Hello, hello, my lovely Misfits,
It’s Thursday and that can just mean one thing here over at BLDA: It’s Hidden Gem time. Yaaaay. And today I have a series with me that deserves the title of Hidden Gem like not a lot of series out there. Because for some reason it never got the right attention in my opinion and yes, even if there are a couple of issues, as a whole I think this show is pretty much showcasing how wonderful Thai BL can be. I am talking about
Nitiman
Don’t ask me about the name because no, up to today I still have no idea why it’s called that. If anyone is aware of the reason, please feel free to enlighten me in the comments below. Because Jesus, I have tried to think up a logical answer and up to now I can’t come up with one. But the title aside, the show has a permanent place in my heart and I have rewatched the love story between Bebomb and Jin so many times that it’s really ridiculous. So let me introduce to you this little series that stole my heart so silently and if you know it already… Feel free to leave your opinions down below. I can’t wait to hear what you thought about this series.
What Is It About?
Jin is the engineering Moon at university and has a reputation for being the best looking Moon on campus. But when his girlfriend Aim breaks up with him, Jin’s world is falling apart. When he notices that Aim has very close contact with another very good looking guy named Bebomb Jin thinks he finally has the answer to why Aim broke up with him. She is in love with Bebomb. It just has to be that. What our dofus Jin doesn’t know: Bebomb is Aim’s cousin and has been in love with Jin since they both were freshmen.
So how can Bomb go now from love rival to love interest? With Jin being one of the most oblivious people on campus, how far is Bebomb willing to go to get the man of his dreams?
Why You Might Like It:
Do you like classic Thai BL? Slightly unrealistic, with a few plot holes, but totally sweet and innocent? Then you are 100 percent right with Nitiman. They follow the classic BL format without being boring or repetitive. Yes, sometimes logic is not something you should look at too closely, but when it comes to the emotional development of the characters, you can’t really find any flaws. The setting and the storyline are both classic approaches, but with a nice twist so you are not getting bored halfway through. There are a few curveballs they are throwing at you and I live for total unexpected turns of events (as long as they are not total hui).
The chemistry between our two leads is really, really something. They have a certain chemistry with each other and if you would tell me just based on the show, that Noh and Jom, who play Bomb and Jin, are dating, I would believe it without batting an eyelid. The skinship between these two is so gentle and loving during the show that it’s just really wonderful to watch. I always say that for me these two are pretty much kings of skinship, even though they don’t go further than kissing and hugging. But believe me, they do the best hugging in the business. I didn’t think I could get this excited about hugs, but here I am ranting on about the awesomeness of hugs.
But seriously, you totally believe that you are watching two boys in love and the closeness they show is for me the perfect example that us BL fans don’t necessarily need extra spicy hot scenes. It’s about this closeness and tenderness and love. That’s what I wanna see. Couple behaviour like we would show for any hetero couple. And so far there haven’t been many shows out there managing to do it this good as Nitiman has done it. So if you are a fan of skinship that doesn’t leave you all flustered… This show is a dream.
So yeah, the realism in the relationship between Jin and Bomb is really what has fascinated me most with this show. I think it’s funny that right at the heart of this rather chaotic Thai BL we have a couple with conflicts and hurdles like we would see in reality. We get jealousy, we get trust issues, we get fights, we get making up. It’s just really so, so wonderful to watch and I am literally just watching this show with a huge grin on my face and the occasional deep sigh.
Why You Might Not Like It:
This show has the worst music in history, point blank. There is just no discussion about it. Turbo and Kaownah are both part of Bomb’s band and the music they make is making my nails curl up. It’s to my ears like fingernails on a chalkboard. It’s so bad. Just as a heads up. It’s like the worst kind of pop you can imagine. Stuff like my grandmother (May she rest in peace) would have loved and clapped along enthusiastically. It’s really bad.
The friends are dicks. In one scene in particular. I don’t want to give too much away but they pretty much drug Bomb with a date rape drug. So if that’s a sensitive point for you… Just bear that in mind. Nothing bad happens, thank the lords, but I was honestly ready to fly to Thailand and kick these people’s butt into next year.
The side couples are all a bit meh. They are totally okay, but for me the storyline doesn’t give them enough time to develop into anything and so we have a couple of storyline strands just being left there right in the middle where you don’t know yet, what’s gonna become of these two. So yeah, I wished they would have made a second season or if it was not sure that they could do a second one, then at least give these side couples some peace. Leaving them in limbo like that is really cruel in my opinion. But see for yourself.
Finale Thoughts:
For me the reason why I am so extremely in love with this show is definitely the chemistry between Noh and Jom. Jom especially is doing such a great job in his portrayal of Jin. You totally believe him that he is a ladies man and that he is a bit of a macho. But this pretty much changes when Bebomb steps into his life and Jin suddenly turns into this huge cinnamon roll. But just when Bebomb is around. Otherwise he is still the slightly cocky Jin we know from before. It’s really sweet to see these interactions and I love it when we get a character that is supposed to be the bottom after usual BL laws being so unpredictable and fluid. I am totally here for that.
And with Noh… They did him a bit dirty here, because during the show he just looks like an ordinary guy when in reality the actor Noh is as hot as a summer’s day in Central Berlin. Like he is reaaaaaally extremely good looking. But again I love that they didn’t make him look like the heartthrob that he is. It feels a bit like they wanted to give him the chance to show what he can do acting wise instead of just going after him for his looks. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Compared to Noh as Bebomb I still look like a potato, but I love that Noh had a chance to just show with his acting what an awesome actor he is. He did so well as Bebomb and you can’t just help falling in love together with Jin.
So yeah, I really think that this show deserves more attention. The way they showed the relationship between our two leads is really something outstanding in my eyes. It’s a totally different form of skinship these two have, but for me it’s still so satisfying to observe and to witness. I hope we can get more shows like this. Because yes, not every show needs to have skinship like Max and Tul are giving us. But I also don’t want to continue seeing high fives as an adequate form of showing love. Bebomb and Jin are the perfect example that a middle ground is totally workable.
Where Can You Watch It:
You can watch it totally legally on Youtube. They have all episodes on the production company’s channel and they were nice enough to make every episode just one video, so you really can sit back and relax.
And that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed my little rant and maybe I managed to convince a few people to give this wonderful gem a chance.
First posted on BLDA
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