TharnType (2019)

This was a lot to take in.

Good lord okay. When I was watching this I almost dropped in twice. I honestly hate the "homophobe and gay" trope. Type was so absolutely mean to Tharn, and he kept up with it. Even (at least the English subtitles) Type called Tharn and two others derogatory terms, and yet Tharn and no stood up for him and in the end he wasnt the bad guy. I jsut couldnt look over the chemistry both acters didnt have, All the kisses looked very fake. Overall the acting was really good to the point I thought the "Homophobic character" seemed to real. Both of there characters were always battling with eavh other and would hurt Tharn in the end. I thought all of there arguments were ones that didnt need to be started. The amount of times I dropped my jaw from the show is insane. The way Type was sleeping with Tharn and going ona date with that girl at the same time then coming back to Tharn and just saying "Well i didnt do it for you. Sorry" I was literally waiting fro Tharn to kick him out of the apartment, but Im not here to hate on this show overall. The show wasnt the horrible. I thought the music was pretty and the acting was super real. I didnt give the show up and honestly some scenes were super nerve racking and exciting to watch, but would I really recommended this to someone? Probually not.

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Coup de cœur complet pour ce BL

Tellement à en dire en essayant de ne pas spoiler.
J'ai peut être surclasser ce BL car il fait partie des premiers que j'ai découvert, mais au final je ne me lasse pas de le revisionner en boucle car je trouve que tout y est.

Le pairing des personnage est à mourir et leur jeu d'acteur, les émotions, la complicité, etc... Tout est là pour y croire et ressentir ce qu'il se passe. Les personnages secondaires sont aussi attachant et on est heureux de les suivre également.
En regardant un épisode, j'ai l'impression à chaque fois d'en regarder 3 tellement je suis pris dedans, et tellement il se passe de choses. On a la chance de suivre une découverte des sentiments, la séduction, le couple, les conflits, difficultés diverse...

Alors oui, il y a pas mal de clichés et stéréotype au genre BL qui sont repris, et d'habitude ça me dérange, mais pas ici, car ce n'est pas mis là uniquement parce que les scénariste/réalisateur se sentent obligé de les y mettre. Ça vient apporter du crédit à l'évolution des personnages, ça nous confronte parfois à des thèmes profonds et difficiles. Je ne compte plus les larmes que cette série m'aura fait verser. J'insiste mais les liens avec leurs amis, familles, le passé, etc... est tellement important et intense, qu'on est au delà de la simple romance habituelle. Cette série raconte une vrai histoire complexe, bien plus qu'il n'y paraît au départ.

Les musiques sont également incroyable (hop dans mon spotify), même si j'avoue que l'utilisation du thème principal était parfois trop présente à mon goût, la musique fait souvent mouche et apporte un surplus d'émotion là où il faut.

En gros, n'ayez pas peur et foncez voir cette série qui j'en suis sûr, même si elle ne vous passionne pas autant que moi, ne pourra pas vous laisser indifférents.

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OFF-CHART CHEMISTRY

No matter whether you hate or love this show, you can't deny the out-of-the-world chemistry between mewgulf. And that's not just because of the steamy scenes, but their eyes, when they look at each other, and their touches, that feels soo natural and not scripted at all. And the steamy scenes didn't feel like too much, just the right amount to tease the viewers .(For example in don't say no, those scenes were far too long, to a point where all the steam kind of faded away and I was waiting for the scenes to end.)
I fell for their chemistry to a point, where I can't say whether the ship tharntype or mewgulf more. And believe me, I don't ship real people, but only characters, like if the actors are in a relationship in real life, it's good for them, but I usually don't feel much about it... But the fanservice mewgulf deliver is just so natural, I started shipping them and idc whether they are real, really good besties or really great actors, I love watching them together.

That's the very reason, I like this series a lot and gave it a 8, even though it has various issues: The first few episodes until they first have sex, has quite a few sexual assault scenes. The way they deal with type's trauma is half assed, him being such a homophobe is not really reasonable and how they handle tar and lhong is just wrong. But I guess from reading many yaoi, I've kind of learned to fade out such things, especially rape/sexual assault, to enjoy the story, if the rest is good (my biggest guilty pleasure: Hidoku shinaide, the whole first volume is only about sexual assault, rape and blackmailing).

