GelBoys (2025)

Portrait of Thai urban-queer teen culture

'GelBoys', iQIYI Thailand's third original series in collaboration with GMMTV, following Girl Love (GL) 'Drop of Rain with the Smell of Rust (Petrichor)' and BL 'Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist' (coming soon), brings us a romantic story of Coming of Age and youthful relationships in the modern era, set against the backdrop of the vibrant pop culture scene of Siam Square, the beating heart of Bangkok.
Due to its high cultural trust, 'GelBoys' is an example of how small studios save Thai BL production. Its vibrant cinematographic language and attractive script are worth highlighting.
In this place full of contrasting vibes, the epicenter of everything cool that exists in the Thai capital, a place where fashion is sculpted and emerges, "Fou4Mod", a high school student who longs for a romantic relationship, finds himself flirted with by Chian, a boy who sports gel nails and who casually invites him to get his nails done together in Siam Square.
"Fou4Mod" falls in love with him, but soon realizes he's being "put on hold" when he discovers that Chian is also inviting Bua, a half-Thai, half-German TikToker, to gel nail sessions.
For this reason, "Fou4Mod" decides to get revenge by asking his close friend Baabin for help, and they do their nails together in an attempt to make Chian jealous and experience being in a state of "waiting" for themselves. We soon discover that Baabin has been secretly in love with "Fou4Mod" for years. What if Bua ends up liking Baabin? Wouldn't a romance between the two be the ideal solution to the conflict the four protagonists are experiencing? What could happen to this love triangle? However, this won't be a "perfect love triangle," as Bua likes to go on dates with Moo (Bonus Nutthawut Eamchuen), a schoolmate.
The interesting thing about the love triangle in 'Gelboys' is that the character with two suitors isn't the main protagonist. The Thai series essentially follows "Fou4Mod," not Chian. It's Chian's romantic choice, not "Fou4Mod's," that drives the story; And the romantic choice, which is at the heart of the story, isn't up to the boy who fell in love with the woman who introduced him to the world of gel nails. What if, among so many romantic options, "Fou4Mod" will eventually have to choose between Chian and Baabin?
Also interesting is the fact that, very often, the BL narrative takes us to a boy who has always believed he was heterosexual and today wavers when he discovers that he has fallen in love with another man. 'Gelboys' takes us through another path: here is a boy who is firmly convinced that he is gay, but hesitates as to which of the two boys he is attracted to is the right one to have a romance with.
Launched by iQIYI, the world's largest online video and movie platform, the series specifically seeks to expand Thai content in the global market with the announced goal of making the Southeast Asian nation a global entertainment center.
The first impression I get from the first frames is that I am in the presence of a great real-life portrait of teenagers who go to and from school from the BTS Skytrain, go through their daily lives while sharing with their friends, with their classmates, with their teachers, with their partners, while they flirt with the boy they like, spy on social networks, follow from a distance the person they have fallen in love with... while they are filmed with a mobile phone, so that it seems more natural... and they, oblivious to everything, they don't know it.
If we add to the above the music, the absence of internal monologues, the capture of how uncomfortable and transcendental teenage love is, a boy wanting to be "cool" in front of the person he likes, the awkwardness, the nail art, the pop culture, the cartoons as part of the plot, the trope of love at first sight with a different approach than usual, and the atmosphere of Siam Square, with its combination of street food stalls and high-end restaurants, the various attractions that the Passerby finds in his path, such as the revered Erawan Shrine or the Jim Thompson Museum of Art, we find a series with the development and rhythm of its very realistic and relaxing story of LGBT+ life.
Sometimes I get the impression of being a team of reporters in the middle of a public street filming passers-by or acquaintances.
Siam Square in particular and Bangkok in general are the heart of the story, as the characters are essentially urban. In my opinion, there is an intention to show the city beyond its iconic tourist destinations.
The construction of the atmosphere of 'Gelboys' depends not only on the acting talent, but also on the aesthetic and narrative decisions of the production team. The happy and festive tones combine harmoniously with the oppressive and dark ones in the direction, to reinforce the feeling of emotional claustrophobia that the main characters experience, one in an attempt to conquer the boy he likes, and the other who oscillates between two loves.
In this sense, each shot is a reflection of their internal states, from moments of joy, of sharing experiences in communion, and others of doubt to episodes of despair.
Another relevant aspect is the use of real locations combined with sets designed specifically for the series. Additionally, music plays a key role in the narrative. "No-status Status", the main song performed by BUS, is not only a poetic anthem, but a constant description of the situation experienced by the protagonists.
With a very attractive, dynamic, fresh and highly addictive format, behind the series, guaranteeing success, is the same technical team that produced 'I Told Sunset About You' and 'The Paradise of Thorns': Boss Naruebet Kuno as director; Kate Karakade Norasethaporn, Junior Naron Cherdsoongnern and Boss himself as scriptwriters, and Tang Tawanwad Wanavit as director of photography, this time with the first collaboration with LOOKE.
The viewer can notice from the first images, in this romantic, youthful, musical and episodic series, the influence of the French New Wave, with its low budget, with the sounds, light and music emanating from the same story, with the technical simplicity, with the greatest narrative freedom, with filming with a greater presence of natural settings, which has a lot to do with what the filmmakers did in the 90s of the last century, in the music video, and codes of staging such as breaking with studios and sets, and going out into the street to film with a camera (or a mobile phone, as is the case) and a recorder, and thus creating a visual poetry that reflects the life of the inhabitants of the asphalt.
