Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Thai series title “You Maniac” makes the show sound like it’s about some crazy person and his romance. But it’s really just a slightly sweet, slightly annoying love story about an over-friendly philandering extroverted ‘influencer’ called Dean (William Jakrapatr Kaewpanpong) and Moth (Est Supha Sangaworawong) a reserved, cold, introverted artist.
Directed by Prang Sasinan Pattana (‘The Trainee’, ‘Break Up Service’), ‘You Maniac’ spans ten episodes, following two ‘red flags’ as they attempt to date each other. Influencer Dean’s close friend Ten (Barcode Tinnasit Isarapongporn) has a huge crush on veterinarian Pun (Kin Thanachai Sakchaicharoenkul), but the latter is in unrequited love with his own best friend Moth. Ten asks Dean to pursue Moth so that he can focus on Dr Pun, but wooing Moth turns out to be a huge challenge, even though there’s a definite spark between the two.
William Jakrapatr Kaewpanpong’s Dean isn’t the typical playboy. He isn’t stinking rich, nor is he arrogant, vicious or mean; he simply never gets serious and remains friends with all his flings. In fact, William’s portrayal of Dean is playfully charming; he just doesn’t have the ‘bad boy/red flag’ energy ‘You Maniac’ aims for. They have a whole original song titled ‘Red Flag’ sung by the leads (a fun track, though) for emphasis.
Est Supha Sangaworawong, as the grouchy, emotionally aloof Moth, is more convincing as the ‘hard-to-read’ lead, often being exceedingly mean to Dean. Episode three of ‘You Maniac’ comically shows how they’re both not really ready for a relationship, with both refusing to meet each other halfway on their planned dates, dictating the activities they do during what’s supposed to be a fun time together. Moth always opts for highly artistic outings the influencer has little interest in, while Dean always takes him to do stuff that’s outside Moth’s comfort zone. It’s mostly partying at his favorite bar with a big group of friends.
Ironically, though, both Moth and Dean suffer from isolation and loneliness due to their personalities. While Dean is in denial about the hollowness he feels due to the shallowness of his many friendships, Moth feels the pangs of isolation despite seeking solitude. The secondary subplot following Ten, who produces Dean’s videos, and Dr Pun is a lot sillier and cuter. Although it’s ridiculous how the creators try to convince viewers that Barcode’s Ten is an ordinary nerdy loser, supposedly way out of Dr Pun’s league, they don’t even bother giving him the mandatory ugly pair of glasses that other romances do.
Visually, ‘You Maniac’ is a colourful, slick, modern romance. The locations are aesthetically pleasing, and of course, William Jakrapatr Kaewpanpong and Est Supha Sangaworawong, who romanced each other in ThamePo: Heart That Skips a Beat, look great together. But this is the kind of show that promises to be steamy and messy, yet all the angst and tension aren’t as edgy as many would hope.
If you really want to see contemporary shows with crazy romantic protagonists, try My Stand-In, where the lead is a rich psycho who dates a stuntman because his back looks like his crush’s, or the Chinese BL Desire, where the rich lead first rounds up all his crush’s ex-partners for ‘research’, then assumes a fake identity and gets a job he doesn’t need just to win him over. Not saying these are the best examples of toxic romance, but these came out not too long before ‘You Maniac’, and their protagonists are blatantly problematic. Thai show ‘Gel Boys‘ is another entertaining title which captures situationship hell quite well.
Overall, this is a tame romance, since its protagonists are more emotionally confused than genuinely problematic. It’s a cute, occasionally funny romance, but for a show called ‘You Maniac’, there’s disappointingly little madness.
Rating: 6 on 10. Watch ‘You Maniac’ on Viki, iQIYI.
Looking for more BLs to watch? Check out quick reviews of three dramas below.
