Thai matinee idols hold first PH fan conference
THAI stars Jumpol Adulkittiporn (Off) and Atthaphan Phunsawat (Gun), Tawan Vihokratana (Tay),and Thitipoom Techaapaikhun (New) — OffGun and TayNew to their beloved fans — held their first Beluca Fanmeeting in the country at the New Frontier Theater.
Altogether, OffGun has collaborated on multiple series, such as “Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey” (2017), “Our Skyy” (2018), “Theory Of Love” (2019), “Not Me” (2021) and “Cooking Crush” (2023).
Meanwhile, TayNew teamed up on “Kiss: The Series” (2016), “Kiss Me Again” (2018), “Our Skyy” (2018), “Dark Blue Kiss” (2019) and “Cherry Magic” (2023).
At the fan meet, attendees ensured they could warmly welcome their favorite Thai stars with banners and light sticks. Particularly, OffGun fans (known as Babii) and TayNew (Polca), are collectively known as Beluca, thus, the title of the fan-meet. They filled the entire theater with excitement as soon as they arrived.
Host Mela Habijan hyped the crowd with her wit and proficient command over the fans to intensify their enthusiasm.
Opening the show, the artist sported their corresponding colors for the first half, with Off wearing red, Gun wearing yellow, Tay wearing green, and New wearing blue. They delivered an outstanding performance, and each greeted the public with “Maligayang Pasko” (the fan meet was held December 2023), warming everyone’s cores with the quartet’s thoughtfulness.
The BL actors then revealed the Filipino dishes they intended to try, namely halo-halo for New, Crispy Pata for Tay, Sinigang for Gun, and Adobo for Off.
The actors also came to promote their ongoing series.
OffGun’s current undertaking together, “Cooking Crush,” is a romantic comedy series adapted from the novel Love Course. It follows the story of Ten (Off), a humble restaurant owner determined to join a cooking competition to redeem his business. That is until he meets Ten (Gun), a struggling medical student who requests him to provide cooking lessons, where their feelings develop eventually.
On the other hand, TayNew’s latest project together, “Cherry Magic,” is a romantic supernatural series from the manga series “Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard.” It revolves around Achi (New), a regular employee who can read minds. Despite avoiding this talent, he learns that his colleague, Karan (Tay), whom he finds attractive, is likewise attracted to him yet attempts to distance himself.
Both 12-episode series are available for streaming at GMM 25, ViuTV, and YouTube, with new episodes every week.
To further showcase the pair’s chemistry, each had the opportunity to perform the theme of their shows. Afterward, they had a playful exchange with the host and attendees, impressing fans with their humorous and relatable sides.
Each actor — also produced a solo performance, singing and dancing on stage effortlessly amused the supporters. Also, despite New’s injured ankle, the celebrities astonished the audience with their flair and charisma.
OffGun and TayNew played games against each other. OffGun led in the first half, and at the last minute, TayNew caught up and won. The losing teams needs to pay a penalty, and fortunately for the fans, at least the losing team only had to strike adorable poses from all points of the stage.
Another set of solo performances took place, leaving no room for dull moments. Brilliantly, Tay delivered a groovy performance, Off took it off with a lively comedic show, New charismatically presented a number, and Gun charmingly aced his stage.
The actors eventually had to bid their farewells.
Off first said, “I would like to thank everyone for making my day. Here’s the loudest fan-meet!”
Additionally, Gun shared, “Thank you for your passionate energy, I don’t feel tired from traveling anymore.”
Along with their gratitude, Tay stated, “You are the best Christmas gift. We wish to return here again, and we love you!”
New concluded, “Thank you for the warm welcome from the airport to the venue and the exceptional enthusiasm. We love you.”
A fan-made video appeared on the screen as the actors said their goodbyes and their fandoms completed their heartwarming presentation by raising their banners.