Big Dragon – Series Review & Episode Guide

Yai is a popular business student because of his good looks, family wealth, and air of success. He is romantically interested in Arjo, his beautiful university senior who recently graduated from the architecture department. Yai wants to take her out for a meal. However, Arjo turns him down to meet with Mangkorn, another architecture student. Mangkorn is a rising star in his faculty, and his popularity on campus eclipses the attention Yai receives.

Arjo meets with Mangkorn to get career advice from him. She has trouble finding a job after graduation. However, Yai misinterprets her intentions and believes he's losing to his competition. He becomes increasingly jealous of Mangkorn, viewing him as a love rival. Later, Arjo invites both guys for a friendly meal together. Mangkorn acts cocky and flirts aggressively with Arjo, pissing off Yai.

Yai devises a nasty plot to humiliate his rival. After Arjo leaves, he spikes Mangkorn's drink to make him unconscious. Yai brings Mangkorn to the bedroom, where he intends to film a racy encounter between them. His goal is to use the risque footage as blackmail. However, Yai's plan backfires. He mixes up the sleeping drugs with the aphrodisiacs, inadvertently intoxicating himself. Mangkorn overpowers him while they struggle in the bedroom. During a drug-infused encounter, both men give in to their sexual impulses for a night of explosive passion.

Yai wakes up the next morning. He is horrified upon discovering Mangkorn stole the camera footage. In an ironic twist of fate, Mangkorn now blackmails his rival with the sex tape. He threatens to release the footage, which causes Yai distress and psychological torment. To complicate matters, the two men discover they are working on a project together. Yai's father has hired Mangkorn's company for a bar renovation, so the two characters will often see each other. Yai must find a way to retrieve the footage by getting close to his enemy.

With its glossy visuals and majestic soundtrack, Big Dragon gives the impression of grandeur. There's no denying it's beautifully made with cinematic skill and contemporary flair. This visually dazzling series shines during romantic encounters, maximizing the sexual allure between the characters. It has an abundance of BL-friendly optics with saucy content designed to go viral on social media. If we judge Big Dragon purely by its artistry, the drama aces this aspect with no complaints from me.

In Big Dragon, the protagonist blackmails his love interest with a sex tape. I was immediately uncomfortable with this icky premise for a romance. However, the dark side of me found the twisted drama fascinating, at least from a storytelling perspective. My morbid curiosity overpowered my moral outrage, so the provocative plot didn't offend me as much as I expected. Nonetheless, I had a hard time sympathizing with the main characters. It's impossible to overcome my first impression of Yai as a date rapist and Mangkorn as an equally deplorable scumbag.

Big Dragon suffers because the writing quality is below average, even by the lower standards of the BL genre. You look at the stylish production values and expect this series to produce an epic narrative. Unfortunately, it's just an illusion. After a bold and explosive start, the story retreats to a generic structure. The conflict over the sex tape becomes irrelevant, replaced by predictable family angst and dull love triangles. These cliched subplots are uncompelling and do not generate excitement. Big Dragon feels lost, as if it has no idea what to do with the drama. 

The romance develops clunkily, not capitalizing on the juicy potential of the enemies-to-lovers trope. The leads are supposed to hate each other, yet they suddenly develop romantic feelings out of nowhere. Their inexplicable attraction contradicts their antagonistic behaviour in the beginning. If you liked someone, you wouldn't abuse them with fiendish delight. After their relationship improves, Yai and Mangkorn have sweet exchanges. However, the tone doesn't suit them. Surprisingly, I prefer this couple's spicy and sleazy interactions over the forced cutesiness.

Although the romance is terribly written, Big Dragon salvages its love story in several ways. As mentioned, its elegant artistry is an enormous asset. The expert cinematographer turns ordinary encounters into heart-thumping spectacles of passion. In addition, the leads are comfortable with each other and share relaxed chemistry. They appear at ease during numerous relationship scenes, from playful flirting to sensual touching. Yai's actor (ISBANKY) surprises me with a spirited performance. He complements his handsome looks with natural charisma and confidence.

The start of Big Dragon is filled with scandals, tension, and volatile emotions. However, all the thrilling intrigue is gone by the finale. While the ending is alright, it suffers from the loss of adrenaline in the preceding episodes. The story doesn't build to any compelling climax. Overall, this problematic series isn't great. The plot lacks momentum, the romance feels toxic, and the leads are irreedemable. Despite these faults, it's not the worst BL I've watched. The mediocre drama meets the minimum quality standard. Big Dragon is simply underwhelming rather than unwatchable.