KinnPorsche (2022)

A really sad “wasted potential”

It’s not that bad. Some aspects are not even bad at all, I’d even say it’s SO GOOD, and that’s the most frustrating thing about this series.

• Why is this a sad “wasted potential”? •
Because with all the potentials, this series COULD be a masterpiece, but it’s not and I’m sad.
- The premise is already really good, but the writing is all over the place.
- The characters dynamics could be interesting (with their background and all), but they throw it away and write bland, uninspired developments instead.
- The acting & chemistry, pretty good. Production quality, absolutely impressive. It's obvious they have great casts, crews AND budget, and that makes me so mad, because this could be really, really good.

• STORY & SCREENPLAY •
First, let’s talk about the premise. The mafia concept and premise are fresh and interesting. It’s unusual, some guy accidentally got involved with the mafia, and now he must work as their bodyguard, and soon develop romance with his mafia boss, who wouldn’t love that? The premise starts really strong, but it just goes downhill from there.

The issue is, the whole mafia story doesn’t really have a foundation, a pillar to hold everything together, it’s all over the place. What is the biggest point of all this, like, what is the MAIN problem that cause the story to move forward, and drives this whole mafia plot?

By episode 10/14, I still have no idea what the f is going on with their mafia business, everything is just so vague, it’s always like “this guy is bad, let’s shoot him”, then insert some cool action scenes with hot guys shooting at bad guys. What is their goal exactly, what is the bad guys’ goal?

Not to mention how these mafias seem like they don’t really take their mafia lives seriously. How am I supposed to believe this whole thing, when they made dumb decisions that “real mafias” wouldn't do? I honestly stopped taking them seriously since ep 7, and just focus on the romance instead.

Plot points that I don’t get:
- This random plot twist with Ken being the traitor. The point of plot twist is when audience have a certain expectation about something, and then it turns out it’s not what they expected. I don’t even have any expectation of Ken in the first place?? He’s barely having any screen time??
- The whole thing about Tawan. They’re trying to make this dramatic arc about “woah his traitor ex is back”, but then I don’t get the whole thing about Kinn not telling Porsche, his own bodyguard, about the whole plan. It feels like they’re just doing this for the angst and drama, that’s lazy.
- Wtf with Vegas tricking Porsche and trying to kiss him, but then the next time they met, they talked casually? And did Vegas actually liked him, or is he just using him for his plan, because if he did like him, there's not enough build up.
- What's with that Italian guy?
- What is it with Kim secretly investigating this and that, then nothing happened, and we never talk about it again?

• CHARACTER WRITING •
During the earlier episodes, I’m impressed at how they do the intro of both Kinn and Porsche characters. 1 episode in, and both their characters already shine through, which is a good sign.

1. Porsche, I don’t have much to say, I think his character is easy to understand, and they portrayed him well. He’s kind, caring, funny, a bit shallow but that’s his endearing quality, it’s charming. And the best thing is, it’s written consistently throughout the series.
2. Kinn, I absolutely loved the moment when Kinn starts to show his vulnerabilities of being born into a mafia family which is a big pressure to him. It shows a bit of complexity in his character. The bad news is, that’s it, that’s his best moment.
The rest of the story is just him in a very plain and shallow character writing. Kinn is just this mafia son, trying to do his job, supposedly having trust issues, but trust people easily, and he’s hopelessly in love with Porsche.

I mean, what a waste of potential when they can dig deep through his interesting life, the struggle, the insecurities, the pressure, and maybe, I don't know, maybe we can talk about his mom, maybe his mom had always been his comfort zone but she's gone now, idk
They COULD go down this kind of storyline since it's a mafia theme in a romance genre, where ruthless mafia life meets compassion, to show the emotional side behind a seemingly fierce, tough mafia guy. They could definitely use this as the device to build up their romance, instead of the typical “omg we’re somehow trapped together in this situation, we can’t help but rely on each other, then fall in love along the way, I guess”.

3. Vegas and Pete, at least, have better dynamic writing than the MCs. We know how they each developed their background character, we can see how their two worlds collide and change them, why did they do things, feel things, say things. Everything is a bit clearer, and explained more thoroughly, though it seems rushed (should have been wiser with the screen time).

• ACTING & CHEMISTRY •
I think everyone can agree that the acting is one of the saving grace. I’m really impressed with how they portray each characters and deliver the heavier scenes.
However, some heavily emotional scenes could use more authenticity. I noticed Barcode (playing Chay) delivered the emotional scenes a bit better than the others. I have to give a big appreciation to Apo too, playing Porsche, he absolutely nailed the character. And lastly, chemistry, I find bible and build, playing vegaspete, to deliver the pair dynamics a bit better than others too.

