Live in Love (2024)

covid/unversity setting romance, watch the cut version (watch suggestions)

Overall: I was going to rate the series higher, but the finale was awful. The uncut version gets 3.5, the cut version gets 5 and since it doens't have an MDL entry I gave it a 4 for this review. 5 episodes. Uncut is about an hour to 1hr 30min each; cut is 47min. Airing uncut on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4689/live-in-love-2024-e01 ; uncut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/0i9b5l3c9l95149-Live%20In%20Love%20the%20series%20(Uncut%20Ver.) ; cut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/i947av13118qaoy-Live%20In%20Love%20the%20series ; cut on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0tRjHmbcbQLx8pLeSxkmMqrOsXiVyWX7&si=VJeqs7s6Y4MgU-Fc

Content Warning: manhandling, held against will, stalking, drugging, planned gang rape

Watch Suggestions (read the plot synopsis)
- watch the very end of episode 1 (1hr 3min for uncut and 7m 45s in part 4 cut) to the end
- in episode 2 uncut watch 9-14, 17:45-19:20, 34:50-35:30, 40:40-42:20, 48-51:20, 53:25 (shirtless push-ups), 1hr 24 -1hr 25m17s (kissing) ; I'm not re-watching all of episode 2 cut version but beginning of part 3 and then part 4 7min to 8m 12s (the uncut of this scene is better)
- youtube cut version watch episode 3 part 1 beginning to 3 and 11-end; part 2 watch 8:45-end, part 3 watch 4:25-5:45, part 4 watch 3-3:45 and 4:30-6:15 and if you wanted you could watch the uncut version of episode 3 58:40 to 1hr0m30s and 1hr36m30s to 1hr38m30s for a longer kissing scene than the cut version
- YouTube cut version watch episode 4 part 1 4-6 and 9:20-10:50; part 2 watch 6-9:40 (35 min in uncut the kiss is longer), part 3 beginning to 3:15, part 4 5:23-6:15
- uncut version (I might update when the cut version airs), watch episode 5 1hr 8min-1hr 14m 30s and 1hr 27min 50sec-end (so basically 10 minutes of an hour and a half episode)

What I Liked
- supportive friends/family
- production value was fine other than jumpy flashbacks/to present, good transition images
- good consent in episode 3

Room For Improvement
- main character was infantilized (wore a teddy bear sweater, other people made decisions for him and he oddly didn't seem to care, reminded me of La Cuisine)
- spent way too much time in the finale retelling past actions
- a ton of characters were introduced in episode 1 and there was no reason why I should have cared about them or want them in a relationship with each other
- the main couple did not have a scene together until 1hr 3 minutes of episode 1 which was much too late
- love rivals  
- confusing time jumps/timeline in episode 1
- episode 2 uncut was very repetitive
- cliched female characters
- the covid setting/format was odd/unappealing, characters repeatedly talked on the phone or texted in episode 2 which was boring/did not produce good chemistry and then suddenly covid stuff disappears
- where did the side couple go in episode 3?
- the reason for the interruption at the end of episode 3 was stupid
- cartoonish antagonist and multiple terribly done redemption arcs
- the awful "we won't contact police for the very illegal/terrible things this character has done, they'll learn their lesson"
- nonsense, someone fell into the water but then magically was really far away from where they fell in (episode 4)
- "comedy" sound effects
- talking about extending the room rental in episode 5 was distasteful, unrealistic and not funny
- the very end scene in episode 5 was anticlimactic, I think they could have paced it better or had it actually end with them kissing or the crew break the 4th wall and say thanks but as it was a strange way to end a series with the way they did that scene

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Instagram Couples & Fan Service

Kla letting his boyfriend get drugged so he can play some sort of hero and come to his rescue was the dumbest thing ever. Cake thanking him for it made me facepalm. Also, them forgiven Khing so fast was not it.

Listen, I was this close to dropping this drama in the first episode, but then I kept at it, cuz my tl was dead that day, and scrolling through Netflix felt like a chore. I’m glad I didn’t drop it…I think.

Okay, like, was I the only one who went, 'OMG, they shoved Cake into the crab trap, hurry, get him out before Mr Krabs sees him and make Spongebob turn him into a krabby patty.' No? just me? arite...imma see myself out.

