Moonlight Chicken (2023)

I love this but Heart and Li Ming take all the credit for it.

The series is very well produced and I love Aof as the director (as asual). I have loved everything Mix and Earth had done together before this, but this time their character's were kinda meh. To begin with, I didn't like Earth's character at all. He was terrible and unreasonable all the time and the only thing he would say the whole series was "I'm so old" and let's not forget how he managed to be HOMOPHOBIC with Li Ming LOL. Actually I liked Mix's part, I just don't understand why he was so into Uncle Jim. Gemini and Fourth did EVERYTHING. They were flawless. They're story was fantastic, they're acting was impecable. Everything about them was absolutely perfect, I love them so much :(

Leia Mais

Li Ming and Heart were my favs omg-

so I'm only 6 mins in and this is already some of the best cinematography I've ever seen in my life. like this is insane. also can we talk about the stacked cast? this is actually insane. okay so i kinda forgot to update this every ep bc i binged the crap outta it but yea-

so ima do this character by character bc its necessary.
let's start with jim and wan. while not my fav couple in this series I still liked the growth the characters had and how they learned to heal through each other even though they had a few disputes they were able to sort it out and find a home in each other as wan said he longed for. earth mix did a really good job portraying them and I loved their chem as always.

heart and li ming were my fav couple bc omg they're adorable and they def stole the show. fourth did amazing with portraying li ming and his struggles to find himself (which is is really relatable and realistic) while also figuring out love. the way he brought heart back to life and showed him that he can still live a normal life and that he is a normal person is amazing. I also loved that li ming openly expressed his feelings and how he felt that it was unfair (which it was) for jim to push his own faults onto him and not letting him live his life. now onto heart, who I think really helped li ming find himself while heart was learning how to live again. gemini did really well especially since roles like the one he has in this series are hard to emotionally and physically portray, especially as he is a younger actor compared to the rest of the cast which has significantly more experience then gemfourth.

I also really liked how mark's character leng worked into the plot and showed the struggles of someone who is expecting an unplanned child while not being able to financially support them.

now I can't finish without mentioning the amazing firstkhao who were scene stealers for me this entire show. the amount of emotion they can portray is insaneeee. also they really understand their characters well and become immersed in their roles which can be really taxing and deserves tons of recognition. the way first can express feelings through his voice is crazy like the amount of pain I feel throughout his scenes with wen was so impressive. and Alan's character isn't one that is easy to express because there's so many layers of conflicting emotions going on there. and of course khaotung. the way this man can never cease to make me start bawling when he starts crying shows you how good he is at acting. every scene he does is impeccable and the emotions he portrays in his eyes truly embody each of his characters. like the amount of sheer talent and star quality is insane. also after having watched the behind and having seen everyone start crying during Khao's scene where he sings at gaipa's mother's funeral shows just how amazing he is. Even earthmix mentioned after that he was so good that everyone just felt the emotion so deeply. get these two more dramas bc good lord we need more. I would watch every single one bc thats just how good they are. and ik some people were upset that gaipa and alan didn't have a finished story but this was their side series for this year.

also i just need to say that the cinematography in this was so well done. probably one of if not the best I've ever seen in a bl and def ranks among the top of dramas in general. the use of colors is genius and really sets the mood for each scene. and the ost was really good too, with the background music fitting well and not out of place which can tend to ruin the mood in bls. anyways this is my take on this series and now ima sleep haha.

Leia Mais

A Masterpiece

I was confused as to why this drama only has 8 episodes but after finishing it, I realized why. Every single episodes, every single parts truly touched the audience’s hearts with its truly remarkable moments. All the characters were executed well. You truly see the growth of every individual characters as they also learned to accept what life has to offer them. Uncle Jim finally accepting help from others and opening up at the end was such a refreshing scene. Him moving away from the old diner place and selling his car really shows he’s moved on with Wen. I love the growth of his relationship with Ming. From being flawed in the beginning to accepting each other at the end. Wen and his fighter nature really inspired me. The amount of persistence he has despite being continuously rejected at first was just amazing. I love how he rejected the promotion at the end. It may seem absurd to some but since the beginning, he never was about money. He actually have always wanted a home which he finally found with Uncle Jim. What happened between Wen and Alan was heartbreaking but it does happen in real life . You wake up one day and realize this is not the love you’re looking for. It was very realistic the way their characters were portrayed. From trying to be friends, to not working out, to angst then finally to moving on. I’m glad both of them were able to find another means of happiness and seem to end the series by still being friends. Then we have Heart and Li Ming. I have so much praises for them. The innocence yet heaviness of their story must have been hard to portray but both Gemini and Fourth played their parts very well. Then we have Gaipa. This sweet man tore my heart in pieces when he was singing for his mom. Khaotung’a acting definitely deserve a recognition! All the actors do! The series was made to be realistic that even after finishing it, I can still feel their emotions. Congratulations to e everyone who was part of this masterpiece. Hope everyone will get the chance to watch this! ❤️

