Escritor Adorável (2021)

JUST ADMIT AND ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THEY'RE BREAKING BL STEREOTYPES, AND WE NEED THIS KIND OF BL.

I think we can all agree how Lovely Writer lowkey shading the toxic part of BL industry, exposing and destroying the BL series cliché and all. The fact that they're tackling serious contents like overdue issues of consent, sexual harassment, the behind-the-scenes, the crew, the shipping and excessive fan service. This is not the typical BL series every year.

But what I don't understand is why there are people who continuously trying hard to drag down this series. I mean just because it is so good that even surpassed your fave bl or shading that fave bl series or couple of yours, you need to throw hate into it?

Leia Mais

The idea is better than the execution

This series is a hot mess, to be honest. I was looking forward to it for a while before it aired. I like the cast in other things and I really was excited to see a bit more frankness and reflection on the toxic aspects of the BL industry. I have been watching BL dramas intermittently for years and I really hate the romanticisation of assault and rape as well as toxic fan behaviour in response to fan service. I so wanted this to be an intelligent exploration of the importance of respecting boundaries and consent both on- and off-screen and how taking fan service seriously can really objectify the actors in a way that hurts. This series sort of gets a third of the way there I think.

The plot is a bit messy and fragmented at times. The focus is generally on the lead couple and their relationship. However, their relationship evolves at an odd pace. Nubsib being in love from the beginning was kind of annoying to me, I prefer a bit more evolution personally. Although the first scene with them both is genuinely well-performed. Gene seemed to be attracted but unsure and that never fully went away or evolved into something more secure. Consent was really well-explored with them and a constant communication in their relationship which is rare in BL and I really did like. But, to be very frank, there was often little else to their relationship. There was mutual attraction and respect, but minimal evolution and growth. Although the child actors performances were genuinely excellent, the history of the characters and their shared childhood is an overused trope and was executed poorly, in a very ‘info dump’ kind of way.

The acting was inconsistent and I think some of that is about the script itself. The script had minimal meaningful dialogue and the character development is poor. There were several times where Nubsib is asking Gene to listen to him and then proceeds to say nothing. It’s stupid and impossible to act properly. The dialogue was not character-driven and was often more about saying something about the industry which made it feel fake and preachy, rather than raw and relevant/human.

The villain of the story should have been the industry with toxic production staff being controlling and manipulative for money and fans crossing the line over and over, hurting their faves in the process. We do have some of that, particularly towards the end. However, there is also Aoey, who is clearly unwell and is extremely toxic. His character is necessary, his characterisation is not. It feels like cowardice to create a villain out of him because it means fans can see his character and call him the villain, rather than see the villainy of the fans in the series and reflect on themselves and their fandoms. There are too many villains. It dilutes the message of the toxicity in the industry and is a much weaker plot device that is overused throughout the story and makes it unnecessarily melodramatic.

The sound design and soundtrack was often irritating and distracting. There are times when sound effects and music are not only unnecessary but also damaging to the scene. If it adds nothing to the tone or mood, or if it distracts from the tone or mood intended, don’t use it. Loads of post-production sound and music does not make a bad story, script or scene better, it can only do that to a good scene, it can always make it worse.

This series really is variable. The final episode is really good. But a lot of it is unnecessary, draggy or distracting.

If you watch BLs it is definitely worth a watch, there are enjoyable parts and it is somewhat educational. You might skip or speed through parts, to be honest, but I still think it has some valuable stuff to say, even if it could have been said better from a storytelling point-of-view. However, if you don’t I think you could safely give this a miss.

Leia Mais

A beautiful, intelligently written show

This series is so self-aware and intelligently written. All the way through there has been a realistic portrayal of love, and specifically queer love, and the acting and emotionality shown in combination with this makes it such a good show. It doesn't fall into the tropes we see constantly in other series, instead it's aware of these tropes and its navigation of them actually informs the story. It's also such a fascinating setting being in a BL show production and featuring a character whose job is to write BL novels - really cleverly done and subtly satirical/aware of itself and its setting.

