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#friend zone 2
absolutebl · 9 months
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Genuine Question: Given how much people hate problematic topics in BL eg: kp, mame, love syndrome, etc. why is everyone so damn excited about Only Friends? Like we know nothing about the show. It's GMMTV so how sexy is it going to get? you know, like it's GMMTV. I like the cast as much as anyone and particularly FirstKhao but I don't see this 'sexiness' everyone is going so crazy over? Is it some bts thing like I know the director is jojo and he's gay. Is that why everyone so excited? Is it because we just haven't gotten anything really brilliant this year that gets the whole BL fandom together and that's why people are hoping this will, is that what's going on? I like everyone involved well enough but 'sexy', 'crazy', 'problematic', 'high heat'... I don't get it.
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Only Friends & Jojo
Genuine answer.
Okay so this question got me invested enough to get off the phone, over to the laptop, and onto hotel wifi, which means typos rather than dictation homophones, but there it is.
I guess what I am saying it...
mistakes will be made
From the tenor of your question methinks you have not watched Friend Zone? It's a 2 part series. Mostly messy hets but...
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Also a TON of broad spectrum queer rep (lesbian, bi, ace, demi). Real queers, not sanitized for straight consumption.
Because yeah, GMMTV will get messy and go into higher heat levels in a late night way (not in a KP way).
But actually what has most people excited about Only Friends is it being sourced in this man:
Jojo Tichakorn Phukhaotong
Jojo is a screenwriter (originals) and director, openly gay, multifaceted and a little experimental, naturally talented (on the job trained - he's an archaeologist originally), and he is behind:
The Warp Effect, Friend Zone and MOST importantly (IMHO)...
3 Will Be Free
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There are others too, but for the purposes of this post, those are the 3 that count. I think of him a little as the GMMTV director version of Ohm's acting.
Jojo specializes in:
ensemble pieces,
good chemistry (NOT necessarily high heat, so by this I mean actor chemistry with each other all around - couples, cast, team, production)
working with and finding actors within GMMTV's stable who work well together (even if that means busting up a pair),
a queer lens,
queer rep,
and often very messy story (as in he is not invested in the traditional beats of a romance, let alone a BL).
AND he can shoot action (this is a specific skill set for directors and it's NOT easy),
thus he will shoot his sex/intimacy & COMEDY scenes as if they WERE action sequences.
This makes his stuff particularly exciting to watch. It's dynamic, there's a lot of movement, the eye is caught and dragged places. He doesn't use dirty/peekaboo framing or central aperture or manga style (not with INTENT the way trained directors do). In fact he does none of those things I harp on about because I like the romance stuff.
He's not being clever with us. He's being honest, but still applying skill. His stuff not quite raw, but also not really directed. You can tell he gives his actors a script, throws them together and then instructs them to just BE THOSE CHARACTERS. He has a light touch, he trusts them. He's not fussy or nit-picky. He's not doing a million takes to get that sene exactly how he envisions it. His ensemble pieces are just that, group projects.
His eye is wide, even for intimacy, by which I mean: he controls and watches for multiple actors at once when there are a lot of them on screen together, without them feeling stiff.
His style is quite organic but not too gritty.
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Struggling to understand what I mean?
For example, watch a Jojo "group of friends chatting" scene where everyone is just standing around then watch the same thing in, say, SCOY. You'll see what I mean. SCOY is also a very queer ensemble piece, but it will feel quite stiff, unnatural, and "planned" (staged) by comparison.
For the giffers out there you might notice that Jojo's stuff is particularly difficult to gif cleanly? This is why.
I find him an exciting director. I didn't cover him in my directors overview because at the time he hadn't done much BL (and frankly, he still hasn't). It's not his focus.
I think Only Friends is actually not likely to be very BL. Queer = yes, BL = NO. He won't hit the tropes and there is no reason to assume it will end happily for all couples (if any). That's not Jojo's point of view.
