Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Love Sick, which delivered groundbreaking Thai television that helped establish the modern Boys’ Love (BL) genre and captured hearts worldwide with its authentic portrayal of teenage romance and self-discovery.
Released on July 6, 2014, Love Sick: The Series premiered on Channel 9 in Thailand with 12 episodes in its first season, followed by a second season in 2015. Each episode runs approximately 45 minutes. Based on the popular Thai BL novel by INDRYTIMES, the series stars White Nawat Phumphothingam (Phun) and Captain Chonlathorn Kongyingyong (Noh) in performances that launched their careers and created one of the most beloved BL couples in Thai entertainment history.
Love Sick masterfully combines coming-of-age drama, romantic comedy, school life exploration, and LGBTQ+ storytelling elements to create a landmark viewing experience. The series explores themes of sexual identity discovery, friendship boundaries, family expectations, teenage confusion, and the courage required to be authentic to yourself. This Thai production stands out as the series that established many of the conventions and popularity of modern Thai BL dramas.
A Fake Relationship That Becomes Real
The story centers around Phun, a popular high school student who has a girlfriend but faces pressure from his father to date a family friend’s daughter. Love Sick begins when Phun desperately needs his BL-obsessed little sister Pang’s help to convince their father to change his mind, leading him to ask his classmate Noh to pretend to be his boyfriend to fool his sister into helping him.
What starts as a simple deception quickly becomes complicated when Phun and Noh must maintain their fake relationship in front of Pang and other students. As Love Sick unfolds, the line between pretending and reality begins to blur as both boys discover feelings they never expected, forcing them to question everything they thought they knew about themselves and their friendship.
Phun: The Popular Student’s Identity Crisis
White Nawat Phumphothingam delivers a nuanced performance as Phun, portraying his internal struggle between maintaining his popular image and exploring his growing feelings for Noh. Throughout Love Sick, Phun grapples with the confusion of developing romantic feelings for his male friend while trying to maintain his existing relationship and meet family expectations.
His character journey explores the complexity of sexual identity discovery during adolescence, showing how someone can be confident in all areas except understanding their own heart. Phun’s evolution from someone using Noh for convenience to someone genuinely falling in love showcases the series’ understanding of how authentic feelings can emerge from the most unexpected circumstances.
Noh: The Loyal Friend’s Awakening
Captain Chonlathorn Kongyingyong brings depth and vulnerability to his role as Noh, the loyal friend who agrees to help despite his own growing confusion about his feelings. In Love Sick, Noh represents the more introspective side of teenage romance, as he quietly processes his emotions while supporting Phun’s needs.
The chemistry between White and Captain creates the emotional core of the series, as their relationship develops from friendship to something deeper through small moments and genuine connection. Their performances established the template for many future BL couples, showing how authentic emotion can transcend acting to create something truly special for audiences.
The Revelation: When Pretending Becomes Truth
The series reaches its most emotionally intense moments when both boys can no longer deny their feelings for each other, leading to confrontations about authenticity, courage, and the risk of losing everything for love. Love Sick builds tension as their fake relationship creates real consequences in their social circles, while their growing genuine feelings make it impossible to continue pretending.
These pivotal episodes showcase the series’ strength in portraying the vulnerability and courage required for teenagers to be honest about their sexuality. The climactic moments where they must choose between safety and authenticity created some of the most memorable scenes in BL television history.
Success on Netflix
Love Sick found tremendous international success when it became available on Netflix, introducing global audiences to Thai BL drama and helping establish the genre’s worldwide popularity. The series resonated with viewers seeking authentic LGBTQ+ representation in teenage romance storytelling. With the chemistry between White and Captain, its realistic portrayal of high school life, and its sensitive handling of identity discovery themes, Love Sick established itself as the series that launched the modern Thai BL industry, inspiring countless subsequent productions and creating devoted international fandoms that continue today.
A Genre-Defining Romance You Must Experience
If you love authentic LGBTQ+ romance with realistic teenage dynamics and emotional depth, Love Sick is the perfect series to binge on Netflix.
Tags: Thai BL, boys love, LGBTQ drama, school romance, coming-of-age
Why This Pioneering Series Changed Everything
Positive Points:
- Groundbreaking authentic chemistry between White and Captain that established BL couple standards
- Realistic portrayal of teenage confusion and identity discovery without stereotypes or exploitation
- Beautiful development of friendship-to-romance that feels genuine and emotionally satisfying
- Important cultural impact that helped establish Thai BL as a respected international genre
- Thoughtful exploration of family expectations, peer pressure, and the courage to be authentic
Negative Points:
- Some production values may feel dated compared to more recent high-budget BL productions
- Pacing occasionally slows during character development scenes that may test modern viewers’ patience
- Limited physical romance scenes may disappoint viewers expecting more explicit content
- School setting and teenage focus may not appeal to viewers seeking adult-oriented storylines
- Cultural references and Thai school system details might require context for international audiences
Love Sick offers a historic television experience that launched an entire genre while delivering genuine romantic storytelling that continues to resonate with audiences worldwide.
Series Details
- Number of Episodes: Season 1: 12 episodes, Season 2: 36 episodes
- Platform: Netflix
- Release Year: 2014-2015
- Current IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Genre: Boys’ Love, Romance, School Drama, Coming-of-Age, LGBTQ+
- Production Type: Thai Drama (Lakorn/BL Series)
- Status: Completed (2 seasons)
- Main Protagonists: White Nawat Phumphothingam (Phun), Captain Chonlathorn Kongyingyong (Noh)
- Antagonist: Social expectations and internalized fears preventing the boys from embracing their authentic feelings