Anyway, the acting in this drama…on the floor. The plot, nothing special, but it entertained me while watching it. They tried to have some sort of plot in the last episode and ruin the whole thing. Up until the finale, I thought this was going to be a show of two people fallen in love, with two losers trying to stand in their way by being mean via online and sticky note.

What I liked:
I liked Kla and Cake falling for each other through the screen. I also liked Tim, he was like the voice of reason for us viewers, well until the last episode, dafug was that about given Af his number? Are they hinting at them ending up together... cuz that's wild. I also liked the fact that Kla didn't like sweets but ate them for Cake.

What I liked most about this show though was how Kla and Cake communicated in the first episodes. I liked that when Kla didn’t like that Cake was hanging out with Af who clearly had a thing for him, he mentioned it, asked him to talk to Af about it, and Cake agreed. There was no over the top jealous moment and misunderstandings, and I liked that.

Now what I didn’t like was:

I don’t understand people like Af and Khing. Like, did Af really think if he’d gone through with the motel plan, and Kla dumped Cake for it, that Cake would ran into his arms and go… ‘Af, I love you so much, even though you ruined my life and I’d probably need therapy until the day I die, let’s go eat barbecue?’ Like child, use your head. Thank the eff,he came to his senses in the last moments, I still think he needed some sort of punishment for the part he played.

Now as for Khing. First off, are people really that in love? Just cuz one time, a nice person helped you avoid humiliation in public, you fell in love with him, and proceeded to be a menace. Are some people that pathetic? She could clearly see Kla wasn’t into her one bit. Me personally, I’d have been so embarrassed to be constantly rejected, I’d have told my rich father to relocate me…the moon could not be further enough.

Honestly, she deserved to have been punished, if not jail time, some sort of youth therapy program, cuz clearly she needs help. What’s with some thai bls and glossing over things that deserves jail time and/or for characters to be put in the asylum for mental help? I remember TharneType, having a psychotic character that literally shouldn’t have been allowed into society, but they just let him ran around, and I even heard they tried to give him his own show or something… dafug?

Khing, cyber bullied, tortured and planned to have Cake gang graped by strangers, and when all was said and done, they sent her overseas? WHAT? And the friends forgiven her like almost immediately and the writers showing us that her rich father was absent in her life. How dafug was that bit of backstory supposed to make what she did okay?

Yes, everyone deserves forgiveness and a chance to become a better version of themselves, but she deserved at least therapy, and made to seek forgive in person, or something. Them forgiving her flat out, like almost immediately made me question if the people who wrote this lived in real life.

Anyway, the story in itself, when it comes to the main and second lead was cute. Them finding love, in the case of the second leads, trying to go from delulu fan-service to real couple. The second leads remained me of at least five bl partners, and whether or not they are dating, or also doing pretending fan-service ^^

The plot wasn’t much, the acting, nothing to write home about, and the final episode just had me rolling my eyes. They spent it on the side character, and Cake was gone for like almost all of it. That very last scene with the smoking means nothing to me, cuz I had no idea what was happening.

All in all, it was okay to past the time with. Watch it, if you have nothing else.

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No. Just no.
Ten minutes in, and I already checked the comments here if I was the only one who was reminded of mflow productions or maybe "A Secretly Love".
Thirty minutes in, and I was ready to stop watching. To give this drama a fair chance, I finished the first episode (which means I've seen 20% of the whole drama), but no more.

So, what made me drop it?
* The show introduced too many characters too fast. If I hadn't read the synopsis, I wouldn't have known who the main characters were for a while -- and it's not very clear how many of the side characters will even be important. Having that many side characters in a series with five episodes can only mean that either most of them are not important or they won't have any personality or their own story at all.
* It feels as if too much happens at once, and at the same time, nothing at all. Scenes that could have told us something about Cake and Kla felt rushed, while other scenes seem to have no purpose at all.
* The acting is miserable. There were two or three small instance where it was good, but overall -- have these people taken acting classes at all?
* If you're doing a drama with high school flashbacks that are more than a minute long, you should choose actors who can pass as a teenager.
* I don't usually mind Thai sound effects, but there were at least two scenes when the sound effects did not match the tone of the scene at all.
* Also, in a scene with Game and Boon doing a live stream, there was an obvious cut while they were sitting in front of the camera. These kind of scenes should only be shot as one long take, or, if you can't avoid cutting for whatever reason, show something else for a bit.
* Game wears glasses without lenses.
* I couldn't build a connection to Cake and Kla at all. Who are they? Why should I care about them? It's a bit better for Kla, but Cake is completely bland -- they obviously tried to make this character fit into the "bottom"-mold with cutesy behaviour but forgot to tell us about his personality.