He doesn't play our game. As a result, some of those excited by the idea of this show (or excited the general enthusiasm & anticipation around it), may be doomed to disappointment.
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It's one of the reasons you don't see me getting excited about it.
I'm a fan of specifically the fluffy side of BL, this will NOT be that. And I can appreciate a director without necessarily liking the stories he tells.
I am industry enough to acknowledge Jojo's skill (and I LOVE 3 Will Be Free - just not as a BL), but I don't always like his narratives. No matter how good he is, his stuff is not why I personally watch Thai BL.
It's GMMTV, so how sexy is it going to get?
Again, see Friend Zone. GMMTV has a late night pantheon, mostly for het, but they will get salacious. Lots of cheating and terrible decisions. There will be no archetypes. Characters will exist in grey areas, even the "good" characters. There will be no paladins in this show. No seme/uke.
To answer this frankly?
Only Friends will get soap opera or telenovella sexy but no more. So we will be in Midnight Chicken territory, not Bed Friends.
I think the words being bandied about:
'sexy', 'crazy', 'problematic', 'high heat'
are used here on tumblr (and in fandom) as an attempt to articulate expectations set up by Jojo's style.
Most viewers only react emotionally to the tenor of a director with this set of skills. That's fine, that's what the production company wants: A visceral emotional reaction.
But I hope I've managed to clarify from a film-critic perspective what's bringing this sensation about?
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But ALSO seeing a bunch of, essentially, lower heat pure BL pairs, have to push themselves into messy queer spaces? (Notice GMMTV only let the more established actors into this one? No JoongDunk, no GeminiFourth)
This is probably really what everyone is excited about.
They are gonna see their favorites cheat, sleep around, be gay (not BL gay, but actual gay). Some are legitimately excited about this, some are shipper excited, and the BL-stans who don't know Jojo are doomed to disappointment.
I'm mostly excited by how messy this is gonna make the fandom.
Su su na.
(source)
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respectthepetty · 1 year
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Fun Fact: If you like the cinematography of Moonlight Chicken Only Friends, it's because it's the same cinematographer who is behind ALL of your favorites:
Rath Roongrueangtantisook
Only Friends
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Moonlight Chicken
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Never Let Me Go
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Mama Gogo
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A Tale of Thousand Stars
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Dark Blue Kiss
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3 Will Be Free
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He's Coming to Me
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Still 2gether
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Friend Zone & Friend Zone 2
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Our Skyy
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His skills are aging like fine wine.
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blmpff · 1 month
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✨ Various Tropes: Straddling (2/?) ✨
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TITLES IN ORDER: 1. 2 Moons 2 (2019) 2. Secret Roommate (2020) 3. Friend Zone 2 (2020) 4. A First Love Story (2021) 5. The Tasty Florida (2021) 6. House of Stars (2023) 7. Tin Tem Jai (2023) 8. Kiseki: Dear To Me (2023) 9&10. Playboyy (2023) 11. Pit Babe (2023) 12. For Him (2023)
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juneviews · 5 months
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What you said abt p'jojo, I feel this.
For Chueam, I thought for sure she would be more developed but I understood quickly (but not so quickly) it wouldn't and i was sad. Yeah sure it's a BOYSLOVE, but I thought.
The thing is, I started the first 3 eps of the show and realized it wasn't what I thought it would be, and that is saying smthg bc I had zero expectations. So I did a thing that I already did for a little few other gmmtv shows, I stopped watching, let loose of my thoughts, and started over 2 weeks later and catching it up live again. And honestly it was better. But I wasn't like other ppl in the fandom lmao. I had no analysis, no theories, no nothing. It was just vibes😅 But then something happened and idk why, but I got bored of it ??? Idk maybe it's like you said and this series had lots of shocking value, but in other departments it was lacking.
 Like the lack of repercussions or like just you know, finishing somethings, having resolutions. And having it makes sense for the characters, bc how you feel with something tells you what kind of a person you are. But they seem to kind of always cut that ? I don't know the words exactly English isn't my first language sorry (I'm so mad I can't find the words it's killing me my god).