• CINEMATOGRAPHY •
And finally, the real MVP that saved this whole series. One of the best cinematography I’ve seen in BL so far (along with I Told Sunset About You, which is by the same cinematographer). It is easily a very beautiful series, but it’s also beyond that, it’s not just beautiful to look at, but beautiful to feel. This is when visual language is used to tell a story, and push it beyond words. I can write a long-ass analysis about how good the cinematography is, but let’s not. Let’s just say they nailed using colors, framing, motions, to display the right emotions in each scene.
(I wrote a short analysis about vegas pete cinematography here https://twitter.com/blackmoon1101/status/1538497421415575552?cxt=HHwWgMCjtZzQ69kqAAAA)

Additional: • DIRECTION STYLE •
From the trailers, the style really made this series looks like one of those indie, artsy, “Wong Kar Wai” styled films. But turns out, it’s more on the lighter, casual, easygoing direction.
Was I a bit disappointed? Yes.
Does that make this series bad? Not at all, it’s just a direction style.
BUT I just find it to be another reason to call this a “wasted potential” because they COULD go into that more fitting direction style, with their high budget mafia theme, hot looking casts, and high quality cinematography.

Leia Mais

I am gonna keep it simple and say that this a character focused/driven mafia show.

In my opinion this show has a little bit of everything for everyone.
- You want character driven story,? you got it
- You want fluffy, sexual tension, sex and couples who looks like they are in love and act like they genuinely sexually attracted to each other? You got it.
- You want morally grey characters? You got it
- You love comedy and actors who have great comedic timing? You got it
- You want plot twists telenovela style? You go it
- You want romantic comedy scenes that also include public declaration of love? You got it
- You want a character redemption arc or a villian that you can relate to? You got it
- You want a story about love. How do you want it? Lust filled, soul-mates, you complete me, first crush, enemies to lovers, first love, I hate everyone but you, I will burn the world to save you, ride or die, sexual synergy, platonic love, familial love, I like you so I act like a goofball, I want you so much but I am scared to love again, All my life is yours, I will take a bullet for you, I will kill anyone who hurts you. etc.

Please don't watch the show if:
- You dislike violence a lot or don't like anything listed in the tags for the show
- You like your characters to be nice and kind. Without any flaws. Well you want their flaws to only be them not knowing how hot they are.
- You prefer bromance
- You like it when the two actors look uncomfortable/wooden at every intimate scenes
- Prefer your romance shows to be more on the fluffy side with nothing more than a slight kiss. One of couples in the show offers that btw
- If you are okay with watching heterosexual romances that include kissing and sexual content but somehow irked out when gay characters do a fraction of what these straight characters are allowed to do in other media. Check your biases 🧐

Leia Mais

Hardly a complete review— just my initial and final thoughts

Love the acting and characters. Like the actor for Porsche is AMAZING. I’ve never seen a better actor in these series. The plot is interesting (though at some points slow?). The story linked multiple stories together without them really connecting. The ending with the mother and that drag on of lies was boring and obnoxious. I was hoping for a bit more drama at some points, and it felt weird to transition from a serious event to everything being suddenly fine, even in the uncut version. I didn’t see the point in throwing in that Vegas/Pete plot line in near the end. It was also SO toxic and they still get together? Yeah no. That demerits points. It was also degrading to throw it in and have comedic scenes and music in the scenes between those scenes. Love the actor for Vegas though. He’s amazing and I love when he speaks English too. I wasn’t very interested in the Porchay/Kim plot line until it got dramatic. Chay’s love for Kim developed way too soon— within an episode of them getting together (though they made it seem longer than that later on the periods). The end and the DRAMA though?! I want them—need them—in another season or spin-off. Jeff’s acting and fight scene are amazing.

Leia Mais

10000% worth it

surprisingly enough, i didn't quite have a great start with kinnporsche as it didn’t convince me the first episode. nevertheless, i later decided to give it another go and i became addicted that very moment. it was an incredible rollercoaster of emotions with all the drama, tension, and funny/light scenes. this is without a doubt one of the best bls i have ever seen. i loved every second of it and it left me speechless. one of my favourite things about it has to be porsche. he is undoubtedly one of the best characters EVER. please, do not hold yourself back from watching it. you won't regret it!

Leia Mais

So bad, yet (sometimes) so good

[Revised review as of ep. 7]
KP is an action-comedy-BL drama. But above all else, it is an unexpectedly compelling train-wreck of a romance, with some grey-area dubcon scenes thrown in to boot. Porsche is a college student who works as a bartender to make ends meet. After rescuing repressed mafia scion Kinn in a chance encounter, extenuating circumstances force Porsche to seek employment as Kinn’s personal bodyguard. What lies ahead for Porsche? (Bodily injury. Severe workplace bullying and harassment that obviously violates multiple labour laws. And a lot of sex.) Much of the praise for this show has focussed on the production values and performances from Mile and Apo in the lead roles, which I think are very good-to-fantastic compared to most TV shows in any genre or language. Bible, Build, and Jeff have also put in excellent supporting role performances as Vegas, Pete and Kim respectively. So I can ignore the fact that virtually every other aspect of the script is terrible, and watch KP religiously every Sunday morning.