If it had been only two or three of these problems, then I might have continued or, at least, not give na rating. But all of these combined make for a poor drama.

I did like the setting before and during the Covid epidemic (gave a point for that), and a lot of details reminded me of that time -- but there are also questionable choices, for example, why did Kla meet with the client in person? Shouldn't have that been a video call?
We also don't get a good time line here. I thought that we were still at the beginning of the pandemic, but then Kla did a home test -- those were only available after months and months of the epidemic (at least in my part of the world).

After the first episode, I already have enough of this drama. For those who like it, enjoy!

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Seriously ....

Seriously, do all Thai students who enter university have, as the script suggests, a mental age of 12 when they are actually 18 or 19? This welcoming ceremony that we have already seen 100 times, where the very excited students dance and sing is totally distressing. There is not a single interesting/intelligent sentence that is uttered in the episode... It is just childish blah-blah. I think that the BL drama industry is stuck in a kind of schizophrenia: they try to stick "adult" themes (boy love stories) in stories for an audience of girls in early adolescence...
Re the music: what is this rearrangement of Ravel's Bolero doing there? It's insulting to the composer.
Thai BLs are becoming absolutely unbearable, we don't believe them for a second, the actors are generally bad and there are always grotesque, flamboyant characters, ridiculous and hysterical transvestites who are also borderline homophobic.
In short, I give up...

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Not That Good, Neither That Bad

Live in Love” follows the story of Kla (Hearth Chindanai Dechewajeekul) and Cake (Junior Chokkorn Deotrakul), two occasional streamers, who meet online by chance, and Kla falls in love at first sight with Cake, who also begins to develop feelings for him. The show is set during a pandemic, which might be to justify the online nature of the relationship (and title), however, all the pandemic related precautions are quickly disregarded. The setting of the show is quite confusing, and the online relationship could have been justified in much simpler ways, that did not need to drag in the over-played pandemic tropes that people would much rather move past. The show has a lot of redeeming qualities and started out simple and grounded, however, by episode 3, it seems to want to be more than it’s supposed to be, which is a fluffy comfort BL.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/09/21/live-in-love-first-impressions-ep-1-to-3/

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The story will keep your interest and make up for its shortcomings (First update to original review)

