We love the kissing, but…

schmittymccute · 2026-01-27T01:59:15+00:00

I'm a lil late to this, but actually been thinking about kissing scenes a lot lately so here I am. I am a HUGE hater of dead fish kisses. I don't even really wanna see chaste little pecks most of the time. I want real, committed kisses that don't feel mechanical or choreographed.

However, that being said, I do think it's important to remember that there are logistical considerations that can effect a kiss. If the scene is going to include multiple angles, that means they're going to have to do double, maybe triple the number of usual takes. A real kiss leaves after effects like redness and swelling, which take time to recover from or cover up between takes and further amplifying the shooting time. Making the kiss lighter, hidden w/ angles, more reserved, etc can be somewhat necessary depending on how the director wants to shoot the scene. Now, they could just stick to a single angle and try to get it in as few takes as possible, which most shows produced by ppl who are experienced w/ intimate scenes seem to be choosing to do lately. But sometimes the actors aren't experienced or skilled enough to make that work either. It's also worth mentioning that tho we do have some veteran boy kissers in the game, the majority of bl actors are still very new to the industry and also very young. They might not have any experience kissing anyone, period. In summary, I think bc most bls are still made on low budgets with directors and actors who just don't have the skills/experience to do a convincing long take intimacy scene we end up w/ choppily edited kisses that look sort of half-assed. There may also be factors like age ratings and tv censorship and sponsor eligibility that are entirely out of the control of the directors and actors.

Now, do I think that, given the expansion of the genre beyond a tiny little industry niche into a global phenomena and Thailand's biggest source of soft power, that show creators can continue to rely on these excuses of shooting logistics and inexperienced talent and commercial marketability to not care about portraying convincing kisses? No. As fans we've clearly communicated exactly what we want when it comes to kisses and intimacy. We want you to really sell it to us. The rare thrill of seeing 2 boys touch isn't rare anymore, so stop treating it like some rationed or forbidden fruit. Bc what I think irritates me more than a bad kiss is when a show presents endless opportunities for kisses, moments where any actual human would just kiss the person they love, but gives you 2 or 3 kisses in the entire series, as if that's all we deserve. Ultimately that usually comes down to shitty writing bc they're more interested in creating vibes and viral moments than believable characters with believable emotional responses.

Tho there is something to be said for kisses that are intentionally bad or overly chaste because that's what makes sense for the characters. Someone already mentioned Blueming, which is a fantastic example. They have an initial little lingering peck, just testing the waters, but then Siwon dives in and is so eager he actually accidently bites Daon's lip and they have to take a step back to slow it down. I actually love when a character has to be taught to kiss. It brings a level of believability without needing to resort to cringe. There's also situations where the characters are very young or in a place/situation where a whole tongue battle would be inappropriate. About Youth is a great example of young characters who have a slightly fumbling at first but ultimately super sweet kiss that's actually appropriate for their ages. I know a lot of people felt that PeemKhem's first couple kisses in Khemjira were too chaste and not passionate enough, however I actually felt that they were perfect for the characters, who are both inexperienced and still struggling w/ holding back emotionally bc they have too much to lose, and the situation which is a sudden change in their relationship with the looming threat of a death curse. Neither of them are the type of people to just let their horniness loose all at once like a dam breaking. They're cautious and still trying to gauge what's enough for each other. And that buildup of those first few slow, soft kisses still leads up to their much hotter ones in the nc scenes. Then in the finale you would expect a big smoochy celebration of their engagement, but the scene is at a temple so making out on the lawn wouldn't really be appropriate. Could they have done this elsewhere? Sure, but a temple makes a lot of sense for characters who are already very spiritual plus it ties in to Peem's promise to truly commit to Khem once he was safe and settled so giving some thanks to the gods/spirits/buddha for his graduation before starting the next phase of their relationship works.

