Ossan's Love (2025)

'I can stand him, not loving me; I can't stand him, loving her.' ~Lang Leav

This series is so good , our power couple is back , after " Moonlight Chicken " I was waiting for their comeback and finally they came with a great series .

Disclaimer - This is my own review according to my own feelings , this review may contain spoilers , Go On .

Story - This is an adaptation from a very popular show " Ossans Love " ( Japanese) . After the succession of the Japanese one , I had a high hope for this Thai One ( no 1 reason was EarthMixx ) and I am impressed a lot . The love triangle is not toxic but actually funny and cute , the way Mo ( Mix ) and Boss fought over Heng ( Earth ) is really so funny and cute . Earth is doing a completely different character from his previous shows ( Moonlight Chicken and A tale of Thousand Stars ) and he impressed me 100 % . Talking about Mixx , hands down , he is a great actor . He has some magic in his eyes , the way he expresses his emotions through his eyes, is really so natural and realistic . Mr Krit ( Boss ) is a professional actor , he nailed his role completely , the way he did everything so perfectly , is so good .

Cinematography and Visuals - I liked Mixx's fluffy hair so much , he was looking like a visual king , his coolness fits perfectly with his style . Cinematography was excellent .

My Opinion - I liked this drama a lot , after watching so many bad shows in 2024 , this is my healing pill in 2025 . So happy that my new year started with a great show , for me this shows is 9.5 /10 .

Citeste mai mult

Between workplace harassment, silly jokes, extravagance, laughter and love: not to be missed