What I enjoyed beside the chemistry was the cuteness of Gulf/Tharn, Techno (he is sooo funny! The actor did an amazing job), Tharn's supportive family (even though they are sometimes too cringe) and how type handles the problem in the last few episodes instead of crying in the corner. I generally love how sassy he is, when he deals with "pests".

If they had handled at least type's trauma correctly and left out all the sexual assault stuff, I would have given it a solid 9 or maybe even 9.5. And objectly speaking, this show deserves a 6.5 or 7, but I enjoyed the couple too much and I'm still fangirling over them, therefore an 8 from me 😊 (Edit: TharnType/MewGulf haunt me soooo much, that I have to give this show a 9, I just love them!)



In ep1 or 2, when tharn kissed gulf all over the body, while gulf was drunk and asleep, I was really disappointed. I hoped he would just give a hickey on the neck as a prank (I know, that's also sexual harassment, but still I would have let it slide), but every time he kissed, I hoped he would just stopped and asked "Dude, didn't you just assure Techno, that you wouldn't do anything to a drunk person? You think sexual assault is okay as long as it doesn't end up being rape? Didn't you say, that not all gay people are the same? Now you are committing a crime and still claim to be innocent?". Those questions popped every time tharn did sth to type w/o his consent. The sad thing is, all of them could have been easily avoided and were unnecessary. Type could have been a homophobic queer person, w/o realising it, and could have been sexually frustrated and attracted to tharn. Then their first make out session could have been the trigger for his trauma. It's such a huge missed opportunity, that would have made this series much better.
And regarding the trauma, tharn should have been the one to show type, that not all gay people are the same and that a queer relationship is not much different from straight one, instead he was the another person who assaulted type.
And tbh I did see much of a growth of type regarding his homophobic side, which is quite disappointing, since that should have been one of the main aspects of the show...
And how they handle the gang rape of tar is just fucked up. They would have given him more screen time, so that the viewers could see, how he handles the situation after telling others about this incident. And I was perplexed at how lhong escaped the whole situation with a few punches! He should bein jail or at least get mental help! The whole situation was handled so wrongly... They should have taken sth else, instead of handling gang rape so carelessly...

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Important documentation

I really like this drama — I think the cast is cute, with good acting, and they have chemistry. However, this won't get a top score from me because there are some scenes where I feel the "setup" or perspective seems off. There's nothing wrong with a drama that sheds light on difficult topics like SA. These are real issues in our world that need to be addressed to raise awareness. For those giving it poor reviews just because it contains "triggering" scenes — then don't watch it if it's too much for you. Each episode even has a warning about intense scenes at the start.

My main criticism is how these topics are portrayed. SA should not be depicted as sexy, hot, or romanticized, yet that's what happens here - this is the main issue. But, It’s not the worst portrayal ever, and Type really has an awful mouth sometimes, so there's a bit of balance.

Another thing I dislike in the type of dramas like this is how female characters are often treated. TarnType is a great example of what I mean. The girls are frequently disrespected and emotionally manipulated, often treated as disposable. And once they're out of the picture, the main characters talk badly about them and generalize about women in a negative way. It’s just unhealthy and toxic.

But Despite all this, the characters end up in a good place (kid of), which is nice to see. The story picks up, and I found myself really invested! Many good intreagues and new characters that keeps it interesting throughout. A story that dares to take a step in to toxic drama without suger coating it. Overall, it’s a good drama.

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Watch if you are Mature enough for the Topic and Discussion

Let's start off by saying this is one of the enemy to lovers trope that is actually good. But also beware as both characters do have their own character flaws that I think was needed. This actually also showcases a sense of toxic relationship, in a sense that we see both characters being unsure as to how the other feels about them that you would see one of them walking on eggshells. I do however have read a few part of the book that wasn't really shown in the series in order to help me understand this series more.

Now let's talk about the problems that arises from the first episode, we see Type being prejudiced about gay people because of his trauma which I found justifies his prejudices on Tharn. But there were also actions from Tharn that also made me feel uncomfortable as how assertive he was towards Type who he didn't know was traumatized. We do however see the both of them in the later parts being closer (Type especially to Tharn. if you had read a translation of the novel then you would actually understand more as to why Type slowly become closer to Tharn and why he's let him stay close with him despite his rejection in the first few episodes.

