Thai BL is having a boom moment and it’s worth noting that Thai Yuri is starting to develop in that same market. One of the most recent BL/GL series in Thailand is called 7 Project. You can find all of it on YouTube, and if you turn on Closed Captions, an English caption option is available. Today I’m looking at Episode 3 of this 4-episode series, “Remember.”
“Remember” stars Samantha Melanie Coates as Proud and Pannin Charnmanoon as Jaidee. Proud learns her boyfriend Tac has cheated on her. While she’s recovering from this shock, she becomes friends with Jaidee. a girl in one of her classes. As Tac flails at being honest, Jaidee and Proud become closer. When Tac forces a confrontation, Proud learns things that can destroy their friendship.
Before I get into the plot too much, I want to hearken back to the Afterschool Specials of my youth. These were always “very special episodes” and dealt with stuff that Boomer parents just would not actually talk about (despite the fact that they had been the sex and drugs generation /eyreoll/.) The defining characteristics of these specials were bare-bones writing, acting and staging in order to express teen drama, starring popular teen actors of the time. Watching “Remember,” I felt very much as if I was watching something equivalent to those Specials. The narrative beats were set up from pretty far away. I actually expected a final complication that never did appear, but the others all sort of slam down all at once towards the end and then it wraps up in a relatively satisfactory manner.
The Afterschool Specials are relevant here once more as the reason we all really watched them were the actors (and when when the substitutes couldn’t teach the class and showed them, instead.) The reason to watch “Remember” is, likewise, the actresses. They do fine work with this Ikea furniture plot design. Coates is a very sympathetic Proud, and Jaidee is very likeable, even as things begin to fall apart. Tui Tui Puttachat Pongsuchat’s portrayal of Proud’s mom was outstanding. Best character, best lines, best acting.
Ultimately the end of the segment is ambiguous, but leaves room for hope and that’s a damn sight better than no hope. One can end the story imagining that Proud and Jaidee might well have a chance to become something together.
Ratings:
Cinematography – 7
Characters – 8
Story – 7
Service – 2
Yuri – 8
Overall – 7
I’m pretty happy to welcome Thai Yuri on to our screens. Check out the WabiSabi channel for more of their videos and let them know you enjoyed 7 Project!.
Today’s review is thanks to gentleman and scholar Thomas Baudinette, who is my new pipeline on Thai Yuri! ^_^