After a few years marked by an unexpected and unthinkable pandemic, ideas that have the coronavirus as another protagonist continue to arrive at the script tables. As it is often said: ""There is no evil that does not come with good"," and this saying has been carried out to the letter by audiovisual creators.
Series that had signed new seasons, movies pending filming or festivals waiting to be held, were paralyzed, postponed or canceled worldwide due to COVID-19. Despite not being a topic of good taste and having been discussed since its terrible appearance until today, the coronavirus has marked an era in the lives of citizens globally and, therefore, the scriptwriters have wanted to introduce it into their stories so that do not fall on deaf ears and give it the importance and validity it deserves.
The famous Thai youth writer who publishes her works under the pseudonym Yeonin, author of the novel "Unforgotten Night", which was adapted into a television series of the same name in 2022, was writing "Live in Love" ('รักผ่านไลฟ์') when it appeared the coronavirus. Although she had a writing project well underway, it was interrupted by the health situation, so she decided to remake the fiction to introduce greater truthfulness into the story.
Yeonim has publicly stated in interviews and on her social media that 'Live in Love' is inspired by two real people she had been following during the first pandemic quarantine period. She felt that the beginning of getting to know each other was interesting. So, that drives her to write a story and continue it according to her imagination.
From the effort to put a human face on what has happened with the pandemic, which could not stop our lives, but did change a lot, a pure and pleasant love story emerges between Kla and Cake in times of coronavirus, where the romance begins through from a live broadcast to gradually turning into love.
The quite different style from other stories that characterizes the novel written by Yeonim, full of happiness, joy, tenderness and warmth, did not go unnoticed by Hearth Chindanai Decawaleekul, the young actor known to the public for his participation in the dramas 'Love Songs Love Series: Belief (2018)', 'Love Syndrome III' and 'Twins', the latter two from 2023, to adapt and turn it into the first BL series and first project of Studio On Fire, the new film studio built by him same in August 2023.
With the title 'Live in Love, Love Through Live The Series', Hearth Chindanai not only debuts in the production of films and series, but also as one of their scriptwriters. To write the script, Hearth relies on the solid experience of three renowned romance and BL writers: Patty Patraputrasorn Warissaraphuricha, the author of the lesbian dramas 'GAP' (2022) and 'My Marvelous Dream Is You' (2024); Jungjing Wanna Kortunyavat, who debuted as a screenwriter in 2020 with 'TharnType', and also wrote the scripts for the dramas 'Lovely Writer' (2021), 'Second Chance' (2021), Hidden Agenda (2023) and 'Unforgotten Night', as well as the film 'After Sundown' (2023), and May Thidaphon Phrueksamaswong, writer of 'Unforgotten Night' (2022), 'Bed Friend' (2023), 'The Middleman's Love (2023) and 'Battle of the Writers ' (2024).
"Ball" Kanathorn Tabvilai was called to direct the series, a cinematographer and director who debuted in 2024 with the BL series 'Twins', which was followed by 'Night Dream', of the same year and genre.
'Live in Love' is a gay romance between young Thai adults. The cast is young and fresh, and the plot is light with a bit of seriousness. The story takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic, so everyone is in quarantine. Because of this, most of the action takes place online on social media, live streams, and video chats. To keep the story moving and maintain interest, the cast is overly emotional and almost comical in some cases. And it works well.
The series revolves around a boy named Kla, a young university student and heir to a resort in tourist Phuket, who loves photography, playing the guitar and computing. Despite his cold and hard-as-a-stone heart, he is loved by his friends Bee (Omnmon Poppat Lertpradit), Dol (Chan Phuliwat Yananruenon) and especially Poon (Boat Napat Srinakluan – 'TharnType' and 'TharnType Season 2: 7 Years of Love'), with whom he will weave a beautiful friendship.
Gina (Mimi Ruethaiphat Phatthananapaphangkorn) and Khing (Nina Pichayanin Pichayadechakarn) are also part of Kla's close circle of friends. Khing has developed feelings towards the character played by the actor who graduated in Marketing from Mahidol University International College for the Faculty of Business Administration and who was one of the eight Bravo Boys.
Hearth is a revelation. His performance is very intuitive and layered, with a gaze that traverses the screen. It conveys the awakening of Kla's sexuality through subtle emotional twists and shifts in consciousness. There is between him and Junior Chokkorn Deotrakul, the actor who brings Cake to life, a wonderful chemistry, the kind that creates a deep relationship that allows the relationship of their characters to mature despite the short time on screen... characters that feel deep, vivid and real.
Introduced to this protagonist, it is the turn of Cake, the warm, expressive and popular student from another university, who likes to play the piano and maintains a close relationship with his brother Itim (Tee Vitsarut Suwinijjit - 'Restart (ed)', 2022), his best friend Gam (Tiger Tanawat Hudchaleelaha - 'Love Syndrome: The Beginning' (2024) and the rest of the lively gang: Pao (Worachai Areewong), Pat (Jamee Jameekorn Wongcha-oum ), Fat (Debbie Kanchanisa Lim), and Jim (Thitivut Susereechai).
