Monster Next Door (Thai BL) – Episode 1 Recap & Review

Can We Try Dating?

Monster Next Door episode 1 starts by introducing us to one of our protagonists, Diew. He coincidentally meets Got while he is parking his bike. Got is wearing a helmet so Diew is unable to see his face. However, he helps Got when he drops some papers. Got thinks Diew is cute but only thanks him for his help.

Diew sets off to start his day at the library, excited to finally get a chance to read a book he requested. We learn that Diew is a shy man; he keeps to himself. He likes reading at the library, is friends with Game and keeps a pet turtle named Mr Shy. He finds it annoying that someone keeps drawing cartoons on the library table and always wipes the drawings. 

On the other hand, Got is his new neighbour at the dorm. He is an extrovert and well-known for his handsome features. Although he makes friends easily, he has three best friends namely: Wan, Beer and Biu. The four of them like hanging out together and can be very loud. 

On the moving day, Got overestimates himself and carries his belongings to the dorm. Diew sees him struggling and helps him. However, since Got is carrying so many things, Diew is unable to see his face. Got tries to thank him later, but Diew is long gone.

Soon after moving in, Diew starts resenting Got for being too loud. He is used to his peace and finds the ruckus annoying. To make matters worse, Got and his friends nearly burn the building down while cooking.

The owner gives them a scolding but thankful everyone is okay. Got managed to get Diew out before anything bad happened. Still, it was dark and smoky so they couldn’t see each other. A few days later, Diew has enough of the loud noises and writes a note to Got asking him to keep it down. 

Got and his friends start to wonder if Diew is a real person as they have never seen him. He is also so quiet that they never hear him leaving or returning to the dorm.

Nonetheless, Got tries his best to keep it down and not annoy Diew. However, one of his friends mistakenly takes Diew’s electricity bill. This forces Diew to leave a note to Got, asking him to return the electricity bill. Got apologises, explains what happened and returns the bill.

To appease Diew, Got starts leaving snacks on his door. Unfortunately, Diew returns them every time. He doesn’t feel comfortable taking snacks from strangers. A few days later, the two neighbours start casually talking to each other through their balcony. Got sincerely apologises again and formally introduces himself. 

As for the drawings on the table, Got, and his friends continue to draw them. They refuse to back down, so Diew switches his approach. He recommends a book for the table artist to read. Got compares the notes on the book and the notes Diew gave him before and realises they are the same person.

He decides to stop drawing on the table and read the book recommended by Diew. At the same time, Diew is relieved that he doesn’t have to clean the table and his new approach worked. He fails to realise that Got is the culprit. 

After almost a week of Got leaving snacks at his door, Diew gives in and accepts them. However, he leaves a note thanking Got and asking him to stop. Later, they talk on the balcony and Got thanks Diew for the book recommendation.

Once again, Diew is slow to realise Got is the culprit. They talk about their favorite quotes from the book and get closer. At the end of their conversation, Got asks Diew if he is willing to date him. Diew is shocked by the request. 

The Episode Review

This show will certainly not make it to our list of best BLs of the year. It is heartwarming but misses the spark to keep us invested. The show only picked up pace on the last scene and even then, it felt rushed. It came off like the writers trying too hard to give us something to stick around for the next episode.

Diew is introverted and Got’s sudden request to date is shocking not only to him but to the audience too. I don’t think they have built enough rapport with each other to get to this stage. Nonetheless, let us see what Diew says.