'Ossan's Love Thailand' is an excellent adaptation of the Japanese BL comedy series of the same name about an office love triangle.
Heng (Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri), the main character, is a single real estate agent in his thirties. With a silly and naive personality, who has never had a girlfriend, aspires to be the best salesman at the real estate company Okaeri, while his younger coworkers surpass him in monthly sales.
His personal life is also in chaos. His personal life is also in chaos. Tired of caring for her adult son, whom she calls "big boy", his mother moves out, leaving Heng alone at home, hoping to get him to become independent.
Everything could continue like this in Heng's life, but one day by chance he discovers that Kongdechi (Yamnarm Chakrit), his boss and branch manager, has romantic feelings for him.
Unlike the original work, in which the manager, a much older man, divorces his wife to pursue his lover, in this adaptation he is a widower, since his wife died 10 years ago.
Another change in the story is that this time, the manager, who is affectionately called "Boss" by everyone in the office, has a daughter named Cher-aim Charanda (Parn Nachcha Chuedang). When she finds out that the father could be in love with someone at the company, she asks Heng to help her discover who the lucky woman is, which will lead her to another discovery: it is Heng himself who stole her heart father. After accepting that her father is in love with another man, the daughter will support him in confessing his love for Heng and pursue him openly.
So far, after watching the first three episodes of the 12 episodes that the series has, my only complaint is that I will have to regret the absence of the story between the Boss and his wife, Choko Kuribayashi (Ohtsuka Nene in the Japanese series), Well, their relationship was full of very moving moments, exploring topics related to marriage, divorce, midlife crisis and how to deal with unrequited love.
What Kongdechi did not realize is that the departure from the company of a former employee who gets married would open the doors for Momo (Mix Sahaphap Wongratch), another sales agent, to confess his secret love to Heng. Kongdechi was also unable to know that Heng has proposed that Momo live in his condominium so that, in his innocence, he can replace her mother, who has just left home in protest of the very disorganized life her son leads, who at his age still needs maternal care.
It also changes in the story that while in the Japanese original Maki (Mix) falls in love with Haruta (Heng) after starting to work at the company and moving in with him as his roommate, in the Thai adaptation Momo has been there for 8 years keeping his love for Heng a secret, but due to a misunderstanding he assumed that he was his friend Chicha's (Kapook Phatchara Tubthong) boyfriend, so he decided to take a position at a branch in Chiang Mai, in an attempt to support herself away from him.
Heng is unaware of Mix's feelings and only sees him as a work friend.
Following the path of the iconic Japanese BL romantic comedy with a strong cultural impact and great popularity both in Japan and the rest of the world, even among viewers who do not usually watch this genre, it was to be expected that Thailand would decide to adapt the original story of the same name told for the first time in an episode directed by Ruto Toichiro and written by Tokuo Koji, premiered on December 31, 2016 on TV Asahi, in which we enjoy for the first time the performances of Tanaka Kei as Haruta Soichi and Yoshida Kotaro as Kurosawa Musashi.
Subsequently, this story has seen remakes and compilations, collected in 'Ossan's Love' (2018), 'Ossan zu Rabu: in the sky' (2019), and 'Ossan's Love Returns' (2024), the latter two with Hayashi Kento as Maki Ryota, Kurosawa's rival for Haruta's love; without forgetting 'Ossan's Love Hong Kong' (2021), a Hong Kong version of the popular Japanese series.
To film the Thai adaptation, Au Kornphom Niyomsilp, known for directing 'My School President' (2023) and 'My Love Mix-Up!' (2024) and many other BL series, called on screenwriters Bee Pongsate Lucksameepong ('Last Twilight', 2024), and Pratchaya Thavornthummarut ('Bad Buddy', 2022), to bring us back to the characters known to the public, to through a story that, like its predecessors, does not lack hilarious jokes in each episode, silly humor, eccentric characters and comically funny scenarios extravagant that will make everyone laugh.
Two confessions of love in a single night, with a kiss included, in the first episode, mark the path that the series will follow from now on. Heng, who admits to not liking men, is overwhelmed with two men fighting for her heart.
The characters, immersed in their roles and very well played by the actors, give us a story that, although exaggerated, with quirky humor and extravagant settings, explores surprisingly mature themes.
The first impression that the viewer takes away from the characters, especially Heng, is that they are extravagant caricatures, who fulfill their function of making people laugh.
Heng's clumsiness, lack of ambition and business intuition lead him to do his job poorly, which is why he constantly seems to receive criticism from his boss, who hides in his qualms his loving feelings for his subordinate.
I celebrate the casting that chose Earth for the role of Heng, because this actor, far from all the roles he has played so far, delivers a performance that borders on perfection due to his exaggerated reactions and his eccentric and clumsy behavior. The character is designed in the script in a cartoonish way, but the actor relies on his talent, ductility and professionalism to not only convey feelings and emotions, but also provide him with genuine charm.
Ossan's Love would not reach the solidity it has without the joy and contagious enthusiasm that Earth gives to its character.
On the other hand, the character played by Earth has qualities that humanize him in front of viewers, as he has a cheerful character and an optimistic attitude. Despite being clumsy and absent-minded, he cares about his other co-workers. He is not attracted to Kongdechi, however he is able to understand that his boss is in love with him, which leads him to experience sadness and discomfort, but never hatred or rejection.
Earth plays very well as an overwhelmed man who doesn't know how to navigate the work dynamic after his boss's confession, or how he suddenly finds himself faced with two romantic suitors.
Mix, for his part, plays another of the great roles of his artistic career as a friendly, affectionate and trustworthy person, who, fearful that his love will never be reciprocated, or that Kongdechi will take away the person he secretly loves, must face his boss for the love of Heng.
Mix's portrayal of Mo is a little stronger, and his chemistry with Earth is on par with this pair's performances in 'A Tale of a Thousand Stars', 'Moonlight Chicken' and 'Our Skyy 2'.
Against all logic if we take into account that he is an older person, who radiates respect and treats his staff well, in addition to being the leader of the company's employees, Kongdechi also acts as a singular and bizarre being in his plans to conquer the man he has fallen in love with. Although his behavior seems inappropriate and borders on workplace harassment, everything is aimed at provoking thoughtful laughter.
The theme songs "Stuckling", performed by Earth, Mix and Jennie Pahan; "Lucky Fan" and "Untill", sung by Earth; "False Awekening", vocalized by Mix, and "You Are my Best", voiced by Earth and Mix, are part of a soundtrack as hilarious and extravagant as the story itself.
I will surely update the review again later.

Citeste mai mult

Ossan's Lost: A Dissent

The following is a FaceTime conversation between me and my friend Apichatpong, who prefers to go by Chat, because he believes in nominative determinism. We often watch BLs together.

CHAT: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
ME: So you gave it a go then?
CHAT: Yes.
ME: And?
CHAT: I threw my laptop out of the window.
ME: That would have been impressive if you didn’t live on the ground floor.
CHAT: Well, you know me. This laptop means more to me than my own mother.
ME: Okay, let's pivot. You sound upset, my dear.
CHAT: I’m livid. So livid, in fact, that I want to go home to Bangkok and shut down GMMTV.
ME: Do you want to get us murdered? People have been doxxed for less.
CHAT: I don’t care any more. There’s no meaning to life.
ME (laughing): It wasn’t that bad, come on.
CHAT: I suppose you've forgotten the original. But then, you also have no taste. I don’t know which is more to blame.
ME: Well, I can see what sort of mood you’re in. What are you so angry about?