For me it was also too much for the stable pairings if it makes sense. Like the first and khao and book and force (Mark and neo in this series as a couple was a great choice bc I didnt that 'problem' with them). I don't follows the actors closely at all but sometimes I could sense something weird. Like it's for example an actor interacting with the other actor he's close with, and not another entity interacting with another with their own (fictional) feelings. Again I'm really sorry for my weird English I don't know how to say it 😅 hope it makes sense lol.
So all in all, kind of fun, I don't mind having characters that have a grey moral, in fact I like them the most, or having characters opposite of my morals, bc it makes me think, and keep things interesting (well usually).
I like the mess usually, and I did like some in this series, but maybe this show is not for me bc it was a mess yes be for me not the right reason in a way, I think. Also I love a series that is concentrated on friends but sometimes hum something was lacking idk.
There is one thing that happened who made me rrreeeaallly think. Bc a character isn't supposed to always be the light of reason, and can make mistakes, or just have a different opinion of mine the watcher. And I like that. But yeah at one point I wanted to wake-up-slap Chueam. Bc I dont understand what the show/the story/the show runners whatever  was trying to tell me. And that's what I talked abt earlier. Bc either it is something that is not well resolved until the end, or it is and that's just that. Honestly idk.
[ Boston find a new group of friends. Bc they're like yeah we're messy and fucked up and then act or pretend like they are morally white and the he is evil. But I do like though how Nick and Boston broke up. That he should find someone who is okay with his way of life and share the same sentiments abt monogamy.]
And lastly I like the actors but i I'm so tired of seeing them with the same couple pairing. I want them to grow up outside of their couple pairing bc you can sense a sense of safety net when they act together. I find they are GOOD actors, I just want them to fly more.
But then again, all of this is my opinion, it's very subjective (apart from the lack of development of chueam, of course).
Maybe I'll rewatch this series next year in a binge. I'll be waiting for your review, if you will do one.
Sorry this is long, I send you my regards 🐝
I agree with everything you've said above. I think that when p'jojo announced this show as the gay friend zone, I was hoping it would bring the one thing that friend zone does not have into its show: queer community. I was hoping that, despite the drama, this would feel like such a relatable show to anyone who has a queer group of friends... but it really wasn't. the only parts I truly LOVED are sand being openly bi, though sadly all of his relationships are with men, and the kiss scene between sand & nick when they just laugh bc they realize they're not compatible. THIS! this felt like the queer experience. if the show had leaned into this kind of scenes, I would've honestly overlooked everything else. but again, having watched friendzone where 1) its female characters are developed 2) its WLW characters are loved & developed 3) stud is the best "slutty messy gay" character and boston WISH he could be him 4) topmew are just a re-hash of samearth's boring ass relationship 5) arm's character in friend zone was everything boeing should've been... the purpose of only friends becomes only the audience being shocked bc two random actors kissed and/or fucked. and by the end? I got mond & first kissing yet I felt nothing. ME! the biggest not me stan & a fan of the gramyok ship... felt absolutely nothing about seeing them kiss. bc since everyone kissed there was nothing to be surprised about. I'm glad that despite the show's popularity, people are FINALLY opening their eyes & seeing that it was not a good show and never was from the very start.
note: I feel the need to say something bc a few people have been misinterpreting what I mean when referencing the queer community. I do think this show represents some of the queer community well, and perhaps I relied too much on people knowing my opinion of jojo tichakorn & his previous shows for it to get understood. what I'm saying in this ask is that the show didn't lean into the queer FRIENDSHIP enough like the nicksand kiss example that I stated above, not that the queer experience reflected on the show is bad or unrealistic.
xxx
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burninglilys · 1 year
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i need them to play girlfriends
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spicyvampire · 1 year
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You either die a villain
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Or live long enough to see yourself turn into a hero
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fairytalespond · 2 years
Video
youtube
Cris & Amm | This Love
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starfall-isle · 10 months
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1st slumber party!