I’ll start with the bad stuff.

Plot: An actual plot is almost non-existent, even 7 episodes in. What we know so far is that Kinn’s immediate and extended family, the Theerapayakuls, are involved in “underworld activity”.** We also know Korn’s (Kinn’s dad) motivations for hiring Porsche— who only becomes a competent employee in ep 7— are unclear and are being investigated sub rosa by Kinn’s estranged youngest brother Kim. Lastly, Kinn’s uncle and his sons (the so-called “secondary family” in the English translation) are the “bad guys” trying to weaken Korn’s grip on the family business. All that would be fine if viewers were given some idea of the plot’s trajectory by ep 7. Sadly, there is almost none. As of ep 7, which has the Theerapanyakuls finishing off an old enemy, we still don’t have a clear idea of what the overarching plot is, much less where it is heading. Like okay, Italian dude died... what now? That doesn’t bode well for the remaining 7 episodes— we’re either going to get an anemic main plot where the gangsters are really just there for show, or left with a giant cliffhanger for a S2 which may or may not happen. Also, while it is plausible that there are no women in the show except cafeteria and spa aunties (since hey, mafia organisation) and Yok, nearly everyone plot-relevant is gay or bi. I know that’s in the novel too, but it’s just not realistic.

** Save for what is probably unlicensed moneylending/loansharking, I am still not sure what business Kinn & Co engage in that is illegal. Their revenue streams in the PowerPoint presentation appear to be from legitimate businesses. Though in ep 7, we do see some drugs turning up in a truck and generic "dealings with other gangs"…

Script: If you have 14 episodes, you have no time to waste. In The Long Night (C-drama), the scriptwriter managed to cram in a slow build-up, fairly complex plot, and multiple narrative perspectives into a measly 12 episodes. You won’t find anything like that in KP, which is paced as if it’s 40 episodes long. What is clear is that the script is structured around the romance (more on that later), even though it also tries (unsuccessfully) to focus on other things, like having a credible storyline and being funny. Problem is, it’s not funny. At all. Other MDL reviewers have griped about the show’s miserable attempts at humour; I’ll just say that I completely agree with those comments. Because the romance is the focal point of the first half of the show, everything else is done in a half-baked way. The stuff about the family conflict and Porsche’s mysterious childhood lingers in the background like dull scenery. The humour, which mostly involves Tankhun (Kinn’s oddball and fabulous older brother) has no punchline and goes on for way too long. You could probably cut out 75% of the scenes with Tankhun and the show would not be missing anything. The role of Tankhun doesn’t do justice to Tong, who is a good actor doing his level best with a silly script. Also, I thought ep 6 was too long. There were important emotional high points in that episode, but there was no need to devote a large block of time to showing our bros in love stumbling about, playing rock-paper-scissors, and spear-fishing in the woods.

Key relationship: There’s actually a lot to be said about the main relationship, but I’ll try to keep this short. The Kinn/Porsche relationship is interesting for BL, which seldom depicts romantic relationships between guys who also have a conventional and overtly masculine friendship. It reminds me a bit of Brokeback Mountain. Here, we have a romance between needy bros who love and hurt each other in equal measure. They get along swimmingly, yet don’t get along, when all they both need is a heart-to-heart talk with a hug and fist-bump to end it off. I love it. Kinn and Porsche need each other because they are many different things to each other - bros, employer/employee, and lovers - but this is a problem when they’re completely different people. Kinn is shackled by his “professional” responsibilities and the trauma from an old relationship. However, his stiff upper lip prevents him from talking things over with Porsche until shit hits the fan. On the other hand, Porsche is uninhibited, effusive and more than happy to give and receive the affection he craves to just about anyone. He loves Kinn, but also chafes against his authoritarian streak. Worse still, Kinn’s reticence hurts Porsche and makes him susceptible to creepy stalker Vegas (Kinn’s cousin), who promises to fulfill Porsche's unmet need for attention and freedom. After making it out of the forest alive in ep 6, Kinn and Porsche (re)start their relationship in the “real world” in ep 7 being very apart even when they are together. The closing scene is very explicit, but also a total gut-wrencher in the context of the episode— there’s an understandable breakdown of trust (both ways), another heartfelt apology, followed by the need to make up for things with… more sex. Sweet? Yes. Tragic? Definitely. While I don’t have much faith that the main plot will go anywhere, I'm quite sure there’s plenty of realistic and nuanced relationship development lying ahead, because that seems to be the one thing this show is good at. As a final note, it’s also impressive how the scriptwriters “reformed” Kinn from the novel (where I understand he is unapologetically rapey) in a way that feels natural. In a rare moment of emotional candour in ep 6, Kinn acknowledges and apologises for having sex with Porsche when his consent was impaired. It was in-character and authentic, as opposed to a token politically-correct whitewashing that was thrown in so that the viewership wouldn’t brick the scriptwriters.