The main couple might have their communication problems but it doesn't make their story any less impactful and just lovely (pun not intended). Watching their relationship grow as they learn about themselves and grow in confidence and in love is beautiful, and I felt every emotion along with Gene, the main character.

It is one of my favourite shows ever and it will stay with me for a long time.

Leia Mais

The biggest surprise ever.

As surprising as it is, I was not impressed by the trailer of this bl, nor did I ever thought of watching it. I saw the other series that Kao was in and that left a bad taste in my mouth, I hated it. But I thought, "who am I not to watch the first ep??? For the gays, let's do it". And God did I love it. The writing though, it's just amazing, whoever wrote the series, y'all did that. I am in love with the transparency. Finally, a bl that says "I AM GAY", "I DONT LIKE GIRLS", "YOU SHOULD ASK FOR THIS INSTEAD OF JUST DOING IT", and so on... It's just magnificent, chef kisses, for a gay man to watch this... Y'all did it yes. There's no awkward representation, there are no stereotypes, I mean, maybe some times, but nothing overwhelming. There's only one character that was not even in the series, and the sides characters didn't get the proper treatment, but I am not mad about it. Ugh whoever wrote this, yes you did that. The family issues, well addressed, the consent always WELL FUCKING ADDRESSED YES. Nubsib deceiving Gene, WELL ADDRESSED, YES. Even the sexy moments, those were well written, although, i felt like I had no right to be watching, that's when you know there's chemistry and good writing.
Alongside "Manner of Death", this bl didn't get me dizzy. Finally, a proper conversation without switching shots, we love to see it. Up was game on this, he is a good actor and because of the direction, you can see how good he is. Kao too, I think this is an improvement for him. There are not shots that you feel like "why is he showing me that door, I want to see the facial expressions", there's just one ep. That I felt like some shots were out of place. Long shots properly used and overall great.... Rest of my review on my tumblr. myshyyangel
http://myshyyangel.tumblr.com

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This one's getting filed away under "What Happened?"

Another one with a superb start that made me think I was going to have a new favourite but went off the rails. First five episodes were pretty stellar and then it gets messy. The pacing is off, it drags a lot, there are inconsistencies in the characters as well as from one scene to the next, the plot is okay but for added drama and angst, some of the characters' reactions are unreasonable and disproportionate. Don't have characters break down crying just to make it seem like it's sad when it's just... not that big of a deal?

In terms of talking about the BL industry, yes, it's great. You've got multiple talks of consent and a lot more which I think vastly explains the high ratings despite the fact that it's kind of a mess.

However, I really did love Gene and Nubsib. Up and Kao's chemistry is pretty unreal. I had very different expectations of Nubsib, turns out he's the cutest of the cuties! Gene is the type of characters that I love and he's also super cute so there's that. Out of all the couples I discovered this year, they're easily nearing the top.

With Tum and Tiffy, I thought, finally a straight side couple I adore! But then their first drama is fairly silly (although I will admit I understand they're trying to break stereotypes and that's great, however it was way too long) and then the second one, once again, I just straight up didn't understand the big deal... and suddenly everything's better but literally nothing happened or changed?

In terms of acting, it's pretty good. I really loved Up, Ken, and Kao; Bruce not so much.

The ending? Too long. The first of the three scenes is very cute but it should have stopped there. At some point I was like ok is this ending today or...?

Overall, I'm pretty sad. I was super excited about that one but after the first five episodes, they lost me a bit. Anyway, I hope to see more of Up, he's a highlight of the series for sure.

Leia Mais

it's over, finally

i'd be honest, i started this drama because i thought it would be kinda cute, fun and beautiful story but after few episodes i continued watching it only for actors.
story wasn't that good and most of the scenes gave me major cringe feeling. some scenes were moving way too slow and that was kinda boring and that's why i skipped majority of these scenes. just because story became really dramatic i was expecting more dramatic and emotional ending, especially when sib and gene met but it was meh. gene was like 'eh, whatever'.
cinematography and coloring is good and aesthetically pleasing, that is like the only best part of this drama i guess. i loved some characters, like tiffy and tum but some were annoying as hell, like aoey.
i wouldn't rewatch or recommend this drama to anyone, sorry :*

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Fanservice, begone!

