Only Friends Review – Campus Love & The Crazies in Between
This was such a messy series, but in a good way! With multiple lead couples, chaotic love triangles, and several flawed protagonists, the 2023 Thai series “Only Friends” is a entertaining drama that doesn’t concern itself with presenting ‘ideal characters,’ instead serving up dollops of chaos.
Spread over 12 episodes, the series has been directed by Ninew Pinya Chookamsri, whose last work was the time-travel comedy “The Warp Effect”. “Only Friends” follows four business undergraduate students decide to set up and run a hostel for their thesis project, but as they start working together, they learn that business and friendship aren’t a great mix, the hard way. While its diverse flawed characters are the show’s biggest strength, ‘Only Friends’ is a well-shot series, featuring aesthetically done scene transitions and colorful, bright settings that match its youthful themes.
The four friends attempting to run a business together are Ray Pakon (Khaotung Thanawat Ratanakitpaisan), a wealthy individual with an alcohol problem, as his father owns the property being converted into a hostel. Then there’s Mew (Book Kasidet Plookphol), the studious one who proposes the idea of running a real hostel and offers to take charge of the financial and accounting aspects. Cheum (Lookjun Bhasidi Petchsutee) handles all the PR work and strives to keep the group together. Lastly, Boston (Neo Trai Nimtawat) plays the role of the wrecking ball, who is always engaging in reckless behavior and contributing very little to the project, while causing trouble for everyone with his selfishness.
Things get complicated for the friends when Boston sets up Mew with the handsome heart-breaker, Top Tanin (Force Jiratchapong Srisang), who is known for never lasting in a relationship for more than three months. However, when Top starts genuinely liking Mew, Boston becomes jealous and competes for Top’s attention, all while showing interest in a cute student named Nick (Mark Pakin Kunaanuwit) who works part-time at an electronics store. Ray also becomes bitter about Mew and Top due to his unrequited love for Mew, even though he starts developing feelings for an enterprising bar singer named Sand (First Kanaphan Puitrakul). Told you – lots of love triangles!
The young cast does a fantastic job with the flawed roles, especially Khaotung Thanawat Ratanakitpaisan as Ray, who looks convincingly drunk and hungover throughout the series. Khaotung has a knack for expressing his emotions and love through his eyes, which works really well for his character Ray, who is constantly intoxicated and in need of rehab. Khaotung and First Kanaphan Puitrakul already proved their chemistry as the lead pair in the mystery series “The Eclipse”, and are a lot more electric in “Only Friends” as Ray and Sand. Sand appears as the most mature character among the six protagonists, constantly working to earn money and always looking out for Ray, even though they initially get off on the wrong foot when they first meet. The two bond most over music and drinks, allowing the creators to seamlessly incorporate some great tracks throughout the runtime, enhancing the mood and storytelling.
Neo Trai Nimtawat and Mark Pakin Kunaanuwit have been paired together for the first time, and the two share a unique messy relationship as the trampy Boston and lovelorn Nick. Despite being well aware that Boston doesn’t commit to relationships and frequently changes sexual partners, Nick falls madly in love with him and endures suffering throughout the show because of Boston’s behavior. While Neo Train Nimtawat convincingly portrays the egocentric Boston, who is slutty and despicable, Mark Pakin Kunanuwit provides a great contrast as the vulnerable Nick. Nick is like a lost puppy, persistently chasing its owner, even when their owner pushes them away. Unlike most characters in other shows who are often portrayed as clueless or naive, Nick is well aware of Boston’s infidelities and selfish personality, yet he loves him nonetheless, recognizing his own weakness for being smitten with someone who may never reciprocate with the same intensity. The two of them have a lot of brief steamy scenes in almost all episodes, and are laudably at ease with each other.
Force Jiratchapong Srisang and Book Kasidet Plookphol are given the most clichéd sub-plot among the three pairs. Force plays the role of the rich playboy, Top, while Book portrays ‘pure’ Mew, who has never been in a relationship and values meaningful bonds over fleeting flings. The two last romanced each other in the romantic-comedy “A Boss and A Babe,” where they played very different characters, so it was refreshing to see them take on new roles. Visually, Force and Book are undoubtedly the most good-looking couple in the show, and their chemistry is quite passable too. Force’s character Top was slightly sketchy at first, but his character sees significant growth as the plot progresses, while Mew is probably Book Kasidet Plookphol’s best performance so far. Instead of turning into a predictable weeping mess, Mew sheds his nerdy-sweet personality towards the second half of “Only Friends” and turns into a more calculative person.
Lookjun Bhasidi Petchsutee is very spunky and cute as Cheum, but she is only a supporting character in the series and is often forgotten through the show. She just pops up now and then to remind her friends that they are being assholes and also to remind them that they have a hostel to run. The show is well-paced throughout it’s 12 episodes, often throwing up little twists and turns and turning the friends against each other. Romantic entanglements form the bulk of the conflicts in the series. However, Ray’s character introduces a shift in the themes, with the later episodes focusing on his alcohol problems and his journey to overcome addiction. It’s probably Khaotung’s acting that makes Ray the most interesting character in the show. He begins as a heartbroken, lonely young man with a deceased mother, who copes with his problems through alcohol. However, he later reveals himself to be an exceedingly selfish brat with a penchant for getting into trouble (he almost kills himself in a case of drunk driving). Towards the end of the show, he attempts to sober up and engages in some of the most honest and upfront conversations with his friends and loved ones.
Overall, “Only Friends” a bumpy but entertaining series about a bunch of college friends going through love, sex, heartbreak and learning a few tough or not so tough lessons along the way.
Rating: 8 on 10. You can stream “Only Friends” on GMMTV’s YouTube Channel.
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