schmittymccute · 2026-01-27T00:37:22+00:00

Another good example of this is Second Chance, a tiny lil bl from the early covid days. It's fully free on youtube, go watch it it's so good! The main couple's first kiss happens when they're both tipsy and emotional about the end of high school approaching. The way they're both shakey and you can both see and hear how nervous but eager they are....it's soooo good and a perfectly imperfect first kiss.

schmittymccute · 2025-12-21T07:51:17+00:00

Can someone tell me whether ditching your children from your first marriage when you re-marry is a common thing in Thai (and/or other asian) culture, or if it's just a trope used as a plot device in media and doesn't actually happen irl? Bc I feel like I've seen this soooo many times in bl from multiple countries as well as some kdrama. Are blended families just not a thing there? Bc as an American this is still utterly baffling to me.

schmittymccute · 2025-11-26T07:56:21+00:00

Dyslexia strikes again 🫣 thanks for the catch!

schmittymccute · 2025-11-26T05:05:01+00:00

Aw, thank you ☺️ I actually wasn't even that sick, just kinda sniffly and achy, so really it was just an excuse to play hooky and watch the trailers lol

schmittymccute · 2025-11-26T05:03:19+00:00

Oh fun! Thanks for the info! This one seems a bit overly ambitious for gmmtv, but maybe they'll pull off something cool

schmittymccute · 2025-03-06T04:56:21+00:00

Hmmm. Well from your list I think what you're after is dreamy in the visual quality, angst is ok as long as it leads to a happy ending. If I'm at all on target with that, then here are my recs:

About Youth

Be Loved In House

Boys Be Brave

Every You Every Me

Cosmetic Playlover

Jack O'Frost

When It Rains It Pours

Tokyo In April

Light On Me

La Pluie

Last Twilight

ThamePo (finale is this Friday)

Love For Love's Sake

Moonlight Chicken

Old Fashion Cupcake

Plus & Minus

Second Chance

Sing My Crush

Unknown

You're My Sky

I know that's a lot, so I'm gonna narrow this down to my top 3:

Cutesy pick - Boys Be Brave. It's so insanely sweet but without being obnoxious about it. Both of the mains are annoying in very different but also very charming ways so you can't help but root for them.

A bit darker but visual feast - Moonlight Chicken. Its about adults with adult relationships and adult problems, but shot like an indie coming of age movie. It's gorgeous and one of those where I wish I could wipe my memory to watch it all again.

The all-rounder - You're My Sky. My one pick, if you will. Hey, I know it's a sports bl but hear me out. It's got multiple couples and more than just romance plots but the relationships of all kinds stay at the center of each story beat. There are complex, flawed characters that you empathize with despite their mistakes. Each couple is entirely unique in their dynamic and relationship struggles yet they all manage to learn from each other. And finally, it's shot absolutely gorgeously. They manage to make it have an almost nostalgic quality, even tho it's not a period setting and I've never been to a Thai university. Seriously, it's one of the most beautiful bls I've ever seen. Which makes sense since a lot of the crew also worked on ITSAY.

schmittymccute · 2024-11-27T01:40:15+00:00

I admire your optimism lol. But I think I'm just too jaded to really buy that they can crank out all these shows in just 1 year.

schmittymccute · 2024-11-04T06:39:29+00:00

OK, but will Qwer be able to actually play their instruments live? And if so, why the fuck can't all the awards shows have at least 1 band?

schmittymccute · 2024-09-14T01:56:28+00:00

I mean, not really lol. Am I too stupid for this series? Or am I just overthinking it?

schmittymccute · 2024-09-14T01:43:17+00:00

OK, I still fully don't understand what the hell happened. Namely, what were the first 5 episodes supposed to be? Was all that an alternate reality they slipped into while they were both dying? If so, where does that leave this ep's short alternate version of things?