Overall, I enjoyed Lovely Writer, although I think it could have been even better. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS:

UNIQUE STORY. Along with Call It What You Want, Lovely Writer exposes some of the not-so-nice, behind the scenes events of a BL series. So kudos to LW for bringing this out in the open.

ACTORS. Up and Kao did a good job portraying the main couple, but the real star of the series was Bruce (Aey), who gave a high-powered performance as a young man who needed psychiatric help. Supporting actors played their roles well.

CONS:

AGE OF GENE/NUBSIB. So Gene is supposed to be six years older than Nubsib. Sorry, not buying it. Nubsib actually looks older than Gene (and he is, by three months).

GENE/NUBSIB BACKSTORY. That whole childhood thing was just lame and even a little creepy.

THE END OF THE FINALE. Yuck. All that boring Prince Charming/Romeo & Juliet garbage could have been replaced with something relevant, such as a scene where Nubsib got out of his contract, despite the company wanting him to stay on with Aey. Would have loved to have seen that. And the very end, when we find out it was all fiction, was very disappointing for me.

MOHK. The actor was fine and pretty to look at. But they went nowhere with his character, when it appeared there was some connection with Aey/Mohk. So then, why was he even there to begin with?

TIFFY. She started out as kind of cool, then just turned into the beyotch of the century, the way she treated Tum, with homophobic slurs and all. And, despite Aey being a complete mess, the way Tiffy dumped him as her client was unprofessional.

But, despite weaknesses in the story and character development, I'm giving it 8.5 for dealing with an important topic.

Leia Mais

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.... 8, 9, 10 and kiss !!!!

Right from the beginning... It clicked to not only me .. but many viewers that this bl is going to be no ordinary one... And right from the first scene... It delivered in spades...

I would say... If you are looking for a realistic bl with all the sweet moments, tough times, challening situations and a whole load of fluttering GENUINE MOMENTS ...
THIS IS THE SHOW FOR YOU.....!!!

The realism and emotion into every scene is best experienced by watching this series...
The efforts taken by all the cast, the crew and all the producers definitely show in what is a near perfect series...

Without putting in any spoilers... I would definitely say that this is a series that you should never miss and watch it all at he first given opportunity...

Kao, Up, Bruce, Ken, Kenji, Zoro and all of the cast members have together made this one of if not my personal favourite out of all bl's I have seen till date .. infact this is up there in my top 3 series of all time... Ofcourse sharing it with ITSAY and recently ATOTS

So without taking any further time...
I would say... Count from 1 to 10 and give this series' the love it deserves....

I personally can't wait for its special EPs or Season 2... Whatever is to come...
Can't wait to see more of Kao and Up... THEY DID IT JUSTICE!!

Highly recommended series!!!

Leia Mais

Failure to Launch

How to describe this drama… this was one part fluff, one part serious and one part SFX and poop jokes. When I complained about the SFX punctuating every conversation, every serious topic I was told “its satire don’t expect it to set a serious tone”. But then they hit you with heavy duty stuff about coming out, family struggles, relationship insecurities and in between they fill you up with fluff and a blatant display of product placement. The entire way I didn’t know what gage I should set my emotions to.

As you read below you’ll see that I didn’t hate all of it. There were actually decent plot lines, interesting character developments and genuine scenes in there that I have liked but that only magnified its week points and made it glaringly evident how much the drama ultimately failed to fully utilize its potential.

Kao is the Thai version of “Your Oppa can’t act”. Okay, he’s not completely terrible but his acting is not smooth and his dialogue delivery comes off robotic. He wasn’t always able to create that connection between his character and the audience. His character comes off unpleasantly aggressive at times, territorial/controlling and also sweet and sincere. I’ll be honest, he isn’t the kind of character that will leave any lasting impression on me.

