There are two politically themed Thai BL series that would deserve to be in my "favourite series list" of the year, “Mandate“ and “Shine“. Unfortunately, “Mandate“ felt dragged, if not boring, which is a pity because the actors did a good job, and the story is important. “Shine“ was a lot better because the story was exciting and captivating from beginning to end. I must admit that I wasn’t exactly a fan of Mile and Apo’s acting in “KinnPorsche“, but they have improved since then. However, it was Peter Deriy, who stole the show for me because of his amazing performance as a rookie actor. The story is set in the political turmoil in Thailand in 1969, and as it realistically mirrors the events of that era, there is violence, brutality, tragedy and death. Whereas in other Thai BL series, “love heals everything“, “Shine“ is a lot more true-to-life because many wounds remain. The series certainly isn’t your fluffy BL entertainment, but a piece of modern history disguised as BL. If you are interested in the Thailand beyond beautiful beaches and intriguing nightlife, this may be one for you.

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