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heiscomingtomygrave · 7 months
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Watching any show created by Jojo Tichakorn: everyone here is a terrible person I love them so much
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Sexiest Podcast Character — Unscripted Bracket — Round 2
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Propaganda
Killian Fangbattle (The Adventure Zone: Balance):
she's an orc! she's really fuckin strong! she's a butch lesbian! she has a short fuse, loves to joke, and loves to threaten! and she is very soft and loves ducks + her lizard wife.
I don't even think I need to say anything here, we were all smitten the moment Griffin said "orc woman"
Kalvin Brnine (Friends at the Table: PARTIZAN and PALISADE):
As long as they're not talking, they're the hottest character in the game
hello gay people. you know what must happen now.
Voting Brnine cause I like this headcanon where theyre like the hottest (as long as they keep their mouth shut)
Art of Killian from the official graphic novels by @careydraws. Art of Brnine by @ahcoffeebeans, available now on official merch at friendsatthetable.shop .
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grgie · 1 year
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ahxu-laowen · 10 months
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GL ACTRESSES AT BANGKOK PRIDE 2023 🏳️‍🌈 (part 2)
Apple (Friend Zone 2)
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Silvy (The Warp Effect)
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Jeab (Vice Versa, Love Songs Love Stories: Pae Jai)
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Plaifa (Pommanatur 2) at Chiang Mai Pride
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+ bonus: Jan's tweet (The Warp Effect, Sotus, PS I Hate You)
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part 1
@ahxiang @raiko101 @burninglilys @disaster-j @liyazaki @piningbisexuals @tantawans @musicdramalove @sapphorarelyreads @maggiecheungs @lesbwheein @patrooclus @non-binarypal7 @jeffsatur @dokjam @functionalasfuck @onlyifyoubadd @riamali @handkinkbis @curentlyily @rrxxfk @odi-et-amo85 @madbeanab @ilargeicontradictmiself @the-movie-enthusiast @panncakes @deshimango @icouldhyperfixatehim @reckiddo @izumikyoukas @i-got-the-feels @nonkul @kissingunderaprideflag @watchingblsnowandforever @dribs-and-drabbles
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nightcolorz · 6 months
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Ofmd s2 spoilers
I have a strange little hunch that now that Lucius is sufficiently traumatized and devoid of his optimism and confidence to a degree that him and Izzy will begin to see eye to eye a bit more 😭 even become friends. Idk, the gap in there perspectives has been closed a bit and they’re both going through some Shit™️. I have a vision
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blmpff · 1 month
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✨ Various Tropes: Cuddles (4/?) ✨
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TITLES IN ORDER: 1. History 2: Crossing the Line (2018) 2. 3 Will Be Free (2019) 3. Friend Zone 2 (2020) 4. Gaya sa Pelikula (2020) 5. Tinted With You (2021) 6. The Tasty Florida (2021) 7. Cherry Blossoms After Winter (2022) 8. My Secret Love (2022) 9. Something in My Room (2022) 10. Step by Step (2023) 11. Kiseki: Dear To Me (2023) 12. Pit Babe (2023)
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juneviews · 11 months
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dragonnnfly · 11 months
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“Loss of limb, (just one if it helps)”
13 years later and I still can’t believe Dreamworks had the balls to just amputate a 15-year old kid and handled it in like the best way possible.
DreamWorks has always had such mature themes now that I think about it, and they introduced them and handled them in a way that seems so natural to children.
Hiccup’s amputation is such a good example.
DreamWorks didn’t gloss over it either, and even they continued, in every show and every movie from then on, to show what it’s like living with a disability like that. There were some things Hiccup had a harder time doing than before, but in no way did it get in the way of his goals and dreams.
I didn’t understand how important that was when I was a child, watching the movie for the first time, but I understand it now.
DreamWorks has guts, and I’m so happy that they do
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