Acting: I can’t say enough good things about Apo’s incredible performance in KP. Because of him and Mile, the show's most emotionally tortured scenes are also the show's best. However, there's no doubt in my mind that Apo is the linchpin of this show. Apo said in an interview that he had shed blood and tears doing the show, and that shows in the seeming effortlessness with which he captures the nuances of Porsche’s character through sidelong glances, head tilts and other small gestures. He has an uncanny sense of how to present himself before the camera, and it’s almost as if he rehearsed in front of a mirror to make sure he got the gestures and angles just right. In one scene in ep 3, Porsche says he’s started taking his job seriously because he wanted to make Kinn regret sending him to work for Tankhun. At that point, there is no sign that Porsche has any romantic feelings for Kinn. But Apo does the scene with a coy head tilt and almost-but-not-quite batting of eyelashes that adds a whole layer of suggestiveness to that exchange. The episode 4 bathroom scene was even more impressive. Porsche is drugged and nearly raped by Vegas; Kinn rescues in him the nick of time while he’s high as a kite. After Porsche teases Kinn about his sexuality and throws himself at Kinn while in a questionable mental state, they have sex. This is one of the most intense, ambiguous and emotionally challenging moments in any show I’ve watched. It’s also my favourite sequence by far. How aware was Porsche? Did he make a pass at Kinn to get the attempted assault out of his mind? How does he really feel about Kinn? It’s obviously meant to be problematic, and the actors did a fantastic job of fleshing out the grey areas of this scene without giving the audience an easy answer in both eps 4 and 5. Serious props to Mile for his pitch-perfect depiction of Kinn’s inner turmoil as the pendulum swings between being a good bro to his drugged-out friend and making Something happen (never a good idea, and which it turns out, he regretted! And apologised for!).

Not being a watcher of BL shows in general, I came for what seemed like decent gunfights and action. That part didn’t work out, but the bro-romance makes it worthwhile.

Leia Mais

Gritty Mature SEXIEST BL ROMANCE

Coming in I was looking forward to romance, gritty mature sex, with strong male protagonists. I am not disappointed. But if you expect to see in-depth of the mafia world, STOP and go watch series like Peaky Blinders, Ozark, Breaking Bad or even Queen of the South (which has romance).

KinnPorsche is mainly a BL romance drama with the mafia just as a backdrop. This is the weakness of KP, it’s lacking in substance. But it’s fun to witness the obstacles Porsche went through as a reluctant bodyguard, and Kinn’s patience and exasperation on the shenanigans of his new guard… Then their relationship started progressing, the sizzling chemistry of Mile and Apo as Kinn and Porsche almost blew my screen with the hotness and all those EXPOSED skin! But Porsche and Kinn’s story started losing its edge when the pair fell head over heels in love, I find their scenes overly sweet, with Kinn declaring to everyone how much he loves Porsche.. The relationship is taking too much center stage that it affected the image of Kinn and his mafia family - the main family lacked teeth.

But KP has not given up its edge. While Kinn and Porsche are in their blissful romance, KP balances the sweetness with the darker VegasPete tandem. This pair is for the hardcore BL watchers and has caught my attention once again. VegasPete is for our wicked fantasies, twisted love/sex served hot… Admittedly, their first lovemaking was a little bit of a let down. After all the previous sadism that Vegas showed, their sex was a bit vanilla. And I think Pete can take more pain, afterall, he grew up with a father like Vegas’. I am expecting more spice from these two in the future. (Hoping to see back the whip!)… But the sex aside, their story with their similar warped childhood is just as interesting as Kinn and Porsche’.

If you cannot stomach the Vegas-Pete offering, KP will not disappoint coz the Kim and Chay is for those who like their BL sweet and innocent. But I’m watching KP for palpable sex scenes. I am sorry to say that after watching their story once, I skim this pair whenever I rewatch KP.

If the viewer has accepted that the usual boys meet boys - boys love boys, has now evolved into men meet men - men love men, with the bonus of men fuck men, then KinnPorsche, with the very mature R rating, will blow your senses. Additionally, despite the lack of depth in the story, this series is favored with great actors (everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and threw themselves 100% into their characters). The high production value is a delight and the setting makes viewers fantasize of an unreachable billionaire’s world. KinnPorsche is my guilty pleasure every weekend, counting the days til Saturday comes again. Since this is indeed a romance drama, I find myself humming the soundtrack.

