories felt either rushed or pointless. It's not a deal-breaker, as I didn't really care about either of them, but it left my wondering why there were even included as they didn't really add to the main story at all, nor did they really have any meaningful interaction with the main characters. You could remove their scenes entirely and still have a complete drama.

Going back to the story and plot, again, nothing new to this genre, but it was executed beautifully. It felt very real and raw, different from the lighthearted fluff you see in a lot of other dramas. I thought the pacing was good, and I'm looking forward to what's coming next in Season 2.

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