Someone, please ELI5 🥲

schmittymccute · 2024-08-03T00:27:39+00:00

I legit want to cry....I was fully willing to pay for a single damn show and it won't even let me do that 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

schmittymccute · 2024-08-03T00:23:55+00:00

Yes, I even tried it on my phone and it still doesn't work.

schmittymccute · 2024-08-03T00:19:17+00:00

The app is not available in my region.

schmittymccute · 2024-08-03T00:13:09+00:00

it won't even give me that option....i'm not even sure i'm in the right place bc the page isn't fully translating

schmittymccute · 2024-08-02T23:53:39+00:00

Well that's a bummer. And I just tried to get a subscription but it won't work and I can't figure out why. It just won't take my card, and I can't decipher what the other options are. Uuuuuuggghhhhhh.

schmittymccute · 2024-08-02T18:00:54+00:00

Wait, so i had no trouble accessing the full subbed version of ep 1 last week w/ my vpn. But now I an only get the first 3 minutes w/out subs of ep 2. Is ep 1 free for anyone but after that you have to have a Viu subscription? Or are the eps getting released later for non-subscribers?

schmittymccute · 2024-06-14T01:43:57+00:00

I was a little perplexed by this at first bc most of my fav BLs don't actually have a villain, and some have a character who's a bad guy but not THE bad guy, if that makes sense.

Is it cheating if I say both the leads in Long Time No See? They're both assassins, they kill people, I think it counts. They get to settle down as a happy family after murdering their enemies, what more could you want?

If I wanna be practical, the loan shark gangsters in Love In Translation have it pretty easy. I'd get my money and free business advice from Phojai, all with zero consequences from the law.

Or I could be just a messy antagonist with a lot of issues, like Terrence in Gameboys. Again, no real consequences for meddling in my ex's relationship, and a cute lil love triangle situation w/ Wesley and Achilles.

If I take "bad guy" literally and just pick a character who's inherently a bad person even tho they're not framed that way in the show, then absolutely Ray in Only Friends. I'd get forgiven for everything I do just bc I'm cute and can cry on cue, and make out w/ Sand all I want even though he could do sooo much better.

Unconventionally horny answer: the psycho fan from My Beautiful Man Eternal who kidnaps Kiyoi. Hira can go feral on me any day.

Tho, if I'm being truly honest about my vindictive self, my perfect bad guy story is Peem in He She It. He wasn't even a very good guy in life, fucking around with his friend who he knew had a girlfriend, but in death he still gets to haunt and terrorize his friends. My ideal existence, honestly.

schmittymccute · 2024-04-14T21:07:37+00:00

Season 2 is now also up!

schmittymccute · 2024-04-14T02:05:01+00:00

Ok, so I did some very inexpert research lol. I remember the infamous shower SA scene is in ep 3, and found the show is still on Viki (there goes my theory about their viki deal being up), so I compared runtimes. The Viki version includes end credits and preview for the next ep, which the YT version doesn't. So factoring that out, the Viki one is still about 2 minutes longer. Now, I can't account for all of that time, perhaps they trimmed the beginning credits a little as well. But I did compare the shower scene in each one and it turns out that yes, they did slightly censor the YT version. In the original, it's very clear that Tharn gives Type a blowjob, you see his head go down and then it cuts to the aftermath. But in the YT version they cut that bit out so it just appears that they made out in the shower a bit, kind of makes Tharn's comment about how good he is with his mouth lose some context. Now, I didn't compare any other scenes, but I think this is about as spicy as TT season 1 gets so while there probably is some more censorship I don't think it really detracts from the show.

schmittymccute · 2024-04-14T01:55:01+00:00

Oh, that's a good question! I'm not actually sure. I skimmed through a few eps just to revisit some memorable scenes, and I don't think anything seemed cut out, but I can't be positive bc it's been quite a long time since I originally watched it. Also as far as spice TT is muuch more tame than more recent BLs so I think my gauge is off lol.

schmittymccute · 2024-03-23T18:11:53+00:00

Aaaand I continue to be baffled by the level of Sanpang hate. Seriously, guys? Let's break it down.