Up’s acting and his character Gene were the selling point for me. He was the perfect amount of reserved, awkward, antisocial and insecure without coming off as weird. Gene is shown as he deals with the pressures of an overstepping book agent, a new awakened desires, and lingering insecurities as he is shoved into new and unfamiliar environment in both work and social life. The confrontation between Gene and his family has to be one of the most memorable part of the drama for me. Whether its Gene’s defiant stand, the protective brother, the mediating mother or the hard on the outside soft on the inside father, the entire thing was set for maximum emotional impact and it delivered.

Aey a character damaged by both family and love; shows the self-destructive nature some have when they feel hurt and betrayed. Like either the world delivers what it owes him for his pain. or its scorch earth to everything and everyone so they can join him in his hell . The irony of someone who craves attention, validation, acceptance and love from everyone and anyone but alienates, manipulates and burn everything he touches. Although, ON SIGHT, I’d come at this guy with a can of gorilla glue spray, I’m glad that the drama didn’t feed us some “love overcomes all” BS with him. Not everyone can be redeemed nor want to be saved. Not everyone’s pain can be eased/erased nor can their wounds be healed. Some stay angry and hurt and twisted to the end.

Tiffy/Tum were the cute second couple everyone roots for. Not a lot that could have been were explored with them, so in the end I felt neither one way or another.

I had a decent (okay, slightly higher than decent) expectation for this drama before it started airing, but it didn’t end up delivering for me. It actually upsets me when I think about scenes like the one with Gene and his family, his conversation with his father, Aey’s relationship with his family, the issues related to BL industry and fandom and how much more this drama could have been if it hadn’t half-assed it.

If I were to be honest, this is more of a 6.5 for me but I’m giving it a 7 for Up’s acting and the memorable scenes.

Leia Mais

A BL show that explicit the inappropriate norms that typically romanticized by many

I’m really excited watching this one, new and fresh BL story with overloading visuals of the main character. The first episode got me already, I love how they highlighted that sexual harassment for the sake of a scene in the series isn’t romantic at all. A big slap to the most Thai BL shows nowadays. Aside from this, the show delivers plenty of inappropriate norms of the BL industry which were romanticized by many. Obviously, the show main lesson is to let obsessive fans to understood that the actors have their own private life. The drama also delivers the importance of consent. The drunk Gene scene is too lovely, Nubsib didn’t took advantage of it and even stop Gene for his kissing attempts. Consent King Nubsib

One of my favorite scene is when Gene attended a mini reunion party with his university friends. The way his friends push him to open up about his gender is too much, it was annoying to watch. But Tum’s dialogue is so heartwarming to hear, “Let other people decide whether they willingly talk about their personal lives or not, being a friend means that you have to understand him. Opening up your personal life is not easy for everyone. It is not okay to pressure someone to come out.” I’m so touched with the well written script.

Another common issue presented in the show is when a gay auditioned as one of the cast for Bad Engineer the series. Producers prefer to cast straight man over gays because it was the popular way of getting the viewers attracted to the show, which I found reasonable but uncomfortable. As I observed, if a BL actor suddenly announced that he has a real life girlfriend, fans feels sad and angry. Most on-screen couple didn’t end up getting together in real life and fans have to accept that even though it is a very hard one to admit.

For Tum and Kitty story, I liked how they showcase the gender stereotyping.

The plot twist is what you called a real plot twist. Never in my mind crossed the idea that Gene’s father used to date a guy before and the reason why he is against to Gene dating a man too. Also, Aoey being in love with Gene and not Nubsib. It is really so unexpected that spice up the story and make it more unique than others. To add, I really feel pressure during the family confrontation scene, it was such an intense one.

