My favourite BL so far is Why R U. Let's find out why, episode one.

Okay, grab a Timbit and a Double Double, we are back in the Cozy Corner to take on my fav Thai BL so far, Why R U.

It is based on a novel by Mame. Mame's writing often has some problematic parts (noncon not handled well); she is also responsible for TharnType and Love By Chance, which technically is all in the same universe, although I remain confused about the timeline of these works (TharnType probably comes first).

It is important to note that due to some filming issues brought on by COVID, the secondary and main couples were switched. From Zon/Saifah being the lead to Fighter/Tutor being the lead.

This series is based on another fanfic classic trope: enemies to lovers. Fair warning, this is the start of our descent into BLs featuring engineering students, music, and sports.

Cast of Characters

We are going to begin with the cast of characters so we can better understand the players before I share my thoughts on the first episode.

The Couples

Our first set of enemies about to fall in love, are Tutor (left) and Fighter (right).

Tutor is actually a tutor - what are the odds? Tutor is a studious guy, who is working a bunch of jobs to make ends meet.

Fighter is a basketball-playing, rich senior, who happened to be responsible for Tutor’s hazing during his entry to a the engineering faculty.

Yes, like many Thai BLs Engineering is the gayest faculty. Fighter kind of rubbed Tutor the wrong way during that initial encounter.

It was not helped by Fighter dating his best girlfriend, Hwahwa.

Fighter begins the series totally clueless as to why he enjoys teasing Tutor so much.

Our second couple, who were initially the main couple, are Saifah (left) and Zon (right).

Zon has a panicked, disaster-type personality. He puts the disasta in disasta gay.

Saifah is a popular football (soccer) player.

Their enmity stems from Zon catching Saifah with the girl he was seeing, in flagrante delicto. During the subsequent fight, they accidentally kissed and Zon never forgave Saifeh for that.

There is a whole host of side characters, some of which become side couples, because we are in little-to-no-hetero land.

Zon's family

Zol is Zon's sister, a fujoshi who writes BL fiction. Her current novel features Zon and Saifeh as the main couple since she witnessed their accidental kiss and concluded that they're dating and Tutor/Fighter as the secondary couple.

Zon's pals

Zon has his own gang of silly pals to back him up.

Junior (left) is one of the biggest clowns among Zon's friends. He's a total jokester and is crushing hard on the girl in charge of the Chemistry Cute Boys Page (more on that later). He's also on the football team. 

Zen (right) is true to his name by being the most grounded of the group. (His actor is a terrible person though, so we try not to bring him up too often.)

Then there is Naetee who is just an all around chaotic disaster human. He is the classic over-the-top, crass, comic relief character. He is crushing hard on Zon's sister Zol.

Footballers

Next up are the other football players.

Thantai is an affectionate junior player who is enamored of the football captain, Japan.

Japan is one of the football captains. He tries to be a strong leader, but inside he is a sweet marshmallow man that loves his cat.

Champ is another captain. He is the calm, level-headed one, protective and just a bit fatherly with his team members.

Dew is the final captain and a hot-headed bullying type. He is also Fighter's bestie and on the basketball team. I don't know when he has time to do homework or sleep either.

Blue is the sweet naive junior. He's a people pleaser and,  surprisingly, a fan of Zol's BL novel. He even agrees to be a character in it, but he prefers not to be paired with his bully, Dew.

Tutor's friend group

Next up are Tutor's friends. He is close with Saifah and Zon, but these are his other friends.

This absolute cutie is Hwahwa. She has Tutor wrapped around her dainty finger. Tutor often behaves like her indulgent older brother. She begins the series dating Fighter.

This is Day. He is a very positive person and is also a member of the engineering faculty along with Saifeh, Tutor, Fighter, and Dew. He is totally whipped for Hwahwa, but who isn't. 

Miscellaneous

Last up, we have the head of the Chemistry Cute Boys Fan Page, Soda.

Currently, the Fan Page is collecting votes to choose the cutest boys on campus to perform a duet, that will help the football club raise money for sports equipment for underprivileged kids.

Soda is also an avid Zon/Saifeh shipper, and of the two, Zon is her favourite.

Episode 1 Recap - SPOILERS AHEAD

So, here we go with Episode 1. In this episode it is obvious from the set up that Zon was supposed to be the main lead, as it is very focused on his story this episode.