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approach in life

This is the first BL series i ever watched. I did it out of curiosity and my curiosity did not fail. I am a mother of two professionals, a grandmother of 4 beautiful kids. I have watched my children grow up with varied type of personalities and among them are gays. Seeing these children grow-up made me realize how each of these personalities tackle self identity. I am a doctor, and yet, due to familiarity to these kids made me a little hesitant to directly ask queries that may deem too sensitive for them. Personally, i found this BL series with a good storyline. Looking at a general perspective, it tackled introduction to relationships, childhood trauma, predisposing factors to self weaknesses, parent acceptance, usual third person troubles, jealousy, sacrifice and true love. Portrayal of some characters may have some flaws but overall i give it high rating... I love the sarcastic but sweet personality of Type. His eyes speak so loud but his lips convey a different message whenever he smiles.

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Toxic and overrated

This was the first BL I watched. I watched it not to long after the episodes were all out. At that time I thought it was pretty good albeit problematic. Fast forward 3 years and I just rewatched it since a friend who just started her BL journey asked for recommendations. This one is not making the list!

Half the cast is problematic. Except Champ - ok yeah he is my absolute favorite in this series and the next. I absolutely love his character! He's even better in the next one but sadly he cant save either of them.

Okay back to the story. For every redeeming thing that happens there are about 10 problematic things that follow. I did give this a 7 for the story because for the most part it was well written it just was a problematic story line and most things could have been handled sooooo much better.

The really sad thing is that they didnt learn anything! They do the same stupid stuff in the second one. I mean there is no trust or growth at all.

Well anyway if you decide to watch either of these you have been warned!

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This series just confuses the heck outta me

Okay, so... This drama was my frist thai BL and even BL in general. So it is very understandable I thought this was a masterpiece two years ago. It had me hooked, I watched the episodes every single night. But when I look back now, I see many problems I have with this drama.
First thing I wanna say that this has pretty weak plot but it is that type oof drama you will just wanna watch because it is lighthearted and stupid. But... when you look at it Type has been r*aped by a man in his childhood. Which is really portraied through out the wole season and we can (sometimes) see him struggling with trauma. This is very Very sensitive topic to work with, there is no doubt about this, but... this serie is just romanticizing it? Like imagine being r*ped in your childhood, the being r*ped by your roomamte and then asking him to sleep with you again?! WTF? How can you be serious with this... espeially when this drama is pretty well know in this industry. No seriously, how can you make a person with such a strong trauma ask a person to sleep with them for absolutely no reason and then somehow forget about it a few years later? Me as a survivor of trauma (not r*ape but childhood trauma) this is kinda offending since people with trauma are recovering from it and yes, you can recover but you cannot fully forget. And I am not even an SA survivor, these people should be offended because this show is directly spitting into their faces. The directors, script-writors, everybody involved (except for actors) are spitting into their face. This is exactly what happens when glamorization of trauma and r*pe meets the producars of TharnType. Thank you so much for readiing my thoughts about this... BL heh.

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Best Chemistry between the Leads a.k.a Terrible Plot, Fantastic Acting!!!

The storyline of TharnType is a hit or miss for many people, but the actors of Tharn and Type, Mew and Gulf respectively, have hands down the best chemistry in Thai BL!!!

Also, the plot had major issues, but the acting is Oscar worthy!!


STORY:

A spin-off of Love By Chance, if LBC was the light-hearted series, TharnType brought the drama. Unlike LBC's theme of first love, TharnType was very mature and dealt with adult themes of homophobia, rape, and sexual assault. If you can handle the darker themes then I'm sure you'll love TharnType.

That being said, honestly, if it weren't for the chemistry between the two leads, TharnType wouldn't be one of the most popular BLs out there. Tharn and Type's chemistry really carried the series because the storyline was very problematic. After talking about each couple, I'll explain why the story is so problematic. However, I will say that while the storyline isn't the best, the acting is amazing. Even if you're not a big fan of the storyline, you should watch the series to see some amazing acting talent.