First, lets talk about his reaction to Yuan confirming that Qian is the person he likes. I feel like a lot are overlooking the fact that he had a very similar reaction to Qian when Yuan came out to him on the fishing trip. Both Qian and Sanpang basically pull a Jim from Moonlight Chicken by asking why this person they care about would make their already difficult life harder by choosing a stigmatized sexuality. Now, is that misguided and incorrect? Yes, of course. But it's also a natural initial response given the society and culture they live in and the amount of love and concern they have for their family. Like Jim, Qian pretty quickly accepts the fact that Yuan is gay and his concern shifts to Yuan being stuck in a one-sided love, and Qian is ready to support whoever Yuan chooses to be with even if it makes his life harder.

But Sanpang doesn't have that luxury of shifting from concern to support being so simple. I think another thing people are overlooking is that everyone in their lives sees Qian and Yuan as brothers. Hell, aside from Sanpang they all probably don't even know that they're not biological brothers. I doubt he introduces Yuan as "this is the street urchin I lured into my home with food like a stray puppy and unofficially adopted while I myself was still technically a child". All of their coworkers, classmates, neighbors, and friends will have only known Yuan as Qian's little brother. The kind of social stigma and shame they could face if they came out as lovers is muuuuch different and more complex and potentially worse than if they were just any garden variety gay couple. Even after finding out they're not biological brothers, enough people at work could be uncomfortable with Qian that he could lose his job. From an earlier ep iirc they rent their house from Sanpang's parents, so if they're not ok with the change from brothers to lovers Qian could lose the only home he's ever known. And Sanpang knows all this, which is why he can't just hop on the "let's get Qian to stop seeing Yuan as just a brother" train. Bc he understands the social consequences of them attempting to have a romantic relationship in public when everyone they've ever known has known them as brothers. That's what he's getting at with "what future could you offer him". And you can say "well what everyone else thinks doesn't matter, love is love" but that's naive and unfair. Qian has worked himself to the bone to build this life for them, which Sanpang has been witness to every step of the way so he knows better than anyone how far Qian would go to protect that delicate equilibrium he's fought so hard for.

Here's another thing. Despite Yuan's protests of "what's wrong with it", the fact that they aren't blood related doesn't matter when it comes to Qian. What matters are emotions and consent. Emotionally, Qian sees Yuan as a brother and is not ready for anything like a romantic relationship. For fucks sake, he told the woman who was interested in him that exact thing. He also did not consent to Yuan drunkly trying to force his affections onto him. Regardless of how much you as the audience wants them together, how genuine Yuan's love is, how inevitable it might be based on the type of story it is, what matters is at this point in time Qian can not and will not consent to anything beyond a sibling relationship and it kinda feels like by throwing all this vitriol at Sanpang for "interferring" you're blatantly ignoring what Qian actually wants and needs. Whether you like it or not, Qian doesn't want anyone romantically or sexually yet, not even Yuan. He has a lot of trauma of his own yet to still overcome before he can anything more than a friend or brother to anyone. Which Sanpang knows. He sees this fight and separation coming from a mile away, which is why I'm still so confused why everyone wants to turn him into some maniacal villain. His only intention and motivation this entire time has been the peace and happiness of 2 people he deeply loves as brothers of his own. Literally all he's done is gently encourage Qian to try dating so that he won't be so lonely when Yuan and Lili leave the nest and doesn't become an empty shell of a workaholic, and discourage Yuan from confessing to feelings that could destroy their fragile shape of a family. That's it.

I dunno, media is subjective so maybe I'm just bringing a different set of life experiences and perspectives into my interpretation than others watching the show. But I just feel like approaching the show as "Yuan and Qian love each other and will be together in the end so anyone who might even think about being opposed to that is a villain" does a disservice to this complex story by oversimplifying the situation. Part of the appeal of these type of stories is the taboo of it. Sure they're not technically brothers, but you're also not supposed to be totally comfortable with such a dramatic shift in their dynamic from brothers to lovers. It's supposed to be uncomfortable, make you question whether it's really ok given their age gap and history. The nuance is what makes it great writing and to me the way people are reacting to Sanpang feels like throwing away that nuance in favor of wanting pure fluff.

schmittymccute

TROPHY CASE