Leia Mais

It just feels real

The Midnight Series of GMMTV had been on my "Watch Later" list for a while now. Simply because i have grown so accustomed to their story telling type and the quality of their series that I did not expect anything profound from it.

Then I stumbled upon Moonlight Chicken. By it's name, I had already found it interesting enough. A Chicken diner located in a region/province in Thailand that is yet to recover after the tumultuous times from COVID-19. Despite the rising prices and the need to adapt to an economy that has been heavily hit, Moonlight Chicken stands different because it gives more of a respite to its customers than a reminder of harder times.

There are a lot of things I thoroughly enjoyed about this story but one stood high above all-- the use of a Chinese song called "The Moon Represents My Heart".

For those who are familiar with this song, it is a sweet Chinese love song that has been popularized by Teresa Teng. I would not get into much details with the song because the show encapsulates the kind of love that it wishes to share. But that's not what I am getting at. I had not read or watched anything regarding the production of Moonlight Chicken, so I have no idea what the director/writer's intention was when they incorporated the song-- but one name stood out when I was watching the series and it was Li Ming's mother's fiance Mr Tong. What's funny enough is that she refers to him as Mr Tong multiple times through the series.

And it hit me so hard, because Mr Tong and The Moon Represents My Heart suddenly becomes real. I am not sure if it was meant as a reference, but after watching the story of Jim and Wen, then Li Ming and Heart and the hardships of Alan and Gaipa-- I can't help but relate it to a beloved actor's story of Leslie Cheung. And for those who do not know, that is a story that is both pure and tragic. Such love that is enduring and a love that is all consuming. Thank you to the writer for that beautiful homage.

Now it brings me to the three or maybe an extent, four couples that are showcasing love differently.

Jim and Wen, the main couple. This is interesting because they both are dealing with different kinds of trauma from their past love. You have Jim whose love had treated him with selfishness, and had ended up with much tragedy that the entire ordeal had left him distrustful. Then we have Wen, whose heart is ready to love but can't properly move on from a love that has kept him captive. How could you move on from someone you have been with for so long? How can you help that person accept that you no longer love them? Sprinkle in with other personal matters such as work, family and inner predicaments gives you a story that beautifully endures. Kudos to Earth and Mix, they rarely miss.

Li Ming and Heart. This couple had captured me in a way purity does, in awe and appreciation. LiMing and Heart shows the silence and subtlety of love, where what is considered "normal" should not dictate the limitations of what love can become. Despite Li Mings feelings of inadequacy or Heart's disability, the two of them found the right note and voice to conquer their trials and emerge victorious. A love stemmed from the desire to understand and grow together. Kudos to the young actors Fourth and Gemini.

Saleng and Praew. Though brief and not as highlighted, I appreciate the realness of this couple. They are by no means rich and they know that with the pregnancy they will be facing harsher times. And yet they persevered. The growth of Saleng's character as well made me admire him more, his hard work to ensure his child will grow up with enough opportunities and his willingness to do more to give his wife a safe home. It's wonderful how they both did their best for each other and did not let the situation hinder them from still also working hard for the betterment of themselves. Kudos to Mark and View.

Alan and Wen (then Gaipa). Alan comes of pitiful to me. Which is maybe what we want to feel at the start. Though it is annoying and clearly appalling how he acts so stubborn with Wen and how he allows his personal feelings affect his work-- you can't deny that the man is clearly deeply heartbroken and moving on has become a curse to him. However, it also shows two people who drift apart and are slowly drawn to beings that can move their world for the better. Kudos to First and Khaotung, they express emotions strongly and beautifully.

This is already a testament to the story writing and to the actors themselves.

Apart from that, what's the most beautiful about Moonlight Chicken is that everything feels real. Rarely were their the usual plot devices that forces the characters to come together-- it was enough for the characters being human to move the story forward. Their jobs are not glamorous, there are hardships and the effects of gentrifying a historical part of the land is also highlighted. There is also the evolution of dreams, how one can transform that dream and still be wonderful. Family dynamics, how giving birth does not guarantee forever love, how being different does not mean you affect others, how your love is enough to make others feel appreciated and how we can never be perfect, but we can always try to make it work.