On terms of acting, Kao and Up slay their roles, natural and convincing. Nubsib’s flirty acts towards his love is so sexy! Wherein, on the other hand, Gene is such a lovely introverted writer. The chemistry of both of them is so great that I always tend to take screenshots every shared scene of them together. This is one of the shows that I really enjoy watching their kissing scenes over and over again. Such a lovely, sexy, intense, hot, passionate and seducing kiss ever. I was so shocked for an early kissing scene on episode 2 and goes on every episode. They tasted each other lips for a hundred times hahaha. Also, it was so cute to witness how adorable the two of them together. Every time Nubsib pinch Gene’s soft pair of cheeks, that was so much sweetness.

The one who portrays Saymork is bad at acting I swear, same with Aeoy’s family member. I didn’t like the family scenes at all, plain and boring. Not to mention the overreacted kissing scene of Aeoy and Mork hahaha I literally laughed while watching it. No matter how good the story is, if the acting isn’t really that great, the series itself is too affected. The reason why I rated it 9.5 instead of 10. Contributed to the -5 of my rating is the slow paced and boring first part of the last episode. The spark of the show loses at that time. The ending scene is too cute specially when I found out that the writer of the novel has a special appearance in the story that she wrote.

The production team were excellent. The series showcase cute cinematography and I also liked the camera angles specially when the two cast share an intimate scene together. It also has such a pleasing and heartbreaking OSTs ever. From happily grooving with Gavin’s “One to Ten” to being emotionally sad from listening to PCHY’s “Don’t Turn the Page” cause the lyrics are so beautiful and painful. But sometimes the background music is too exaggerated, specially the poop toilet scene of Tum :(

Overall, indeed, LOVELY WRITER is such a lovely series!!

Leia Mais

Why couldn't I love you like the majority of the viewers!!!

I went into this series, trying my utmost best to love it as it was being hyped so much here as well as on Twitter. But for some reason- I just couldn't. I tried. I really did try with this series as I keep seeing episode [insert episode number here] is the best episode every week. And I just wasn't feeling it so I had to put this series on hold after watching up to episode four. I then came back and tried to binge watch episodes five to twelve. But even that took longer than I thought it would. But I have finally finished it!

Story-8/10
I am giving this series an 8 due to the fact that it is not your typical BL. It shows the toxic side of the industry theought the fans as well as the company. The reason why I cannot give higher than an 8 is due to the fact that I felt I wasn't emotionally attached to the series.

I was watching the series and just...nothing. The only time I felt a form of emotion was in the last episode at 50 minutes (I think) when Nubsib and Gene got back together. Otherwise than that, I felt norhing. Also, I felt that the supporting characters were not developed properly, especially Aoey. I also felt more sad for Aoey than any of the other characters in this series, cause of what he went through. Yeah, he's a d#$k, but like the ending that he got, I felt that he didn't deserve it.

Also, I felt that the episodes seemed a bit too long and draggy. Like some parts were good. But some parts I really don't see the need for it.

Acting/Cast-7.5/10
I was originally going to give an 8. However, the last two episodes just made me like meh, so I am giving a 7.5.

Music-7.5/10
The damn OST is loie a bloody worm song. It's annoying as well as catchy. The other songs were okay too. So for that I will give a 7.5.

Rewatch Valu-4.5/10
I'm sorry. I felt that I took too long to finish this series and because of that I don't think that I need to watch it again.

Overall-7/10
As I stated before, I really did try with this series. I guess it wasn't for me in the end.

Leia Mais

Eh, not bad but not great either

I am not sure why the reviews for this series are incredibly high (?) I had very high expectations but ended up disappointed with the plot. It was rushed and made no sense (especially the ending, it seemed like fan service). As a watcher, I couldn't care less for the side characters as they didn't enchant the plot in any way. It felt like they were dragging the show time with those different stories. I skipped so many parts of this series that I only genuinely enjoyed a few aspects of the show. Many people preach this drama as it shows the BL industry's realistic sides, but it is honestly just shallow, and the story went NOTHING in-depth about how it is. Overall, it's a one-time watch for me. Just don't have high expectations, it's not THAT great, but it is still watchable.

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