Boss Naruebet Kuno is a master in experimenting with genres and structures, with characters and with the traditions of a cinematography perhaps not unaccustomed to these experiments.
Due to its realism, 'GelBoys' feels like a series redolent of dreams, aspirations and desires of today's teenagers, but that also has the power to evoke the memories and nostalgia of those who have already gone through this stage of life. It pleasantly reminds me of the GameBoys era.
Equally noteworthy is the idea it gives of being an independent film product due to its low budget, dealing with everyday topics and being closer to the public. I am glad that creative interests are not dominated by the desire to make a big income.
On the other hand, the use of the technique and creativity of the grader is notable when regulating lighting variables such as color dominants, luminosity, brightness, saturation, and contrast of the different shots through photochemical processes in the laboratory, thereby achieving the same shots shot with different mobile phone cameras and in changing light conditions.
It seems to me to be a very different series from the usual BL series, with an impeccable aesthetic, with a very Gen Z story, with strong Y2K vibes, but which does not lack a certain retro vibe. And it brings us familiar faces and new ones.
"Fou4Mod" is performed by New Chayapak Tunprayoon, known to audiences through projects such as 'Ready, Set, Love' and 'I Promised You The Moon', the sequel series to 'I Told Sunset About You', in which he played Au.
For his part, Chian comes to life through actor Pide Monthapoom Sumonvarangkul, who we have seen in the sports-themed BL series 'Our Days', by screenwriter and director Kyo Thanate Limchaloen, in which he played Q.
Baabin is played by PJ Mahidol Pibulsonggrama, who has gained more public attention after starring in Off director Monthon Arayangkoon's romantic medical drama 'Good Doctor' and the series 'Eightraordinary', and who is also the younger brother of JJ Krissanapoom Pibulsonggram, who recently played 'Thiu' Wasan, the police officer in 'Spare Me Your Mercy'.
GelBoys is the series debut of Thai-German model and actor Leon Zech or Leon Brocco as Bua.
"Fou4Mod" Chian, Baabin and Bua and their schoolmates seem to be not a group of actors playing a certain role they were chosen for, but real students in their school uniforms, with their textbooks in their backpacks, guitar on their backs, living everyday life, experiencing first love, being like real teenagers are: impulsive, hormonal, daring, adventurous, idealistic, optimistic, liberal, critical, eager to be an adult, constantly searching to spend more time with friends and less time with family, spending more time alone in their room, trying out different personal styles (clothes, hairstyle, makeup…), trying out different hobbies or having changing interests… And this gives it a high degree of realism, rarely seen before in a BL series.
The viewer may feel repulsed by the person who uses his peers for something as selfish as making others jealous, but that is so well portrayed in this program that one waits to see how the story continues.
In the midst of some of the most visited attractions, restaurants and shopping centers in the city of Bangkok, such as Siam Paragon, Siam Shopping One, MBK and Central World, and that kind of open-air shopping center with a creative atmosphere, with its endless alleys of improvised stalls and open markets to explore, each with its own range of extravagant products, these four young people live the experiences of first love, love at first sight, the first flirtations, and also the first nail job of their lives.
Due to its realism, 'GelBoys' feels like a series with the scent of the dreams, aspirations and desires of today's teenagers, but that also has the power to evoke the memories and nostalgia of those who have already gone through this stage of life.
'Gelboys' is not just a series: it is an invitation to reflect on adolescence as that stage of constant changes, where each person seeks autonomy and their own identity.
The masterful performances of New and Pide, together with a cast of talented actors, take the audience on a path full of emotions, conflicts and universal truths, where in that search for identity, having dreams and aspirations are of vital importance.
'Gelboys' transcends the traditional molds of the genre and demonstrates that series can be both a space for entertainment and a platform for art and introspection. What would you do, as a teenager, to achieve your dreams? Won't these help you form your character and define your personality in order to guide your actions and define what you want to be, how you want people to identify you and how you want to see yourself in the future? These are the questions that 'Gelboys' asks us episode after episode.
In short, 'Gelboys' has a huge heart, a lot of realism, great musical numbers and many sentimental moments... it will bring tears to your eyes, laughter... and you will jump with joy and happiness.

Leia Mais

a unique masterpiece - brace for emotional damage

Overall: a vibrant glimpse into the ups and downs of teen love. 7 episodes about 55 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/kknyn3lik4?lang=en_us&sh_pltf=4

Content Warnings: dub con kissing, non con video posting

What I Liked
- how a character's house looked like a typical house inside, and outside felt realistic
- being aware of a crush but not directly acting on it, the push and pull dynamic
- appreciated that instead of an exposition dump, the writer/s found a natural way to tell us what grade a main character was in
- the nail art was a clever way to show time passing (nail art growing out)
- the shifting viewpoints (some episodes were told from different characters' perspectives but they didn't re-hash plot that we've seen)
- good kissing
- happy that Bua decided to not change his looks for another person
- production value (cinematography, music)

Room For Improvement
- the very beginning made me think that it was filmed during lockdowns
- that bathroom shot in ep 1 was a choice
- though being on phones/social media a ton was realistic, I needed more face to face conversations in some of the episodes, it also dragged the plot at times
- did not feel as if 2 years had passed
- I wish it had been a bit more clear with two characters at the end

Leia Mais