It is rare for a show to feel like it breathes. Usually, television is a series of cuts, scripted pauses, and heavy-handed soundtracks designed to force an emotion out of you. But I Told the Sunset About You (ITSAY) is different. It’s sweaty. It’s sticky. It feels like the salt air of Phuket and the crushing weight of teenage guilt. If you haven't seen it, you might think it’s just another "Boys' Love" (BL) drama from Thailand. You’d be wrong. It’s something much more significant—a cinematic achievement that bridged the gap between niche idol dramas and prestige global television.
The story follows Teh and Oh-aew. They were childhood best friends who had a falling out and eventually reunited in a Chinese language tutorial school. It sounds simple. On paper, it’s a standard coming-of-age trope. Yet, the execution by director Naruebet Kuno and the production team at Nadao Bangkok turned it into a masterpiece of visual storytelling.
The Visual Language of Phuket
Most dramas use their setting as a backdrop. In I Told the Sunset About You, Phuket is a character. The red architecture of the Old Town, the specific blue of the ocean, and the interior of Teh’s family noodle shop aren't just locations. They are symbols.
Color theory plays a massive role here. Red represents desire, passion, and the "Chinese-ness" that Teh struggles to balance with his own identity. Blue represents the calm, the unknown, and Oh-aew’s fluid sense of self. When these colors bleed into each other, the audience feels the internal conflict of the characters without a single line of dialogue being spoken. Honestly, the cinematography by Ratchanoon Chalermtiarana is better than most big-budget films. He uses wide shots to emphasize loneliness and extreme close-ups to capture the terrifying intimacy of a first touch.
Think about the scene with the hibiscus flower. It’s iconic. It isn't just a pretty plant; it’s a tactile representation of curiosity and scent. The show focuses on the senses—smell, touch, the sound of the wind. It makes the longing feel physical. You aren't just watching them; you're trapped in that humid heat with them.
Billkin and PP Krit: A Chemistry That Can’t Be Taught
You can't talk about I Told the Sunset About You without talking about Putthipong "Billkin" Assaratanakul and Krit "PP" Aeyksangkhun. These two didn't just play roles. They lived them. Because they were friends in real life before the show, there is a level of comfort and "skinship" that feels earned rather than forced.
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Teh is a difficult character. He’s often selfish. He’s deeply closeted and takes his frustrations out on the person he loves. Billkin plays this with such raw vulnerability that even when Teh is being "the worst," you can see the cracks in his armor. Then you have Oh-aew. PP Krit brings a softness to Oh-aew that is deceptively strong. He knows who he is long before Teh does.
The acting isn't "TV acting." There are no exaggerated gasps or long, dramatic pauses for the camera to catch a tear. It’s messy. Snotty crying. Shaking hands. It’s the kind of performance that won them multiple awards, including the International Drama Program of the Year at the Seoul International Drama Awards.
Breaking the BL Mold
For a long time, Thai BL (Boys' Love) was criticized for being "Yaoi-adjacent"—stories written by women, for women, often featuring toxic dynamics or unrealistic portrayals of gay life. I Told the Sunset About You shifted the paradigm. It moved away from the "engineering student" tropes and the repetitive "accidental kiss" clichés.
Instead, it gave us a "Coming of Age" story that happened to be queer.
It dealt with:
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- The pressure of academic excellence in Asian households.
- The intersection of ethnic identity (Thai-Chinese) and sexuality.
- The agonizing process of self-denial.
- The realization that loving someone doesn't automatically solve your problems.
The show was released on LINE TV in 2020 and immediately went viral, not just in Thailand but across China, the Philippines, and Brazil. It proved that there was a massive global audience for high-production-value queer stories. It wasn't just "content"; it was art.
The Soundtrack as Narrative
Music isn't just background noise here. The "Skyline" (Kee Huai) theme is the heartbeat of the show. Whether it’s the orchestral version or the version sung by the actors themselves, the lyrics reflect the impossibility of the distance between the two boys.
Interestingly, the use of Chinese lyrics in the songs serves a dual purpose. It highlights the cultural heritage of the characters while emphasizing the "language" they are trying to learn—both literally (for their university entrance exams) and figuratively (the language of their own hearts).
Why the Ending Still Sparks Debate
The sequel, I Promised You the Moon, took the story to Bangkok. It was polarizing. Some fans hated it because it broke the "fairytale" feeling of the first part. But if we’re being real, that’s life. People change when they go to college. They mess up. They cheat. They lose themselves.
While I Told the Sunset About You is about the magic and pain of first love, the sequel is about the brutal reality of maintaining that love. You can't have one without the other if you want a complete picture of a relationship. The first part is the sunset—beautiful, fleeting, and golden. The second part is the moon—cold, changing, and sometimes hidden in the dark.
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The Cultural Impact of "NADAO"
Nadao Bangkok, the studio behind the project, eventually shuttered its talent management side in 2022, marking the end of an era. But the "Nadao Style"—meticulous color grading, documentary-style intimacy, and character-driven plots—left a permanent mark on the industry. Shows like Bad Buddy or Moonlight Chicken owe a debt to the ground broken by ITSAY.
It raised the bar. It told producers that audiences aren't stupid. We don't need constant sound effects or slapstick humor to stay engaged. We just need a story that feels true.
Actionable Steps for Fans and New Viewers
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this world or want to understand why it’s so revered, don't just stop at the five episodes.
- Watch the Documentary Series: There is a multi-part "making of" documentary on YouTube (Nadao Music/Nadao Bangkok channel). It shows the intense acting workshops the leads went through. It reveals that the "hibiscus scene" wasn't just a random choice, but a deeply researched moment of sensory discovery.
- Listen to the Lyrics: If you don't speak Thai or Mandarin, look up the translated lyrics for "Skyline" and "Can't Interpret." The metaphors about distance and "interpreting" feelings are essential to the plot.
- Visit the Locations: If you ever find yourself in Phuket, the Old Town is remarkably preserved. You can visit the "Sangtham Shrine" (The Shrine of the Serene Light) where several pivotal scenes were filmed. It’s a quiet, beautiful space that feels exactly like the show.
- Compare the Seasons: Watch I Told the Sunset About You and I Promised You the Moon back-to-back. Notice how the camera movement changes. In Phuket, it’s often handheld and shaky, like the boys' uncertainty. In Bangkok, it becomes more static and distant, mirroring their growing emotional gap.
The legacy of this show isn't just in its ratings. It’s in the way it made people feel seen. It took the "sunset"—that universal symbol of ending and beauty—and turned it into a witness for a story that, for a long time, people were told to keep in the dark.
To truly appreciate the series, one must look past the subtitles and watch the body language. The way Teh grips his shirt when he’s anxious, or how Oh-aew looks at himself in the mirror while wearing a bra for the first time—these are the moments where the "expert" storytelling lives. It’s a masterclass in empathy.
Move through the series slowly. It isn't a "binge-watch" show. It’s a "sit-on-the-balcony-and-think-about-your-life" show. Pay attention to the recurring motif of the color red, from the ink on their test papers to the hibiscus in their hair, as it traces the evolution of a love that was never supposed to be told, but eventually, had to be shouted to the horizon.