.… And even though I would like to rate KinnPorsche a bit lower, I admittedly cannot. Plain and simple, I AM HOOKED and I will definitely be watching this over and over and over and over…

Leia Mais

High Expectations but too high expectations:/

I will be 100% honest here my expectations for this show were really high and the expectations just weren't met...
After a long wait and hype, I was expecting some real Mafia crime, especially because of the ratings.
However the show was just not it. I stopped watching the show after the 7th episode (Great episode) cause i just didn't want to watch it anymore. It didn't keep me on my toes every week the way MoD did.

VegasPete's storyline was kinda rushed and meh. Honestly they should've had their storyline going in the earlier episodes and allowed for a better buildup. But at least theirs was more interesting then the main couple, KinnPorsche. They just deserve more buildup, more tension, more of breaking down Vegas's psychological and family issues. No but i love that line Vegas said to Pete before their kiss. Pete needed to give in to his crazy but with more tension and time for thier development, Pete finally giving in to Vegas would've been so much better.

Porchay and Kim were alright. Kim didnt really have much depth to him. He was just that nosy sibling who wanted to be up in his family's business (mostly Kinn and Porsche's business) but there was no real point to him. He used Porchay then left him at the curb. Then kept following him to protect him. like huh?! I love his last fight scene in the bar tho. it was great. Porchay is alright. I dont really got much to say about him, but that's fine. He is an average teen boy just doing his music and got mixed in with the wrong family. They were done dirty but they were cute.

Love Tankhun. He's great. No complaints at all. In fact, he was the only one to notice Pete's absence And is hilarious too.

NOW THE MAIN COUPLE, KINN AND PORSCHE!!

Ugh just say yall are horny and stop hyping them up. Kinn is a bad boyfriend and Porsche deserves better. They got nice scenes together but they were alright. The first few episodes with them were good , but They were one of those cases of 'after they became a couple, it wasn't interesting to look at them anymore.' Also, how tf did Kinn not notice Pete being missing.

What was that whole thing with Porsche's mom and Kinn's dad? Like, what's going. Still confused about it to this day.

Overall, it was alright. the first half of the show was good, but then the second half was meh, only thing good about the second half was Vegas Pete but like i said they needed more development as a couple.

I wish there was more Mafia, crime, type story like i thought it was going to be. It felt like the whole Mafia thing was an accessory instead of actually incorporating it into the story and really diving into it. But oh well. I was disappointed on that end.

Great production, great acting, great music. The story is just lacking. Too much comedy too.

Im sure others will love this show but as a fan of crime, mafia, type dramas, it was alright. As a BL fan, the show was good. It gave fans what they wanted it terms of chemistry. The characters are a bit lacking.

However, i do think everyone should watch the show cuz it is one of the better higher quality BLs however it is not my fave.

Leia Mais

Don't get the hype... it's still toxic.

7.0 Overall; entertaining, I enjoyed it, and the acting is really well done, but in the end, it has serious flaws that I can't look past.

It was good and had a more interesting plot than your typical Thai BL. That does not make it worth all the hype; it still has all the same problematic elements that your typical Thai BL has.

I love mafia related/crime stories. One of my favorite BL's is HIStory 3: Trapped. I remember when I first watched it, I wanted more but better-developed stories like that in BL. I thought Kinneporsche would be that, and it's definitely getting closer, but still has so much of the toxic sh** that I just can't stand it anymore. I watched this as it was airing, and could understand at the time that people were excited because we were getting something "different" and with a more developed plot than a typical BL. But that doesn't mean it deserves the hype it's getting— and the amount of unconditional love this series has garnered honestly baffles me. Like, it's good, it's entertaining— but there's still so much of the same toxic and disturbing tropes in it as the usual BL. It's not that different.

HIStory 3 Trapped did the mafia concept way better; cinematically, no BL beats ITSAY. In the end, Kinnporsche was entertaining but certainly does not reach the pedestal people like to put it on.

I want more series with serious, developed plots; Kinnporsche — I'd hoped would come close to that — missed entirely. It had a great premise and setup, but when it came down to it, it devolved into typical BL tropes of power imbalance, fetishized abuse, and "love makes it all okay." It threw the plot to the wind of coincidences, used the mafia as a backdrop more than anything else, and turned two interesting characters to mush once they "fell in love."



