#zeesaint

[gotmehookedonthekpop]

Man, they had that GOOD chemistry.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

So I finally got around to starting Why R U this week to get my Jimmy Karn fix. Honestly, it’s mostly shallow writing and disjointed scene sequencing with at least one unlikable antagonist. So basically, it’s the most stereotypical teenage fanfiction (of which I was a proud writer, thank you very much!). I can’t stop watching it.

A large part of that comes from the performances. I *air quotes* accidentally watched the Jimmy section of the bts episode. Aof described being most worried about Jimmy but finding he had his “own special charm” that the camera loved. His own special charm is right. You certainly wouldn’t mistake him for a skilled or experienced actor. Plenty of lead actors have survived without disappearing into character, though. First and foremost lead actors must appear charming. Jimmy radiates something quirky and joyful in the role. He’s having a blast. When his character walks down the street with his love interest for the first time, he exudes a happiness beyond this specific attraction. It read to me like queer joy—walking down the street with a boy for the first time surprised at how wonderful it feels to be so bold. His character is constantly amused by his crush’s antics, and the sweet teasing is so endearing. I fell hard.

Tommy, who plays his love interest, reads as the most experienced in the cast. He’s so effortless in front of the camera playing the kind of cartoonish befuddlement I love. And it’s a perfect fit for a character trapped somewhere between fiction and reality (yet another example of how Thais adore the juxtaposition of BL fiction and queer realities). Perth Veerinsara, who I adored as Pim in Love in the Moonlight, is just as refreshing here, bringing so much more texture to the sao-Y fujoshi than we often get.

Now, I dropped both The Next Prince and Cutie Pie cuz ZeeNunew gave me little to be enthusiastic about, specifically Zee and his unmovable seme face. I’m so sorry, sir. I was unaware of your game. The gravity of the series shifts every time Zee enters the frame. He infuses the whole series with the sadness and anxiety of the closet. Never has an Adam’s apple conveyed so much nervous desire. And those aching eyes! He captures a queer experience in a show that really isn’t laid out to address that. Saint, who’s not bad but depends on a little too heavily as always on his partner showing the desire in the relationship, ends up crafting an almost cruel character with his flippancy towards Zee’s obvious emotional struggle (no I did not learn the characters’ names lol).

I can’t say I recommend Why R U? as a series to others, but I also suspect that if you start watching it, like me, you’ll be sucked in, too.

[romanceismycallingcard]

It's so weird to think back to why r u days. We were all so obsessed with that mess for a hot minute and now literally none of those pairings are still together except for MaxNat of all people lol. We barely got crumbs from them in that show

[thisautistic]

Saint Suppapong as 'Tutor' in Why R U the Series ep 12

[absolutebl]

watching a fmv of Why R U? feat FighterTutor and idly wondering if we will ever get anything as hot as ZeeSaint again

as nostalgia

[summersinpuglia]

I'm only watching two currently airing BLs (The Next Prince and Pit Babe Season 2) and therefore have time to catch up on older shows. I hadn't watched Why R U? and since I've always had a kind of love-hate relationship with Zee's characters (I find Zee incredibly fascinating, but don't really like the roles he plays, in particular the one in Cutie Pie) I thought I'd give it a go. I'm skipping a lot of the scenes with other characters, basically creating my own Fighter/Tutor super cut. Current verdict after watching all the scenes with F/T from episode 3 to 10: I don't particularly like Fighter's character, even though I like him better than Lian from Cutie Pie, but OMG the chemistry he has with Saint! Also, the show is five years old, but in terms of relationship dynamics/NC scenes it holds up really well compared to/does much better than a lot of the more recent Thai BLs. I don't like portrayals of very fixed dynamics (especially in the bedroom), which was what annoyed me a lot about Cutie Pie, for example. And I don't think I have watched a lot of shows that have similarly long NC scenes as Why R U? has. The last NC scene of the beach trip, when Tutor seduces Fighter, was insane. It wouldn't have had half the impact if it had been more explicit, but cut short, which unfortunately seems common in more recent shows. If I had one wish for the portrayal of relationships and NC scenes, it would be to follow this example. Sadly I don't think The Next Prince will go there (even though Khanin's character would be perfect for it), but I'm not giving up my hope for Zee to play more verse roles in the future.

[indifferentinfatuation]

ft. tutor and his obsession with fighter's adam's apple

[chicademartinica]

NetJames coming for the throne but respecting tradition