Zon is having a dream, he'd probably call it a nightmare. He is at a carnival where he sees Tutor, who ends up walking off hand-in-hand with his nemesis, Fighter. Then, Zon is pursued by his rival Saifeh.

How much do the animated characters fail to resemble characters. This is supposed to be Zon?

Naturally, he wakes up screaming.

Zon is working on a sci-fi novel, but is dismayed to find that Zol's BL novel has 100,000 views, over breakfast. Zol challenges him to get the same number of views on his novel.

Sorry for choosing that photo Zol, but you are very hard to screetshot. You're too animated, girl.

It turns out Zon does have a few chapters of his sci-fi novel posted online. However, judging by the savage commentary, only a few people like it and he will have a hard time getting 100k views.

We suddenly cut to a high tension encounter between Tutor and Fighter. Fighter's basketball gets away from him and it ends up knocking Tutor over and spilling his coffee all over him.

Tutor is so infuriated because he believes Fighter did this to him on purpose.

How very dare you!

After a heated exchange between the two, we cut again.

One of the best characters, truly, but I can't remember his name. Let us call him, Cool Gay. And yes, he is judging you and your choices.

A man in a cafe we've never seen before is dealing with a troublesome customer looking for Tutor.

You seriously leave the house to intimidate people, looking like that mess. Get yourself together, girl.

Tutor arrives and reveals that the customer is the son of his father's debt collector here to harass him. The debt collector demands payment or to make Tutor his "wife".

The cafe owner cuts in to save Tutor and pays the debt collector to leave Tutor alone and he finally leaves after the owner chews him out. 

Cuckoo, cuckoo!

It is roughly at this point, that we fully come to understand the goofiness, that is the sound effects on this show.

Zon is working on his novel again, (though it's framed like he's doing something else online (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, eh, know what I mean, eh, know what I mean); when his sister interrupts him saying his parents want to speak to him.

The struggle to screenshot Zol continues.

It turns out Zon's GPA has dropped to 2.1 and, until it is up to 3.0, they want him to take a break from novel writing.

How pretty is their mom, seriously!

The next day at school, Zon stumbles upon Saifah playing the guitar for a crowd of adoring girls. Two girls come by and take a picture of Zon and he is confused to learn that they ship him with his rival, Saifah.

Don't ship real people, or if you do, don't tell them about it. That is a you problem.

Zon meets his friends for lunch and explains about his parents lecturing him about his grades. 

Captain Obvious, thy name is Naetee.

Naetee is having an issue (it's gastrointestinal) and they end up leaving his ass and heading inside to the engineering canteen. Pun intended.

Naetee returns to join them and is affronted that the writers gonna do him like that.

They are interrupted, according to Junior, by Saifah, Day and Tutor "walking in handsomely." Junior.exe full on stops working and drops his spoon, because Day. And I get it, I do.

Listen, can you hear the angelic sparkle magic music playing, as these young gods enter.

The belle of the Enginering faculty and he's so nice. A dream come true. Boyfriend material. Italian hand gesture, the complimentary one.

There they have a run in with Tutor's friends. At first, it's just comedic duo, Junior and Naetee, attempting to talk to Saifah about skipping football practice.

Stop skipping. I can't say it any clearer. Opstay ippingskay racticepay.

But then Saifah and Zon have a silly argument.

Yes, it culminates in our shorty Zon, standing on table to confront Saifah on his level. Saifah is sooooo tall.

Later, after the argument is broken up by Tutor, Saifah briefly discusses their falling out over a girl. As Tutor tells them, it shouldn't matter because neither of them got the girl.

Then Hwahwa shows up with her boyfriend, Fighter, in tow. She says she can't hang out with Tutor today because she has plans with Fighter.

Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you appear? Just like me, they long to be, close to you. Sorry, sorry was I recapping something?

Tutor isn't that upset at her, because look at her, she is just the cutest and most endearing. He's helpless to guard against it.

Me too, P'Tor, me too.

Now we flashback to why Tutor and Fighter can't get along! It all began during Tutor's initiation/hazing as an engineering freshie.

First, Fighter wrote the wrong name on Tutor's name tag; he shortened it to Tor, which is a bit forward considering they don't know one another.

Understandable, just look at this sweetie.

He refused to correct it, too. 

He is just straight up mesmerized. Me too. And he sticks to his guns.

Then, Tutor needed his signature as part of his initiation, and Fighter made him run 50 laps for a single letter.

