Reception of straight Males in BPO workers in BGC in Thai
BL series 2gether
Introduction
The makers of BL films began their careers in manga and anime series in the
1970s in Japan. BL manga series "The Poe Clan," which tells the tale of a young and
attractive vampire who has lived for centuries, and "The poem of wind trees," which is a
BL love story but has an intense background involving rape, incest, and sparkling
sensation, were both produced by a group of women. The producers of these works
aimed to introduce new genres and forms in manga. The popularity of BL manga has
skyrocketed in Japan, which is evident that this genre has existed since the early 1970s.
At that time, a BL story written by Hagio and Takemiya was featured monthly and sold a
million copies; this was an aggressive attempt to introduce BL stories to the general
public through the media. Additionally, there were numerous magazines who that
published male-to-male love stories in the late 1970s, and in 1978, a magazine devoted
to this subgenre was established. This publication is renowned for its strong aesthetic,
which is centered on attractive youth, and for having sections on literature, novels, art,
and movies that were formed by cultural context.
The BL genre can be thought of as a modern update on the manga subgenre
known as yaoi, which was born in Japan and at first concentrated on depicting the
dynamics of the relationships between two male protagonists, according to Pawa
(2022). The decade of the 1970s saw the birth of the genre, which has since gone on to
achieve widespread appeal. Despite the fact that yaoi first appeared in the form of
manga, contemporary BL themes have spread to a wide variety of forms of media, such
as anime, webcomics, television episodes, movies, and video games.
The 2020 Thai romantic comedy-drama series 2gether: The Series, is named
"Because We Belong Together" in Thai and RTGS: Phro Rao Khu Kan in English had
swept the media at the commencement of the pandemic. Henceforth, the 2020 Thai
romantic comedy-drama television series 2gether: The Series, starring Metawin "Win"
Opas-iamkajorn and Vachirawit "Bright" Chiva-aree, is titled "Because We Belong
Together" in Thai and RTGS: Phro Rao Khu Kan in English had swept the media at the
onset of the pandemic. The show covers the journey of two college boys who started
out in a phony romantic connection before becoming true lovers. It is an adaptation of
the same-titled 2019 Thai novel by JittiRain. It was one of the twelve television series for
2020 that GMMTV showcased at their "New & Next" event on October 15, 2019 2019,
directed by Weerachit Thongjila. The series was produced by GMMTV and
Housestories 8, and8 and debuted on GMM 25 and LINE TV on February 21, 2020,
airing on Fridays at 21:30 ICT (previously, at 22:00 ICT for the first seven episodes) and
23:00 ICT, respectively. The series came to an end on May 15, 2020. Due to its
enormous success, Zsila (2017) stated that BL is recognized for playing an important
part in the establishment of the BL subgenre on a global scale.the series is credited with
playing a significant role in establishing the BL subgenre on a global scale. After only 3
months since the airing of its final episode, it surpassed other Thai shows in the same
genre in terms of viewership on LINE TV and YouTube. Following the success of the
series, a movie titled “2gether: The Movie” was released in theaters in November 2021
and is currently streaming on Netflix in selected countries. “Still 2gether” is a 5-episode
special sequel that premiered on August 14, 2020.The romantic-comedy series, which
centers on a romance between two college male students, emphasizes that
homosexual love is acceptable and common. It received millions of views on YouTube.
This is how the “2gether” Thai BL series was able to hook millions of viewers in
Southeast Asia, North Asia, and some parts of Europe. According to its fans, having
“2gether The Series” to get them through the trying periods of quarantine and lockdown.
According to Zsila (2017), stories that focus on the romantic love that exists
between two men have always been famous among young ladies not just in Japan but
also in North America and other European nations. This trend began in the late 1970s
when movies and books that depicted homosexual romance began to gain a large
number of fans. By contrast, the increasing acceptance of anime and manga outside of
Japan has led to boys' love exceeding the borders of the manga industry (Sudo, 2021),
and associated goods caught the attention of Western fans in the middle of the 2000s.
Anime and manga are Japanese comic books and animated films that are written and
illustrated in Japanese. Large online fan communities were spawned as a direct result
of the good response to boys' love, which resulted in the majority of its culturally specific
elements being maintained in the international adaptations (Liao, 2021). Manga fans
who shared a particular interest in boys' love were able to connect with one another
online and participate to the production of fan-made works (such as fan literature and
fan art), thereby forging large-scale, multinational collaborations, as the Internet became
more widely available.
BPO workers have also grown fond of the BL series 2gether due to its massive
impact on the gay community, and most especially the portrayal of the characters in the
series. BPO employees have mixed thoughts regarding the series in general; however,
the impact that it brought to the community, especially in their workplace, is highly
diverse.
BL series, especially the 2gether BL series, has been an impactful subgenre of
film in the contemporary world due to the quick propagation of information due to the
advancement of digital technology. According to Katipunan (2020), this struck a chord
not only with the underrepresented group that it serves but also with the majority of the
straight male viewers because of the all-encompassing nature of the concept of love. In
addition, the Thai BL 2Gether: The Series, has made its way into the populace which
includes straights, and in many workplaces, especially BPOs. According to Katipunan
(2020) is indicative of its intention and preparedness to push the genre to appeal to a
broader demographic.