- Semi-spoilers ahead-

Honestly, when I watched this as it was airing and the stuff with Pete started going down, I remember searching comments for other people who found it disturbing or saw that it was an obvious case of VERY, VERY disturbing Stockholm syndrome, as Pete is kidnapped, abused physically, mentally, and even sexually— and then falls in love with his abuser. But literally… no one else seemed to have a problem with this, because their romance was… cute? Sexy? Because they liked Vegas? Their plot was so disturbing to me I could barely watch it. I liked Vegas too— was ready for him to be the best part of this drama— and he could have been, if what he did to Pete was framed differently. If it was framed as " Vegas is a very bad person who did some fucked up shit", if he'd consistently been considered the villain, he would have been a villain/character that I could really like. But instead... We got this weird fetishization of Pete/Vegas, this angle that because Vegas has an attitude of "Only I can abuse you" it's cute and romantic... This is exactly why there's so much toxicity in BL plots; because when it happens but fans like what the outcome is, they decide to ignore it.

The plot between the two male leads involved some of the same abuser/power imbalance dynamics, that in a regular show would have been called out but in a BL are seen as just elements used to increase tension and totally acceptable. And definitely when compared to Pete's storyline… it was mild.

While the mafia set-up made it different to other BL series, in the end, the details of it didn't amount to being so different. The best part of this show was Tankhun tbh. The only consistently interesting and redeemable character lmao.




I have long wished that the BL industry could get some better writers— not just in regards to skill, but in, I don't know if this is the right word, morals? I have not read the original book because so many fans have mentioned that it's even more graphic and disturbing than the series, and especially now with everything coming out about the writers and the power they held behind the scenes, things need to change. I wish there were better writers out there so studios don't have to give power, money, and attention to people who are abusive or perverted.

I feel so bad for the cast, to whom this filming period must have become a nightmare.

So many people are still hoping for a season two— I'm begging for there not to be one, for the sake of the actors. Not unless they can do it without the original writers (lol).

Leia Mais

Kind of Fun Trash

I really do appreciate this drama but it's definitely not for the story, which at its most polite could be called meandering. Every head canon you can create for this story is better than what they actually put into this.

But what makes this show engaging and honestly fairly rewatchable is the cast - there's two pretty solid pairings in Milo/Apo and Bible/Build - I'm not sold on Jeff and Barcode, who could maybe play brothers but who I do not buy as romantic partners.

There is almost no fully formed idea in this script, which allows it to go off the rails when it needs to (a sex scene around bread? Tankhun? the healthiest sex scene happening between a couple half-kidnapped?) but also makes it less engaging at times. Generally speaking, I only really recommend this if you know what you're getting into.

Leia Mais

The Best Action BL So Far!

After watching the first ep, I have to say that I'm impressed! The long wait time and anticipation won't let you down- the fighting choreography, cinematography, acting, and locations are all great quality!

The plot/concept is also new and refreshing, especially for a BL. I'm very excited to continue to see new locations and storylines with more fighting, chaos, and exciting moments. And almost all of the characters so far have depth with their own set of motives, so don't worry about seeing zero character development in the rest of the series. If you are looking for a mature, action-packed, spoicy BL, I'd recommend this for you!

Leia Mais

Un très bon effort qui rebat les cartes du BL

J’ai hésité à écrire un commentaire sur KinnPorsche, parce qu'au vu de la notoriété et de l’hystérie autour de cette série, d’ici à ce que je termine de le rédiger il y aura au moins 1302 critiques sur ce site et mon avis n’apportera pas forcément de nouveauté, si ce n’est de nuancer les 1298 notes «10» légèrement exagérées, et les quatre notes «3» des gros déçus du fan-club «Ils ont changé des trucs par rapport au bouquin». Mais vu que les trois quarts seront en anglais, on ne sait jamais, peut-être que certains seront assez flemmards pour se contenter du mien, donc allons-y gaiement. Et puis c’est KinnPorsche, quoi. Une série hyper attendue depuis l’année dernière, si ce n’est LA plus attendue dans le monde des BL. Forcément, tous ceux qui ont bossé dessus n’avaient pas le droit de se planter, et c’est dans doute une des raisons expliquant pourquoi KinnPorsche représente un sacré tournant dans cette industrie du boy’s love qui, si elle constituait surtout une niche dans le vaste monde des dramas principalement dominé par les Coréens et les Chinois, permettra à coup sûr à la Thaïlande de sortir du lot et de gagner plein de thunes (et avec un peu de chance les Chinois comprendront qu’ils risquent de louper le coche avec leur censure homophobe et ils arrêteront d’être cons, qui sait ? On peut toujours rêver).

