Boy meets boy, boy hates boy, boy meets the same boy again, boy still hates the said boy, boy could most probably like the boy, and then boy suddenly falls in love with him!
That’s the first two episodes of the new Thai BL drama “Y Destiny” in a nutshell and to say it’s a bit confusing is an understatement. The BL group of actors, predominantly from the Domundi group, who became famous with the popular Thai BL romance “Why R U The Series” have been cast upfront and center in this show as the main leads (which is cool because it seems like Copy A Bangkok has cast popular BL couples to please their ever-increasing fandom and existent BL ships).It seems like a growing trend now for actors in one series and their counterparts (on screen romantic partner) to be cast again in another series. It’s almost like the actors themselves are becoming their own franchise where the product they are selling is themselves. The fact that this endeavor can be success or a failure depends on the ingenuity of the new script and the fan’s ability to separate the roles portrayed by the BL couple in the past as compared to their new project. It makes me wonder if this is why “Y Destiny” started with two relatively unknown actors for the premiere arc.
What I like about the series is that it depicts the romantic journey of 7 different characters and two episodes are dedicated to each couple. Each boy represents a mood or a day of the week and acts differently than the one before (or that’s the impression given by the opening). The two characters of Tue’s storyline are Tue (Chap Suppacheep), a cocky hot headed boxer and Ake(Tae Chayapat) a lazy young man who wants to become a boxer to make his father proud. The two are being trained by their coach Kong (Park Parnupat) and Ake has a timid roommate at boxing camp named Payu (Jo Kavinpat). That is the entire cast of the two-hour-long mini romance. This could have been a good concept because minimal casting allows the show to focus on what is important.
Unfortunately the prudent issues with this series exists in both the abysmal script and the acting which is pretty inconsistent. It felt as if the actors in this series didn’t get a chance to communicate properly, before their roles were assigned to them. The idea behind a workshop is to get the actors comfortable with each other, so that they can test their limits and explore variant concepts. As I watched the opening credits of the first episode, there felt an underlying tension between the two main leads which seemed disconcerting. The actor playing Tue was quite unsteady, which is sad since he is good at delivering lines. The scene where Ake throws a fake punch in front of Tue is my point of reference. The scene is shown from different angles and you can see where he moves the fist after it just hangs there. It is clear Tue is meant to stand there, unimpressed by the boy’s brazenness, but he just can’t stand still. This wouldn’t be so bad, if this wasn’t meant to be their first real connection, the start of their enemies to lovers story.
I did remain optimistic, and as the episode continues it becomes clear the writing is just as bad as the acting. Intimate scenes are ruined by almost science lessons on how to properly care for your skin (who needed this information while they are on the verge of kissing??). Between that there is a lack of consistency with the dialogue delivery and the haphazard scenarios kept me from caring about their life at camp. Since most of the actors don’t have any significant roles apart from the four listed above they felt more like props. They were only there to substantiate the fact that the two mains were at boxing camp, which would be fine if the actual progression of Ake becoming a boxer was shown or if it mattered to the plot.
But here overall is where this show could go one way or the other towards being good or bad. It is one thing to write a series that is biased to the main couple, but overall there is a good story surrounding them. We have dramas that showcase their characters as the sum of BL check lists that click with the audiences. Then there are the shows that literally focuses only on them and very little to do with the storyline. Unfortunately this show falls into the second category as it focuses only on Tue and Ake and ignores both logic and any sort of plot devices.-Ake gets a real fever, infects Tue who almost never leaves his side and somehow ends up getting the chickenpox as well.-Tue quarantines himself but then leaves the confines of the hotel room and has guests but is never told he was no longer contagious. So why did no one else get it, let alone Ake?
Again if these moments weren’t the literal arc of the pilot episodes, I don’t think it would matter. But this is again the beginning of a series which should have been the strong, but it turns out to be one of the weakest points in this script. The relationship between the two main characters becomes the central plot of the second episode and I totally admit that ignoring the entirely messy first episode, their romance is really cute. Ironically the chemistry between the two mains is far better in the second episode. The main leads are always in each other’s space and the slow burning sexual tension is intense.
The writing focuses on their sexual attraction in the second half and is far stronger here. Tue is bold and Ake is far too brave as the two keep teasing the audiences with their naked desire (which remains unfulfilled because of the chickenpox. Let’s be real Ake should have been infected ages ago). The closeness, touching, near kisses are all accountable variables for creation of highly contagious vectors.
In the end the final nail in the coffinand the main reason for giving up on this show is the “break up scene” near the end of the second episode. The two of them seem to forget all the boldness, intimacy, kisses, hugging and sexual tension in favor of being confused and unsure of the other person’s feelings. I literally screamed “ARE YOU KIDDING ME??”. Making this worse than the scene of “What the Duck” where Rambo almost rapes Oat. Watch this on your own risk if you are looking for a decent “Enemies to Lovers” trope romance (with an absolutely incorrigible script). The main leads have a cute chemistry that could have been better explored and projected, but the current storyline isn’t enough to sail this ship!
Rating- 3 out of 5
The BL Xpress 