Tharn & Type

The chemistry between Tharn and Type is amazing. They suck you right into the story, and get you so invested in their lives, you'll forget you're just watching a TV series. I think that Tharn and Type are really the best BL couple in terms of chemistry, and Tharn's actor is possibly the best actor in BL. He will make you cry hard with him. Also, for the actor of Type, this is his first acting gig. Can you believe it?!

Tar & Tum

It's not explained well in the series, but they are step-brothers. I kind of found Tum to be too possessive of Tar. He is supposed to be in love with Tar, but that doesn't get across to the audience at all. He just seems like a very possessive and worried brother who cares too deeply for this younger brother. I really think Tar and Tum need to get their storyline expanded on. Everything is from Tharn's point of view, not Tar or Tum's, so while they are supposed to be a second couple in the series, they just feel like supporting characters. If they are treated like supporting character, then they don't need as much screen time or drama.

Kengkla & Techno

They are a barely mentioned couple in TharnType, but they are a secondary couple in Love By Chance. However, Techno plays a bigger role in TharnType and gets significantly more screen time in this series than in LBC. In TharnType, we get a better understanding of who Techno is, his personality, and his loyal friendship with Type. While he's just a supporting character here, if you want to see his love story go watch LBC and more specifically LBC season 2.


ISSUES IN THARNTYPE

While lots of fans love the series and the charaters, but we all stand in agreement that sexual assault and rape is wrong. Many fans criticize P'Mame for fetishizing rape and sexual assault. They also say that because of the sexual assault in the series they cannot like TharnType the series or the couple. Personally, I consider TharnType the series to be one of my favorite BLs, and Tharn and Type are one of my favorite BL couples. Does that mean I fetishize the sexual assault or rape? No, I don't. I like the series because of the chemistry between the leads more than the storyline. The story of TharnType is very problematic, so let's talk about it.

1. Rape

With TharnType the issue of rape is a central part of Tar's storyline and even Type is raped before the series begins. The series highlights the negative effects of rape with both Tar and Type struggling to get over it. I wish they could have shown more of the negative effects and how it really impacts their lives, but the issue is swept under the rug. Tar and Type are not seen getting any type of help or therapy, especially Tar since his rape is so recent! Furthermore, as soon as Lhong confesses he was the mastermind behind everything and drops out of the picture, suddenly Tar is happy again! He's back to "normal" and can happily live with Tum! Rubbish! You don't get over rape so quickly.

Don't use rape in a storyline unless you actually show the reality of rape!
Rape is not a tool to push the plot along. Rape is a crime with lifelong mental repercussions!

2. Sexual Assault

In the beginning, Tharn knows that Type is homophobic, so he retaliates against Type's homophobic actions towards him in a very sexualized manner. In Tharn's eyes, he's retaliating fire with fire. For example, if someone doesn't like spiders, in retaliation, someone might put pictures of spiders up on the wall, put fake spiders on the wall, or bring in a real spider. However, for Tharn, since Type is attacking his sexuality, he is simply attacking back with it. Is it sexual assault? Yes it is. Does it mean it's okay? Not really. There might be a few people who see is as fighting fire with fire, or see Tharn touching Type when he doesn't want to be touched as a small joke of retaliation. If it's between two friends, maybe it could be a joke, but Tharn and Type are not friends. Also this "joke" is sexual in nature, so yes it's sexual assault, especially if Type doesn't like it.

There is also a big taboo scene which some people might not have noticed was sexual assault since it looked consensual. That is the scene in the shower where Type loses his underwear and Tharn returns it. Tharn pushes himself into the bathroom and goes in for a kiss, then eventually it gets a little steamy. This scene is actually sexual assault, but it is one of those in the gray zone since Type consented in the end. Because Type only fought back in the beginning and eventually gave in and enjoyed it, if brought to a court, the judge will say it's consensual. Due to this scene being in the gray zone, and Type not being too angry about it some people might agree with the judge and say it's not sexual assault, but I'd like to remind everyone that it is in fact, sexual assault. It's not a steamy or raunchy scene at all, at the core it really is assault. If Type hadn't given in, the courts would rule it as assault.

