5 Reasons To Watch KinnPorsche, The Hottest BL Series With An Action-Packed Mafia Plot & Explicit Love Scenes

Twitter users may have noticed that each Sunday morning, the platform explodes with mentions of a certain 'KinnPorsche' at the no. 1 trending spot in Singapore. One day, the curiosity got to me and I clicked on the hashtag. Lo and behold, it revealed a treasure trove of beautiful scene compositions, gorgeous lighting, ridiculously good looking men and vividly erotic scenes featuring said men. I was sold, and promptly binged watched all 7 currently available episodes of the Thai BL (boys love) series KinnPorsche.

Here's a brief rundown of what it's about: Kinn, the heir to the leading mafia family, is escaping attackers and runs into Porsche, a bartender. Kinn convinces Porsche to rescue him, and eventually, Porsche becomes Kinn's personal bodyguard-slash-lover. Yep, it sounds like the plot of a generic fanfic or *ahem* an adult film, but trust me, it's more than just cute boys and homoerotic moments.

Here are five spoiler-free reasons to start watching KinnPorsche:

#1 It Has A Decent Plot

I've attempted to watch several BL shows and have rarely been able to get past the first few episodes. Sadly, many of them suffer from weak storytelling and are more like cringey scenes of fetishised gay male relationships sprinkled with just a tiny dash of plot enough to call it a TV series.

Photo from Be On Cloud

KinnPorsche, however, is no ordinary BL series. The story delves into the world of organised crime in a Thai setting, centring around Kinn and Porsche's relationship as well as the power struggle between two mafia families. Sure, there are some tropey BL scenes that should have been cut, like the awkward Wattpad fanfic-esque dialogue and the prolonged gaze with romantic background music. Still, the show mostly takes on a serious and dark tone, with a focus on developing complex, well-rounded characters and an actual plot.

#2 It Has High Production Value

Whatever the budget was for KinnPorsche, it was enough to create a Hollywood blockbuster-level of work. Everything from the vivid & stylish cinematography reminiscent of Wong Kar Wai films, to the immersive sets, wardrobe and music are brilliantly executed. The action scenes are particularly well done, featuring realistic stunts and slick camera work.

Photo from Be On Cloud

#3 The Acting Is Stellar

The cast of young actors are no doubt a handsome bunch but no mere eye candy. Every one of them shines with their natural performance even with little screen time.

Standout performances include that of the two main leads, who have an explosive on-screen chemistry. Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat expresses Porsche's charm, recklessness and naïveté with an effortless finesse. Opposite him is Mile Phakphum Romsaithong, who delivers a nuanced portrayal of Kinn's cold, brash exterior and his hidden personality. Their characters' attraction to each other is incredibly believable, showing up through micro facial expressions and subtle body language.

Photo from Be On Cloud

The cast line-up also has veteran actor Kob Songsit Roongnophakunsri playing Kinn's father. His refined acting stands out in every scene where he appears as he expertly expresses hints of quiet menace under an affable front.

#4 It's Woke (Sort Of)

In the KinnPorsche world, everyone's gay, and better yet, no one makes a big deal about it. The gay characters simply happen to be gay, and the focus is on their personalities, struggles and motivations.

The show doesn't attempt to make a statement about the LBGTQ+ community, but it does the bare minimum by staying away from some of the problems that often plague BL series, namely stereotypes, gender roles and romanticised assault. Without giving away too much, there is a scene with dubious consent which the show addresses as such, rather than gloss over or worse, portray as a romantic moment.

It's also a relief that they have a male character with feminine traits, a silver haired man named Tay, who as a proper role and personality, and not relegated as a comic relief character with no substance. Adding to that, a transgender actress plays a character that is just like any other and isn't defined by her gender.

#5 The Love Scenes Are Explicit Cinematic Art

The lovemaking scenes in this show are one of the most explicit and raw in media - think Game of Thrones level of nudity and realism. At the same time, they are presented in a highly tasteful fashion. The lighting, music and camera angles create beautiful and artistic scenes. The actors, Mile and Apo, portray the intensely realistic intimate moments with such unflinching desire, it almost makes the viewer feel like a rude intruder.

It's also noteworthy that the sex scenes never feel contrived or shoved in for the sake of shock value. One has a pivotal role in shifting the nature of Kinn and Porsche's relationship, while the other serves as a visual narrative.

All that said, don't expect a perfect production. The audio issues, uneven pacing, questionable casualty makeup effects, and subtitle errors are just some of the flaws that are hard to ignore. There's also some slapstick humour that may not be everyone's cup of tea, and not to mention lack of crucial female characters. But overall, KinnPorsche will probably leave you breathless, in more ways than one, and set the bar sky high for the BL industry in Asia.

Where To Watch KinnPorsche

KinnPorsche is currently airing exclusively on Chinese streaming platform iQIYI every Sunday at 1am Singapore time (UTC +8). The show has 14 episodes in total and is only available with VIP subscription from S$6.98 a month. Just shut up and take my money, iQIYI!

18 July 2022 update: Alas, the series went on a downhill spiral after episode seven. The weak writing, which was apparent but excusable in the first half of the series, escalated to full force through the latter half. KinnPorsche was still an entertaining soap opera, but what a shame! The show had so much potential with the budget, cast and crew, if only it had a decent foundation.

While you're here, check out four Chinese BL or bromance series worth watching as well as Getaway, Singapore's first BL web drama series.