Cake's cheerful group will soon be joined by the lonely Af (Haii Sarunsathorn Tanawatcharawat), an actor known for playing Ken, one of the protagonists of the BL series 'Chains of Heart' (2023), and for getting into the shoes of Cirrus, a character from 'TharnType Season 2: 7 Years of Love' (2021), who will develop an unhealthy attraction for Cake and will do anything to have him.
Junior Chokkorn Deotrakul is one of the protagonists of the BL series 'My Universe', from 2023, in which he got into the skin of the character of Mok in the stories 'Friends Forever, 'Right Time, Right You' and 'You Are My So(ul) Mate'.
Initially, this romantic drama would star Hearth Chindanai and Non Ratchanon, as main characters, a secondary couple in the drama 'Love Syndrome III'. However, Non decided to resign, and the role was eventually awarded to Junior Chokkorn.
They are both actors in their roles and bring their characters to real life... and virtual. Dialogues, emotions, cinematography and script combine quite decently to make this a work that will delight BL lovers.
And if Kla and Cake could have met on another previous occasion, since their mutual friend Poon has invited them to share dinners and walks, this was prevented by the mandatory quarantine and the closure of study centers, which led to university students They must study online and do most of their activities at home.
However, the inevitable will happen, and the meeting of the two main characters of 'Live in Love' will take place accidentally, when both meet through 'live', after being invited by Poon to participate in a virtual meeting.
Hearing such a delicious name brings back memories of that enigmatic moment Kla, whose personality has not been able to be unraveled by his friends or by so many girls who, like Khing and Amp (Auttarinya Uengsilpsrikul), have tried to get his attention with gifts of appetizing pastries, whom he has equally insistently rejected. And suddenly, his nature is revealed before Cake's bright and innocent smile, which will make the heart of the young man who has never looked at or given hope to anyone, beat in his chest.
Kla's perfect world is put to the test when she meets Cake. That virtual meeting is one of those instant connections. Sparks fly immediately and Kla's desire is awakened for the first time in his life.
And Poon does not miss the nervousness evident in both young people when they meet. It's as if he understands that there is a crush between his two friends, as if he has taken their pulse, which has begun to accelerate after their gazes meet and even remain there for a while, while they try to hide their emotions.
Who gave rise to the hashtags #Dare to eat cake? Who would have thought that teasing from friends was a challenge at first? Who would have imagined that the germ of a love relationship would be a provocation? Who would think that a "teasing" would spark a romance? Poon came up with the idea of ​​using hashtags like "#กล้าเค้ก (#KlaCake)" and "#กล้ากินเค้กไหม (Dare 'Kla' Eat 'Cake')", which cemented the already awakened love interest between the two boys since they met.
Therefore, Kla and Cake decide to do a joint live broadcast on social networks. #Do you dare to eat cake? And this is the beginning of a beautiful love relationship, which became an online trend overnight, and which both build, little by little, into a triumphant gay fairy tale. And with the possibility, like all fairy tales, that they can live happily ever after.
What begins as a friendly joke will end up becoming a journey of no return. 'Live in Love' continually puts at risk the boundaries between the mandatory social distancing caused by the pandemic and male friendship. Suddenly, both characters feel attracted, but that attraction is not only physical, but also intersects with a virtual attachment in which they share tastes, conversations, memories, feelings, waiting for the opportunity to meet in person and go out street to shout your love. All of this is collected in the adapted novel, which should also be a must-see for lovers of the genre.
By telling a story whose main characters are university students and by being set in university and social networks, 'Live in Love' is full of diverse characters, young people who have just left adolescence and moved towards adulthood or are in this process, young people like those of today and those from anywhere in the world, with the cell phone as an extension of their hands, who like going out in groups, showing the world online as they perceive it, exhibiting their skills for use of technology, characterized by spontaneity, interactivity, critical thinking and the constant search for new experiences.
Likewise, the series addresses topics such as family, acceptance, coming of age, coming out, the use of social networks, digital harassment, the use of hate speech on the Internet, the violation of the privacy of people in digital media, and individual and collective protection against the deadly risk posed by the pandemic. In this sense, the viewer can visualize the use of masks and various protection products by the characters involved in the story.
Although the story is very simple, the director is smart enough to keep it that way, with a casual pace that works. It will lull you into the story while keeping your interest. The acting isn't bad, but it makes me wonder how much better it would be with a more experienced cast. The series is good enough that this won't ruin it, it's just an idea.
In short, 'Live in Love' is a decent series for those who enjoy a slow-paced character study. The story will keep your interest and make up for your shortcomings.
In summary, 'Live in Love' is a good series for those who enjoy a slow-paced character study. The story will keep your interest and make up for your shortcomings.
YA

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