CHAT: What is there to be happy about? This show is an absolute trainwreck, one that leaves mutilated corpses in its wake. Just... why??????? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
(CHAT opens the door to his garden dramatically and declaims.)
People of Thailand… Listen to me. Don’t let them get away with this. You are better than this. You are better than this abomination of a show.
ME (laughing): Melodramatic? You? Never!
CHAT (coming back in): Lou, you know how much I love the original. I resisted it for a long time, but I was so glad I watched it in the end. It was a wonderful, if uneven show, genuinely funny, full of heart, and it had a huge impact on me. Hell, it had a huge impact in Japan. Haruko and Maki’s wedding was broadcast on the public squares of Shinjiku, and…
ME: Why are you talking like you host a podcast with a weeb?
CHAT: At least it’s not a true crime podcast. But mate, this show... this show is the opposite. It is regressive, it is stupid, and it is not funny.
ME: Yes, you famously love your country's sense of humour.
CHAT: But I do! I watched all of RakDiao. Do I not deserve a fucking medal for that?
ME: You’re not making the compelling case you think you are.
CHAT: I don't care… This show takes everything that made the original tick, and jettisons it. And in its place has added a host of things that has already made it, for me, unwatchable.
ME: I know I shouldn't, but go on.
CHAT: Okay, TED Talk mode activated. Soz babe. (Clearing his throat.) The original worked because of three things. One, it is primarily about an old man’s love. But the fact that he is old, or Haruta’s boss, is not the source of the humour. Nor is his attractiveness. Unlike in this atrocity, Kurosawa is distinctly unattractive, something he is blissfully unaware of. In the end, the show was about what it means to start again, in middle age, as an Ossan, after being married to a woman for decades. Only this time he has to begin again with a man. Kurosawa was starting over twice, and he was clueless and hapless and hopeless at it. That’s what makes it funny, and poignant. But what do we have here? A very attractive older man, whose wife has already died, which removes all that inward conflict, and which leaves his character toothless by default. And a satire has no bite when its protagonists have no teeth.
ME: Wait. Two points before you continue. One, a lot of people on MDL say that the last premise no longer works because Thailand has equal marriage…
CHAT: Oh bollocks. As if older gay men in Britain and America are not still trapped in unhappy marriages or do not come out in their 50s. When did Phillip Schofield come out?
ME: True. But tell me this, why should the original OL should be the point of comparison here? After all, we adapt from books, remake shows and films, all with little fidelity to the original, so why should you base your opinion now on the Japanese version?
CHAT: I don’t claim that one *ought* to compare it to the original. I’m merely using the original as a point of departure to say why this version is insubstantial and, so to speak, po-faced, in a way that the original wasn't. And no, it doesn't come down to cultural differences either. That's a lazy, and frankly objectionable argument. You found Rak Diao funny, didn't you? Of what hindrance was “your” culture to its appreciation? To say something is enjoyable or not because of cultural relativism is as much an insult to your intelligence as it is to that culture on behalf of which these people purport to argue. Besides, your objection would be justified if I expected viewers to know the plot from the original. I don't. But comparing one adaptation with another is a legitimate enterprise, and I think it enriches our understanding of a show, not detract from it.
ME: Hmmm. Go on, Prof Dumbledore. On to your second point.
CHAT: Yes. But before that, what I said about Ossan also applies to Haruta/Momo. Look at Earth. I know you don’t fancy him…
ME: Not with a bargepole.
CHAT: But I do. Most normal people do. He is very attractive. But Tanaka isn’t, you see. Not in the same sense. You do end up finding him attractive in the show, but he's not out there as a thirst trap from the first scene.
ME: Well, at least they cast Mix, who is as unattractive as they get… You ought to be happy about that.
CHAT: Is that a SWAT team I see outside your room? Anyway, I’m even crosser about how the women are portrayed in the show. In the original, the women were not mere fujoshis. They were not just there to scream ‘awww’ and ‘kawaiiiiiiii’. Nor were they the cock-blocking monsters that they are in most BLs. No, they were fully realised characters. Kurosawa’s wife is allowed to grieve her marriage and find her own man, and Uchida and Haruta are given the chance to explore their feelings for each other… Half the humour and half the subversiveness of the original derived from this depiction of womanhood and female sexuality. And yes, the original *was* subversive. This one has all the subversiveness of a heterosexual wedding on a beach in Bali.
ME: But how do you know that the episodes to come in the Thai version won't have anything subversive, or a fuller exploration of its female characters?