Je précise que je n’ai pas lu l’histoire. Mais le sujet m’a suffisamment intéressée quand on a commencé à en parler, pour aller voir les commentaires sur des forums et sur Youtube concernant le roman initial. Donc le premier point positif, c’est qu’ils semblent avoir fait un formidable travail d’adaptation, en utilisant une matière de base complètement toxique, ainsi que des héros super antipathiques et problématiques, pour transformer tout ça en scénario relativement acceptable avec des protagonistes attachants et nuancés (à la base Kinn est un sale con maniaque du contrôle qui ne connaît pas la notion de consentement, quant à Porsche c'est un neuneu TSTL comme ils disent en anglais, c'est à dire "too stupid to live") donc on va dire qu'ils se sont montrés bien avisés en retravaillant les personnages. C’est sans doute dû à la volonté de marquer le coup face à une audience internationale, devenue plus exigeante depuis MeeToo, dans tous les cas si ça peut changer les mentalités et amorcer la disparition progressive des romances malsaines à l’avenir, c’est toujours bon à prendre. Ensuite, nous avons des acteurs adultes, qui jouent dans une histoire mature, et comme je l’ai précisé sur «Dear Doctor, I'm coming for Soul» la différence est vraiment flagrante, enfin la plupart du temps. De manière générale le jeu des Thaïs est un peu craignos même dans les lakhorns plus traditionnels que je continue à mater pour je ne sais quelle raison, ils passent leur temps à piailler ou à chialer dans des scènes loonnnngues quand ce ne sont pas des hésitations à n’en plus finir histoire de faire durer les épisodes et de nous faire larmoyer devant notre écran, au cas où on n’aurait pas compris que c’était un moment poignant et crucial (qui produit l’effet contraire du coup, c’est ballot...). Donc pour un BL censé avoir moins de budget, ils s’en sortent quand même très bien. Les moments d’émotion sont relativement crédibles, on ne grimace pas d’un air gêné (sauf à un ou deux moments censés être drôles mais d’un goût un peu douteux, mais bon ça ne dure que quelques secondes).

Le mélange romance, action & mystère fonctionne bien, ponctué de moments plus light ou doudous pour relâcher un peu la pression. Les dialogues sont bons et jamais ridicules (du moins je n'en ai pas remarqué), les acteurs sont presque tous canons et c’est un régal pour les yeux. Quant aux scènes intimes (ou scènes pas intimes mais émouvantes) c’est une réussite, elles sont belles et bien jouées, les acteurs sont à l’aise et ça sonne vrai. Mention spéciale à la musique qui rend bien l’ambiance des scènes. Car si la BO (variée et sympa, au passage) est plutôt tendre et romantique quand il s’agit du couple principal formé par Kinn et Porsche, en revanche elle l’est beaucoup moins quand il s’agit de Vegas et Pete, et c'est bien pensé sur ce coup-là. En effet la musique lors de leur moment d’intimité met un peu mal à l’aise, et je salue le fait qu’ils aient su montrer la complexité de leur relation, qu’ils nous présentent bien comme toxique sans bêtement romancer une situation qui est abusive au départ. Donc oui, il y a bien de l’abus, même concernant les premières scènes d’amour entre Kinn et Porsche d’ailleurs, or ce n’est jamais montré comme acceptable, mais plutôt comme un mauvais départ qu’il faudra régler pour avancer sainement dans la relation, et ça c’est bien. Il y a pas mal de rebondissements qui servent à la fois à maintenir notre intérêt jusqu’à la fin, et permettre le développement desdites relations entre les personnages. Les couples se construisent de manière naturelle et logique, ce n’est pas simple dès le début et l’aspect psychologique n’est pas laissé de côté. Alors la troisième romance entre les deux frères respectifs du 1er couple est un peu tirée par les cheveux, mais tant qu’il y a des histoires d’amour un minimum développées je ne crache pas dessus, d’autant qu’ils viennent de confirmer une deuxième saison qui permettra probablement de conclure comme il faut cette 3ème histoire. J’aurais quand même apprécié un bisou avec Jeff Satur, parce que c’est Jeff Satur et si j'avais 15 ans de moins il ne dormirait pas dans la baignoire, mais il paraît que son partenaire n’était pas aussi à l’aise, donc bon... Vivement la suite, on verra bien.