Love. Loss. Hope. Bravery. Honesty. Resilience. Growth. Heart. Friendship. Trust. Letting go.

I appreciate so many things about this series but can't really put all my thoughts in one go. It is well thought of, well executed and well meaning. Love and suffering, love and growth, love and moving on. Truly a treat and something i wish could touch hearts for the years to come. Kudos! A definite must watch.

Leia Mais

Exceptional

Moonlight Chicken has two perfect couples and I love them both for different reasons. Wen and Jim are basically love at first sight but it takes them a whole show to be able to act on it, Wen gets there quicker but he has his troubles to sort through as well. They yearn, are scared, are tired and just really want to find a some place to call home.

Li Ming and Heart on the other hand have a rocky beginning but after they get over it they become close so fast. Their relationship was the most special to me, and the way it was written is truly exceptional. They both just want someone to listen and believe in them. Acting from both of the boys is perfect, all the strong emotions, small facial expressions, they sold it so well and I love them both.

Finale was perhaps the least strong of the episodes, but I already rewatched it since I wasn't ready to let this show go.

Leia Mais

the only bitter and gritty thing about this show is how I feel about it

Uff, this really hurts to write, but I need to write it anyway. When I first heard about this show and its premise, I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t too happy. But I was reassured that it would not be your typical cheating storyline and it would be handled more realistically and less like your typical BL cheating plot. It was also said that this show would be very realistic, gritty, and bitter. And I prepared myself for that. Once the actual trailer dropped though, it didn’t look nearly as bitter and gritty as they promised. And surprise, surprise it wasn’t. And what was left was...a mere shadow of what it could've been.

This show was so dead-set on being realistic and the first thing they do is cast a 28 year old to play a middle aged man. Like…come one. The joke writes itself. I’m not saying that Earth wasn’t fit for this role because of his skills, because he is a good actor. This is entirely about his age and how the role makes him out to be way older than he actually is. It just turned into this joke that whenever Uncle Jim sighed or complained about the youth and how old he is, I had to laugh.

There is a very clear ship>casting mentality in the BL industry. If it wasn’t for the specific ship(s), I am almost certain that the cast wouldn’t look as they do now. Not that I would want to recast most of them, but it's obvious.

Someone said to me that P’Aof is really great in making lighthearted, fluffy BLs and maybe he should stick to what he’s best at, because bitter and realistic isn’t hitting nearly as much as his previous works. It does look amazing though, you gotta give him that.

Leia Mais

Can I have more, please? Pretty please?

Softly, gently swimming in the river of life and avoiding obstacles with determination and intelligence.....

A few days ago, I started watching Midnight Motel but the dark themed series left me wanting for something else, lighter and nicer so I decided to watch an episode of Moonlight Chicken. Next thing I know, I was finishing episode four, it was like 3AM and I was trying really hard not to watch anymore. I succeeded even though it was so hard.

This series gripped me from the beginning with its music first and then the slice of life story. I am a sucker for a good slice of life romance and this one was almost perfect. Now I just want to rewatch it!

The story is deceptively simple: in a diner in Pattaya, different people meet and forge relationships. Uncle Jim is the owner and one night he meets drunken Wen: they end up spending the night together and Wen falls for Jim who does not want to continue this relationship. Jim's nephew, Li Ming is wrongly accused of breaking a valuable bottle during a delivery and has to work to pay it back. There he meets the house owner's deaf teenage son and they become friends.

This drama deals with some important everyday, mundane issues: work, money problems, redevelopment of areas, unrequited love, unwanted pregnancy and so on but it shows friendship and love and family with a minimum toxicity. There are no forced and invented problems and issues: everything is very quickly dealt with by TALKING. Well, that was quite refreshing since most of dramas thrive on misunderstandings and lack of communication. Not the case here.
Rarely seen as well, is a deaf character. The description of a handicap and the way the boy's family struggle to accept it (by hiding it) is shown in stark contrast with Li Ming's attitude of "there is nothing wrong with being deaf! Let's communicate and be friends!" Their story was beautiful. It showed young people completely unphased by adults' fears of difficulties and rejection.
And then there was Wen. He is a troubling character. He is still living and sleeping with the ex boyfriend. Their relationship is toxic and problematic and spills over into the new relationship he is trying to start because he seems stuck and unable to make a clean break. His ex, Alan, tries to hold onto him and as a result they are both unhappy.