When it comes time to end the initiation by receiving a bracelet, Fighter does tie it on for Tutor, making him promise to stay for all 4 years.

Can you feel the love tonight....

Tutor is kind of shocked at how sweet Fighter is being to him in this scene. But we know.

When we next see the pair, Fighter has bought a drink for Tutor. Tutor teases him by asking him to admit he bought the drink for his junior. 

Tell me you were thinking of me.

Fighter refuses. Shy baby.

How dare you look this cute, Tutor! The audacity! I don't negotiate with adorable terrorists!

Fighter ends up handing the drink to Hwahwa when she comes by to see Tutor. 

Not that she drinks it. Yeah Hwahwa, we all thirsty here.

Tutor later warns Hwahwa to be careful around Fighter, but six months later Hwahwa announces she and Fighter are dating.

However, even in this scene it is clear that Hwahwa might not be who Fighter has eyes for…

He said, heart eyes, 'Tor.

Back in the present, we see Zon trying to work on his novel but he’s having some computer troubles. He goes to use Zol's laptop, only to find her novel and fujoshi shipping wall.

Yup, that is TharnType on the wall there.

It features him and Saifeh as a couple, as well as Tutor and Fighter. What's more, after seeing the accidental smooch, Zol thinks Zon and Saifeh are a real life couple.

That you're secretly dating, right?

Zon is affronted and swears that not only are he and Saifeh not a couple, but they also never kissed! 

Liar, liar, pants on fire. Also subtitlers get it together.

We immediately flashback to that situation with the girl they were both  "seeing". (Saifah says he's been "seeing" her for three weeks. She says she is "seeing" multiple guys.)

In public? Classy.

They are caught by Zon.

Fight begins.

Where is a table to stand on when Zon needs it?

Miss Fai does not stick around to see if they fight. She has an urgent, imaginary phonecall to attend to.

Lady says, yeet.

Except, Zon and Saifah totally did kiss. It was a ridiculously contrived fall/attempt to punch that caused them to "aggressively touch faces."

Eyes Wide What?!!!

Now picture this, Zol is watching all this from behind a pillar. Her fujoshi heart tells her they are boyfriends now, secret boyfriends. She feels an RPF coming on. She will never delete it, even if asked to nicely, and even if it features real people and their unaltered names, and characteristics. Not cool.

Back to the present, lightning strikes as Zon swears. But he’s still a liar.

This causes Zon to do what he does best, panic. He starts believing he's been cursed and that Zol's story will come true.

All hail witch Zol! (Seriously, why are you still so hard to screetshot?)

Zon then dreams that Saifah is in his bedroom, saying that they are a couple, before trying to kiss him, like they did the night before...

You're scared of this tall baby, Zon, really?

Yes, totally and utterly terrified.

Zon wakes up screaming.

His fears are confirmed later when he sees couples resembling Zol's BL couple drawings on his campus, including TharnType. The episode ends with Tharn and Type asking Zon why he is staring at them so weirdly.

Why are you such a mess, Zon?

Thoughts on the Episode

This episode does a great job of establishing things and showing us the dynamics between the future couples. Tutor and Fighter have a very sexually-charged dynamic to their arguments. Zon and Saifah are more gentle at teasing each other and their scenes have less of that smoking hot tension.

We also establish the central plot, which is still very Zon-centric in spite of the switch in leads. Typically, whoever, a show starts with, whoever's voice-over we hear, is the protagonist.

Zon's bet with Zol causes him to swear something completely untrue. 

From that point on Zon, silly, sweet, gullible Zon, believes he is cursed and living in a BL nightmare. Some aptly timed lightning strikes have convinced him, that Zol's novel could come true, and therefore, he must avoid Saifah as much as possible.

Now, this might be my biggest problem with this show, you do have to wonder, with Zon's grades being awful, especially English, after the lecture from his parents; why does he not ask Tutor to tutor him in at least some of his subjects? It seems to me, that would solve some of his problems, but in the whole series it just never comes up.

Maddening!

I also have a less serious point to make about Tutor's flashback, let us examine the case of, who did Saifah's hazing makeup and why did they dislike him?

Cute.

So cute.

Bwahahaha what is that?! His pigtails are cute, but Saifah looks like a puppy clown.

Okay BL pals, we are going to leave this episode here. Join us next week for episode two.