CHAT: Mate? Be serious. The first three episodes are each an hour long. Guess how many minutes were devoted to the female characters in total? Less than 5.
ME: Hmmm.
CHAT: But worry not. Instead of giving the women their due, this version has more BL bloatware than any you get with a Same-sung phone. Including, in this instance, the appearance of First and Khaotung. With whom, for the record, I'm absolutely done.
ME: As am I with Earth and Mix. Sorry.
CHAT: I mean, I don’t disagree. I think both couples need to be retired and paired with other people for their own good.
ME: Yes. Thai BL really needs to stop with this whole tradition of pairing actors for life. They are not pink flamingos, you know.
CHAT: Which brings me to the third reason. The dynamics of the love triangle. In the original, you want to root for Maki, but, for all his flaws — and he is a deeply annoying, wonderfully flawed character — it is hard not to want Kurosawa to be happy. The triangle held together because it was, if not equilateral, at least isosceles.
ME: Nerd.
CHAT: Said Dr Pot to Dr Kettle.
ME (laughing): Touché.
CHAT: How can there be the space or scope for a true love triangle here, when there is already a pre-determined ship that has fixed the outcome in the viewer's mind, and when those of us who are tired of that coupling actively don’t want Earth to be Mix-ed.
ME: Yuck.
CHAT: Thank you. Earth does do his best with his gesticulations, and Krit, having pedigree, has clearly studied the original. (For the record, I do like Krit.) But then, there’s Marble Face, who's proof positive that botulinum is as toxic to acting as it is to the face. And then the damp cloth of a script. Which no amount of good acting can ignite.
ME: All fair enough. But to quote my nephew, “Why so salty, bruh?”
CHAT: Well, can I quote your own words?
ME: I wish you wouldn’t.
CHAT (imitating me): “Or, you know, just stop. The “market”, unlike colour in Japanese cinematography, is saturated enough as it is. We have the Thai BL meat factory releasing a bodice-ripper every other week, but at least there the actors know how to kiss. Taiwan releases a step-brother storyline once a month to titillate us, and KBL is ever at hand to give us the white-and-blue-jacket no-kiss-guaranteed school lunch once a season. We have enough to keep us going. If you have nothing original to offer, why bother?”
ME: I see your point.
CHAT: I’m angry, because it is another product of the meat factory, as you call it. I’m angry, because it is an insult to the original. I’m angry, because all the things that were good about it are gone. I’m angry, because Thailand — even GMMTV, which is in desperate need of a hostile takeover — can do so much better. I'm angry, because time and energy and resources have been spent on this when there are better scripts and stories out there -- funnier, and richer, and livelier, and above all, about us -- that could have been told instead. Need I go on?
ME: No, but I’m absolutely certain that you have not endeared yourself to anyone on MDL. And I’m also certain that you’re going to bring me down with you. But I made a promise, and I have to keep it.
CHAT: Do. Can I just say one more thing?
ME: Yes.
CHAT: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
ME (laughing): By the by, I worked out what the name of your Thai BL ship would be!
CHAT: What's that?
ME: ChatBot.
CHAT: Oh, fuck off!

**
This review is dedicated to Maggi64, one of my first friends on this website.

***
Reader’s Digest:
DO SAY: Earth, Wind and Fire
DON’T SAY: Lost in Translation

Citeste mai mult

Charmingly Humorous

Earth, Mix and Phi Krit are amazing in their roles as Heng, Mo and Kongdech. I'm usually not a fan of love triangles being used as a plot device to create tension or conflict between the main couple. But in this case, since comedy was used to portray their dynamic so far, it did not put me off. It is left to see how the story progresses, though.

I must say that Earth looks so good in this hairstyle with bangs. It makes his face look smaller and gives him a cuter and younger vibe that suits his character as Heng very well. The other characters apart from the 3 main characters are also interesting.

The first episode was so well done with showing the backgrounds of the main characters. I was immediately invested in them. The humor is so good so far, that it feels charming to watch. Especially, the rooftop scene in the second episode charmed me the most till now. It was extremely hilarious and cute at the same time 😂😂😂. I'm smiling and laughing out loud all the time thinking of it.

I have not watched the original version or any other version of this story. So I think it allows me to enjoy it more without any expectations. So far, I'm really liking it and am looking forward to the upcoming episodes. I'll be updating my review once I complete watching the series.

Citeste mai mult

First Impression: Ossan's Love Thailand

Overall: has the crack comedy/overacting feel, to be determined with the plot/pacing. I have watched all of the previous Ossan's Love live action series/movies but will try to review this series on its own merits. 12 episodes about 50 minutes each. Airing on GMMTV's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI63DZX1W9UTHeCiGDumJxch&si=gtEBAtl0tBrY42OU

Content Warnings: non con kiss, non con picture taking, past death

What I Liked
- seeing Earth & Mix again and that they switched character types that they normally play
- chuckled a couple times like the monk scene

Room For Improvement
- didn't laugh at most jokes
- Heng looked older in the flashback instead of younger
- love triangle

Citeste mai mult