Moonlight Chicken, with all its lightness, managed to touch upon and deal with a numerous life problems, small and big but realistic.

As for the cast, they were hit and miss. Firstly Earth was miscast: he is supposed to be almost 40! He does look older than the rest of the cast but not that much! And also, somebody should just tell Earth (playing Jim) that e cannot act and that he should remain a model: he's a handsome guy but has a single expression throughout the series wooden eternally surprised expression. Frankly that bothered me already in 1000 Stars! He shares no chemistry with Mix, who played Wen and I found their interactions, when they were lovey dovey, stilted, unnatural and unconvincing! Mix, on the other hand, is a king of microexpressions, his eyes tell a thousand stories but what happened to him? He looks like he is made out of putty, all soft and pudgy and soft, maybe too soft. But he has great chemistry with First who plays his ex Alan. I must say that First was a revelation! He is an amazing actor. Unexpectedly so since he did not leave a lasting impression after The Eclipse.
And then there are the two hottest BL stars of the moment, hot on the heels of their huge hit My School President. Gemini plays the deaf kid Fourth as Li Ming befriends. And they are just perfect§ Playing a daf character is not easy since you are not allowed to react to sounds all around (there was a scene where he unwittingly turned his head when a note was pushed under the door he was not looking at!Just a minor flaw!). They were the right measure of cute and serious and fun and real, just like every teen is nowdays! Open, with surprising maturity and without prejudice. And, by the way they were much better here than in MSP!
Finally there was Kaotung who has mastered overacting. Some of his scenes were hard to watch because of his grimacing face!

The producers should stop repeating actors' couples from other series. Earth and Mix as well as First and Kaotung were wrong here! That did not stop me from enjoying this series a lot but some moments were rather cringey especially scenes between Earth and Kaotung (who plays a chicken stall owner with a crush on Jim!).

The cinematography was stunning: the colours were in the brown, dark and warm tones. Everything felt soft and gentle. And the lighting and the colour palette corresponded the characters.
The music was so right for this series! The old taiwanese song the six main actors sing is giving me goosebumps and spills something warm inside my soul.

And in spite of all the flaws, I loved this series. It was just perfect for me at this moment in my life when I was looking for a serious story but with no toxicity. And I need more of all of them!

Leia Mais

stayed for heart and li ming

They stole the show for me. It got to a point where I skipped everything just to watch their scenes together because their chemistry is insane! The way the two of them had me blushing and kicking my feet every interaction ! Thank you to the actors for portraying their characters so beautifully:) I do feel like they always give their all in every single role they play so you never have to worry about them slacking.

Oh, and the second couple close to the end, I would have liked to see that progress, I think they had potential.

Final opinion: The second couple saved the show for me.

Leia Mais

So different for GMMTV!

I have watched so many GMMTV BL dramas and this by far was the highest production value by far. But I don't think that was always beneficial. With a higher budget they were able to do so much more, but the longer episode run time made some episodes feel like they were dragging the plot out. And for there only being 8 episodes in the series they didn't really plot out the pacing correctly so by episode 8 it felt like a rushed conclusion. The acting by the leads of Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri and Mix Sahaphap Wongratch was really beautiful, however their love story felt like it was never going to happen as a result of the drag out. As per usual GMM has produced another side love story that was almost an "Eclipse" of the main story (pun intended.) The performance we were given by Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul and Gemini Norawit Titicharoenrak was absolutely heart warming, and they left me wanting more. I do feel like they were done a grave disservice however because their one and only kiss was completely obscured by the camera angle.

On the whole this was a really good series with many high points. The higher production value was a great enhancement for the cinematography. The only down side being the long run time being a disruption from a properly paced story line. If it was a 12 ep series then I think they could have done a lot more.

Leia Mais

slice of life, struggles, other side of the tracks romance, great side dishes

I enjoyed this complicated little show, even though it’s spectacularly messy gay with lots of shrapnel and authentic pain (normally not my style).

I thought EarthMix turned in their most compelling performance to date, yes better than Thousand Stars.

But it was GeminiFourth who stole my heart. What a wonderful side romance that was!

That said, the most interesting central relationship was that of Jim & Li Ming, their father-son angst mixed with evident affection made me tear up. This was more slice of life than it was BL, but it ended happily so I’m not mad at it.

Leia Mais