Il y a quand même quelques points négatifs. Que je n’aurais pas relevés s’il s’agissait d’un autre BL, parce qu’on ne peut pas être trop exigeant dans cette industrie encore frémissante, mais vu que la série était chaque dimanche en super tendance Twitter, forcément la comparaison avec d’autres séries connues ne leur fait pas toujours honneur. D’abord le budget moindre, qui peut se sentir dans certaines scènes, par exemple des explosions loin d’être impressionnantes, ou bien le son pas toujours au top (voix qui résonnent, etc.). Ce n'est pas grave, mais cela peut laisser croire à un amateurisme qui a le défaut de mettre en évidence quelques erreurs (par quel prodige ont-ils réussi à ôter leurs chemises pour se baigner torses nus alors qu'ils sont reliés par des menottes ???) ou moments WTF (Kinn qui repousse son garde du corps pour lui éviter d’être touché par l'ennemi... le plaçant pile dans la ligne de tir d’un 2ème garde du corps !!!). Sur le plan technique, de manière générale puisque ça ne vaut pas seulement pour les BL, les Thaïs ont encore pas mal de progrès à faire pour être au niveau de leurs voisins. Une règle simple veut que lorsqu’un acteur se déplace de gauche à droite par exemple, le plan suivant garde la même logique et le même angle de vue afin que le cerveau du spectateur ne soit pas perdu en traitant les données spatiales, provoquant une sorte de rupture. Idem, ce que j’appellerais des «ruptures de plan» parce que je ne suis pas spécialiste en cinématographie, où l’on voit d’abord des persos en plan rapproché qui se serrent dans les bras, puis dans le plan suivant en vue éloignée l’un des acteurs a encore sa main dans sa poche. Des détails, certes, mais s’ils veulent inonder le marché international et en faire une spécialité, ils devront absolument améliorer ces points-là pour qu’on les prenne au sérieux. Ensuite, certains acteurs ont parfois tendance à l’exagération. D’accord, Tankhun est un personnage génial et attachant et tout et tout, mais il faut reconnaître qu’il en fait parfois un peu trop et que ça manque de réalisme. Un autre petit regret également, concernant le décès de certains personnages : il arrive que l'on s'attache à certains d'entre eux, certes on se doute qu'il y aura quelques pertes dans l'histoire vu que ce ne sont pas des enfants de chœur, mais j'aurais apprécié qu'on leur consacre un peu plus de temps que se contenter de crier leur nom sur le moment en mode "zut !" et puis pouf, on n'en entend plus parler... Enfin, le sujet principal restant une romance, on va dire que l’aspect «mafia» est moins développé et que ça pêche un peu de ce côté-là. On nous présente l'un des personnages comme un cerveau hyper manipulateur, mais ses magouilles tombent vite à l’eau et ça manque quelque peu de crédibilité, du coup il paraît moins «intense» que le scénario voulait nous faire croire, voire même un peu pitoyable à certains moments. Ça n’enlève rien à son jeu d’acteur qui est bon, mais ça retire quand même une dose de charisme à son personnage et c’est dommage. J’en profite au passage pour mentionner un dernier point négatif, cette fois non lié à la série elle-même mais au contexte dans lequel elle est sortie. Je parle de la guerre qui s'est produite entre les fans du couple KinnPorsche et ceux de VegasPete, ces derniers voyant les épisodes défiler semaine après semaine avec une impatience grandissante tant ils craignaient de ne pas voir leur romance démarrer suffisamment tôt pour être traitée correctement, tandis que les premiers ne manquaient pas de leur rappeler ironiquement que l’histoire s’appelait «KinnPorsche» et pas «VegasPete». D’un côté je peux comprendre les deux parties, quand on adore une histoire on craint tous que son adaptation la trahisse, mais cela m’a fait réfléchir sur le fait qu'avoir lu un roman avant de voir son adaptation à l’écran n’a pas toujours de bons côtés (en même temps je me félicite de ne pas m’être farci ce qui semble être une grosse bouse toxique, sinon je doute que j’aurais apprécié la série, ou même que j’aurai eu envie de la voir). En bref, ce genre de conflit sur les réseaux a certes contribué à la popularité de KinnPorsche, mais il risque aussi de décrédibiliser l’audience des BL et de faire du tort par ricochet à cette industrie alors qu’elle est en plein développement et là, c'est juste pas le moment.

Pour conclure, j’ai vraiment trouvé cette série sympathique, le scénario passionnant et adulte, les rebondissements sont fréquents et maintiennent l'intérêt, et les romances se construisent de manière assez crédible, avec de belles scènes intimes qui placent la barre très haut pour les BL à venir. C’est bien une des premières fois d’ailleurs où l’on a au moins deux scènes de sexe dans lesquelles les persos vont jusqu’à l’orgasme, du moins dans une production qui n’est pas classée comme érotique : d’ordinaire ils se tripotent 30 secondes puis on les voit couchés l’un à côté de l’autre pour nous faire comprendre qu’ils ont fini leurs galipettes. Enfin, les acteurs s’en sortent très bien et l’implication de l’équipe se sent autant au visionnage que dans leurs événements promotionnels, leur alchimie est palpable, certains moments d’émotion réussissent à nous tirer quelques larmes et le mélange romance/action fonctionne vachement bien. Et la première saison nous offre une conclusion relativement satisfaisante. En bref, il y avait l’avant-KinnPorsche, désormais il y aura l’après-KinnPorsche. Un tournant dans l’industrie du BL qui ne peut que nous réjouir.

PS : Si quelqu'un peut m'expliquer pourquoi ils ont rajouté "La Forte" dans le titre, je lui en serai reconnaissante, parce que pour moi ça ne veut strictement rien dire...

Leia Mais