Similarly, he small kisses Tharn gives Type at night. Yes, it's sexual assault. No matter how sweet and romantic the gesture seems, it is sexual assault since Type and Tharn are not dating yet. There is no consent from Type. Tharn is just stealing kisses at night and it's not romantic at all. Of course, once Tharn and Type become an item it is consensual, so it becomes a sweet gesture, but until then it's not. He's literally kissing Type against his will, there is no consent when he's awake, therefore no consent when he's sleeping.

In TharnType there are a lot of scenes depicting Tharn sexually assaulting Type, however all the sexual assaults are made to look like it's a joke, or a form of attraction. It's not romantic, nor is it acceptable. It's wrong! Many fans saw through this fetishization and were rightfully angry.

Tharn's saving grace is that once he saw that his "jokes" had gone too far and that Type was actually hurt by it, (his nightmares about his rape) he actually stopped. He even started caring for Type, which led to the small kisses at night, which would be romantic if they were consensual. However, at the core, none of this is acceptable. Even if Tharn is a fictional character, P'Mame, should understand that romanticizing these acts are inappropriate. Sexual assault is not romantic, it's disgusting!

3. Crimes with no punishment

Towards the end of the series we find out that Lhong was the mastermind behind Tar's rape as well as a whole bunch of other things. In the series, he cries, apologizes, and runs back to his family to give us a sob story about how no one care about him. While it's sad his family doesn't love him, the audience shouldn't be sympathizing with a psychopath who thinks paying people to rape someone is okay. He even got away with his crimes because the police wasn't called. Lhong literally just dropped out of school and disappeared from their lives. Out of sight, out of mind, right? No! He needs to pay for his crimes. He is worse than Tharn, yet he gets away with it. He ruined Tar's life and gets no penalties for it. On top of that, there is the whole issue of trying to justify his actions with his sob story to get sympathy. Criminals get no sympathy, no matter how shitty their lives are.


OVERALL:

The storyline of TharnType was a mess, but the actors carried the whole show, that's why it's popular. I know there are tons of people who hate the series and the character of Tharn due to the whole issue of sexual assault, but I feel that yes they are right to hate the show and the characters. However, many of the actors gave their best performances, up until the writing of this review, in this show. We really shouldn't give up on the show based on the plot and forget about the actor's fantastic acting. I know it's hard since the plot is so terrible, but I feel we have to give credit where credit is due. Yes, the plot was bad, but the acting was amazing!

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Gotta love a good show

2020's first BL drama. Also the first BL drama to blow up, bringing in international fans such as myself to the BL fandom.

First thing's first, the cast. Amazing! The chemistry between Mew and Gulf is really good, and it really adds a lot of flavour to the characters in the series. Mild as per usual, amazing at comedy. Tong is the underrated cast member that needs more spotlight!

Secondly, the music. All OSTs were very good and the music that is played for each scene is superb! When it's sad, it's sad. When it's cute, you get butterflies. Very well done.

Thirdly, the plot. Ooh, the plot. The story itself is quite good, just that there many many problems to it. Non-consensual touch by Tharn to Type, r4pe of Technic (as seen in parent show), incest, overly possessive and jealous boyfriend, unhealthy relationship. All these are the fantasies of the writer who I shall not name, which is downright disturbing. Many underaged teens watch this series and will think it's okay for one to perform non-consensual acts on the person they like. It is all kinds of f**ked up.

Rewatch value: too much of that drama fights between lovers thing for me to even handle. However I would watch highlight clips of lovely moments. Therefore rewatch value is the lowest i can give.

Overall, it could be better if there weren't any problematic scenes in the series. It is the series that paved the way for the BL industry and an inspiration to many directors to direct a BL series.

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Toxic tale, cute cast

The way issues of homophobia, pedophilia, and sexual abuse are treated in this show is simply toxic. I have already seen toxic motives in BL, but this one tops them all... I've still watched the whole show, because ML is totally hot: he has a good looking face and knows how to act sexy. Watching cute boys make out is kinda the main point of BL and there are many squeee moments to please my fujoshi heart, so I probably should not complain? Nevertheless, I hope to see this actor in other shows/movies, with just as much cute content, but a little bit less toxic plot.

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