The now hugely popular Thai BL, “2gether The Series”, began with "Chic Tine"
who made the decision to persuade the most popular student at the institution, Sarawat,
to pose as his lover in an effort to get an armored lad, Green, off his back. Like all BLs,
Tine and Sawarat eventually started dating. As corny as the plot may be, this program
was trending at the top of the Twitter trend across as many as 28 nations starting with
Episode 5 when it first debuted. BL series have been gaining popularity for a few years.
However, there was never a BL show as hugely successful as 2gether The Series
because it was a "fringe" concept for dramas and there weren't enough talented
performers and production companies. “2gether The Series” became so popular, as
seen by the show's expanding fanbase. This show was first introduced by a lot of
"drama summarizers'' on YouTube when it first gained popularity. The finest description
of the show came from a few Chinese vloggers. If people were to quantify looks, the
cast of “2gether The Series” would reach the roof including its main and supporting cast.
Even the show's supporting female characters, who weren't the main focus, had
gorgeous looks.
Based on the information derived from the 2gether series as well as the BL
subgenre in general, this study seeks to explain the various reasons why the BL series
in general has millions of followers. In addition, the study seeks to develop concrete
evidence pertaining to the message of the series that most viewers who are unfamiliar
with BL series seem to have missed. The existence of the Thai BL series has also been
influential to many people of the modern generation, especially the straight males who
work in BPOs. Furthermore, the study will present the BL subgenre in general as a
representation of the current behavior of the gay men in the modern times, and not as
mere representation of the discrimination that they have been experiencing.
On 1 June 2020, GMMTV teased the airing of a five-episode special titled Still
2gether. It Is scheduled to premiere on GMM 25 and LINE TV on 14 August 2020, airing
on Fridays at 21:30 ICT and 23:00 ICT, respectively. The sequel follows the two main
characters, Sarawat (Vachirawit Chiva-aree) and Tine (Metawin Opas-iamkajorn), one
year later as they navigate the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship. The
series garnered multiple nominations and won some awards. When Thai BL 2gether
The Series (2TS) originally started airing in early 2020, there was a ton of buzz
surrounding it. Everyone praised its excellent early start, and word of mouth
immediately spread on social media, bringing in sizable weekly audiences for GMMTV
creators. However, as the show went on, several spectators' perspectives began to
change. Let's examine it more closely and attempt to determine whether it truly is true
love or merely staged flirtation. For this series, everything comes together so
seamlessly. The film's two lead actors make a fantastic couple and are very watchable,
and its comedy-focused writing is among the best of its sort in Thai BL. Bright, who
plays Sarawat, has a strong screen presence with his smoldering dark-eyed stare and
his combative yet reclusive character, which undoubtedly helps. It's a big plus that he's
so good at it because it's a really restrained performance where he lets his facial
emotions do all the heavy lifting. Win, who is playing Tine in his acting debut, does an
outstanding job; he is a natural talent with excellent acting skills, and it is obvious that
he genuinely enjoys what he does. He performs with a level of credibility that is
uncommon in BL shows, especially in his sobbing scenes. His first acting role—how is
that even possible? In the future, he will likely appear a lot more frequently. Together,
these two are always amusing to watch - though, to be honest, their chemistry can often
be spotty. (I'd love to see him in a drama with a more stern director like P'New, for
example. This series frequently makes me laugh out loud, and I think that's largely
because the humor fits in so nicely with the "Are they or aren't they? Their pretended
flirtation was a guessing game. One of the funniest running jokes you'll ever find in BL is
Sarawat's persistent fixation with grabbing Tine's "boobs," mostly because they find
such clever ways to reuse it. Bright does a fantastic job of portraying Sarawat as the
dispassionate, cool dude. Before a "happily ever after," there is the process of falling in
love and the gradual awareness that they are no longer acting. They don't want to, for
whatever reason. In this study, we will examine all the factors that contributed to the
popularity of the show, why so many viewers became fascinated with the 2gether
series, and how it helped to lessen the stereotype of boy love stories.
REFERENCES:
Katipunan, C. (2020). In BL We Trust: An Adage and Call for Proper LGBTQIA+
Representation at the Height of the Phenomenon. Rank.
https://www.rankthemag.ph/perpectives-bl-phenomenon-adage-proper-representation/
Liao, Z. (2021). Fan Culture under the Influence of Media Development. Open Journal of Social
Sciences, 09(12), 88–93. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2021.912007
Pawa, A. (2022). In Asia’s Boy Love TV shows, characters live in a world that is
unapologetically queer. Insider. https://www.insider.com/boy-love-tv-shows-asia-queer-
stories-2022-6
Sudo, T. (2021). What Is Happening In the Anime Industry in 2020-2021? An Analysis of The
Animation Industry Report 2021. Anime News Network.
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2021-11-03/what-is-happening-in-the-
anime-industry-in-2020-2021-an-analysis-of-the-animation-industry-report-/.179153
Zsila, Á. (2017). The boys’ love phenomenon: A literature review. Journal of Popular Romance
Studies. https://www.jprstudies.org/2017/04/the-boys-love-phenomenon-a-literature-
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